Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD

@josephhall

Astrophysicist turned advocate; guiding the globe to a safer, stronger Internet. Distinguished Technologist @internetsociety.bsky.social, (former CDT, NYU, Princeton CITP, Berkekey iSchool/Astro)

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Jul 4

checking in from the beach for a long weekend

A sun-drenched, elevated view of an Ocean City, MD beach. Golden, textured sand, patterned with sweeping tire tracks, stretches toward a calm, deep blue ocean under a clear sky. On the left, people play beach volleyball near light blue storage boxes. Below, a paved boardwalk bustles with pedestrians strolling past white streetlamps and a potted palm tree. A pier extends into the water in the distance, capturing a vibrant, relaxed summer atmosphere.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Jul 2

Audrey Fall - "Mitau" Full Album youtube.com/watch?v=5CIo...

An album cover displaying a valley landscape. A narrow stream winds through the center of the valley floor, which consists of sparse green and brown vegetation interspersed with dark rocks and stumps. Steep hillsides rise on both the left and right, densely populated with coniferous trees. A dense layer of fog heavily obscures the upper sections of the trees and the background landscape. The text "A U D R E Y F A L L" is horizontally centered in the upper third of the image, positioned directly above the text "M I T A U". The image utilizes a desaturated color palette dominated by greens, earth tones, and grays under diffused lighting conditions.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Jul 1

"Doom & Gloom" by Blood Orchid youtube.com/watch?v=Nk39...

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Jun 29

Policymakers often face a false choice: preserve security for everyone or break encryption to catch criminals. But law enforcement operates in an era of unprecedented data availability; see the attached chart from our new policy briefs on alternatives to breaking encryption.

A nfographic titled "Data access policy proposals and their impact on the open, globally connected, trustworthy, and secure Internet."

The top section is a green box with a thumbs-up icon, labeled "Does not interfere with the technical foundations of the Internet. Enables effective investigations without weakening encryption." It lists five numbered items: 1) User reporting, 2) Undercover investigation techniques, 3) Voluntary cooperation, 4) Analysis of metadata, and 5) Forensics on seized devices.

The bottom section is a red box with a thumbs-down icon, labeled "Interferes with the technical foundations of the Internet. Creates systemic risks that can be exploited." It lists three numbered items: 6) Remote forensic software, 7) Client-side scanning, and 8) Mandated backdoors.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Jun 21

wtaf map?

A dark gray, matte-finish fire evacuation map mounted on a textured, white cinder block wall. The sign appears weathered, with mottled gray patches near the legend. It features an abstract, L-shaped floor plan with thin white lines representing walls, two green stairwell blocks, and two elevator symbols. Top-left text reads, "In case of fire do not use elevators. Use fire exits." A legend defines symbols for the "You are here" marker, fire alarms, and stairs. The aesthetic is institutional and worn.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Jun 20

Sigh, custom instructions like the following seem like a red flag, but very much needed

Custom Gemini instruction screenshot: "Whenever I upload files, documents, or images, your very first sentence must explicitly confirm whether you were able to successfully parse and read the contents of those attachments. If you encounter any errors, cannot read the text, or the file is unsupported, you must halt and inform me immediately before attempting to answer the prompt."

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Jun 19

"I Want To Be You" by Your Funeral (1982) Post Punk - USA youtube.com/watch?v=tq5l...

Black-and-white album cover for "YOUR FUNERAL" (gothic font, dagger cross). Three band members pose on a metal fire escape by a brick wall. The foreground figure, in heavy eye makeup and a trench coat, stares intensely. Two others stand behind with dark hair and somber expressions. Stark lighting and grainy texture evoke a raw, moody post-punk vibe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq5l1NuL2XE

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Jun 19

adorne thyself (a/k/a what objects do you want to attach to your person and drag through 4D spacetime with you, subtlety leaving an imprint in the spin foam)

A close-up of a fair-skinned right hand and wrist under warm indoor lighting. The ring finger wears a wide silver and gold band with a dark, undulating mountain pattern. Peeking from a textured, dark purple sleeve is a beaded bracelet featuring vibrant turquoise, amber, and black stones, secured by a silver skull toggle clasp. The soft focus background shows a neutral-toned, paneled interior door.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Jun 16

Current status: Greek food!

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Jun 7

The math immediately collapses. Those four equations boil down to just two. One shows the complex field has zero divergence in a vacuum, and the other links its spatial curl to its time derivative.

