John Boom

MD/PhD Student @Columbia. I develop AI tools to engineer biology and medicine. @DukeU BME + Chemistry. MPhil in ML @Cambridge_Uni

[Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan on 🟦☁️) @BrendanNyhan]

Friends don't let friends continue to give exams and papers that are not adapted to the current AI landscape (this is AFTER 27 bailed so the reality is even worse)

PS Props to students 1, 22, and 31

[Etan @EtanBoss]

Landon Donovan says America is missing soccer talent because kids can’t afford to play.

“Only 2% of kids playing organized soccer in America came from households that made less than $50,000.”

“If you don’t make $50,000, your kid cannot play organized soccer.”

“Think about how many kids you’re missing out on in this country because they can’t afford to play the game.”

“There is zero chance I could have played club soccer.”

“My mom made $34,000 a year, single mom raising three kids.”

“She couldn’t pay $4,000 for me to play club. Are you kidding? She couldn’t pay $400.”

“That’s not a good system to create good players.”

[Jesse Peltan @JessePeltan]

Texas hit a July demand record and prices *peaked* at just $0.06/kWh.

Gas was flat because solar and batteries carried the entire peak. Tons of spare capacity.

New York needs to copy Texas.

[Sports Book Reviews @SprtBookReviews]

Why can't the USA have a dominant soccer team? Look how much it costs to play under 9 soccer for my local team. My parents didn't pay even ten percent of this in total for 8 years of me playing as a kid in Ireland.

[Shane Ryan @ShaneRyanHere]

People will think I'm crazy for this take, but I'm a big believer in the psychological impact of narratives on teams. Yes, Belgium looked so much better tonight and we looked lost. But this team had a boatload of good vibes behind them, and in the last 48 hours that vanished, and replacing it was a story of implicit political corruption that turned them into the bad guys, or at least the beneficiary of the corruption. You can't tell me that doesn't put pressure on the team, change the vibe, and take a psychological toll that impacted what happened on the field. American fans, serious and casual, should be pissed at this interference. We overturned a red card and our reward was losing what made this team so much fun until now.

[Nate Silver @NateSilver538]

Just not good enough. In trouble literally from the 1st minute. A clear regression from our first 4 matches. I think/hope the WC is still a substantial net positive for US soccer, but we have to aim higher.

[SEATTLESUBMISSIONS @SEATTLESUBMISS]

Seattle is about to make HISTORY. Tonight's USA vs. Belgium World Cup match is anticipated to be BIGGER than the city's Super Bowl celebration. (📸 @willtrogdon)

[Nate Silver @NateSilver538]

The player who is fouled is the one who should take the penalty.

[John Arnold @johnarnold]

The World Cup was exactly what America needed, at exactly the right time. In an era when nearly everything divides, sports has a unique ability to unite.

The World Cup is special because it is one of the few events where we are not rooting for a city, a college, or a pro franchise. We’re rooting for the country.

Moments of shared identity like this are rare, but they matter. During this month, people who disagree about almost everything else can wear the same jersey, root for the same outcome, and debate the same Balogun red (bad call).

Americans found a moment to come together and root for the country as one. More than 33 million watched the last US game, an audience larger than that for the college football title game or the deciding NBA Finals game. And that was for a round of 32 game. Against Bosnia. The audience will be bigger against Belgium tonight.

So much of entertainment is personalized today as we all watch a different show at a different time on a personal device. But the World Cup is best viewed in a crowd, in a community, and hence dozens of cities have created public viewing venues. Hundreds of thousands of people in dozens of cities will attend a public watch party at a park or random stadium tonight, just to be able to passionately chant “U-S-A” in unison and celebrate collectively.

The tournament has also given millions of visitors a chance to experience America beyond the headlines. They have come for soccer, but they leave having experienced the cities, food, culture, stadiums, and even gas stations. They’ve also seen the extraordinary diversity that defines the US, reflected even in our own team.

They see a nation different from the headlines that often dominate international news and they share these stories with their communities. That’s the real value of hosting an international tournament and comes at an opportune time.

At the same time, many (most?) Americans have a multicultural identity. For them, rooting for the US does not preclude rooting for another team, or several. It’s a chance to reflect on what makes one an American without losing family ties and personal history.

The World Cup gives Americans a different perspective. We’re accustomed to being the favorite. We have the largest economy, the leading military, and the most successful companies. What we don’t have is the best soccer team, at least not on paper. This month we’re reminded what it’s like to be the scrappy underdog, trying to compete with the big dogs like France, Spain, and Argentina.

When you're the favorite, winning is merely meeting expectations. When you're the underdog, every win is a step forward. For a country that so often occupies the role of the favorite, we seldom have the chance to appreciate incremental progress. Whether we win or lose tonight (and we will win), this tournament has been a huge success and has illuminated the path for the next 4-year cycle.

Americans were ready for a reason to cheer together. The US Men’s National Team has given us one.

[John Boom @JohnDBoom]

@bots_and_bits With little to no details and such insane performance, have to wonder what data leakage was present during training

[The xG Philosophy @xGPhilosophy]

England conceded 0.01 non-penalty xG On Target in the second half against Mexico.

They played 47 minutes with 10 men 🤯

[John Arnold @johnarnold]

In small print at end: "Grok can make mistakes, verify its outputs."

[Adam Crafton @AdamCrafton_]

BREAKING @TheAthleticFC

Folarin Balogun will be available to play the USMNT’s round of 16 match against Belgium with his one-game red-card ban suspended. Extraordinary development.

