Alley Stoughton

host/producer of Not Brahms and Liszt on WMBR Cambridge ● research professor emerita at Boston University Computer Science ● lives in North Adams, Massachusetts, USA

personal: https://alleystoughton.us
professional: https://www.bu.edu/cs/profiles/alley-stoughton/
WMBR: http://wmbr.org
GitHub: https://github.com/alleystoughton

Public Key

npub1pqv305uhd04wuexy5s27fz7uh0ru22qlsjq89k9mfe5mc02fj0tq3grhdh

NIP-05 Address

fullyabstract_at_fosstodon.org@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsqsxgh6wtkh6hwvnz2g90y30wth3799q0cfqrjmza5u6du84ye84spp4mhxue69uhhjctzw5hx6egpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfdu8w2dfz

Publishing to

yabu.me

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1pqv305uhd04wuexy5s27fz7uh0ru22qlsjq89k9mfe5mc02fj0tq3grhdh

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Last Notes

2026-09-04 01:35:44 UTC

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I include it partly because over the 11 years I've been producing the program, I've included music by over 1000 living composers - and most people would have trouble naming 5.

2026-09-04 01:26:00 UTC

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Someone keeps texting WMBR during my modern classical radio program insisting that no one wants to hear information about the pieces and composers - that if they did, they could just look it up themselves. There is such a thing as turning the dial.

2026-07-11 14:44:53 UTC

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Sadly, the street address of my house is 47.

2026-05-30 05:26:20 UTC

Mural in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/116/661/864/075/391/656/original/361ffd28c24da501.jpeg

2026-03-01 22:41:51 UTC

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Instead the article focuses on this sort of harm:
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“By forcing trans people, and only trans people, to have a license that says ‘F’ when they live their lives as men, or vice versa for trans women, it is requiring them to convey the state’s belief that transgender people don’t exist,” said Mr. Seldin, the A.C.L.U. attorney.
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In other words, the harm is compelled speech, I guess (?) contrary to the 1st Amendment.
The average Kansan probably can't even parse this.

2026-03-01 22:36:22 UTC

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Well, NYT did make this point indirectly via the sign being held up in the photo illustration.

2026-03-01 22:31:10 UTC

Typical of the New York Times to leave out what I think is the strongest harm the ACLU lawsuit argues the two trans men plaintiffs are suffering: they will be left with no public restrooms to use, except gender neutral ones. If they continue to use men's rooms, they are breaking the law. If they switch to using women's rooms, there will be an outcry, and they will be harassed and perhaps temporarily charged with being men using women's facilities.
#transgender #Kansas
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/us/transgender-kansas-drivers-licenses-lawsuit.html?unlocked_article_code=1.P1A.EXz9.giikcaGE9BLI&smid=url-share

2026-02-09 12:58:24 UTC

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Which of these little creatures a given person is frightened of seems so idiosyncratic. My spouse is terrified of house centipedes, but I like them. But something deep in my subconscious probably accounts for my relatively mild fear of spiders. I can remember one dream from childhood that terrified me.

2025-12-25 19:01:27 UTC

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To the Norse, Happy Thor's Day!

2025-12-16 16:59:02 UTC

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I see that legal documents specifying "adopted as holograph" (meaning, the force of this contract is the same as if I'd written the whole thing out by hand) is no longer the practice in Scotland. that was another thing my ex and I were amazed by.

2025-12-16 16:38:02 UTC

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The lease my ex and I once signed for our flat in Morningside included that we wouldn't store coal in our bathtub.

2025-11-01 22:17:40 UTC

Time to donate to your local food bank if you can afford it and haven't already done so. One of the best ways to support people in need in our communities.

2025-10-24 01:02:18 UTC

Double decker dogos
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/115/426/442/217/950/907/original/e91b604234ee07f3.jpeg

2025-09-19 14:25:06 UTC

Somehow play fighting is soooo much more fun when it's right on top of one of us.
#DogsOfMastodon
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/115/231/416/383/743/548/original/383a69f3502bab92.mp4

2025-08-25 01:35:34 UTC

"The curtailment of academic freedom, the deportation of foreign students, the banning of protests: all of this is being done under the pretext of protecting Jews, who alone are entitled to protections that other groups apparently don’t merit. It is hard to imagine a more effective way to breed anti-Jewish animus."
https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-troubling-lines-that-columbia-is-drawing?_sp=61290c32-4b45-42dd-a60d-ca23eeb5000f.1756084402262

2025-08-17 14:27:22 UTC

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Honestly, I was expecting an edited tape where she asserts Trump did nothing wrong but various Dems did do wrong, in return for clemency.

2025-08-04 00:56:56 UTC

Chamber music for strings by Alberto Ginastera, Stephen Jaffe, Kay Rhie, Laura Schwendinger & Melinda Wagner - featuring Aperture Duo, Ciompi Quartet, Trace Johnson & Miró Quartet - on Not Brahms and Liszt Monday (8/4/25) 4-5:30pm ET on WMBR Cambridge 88.1 FM streaming https://wmbr.org
#Cambridge #Boston #Radio #ModernClassical #ChamberMusic
@npub1wcm…s0y6 @npub1eus…vl8u @npub1htj…55j3 @npub1z82…5e5c
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/114/967/772/970/599/837/original/2e7b643c4cfc7fb8.jpeg
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/114/967/773/289/478/875/original/2189888056a328ab.jpeg
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/114/967/773/615/855/891/original/3cb0029decc58a17.jpeg
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/114/967/773/923/390/599/original/8d29b6f01f6aee37.jpeg

2025-07-17 17:59:02 UTC

Interested in theoretical cryptography and/or formal methods? Boston University is hosting a summer school on Universally Composable Security and the EasyUC framework for formalizing UC models and proofs.
The school is from August 11 - 14, 2025. Registration is free, and we're supporting both in person and Zoom participation.
For more information and to register, visit:
https://www.bu.edu/riscs/events/uc-easyuc-summer-school/
#Cryptography #FormalMethods

2025-06-16 13:59:02 UTC

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I'm perplexed as to why everyone wants a future where humans no longer understand anything or even want to.