The text introduces a duality transformation and defines a complex-valued vector field combining the electric and magnetic fields. The four previous equations are reduced to two equations using divergence and curl operators

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Jun 7

Maxwell's equations form the foundation of classical physics, but writing them out the standard way takes a lot of effort. You have four separate equations juggling electric fields, magnetic fields, divergences, and curls.

Photograph of a textbook page showing the standard formulation of Maxwell's equations. Four equations define the electric and magnetic fields using vector calculus, alongside charge and current density. (the speed of light is set to 1.)

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Jun 6

"Surtur Barbaar Maritime" by Ruins of Beverast youtube.com/watch?v=4HY1...

Album cover for Ruins of Beverast's 2017 album, Exuvia. A dark, atmospheric scene dominated by deep blacks and muted, ochre-toned textures. An indistinct, spectral silhouette emerges from a dense, smoky void, suggesting a crumbling stone structure or decaying monument. The lighting is low and abyssal, casting deep shadows that obscure finer details, evoking a sense of ancient, oppressive decay. The overall texture is gritty and weathered, as if the image itself is fading into an encroaching, textured gloom.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· May 31

I was hoping to get some sleep on a plane flight tomorrow but Baez and Muniain just arrived

$A vertical, high-angle shot of a book titled 'GAUGE FIELDS, KNOTS AND GRAVITY' in red, bold, serif font on a white cover. A textured, beige-colored physical knot is centered, intertwined with thin, black, squiggly lines. Below, the Einstein field equation 'R_{μν} - 1/2 g_{μν}R = 8πκ T_{μν}' is printed in crisp, black, mathematical serif type. The book rests on a rich, dark red, intricately patterned carpet, with warm ambient lighting casting soft, gentle shadows.$

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· May 30

UI flows that force a user to hard-close the app just to escape a marketing upsell are textbook deceptive patterns. A mandatory promotional screen with zero exit paths is hostile UX, Duolingo.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· May 30

"Midnight Sprite" by riff raff youtube.com/watch?v=bn3s...

"RiFF RAFF" in neon text crowns a surreal golden scene. Center: A glowing portrait of a smirking man in a blue-and-gold pharaoh headdress, wearing a gold chain with a glittering Cheshire cat pendant and a coiled snake. Symmetrically flanking him, six identical, smooth-skinned blue alien women in heels pose beneath tractor beams from green UFOs. Bottom text: "THE GOLDEN ALiEN".

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· May 17

Btw, a potentially helpful custom Gemini instruction for creating accessible alt-text

Whenever I say 'Vivid alt', immediately generate an accessible alt-text for the attached image(s). The description must capture mood, texture, lighting, and key physical details to provide a rich experience for visually impaired users. The output should be concise, strictly under 500 characters per image, prioritizing the most crucial visual information, and formatted as plain text. Do not include extraneous conversational text.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· May 17

I believe it's time to dance!!! … "FROZEN" by LOVE OBJECT (Single) youtube.com/watch?v=IYNY...

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· May 15

At the Google EMEA Fraud Summit, Timo Wagenblatt brought the perfect Swiss analogy to defense-in-depth. Securing the Internet takes complementary layers of protection, much like Swiss cheese, where each slice covers the holes of the last.

A photograph of Timo Wagenblatt presenting on stage at the Google EMEA Fraud Summit. The large screen behind him displays a "Defense in Depth" slide featuring the Swiss cheese model: multiple slices of Swiss cheese lined up sequentially. Colored arrows representing threats pass through some holes but are stopped by subsequent solid layers. Text on the slide reads, "True security is a network of complementary practices each covering the imperfections of the other."

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· May 15

Jfc black kyanite is cool af

Two pieces of dark, textured Black Kyanite resting on a marble-patterned MacBook. Below them is a printed information card detailing the stone's properties, noting its Earth element connection and describing it as a stone of protection and self-healing.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· May 10

Beyond the fun styling, Anderson's intricate knit and lace pieces are genuinely remarkable. The craftsmanship speaks for itself. Full collection: www.vogue.com/fashion-show... 2/2

A model with voluminous dark curly hair walks the runway wearing a form-fitting, short-sleeved dark grey crochet midi dress. The dress has a V-neckline, varying open-knit geometric patterns, textured bobbles across the midsection, and a knee-high side slit.