Story with @Dan_Sheldon_

https://t.co/oQ61J9btzT

[Doug Lewin @douglewinenergy]

Texas demand came in higher than forecast today, just below last year's July high. While other parts of the country (incl. PJM and New York), have seen high wholesale prices in the heat, Texas, with 50% of generation from wind & solar, has seen low prices. #txlege #txenergy 1/

[Sanjay Sujanthakumar @tha_Real_Kumar]

#USMNT striker Folarin Balogun on his immediate reaction to red card:

“I think it was just important to stay calm. I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion. There’s still lots of people we’re inspiring, little kids, boys and girls who are watching, and we have to show them the correct way to handle things, even when you think it's unjust.”

On shaking ref’s hand postgame:

“As said, you can feel like something, injustice can happen to you. It’s not an excuse to be disrespectful… I'm aware that the World Cup might be the first time a lot of American viewers are tuning in. So it's important just to show people, whether things happen to you, good or bad, just to continue to be yourself.”

[Nuel @LfcNuel]

🚨🗣️ José Mourinho on the VAR double standard between Lionel Messi and Folarin Balogun:

"When I speak about the system, people call me crazy. They say Mourinho is always complaining. But today, the whole world saw the script with their own eyes.
Folarin Balogun makes an accidental step, a completely natural movement of a striker fighting for the ball, and VAR calls the referee like a crime has been committed. A straight red card. He misses the biggest game of his life.

But when the poster boy of FIFA, Lionel Messi, puts his studs into the calf of an opponent, the VAR room suddenly loses their internet connection. The referee goes blind. It is a completely different rulebook. If Balogun's name was Folarin Messi, he would not have even received a warning. It is not about the severity of the foul anymore; it is entirely about the name printed on the back of the shirt. It is a disgrace."

[RedditCFB @RedditCFB]

Friendly reminder that FIFA golden boy Messi received no punishment after this foul earlier in the tournament.

[Doug Lewin @douglewinenergy]

Yesterday, Texans used 1.7 terawatt-hours of power, highest use day in June so far.

And over 60% of that power, over one terawatt-hour, was produced by wind, solar, and nuclear.

World-leading energy innovation is happening in Texas. #txlege #txenergy

[Satoshi Yoshiji @SatoshiYoshiji]

NIH @AllofUsResearch has just released a massive multi-omics dataset, including:
• 535K WGS (120K+ added; now larger than UKB)
• ~10K proteomics + RNAseq + long-read
• ML-curated clinical notes
• 68K with Fitbit data

Kudos to this great initiative and to the participants for advancing science
https://t.co/Z7MnU7432S

[Misha G. @tastybits]

Japan is my favorite country on earth. Love seeing Japanese football fans exploring Houston.

A guide to Houston restaurants just for you.

> 1st and most important - don't miss the real Tex-Mex fajitas here. This dish became famous in Houston and spread around the world. Ninfa's on Navigation is the original (good), El Tiempo is better and owned by the family that started Ninfa's (even better), Candente is absolute best right now. Always order beef fajitas and flour tortillas. Never chicken.

- Most people don't know: prime outside skirt steak is the cut you want in top fajita houses in Houston. Only 5% of it remains in the US. Where is 95% of prime outside skirt steak from US going? Exported to Japan.

> BBQ short list - Truth, Pinkertons, Corkscrew are all top tier. Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue, J-Bar-M Barbecue, Killen's are great. But my personal favorite is @BloodBrosBBQ from a fantastic Vietnamese team. Always order the brisket fatty. Just do it.

> Viet-Cajun cuisine was born in Houston - Crawfish & Noodle (the best), South X Saigon, Crawfish Cafe, Cajun Kitchen, Wild Cajun.

> Vietnamese population in Houston is massive - Annam, Huynh (downtown), Nam Giao, Thiên Thanh, Pho Binh, Vinh Hoa (many, many others)

> Chinatown in Houston is massive and amazing. Sinh Sinh (Vietnamese owned Chinese/Vietnamese cooking in Chinatown), Fung's Kitchen (Cantonese), Mala (Sichian). Outside of Chinatown - Silk Road for top level dim sum.

> Mexican - Houston is one of the best cities in US for real Mexican cooking. Taqueria Laredo, Puebla's Kitchen, Urbe, Hugo's, Caracol, Zaranda, Pico's.

> If you miss Japanese food - Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera is one of few sushi restaurants to correctly cook rice best rice, Oru or Kira knows how to age fish properly + they do hand cranked kakigori. Katami, Kata Robata, Aburi are also good.

- Sushi Horiuchi - top level Edomae suhi, closest to top Ginza sushi houses

- Ramen Gachi for best ramen. Not far from World Cup action.

- Pacha Nikkei for Peruvian Japanese. Ceviche Chirashi is really a special dish.

> Kenny and Ziggy's - one of the best Jewish delis in the country. Its strange, but true. You don't have to go to NYC.

> Indian/Pakistani - Aga's, Himalaya, Biriyani Pot, Kiran's, Musaafer

> Michelin level cooking - March, Theodore Rex, Tatemo, Camaraderie, Baso.

- You'll find a danabe pot with pork rice at Theodore Rex, what may be the best steak in Houston at Baso, a pitch perfect tarte flambe at Camaraderie, most refined Mediterranean cooking at March, modern Mexican at Tatemo (sometimes tacos made with A5 Japanese Wagyu)

This is a very small list. Tell me where you are and what you want, and I'll give you local recommendations.