2025-05-03 13:05:41 UTC

“To be clear: Being poor is not desirable, and we should strive to improve material conditions. But our research, though in its early stages, should prompt people to wonder whether prioritizing economic growth and material prosperity above all else has imposed costs on developed nations — and whether doing so is likely to impose these costs on the developing economies that follow the path of Europe and its colonial offshoots.”
#GiftLink
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/opinion/happiness-economic-development.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EU8.MnQY.l2V6_HgbvPvl&smid=url-share

2025-04-17 17:31:52 UTC

So UK now off the list of safe places for trans people to visit.
Unbelievable that assigned sex at birth trumps actually bodies. What a thrill for male police officers to strip search trans women.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/apr/17/trans-women-uk-railways-strip-searched-male-officers

2025-04-09 21:45:35 UTC

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What is Yahoo? Like AOL?

2025-03-28 13:58:05 UTC

Has the situation in the US deteriorated to the point where the world should start boycotting academic conferences in the US? Or at least demanding the ability to participate remotely?
People coming to the US can now be refused entry or even held by immigration because of their political views. We're no longer talking about people on terrorist watch lists.
#USPol #ICE

2025-03-05 17:03:07 UTC

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It's supposed to be anonymous.

2025-03-05 16:58:04 UTC

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This was a workplace climate survey, not an intake for therapy. But thanks for your thoughts.

2025-03-05 15:36:34 UTC

Oh great, I'm supposed to agree/disagree with the following mental health questions on a 7 point scale. Some how the prospect of doing this has made me more depressed.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/114/110/561/633/891/291/original/f1f8753824b90aef.png

2025-02-27 19:09:53 UTC

From August 11-14 we're going to be holding a UC (Universally Composable Security)/EasyUC Summer School at Boston University.
Here is a preliminary announcement:
https://alleystoughton.us/UC-EasyUC-summer-school-save-the-date-flyer.pdf
If you might be interested in participating in the summer school, we hope you will put yourself on our mailing list and give us feedback that will help us fine tune our plans for the school.
You can also email the organizers at
uc-easyuc-summer-school+owners@googlegroups.com
#UC #Cryptography #FormalMethods

2025-01-31 19:56:50 UTC

#DARPA
Securing Artificial Intelligence for Battlefield Effective Robustness (SABER)
fun times

2025-01-31 03:58:52 UTC

Well, Northeastern beat BU … at showing obedience to Trump
https://huntnewsnu.com/83151/campus/northeastern-purges-dei-websites-and-messaging-amid-trump-executive-order/

2025-01-08 21:48:55 UTC

Chilly walk in the Arnold Arboretum this afternoon - but good to get some exercise!
#JamaicaPlain #Boston #ArnoldArboretum
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/794/936/384/319/540/original/e5c06cce599c78a0.jpeg

2025-01-05 00:46:54 UTC

A sleepy #Caturday from Cedric.
#CatsOfMastodon
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/772/987/023/988/059/original/4f15b92106525b7a.jpeg

2024-12-08 20:24:49 UTC

#SilentSunday
Photo of leafless trees with blue sky above and the sun peeking through.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/619/074/118/985/888/original/56f11d4d99100a94.jpeg

2024-12-08 20:22:20 UTC

Our elderly tortie Elsie still climbs to the top of the cat tower pretty easily. Go Elsie!
#CatsOfMastodon
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/619/064/339/286/602/original/b302d4ee6420d791.jpeg

2024-11-20 02:37:48 UTC

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I will try not to waste more resources with silly Q&A like this.

2024-11-20 02:30:49 UTC

Oh dear, ChatGPT now sort of knows who I am. Most of this answer is BS, but it used to say it didn't know who I was. Half or quarter truths is going to cause a shitload of confusion.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/512/929/328/617/434/original/7993b227220d14e0.png

2024-09-15 14:14:06 UTC

This will look like nothing if cropped, but here was the state of play in the tussle between dog and principal cat in my house this morning. Dog (Lucy) chases cat (Cedric), cat jumps up on bookshelf, dog looks to me like I should fix it.
#DogsOfMastodon #CatsOfMastodon
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/141/982/304/064/751/original/e77c745ea5ad71d0.jpeg

2024-08-26 22:21:49 UTC

Dramatic clouds over Jamaica Plain this early evening!
#Boston #JamaicaPlain
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/030/653/847/679/816/original/27bb422d6ac70981.jpeg

2024-08-24 14:41:23 UTC

Cedric wishes you an upside down #Caturday
#CatsOfMastodon
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/017/518/697/182/549/original/adf79bf076a83f53.jpeg

2024-08-18 15:09:33 UTC

Photo from Amtrak after leaving NYC Penn Station yesterday, heading to Boston. Is the foreground Astoria? My NYC geography is really bad. #NYC
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/983/655/616/749/861/original/aef3f4143df5cec0.jpeg