A runway model wearing a striking two-piece set made entirely of sheer, intricate silver and black lace. The outfit includes a long-sleeved button-down shirt tucked into matching loose, wide-leg trousers, paired with chunky black platform heels.

A model walks the runway in a long-sleeved, vibrant royal blue crochet dress. The garment features a deep V-neckline, dropped shoulders with bell sleeves, and a tight knit bodice that transitions into large, open-knit circular cutouts near the hemline.

A model on a runway wearing a black halter-neck crochet dress. The bodice and upper skirt feature intricate open-knit patterns and raised bobble textures, which abruptly transition into a dramatic, floor-length skirt made entirely of long, flowing black fringe.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· May 10

Browsing designer collections, I am completely captivated by these disco ball motorcycle helmets from Frederick Anderson's Resort 2024 runway. (To distract myself from the upcoming workweek, thinking orthogonally from work is best.) 1/2

A fashion model on a runway wearing a silver disco-ball motorcycle helmet and dark shades. She is wearing a matching dark grey structured set consisting of a long-sleeved top with chest pockets, worn partially unbuttoned, tucked into wide-leg trousers featuring cargo-style pockets.

A fashion model walks the runway wearing a sparkly silver disco-ball motorcycle helmet with a dark visor. She is dressed in a cropped, grey knit sweater featuring raised bobble details and wide lace-patterned sleeves, paired with dark micro-shorts, black thigh-high socks, and black patent leather boots.

A runway model wearing a silver disco-ball motorcycle helmet and dark sunglasses. She models a black and white abstract-striped tailored jacket, cinched at the waist with a matching fabric belt, over matching shorts. The look is finished with grey thigh-high socks and black patent leather boots.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· May 9

Living on the East Coast means my radio-controlled atomic wall clock is completely deaf to the atomic (WWVB) signal from Colorado. In the attached video, I am using my smartphone to force the clock to sync to exact Internet time via a clever hardware hack. 1/4

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· May 1

Upgraded my navy GR1 with the greatest state flag in the country. Proud to represent Maryland wherever this bag travels.

A close-up shot of a blue GoRuck GR1 backpack resting on a black chair. Centered near the top is a rectangular morale patch featuring the bold yellow, black, red, and white geometric patterns of the Maryland state flag. The bottom of the backpack has rows of black webbing with a black carabiner clipped to it.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· May 1

A close-up of a museum placard. It displays the number 8 and reads "Dito medio della mano destra di Galileo" with the English translation beneath: "Middle finger of Galileo's right hand, ca. 1737 (case and inscription)".

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· May 1

post your warning sign

A photograph of a museum display featuring the mummified middle finger of Galileo Galilei pointing upwards inside a glass chalice. The chalice rests on a white marble cylindrical base with gold accents and a Latin inscription. A small glass dome sits next to the base.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Apr 28

Draugveil - "Knight Without a Name" youtube.com/watch?v=GhdS...

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Apr 25

Oh snap. We did have Venchi Cioccolato e Gelato and their wall of chocolate

Venchi Cioccolato e Gelato's chocolate wall

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Apr 24

Greetings from Firenze!

A striking nighttime view of the Florence Cathedral (Duomo), brilliantly illuminated against a pitch-black sky. The image highlights the massive, iconic terracotta-tiled dome with its white marble ribs and lantern, along with the elaborate exterior facade patterned in white, green, and pink marble. In the paved plaza in the foreground, a tall white construction fence partially obscures the base of the building. Several parked rental bicycles with bright orange baskets are visible in the lower left, and a few people are scattered around the square, including one person standing near the fence taking a picture with their phone.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Apr 21

Meet Grizzly Batter. A sourdough discard blueberry pancake bear forged on the cast iron. He looks tough, but he's about to lose a one-sided fight with some maple syrup.

A close-up photograph of eight sourdough discard pancakes cooking on a black cast-iron griddle over a gas range. The pancakes are creatively arranged to form a large bear shape. Blueberries are placed on the batter to create eyes on the head and paws on the limbs. The edges of the pancakes are just beginning to set. To the left, a white ceramic pot is partially visible, and to the top right, a blue kitchen pot can be seen. The background is a slightly blurred kitchen counter and stovetop. The lighting is warm.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall· Apr 18

Haircut accomplished (Thanks to Zakia at Georgie's in Takoma Park!)