I finally did it: I now have a speaking page on my site. 🎤🎉
If you’re looking for someone to talk about design, the web, CSS, accessibility, or the independent web at your event, that’s where you’ll find what I do, what I’ve spoken about, and how to get in touch:
https://matthiasott.com/speaking
Figma's stock closed down ~8% on March 18 after Google updated its Stitch AI coding tool for UI design; FIG is down ~80% since the company's IPO in August 2025 (John Wang/@j0hnwang)
https://x.com/j0hnwang/status/2034425352366473223
I created a new repo/tool today to evaluate and collect the rapidly changing tooling configurations that everyone is trying to figure out (using statistical experimental design) I used Claude/Gastown to both make it and operate it and have some initial comparison data on opus/sonnet and Python/TS/Go etc. for a small test. I’d be happy for some github stars if people think it could be useful.
Structural-Ambiguity-Aware Translation from Natural Language to Signal Temporal Logic
Kosei Fushimi, Kazunobu Serizawa, Junya Ikemoto, Kazumune Hashimoto
https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.28426 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2603.28426 https://arxiv.org/html/2603.28426
arXiv:2603.28426v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: Signal Temporal Logic (STL) is widely used to specify timed and safety-critical tasks for cyber-physical systems, but writing STL formulas directly is difficult for non-expert users. Natural language (NL) provides a convenient interface, yet its inherent structural ambiguity makes one-to-one translation into STL unreliable. In this paper, we propose an \textit{ambiguity-preserving} method for translating NL task descriptions into STL candidate formulas. The key idea is to retain multiple plausible syntactic analyses instead of forcing a single interpretation at the parsing stage. To this end, we develop a three-stage pipeline based on Combinatory Categorial Grammar (CCG): ambiguity-preserving $n$-best parsing, STL-oriented template-based semantic composition, and canonicalization with score aggregation. The proposed method outputs a deduplicated set of STL candidates with plausibility scores, thereby explicitly representing multiple possible formal interpretations of an ambiguous instruction. In contrast to existing one-best NL-to-logic translation methods, the proposed approach is designed to preserve attachment and scope ambiguity. Case studies on representative task descriptions demonstrate that the method generates multiple STL candidates for genuinely ambiguous inputs while collapsing unambiguous or canonically equivalent derivations to a single STL formula.
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Screening Workers with Affirmative Action
Charles Po-Cheng Huang
https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.00615 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2604.00615 https://arxiv.org/html/2604.00615
arXiv:2604.00615v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: This paper examines the optimal contracts in a two-dimensional screening model where one dimension(group identity) is verifiable by agents but not falsifiable. A principal offers contracts to agents who differ in cost types and group membership. Motivated by the United States Federal policy, Work Opportunity Tax Credit, the principal receives tax benefits for hiring agents from protected groups. Under the assumption that the protected agents tend to have higher cost types, the optimal contract induces full separation across both dimensions: agents reveal the cost type and the group identity through contract choice. Furthermore, the principal is willing to hire the trait agents with a higher cost threshold than the non-trait agents, and this threshold increases with the tax credit. Conversely, when the protected agents tend to have lower cost types, the optimal design without tax credits pools groups while separating by cost type. These results demonstrate that both affirmative action and non-discrimination can be optimal depending on the cost distribution ordering across groups.
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Very proud and excited to vote in the NDP leadership race today!!
This is not the first time I've voted in a Federal leadership race... more on that later but first, my choices! I considered only voting for two people, but I ended up filling in all 5 choices.
#1: Tanille Johnston @…
#2: Avi Lewis @…
#3: Heather McPherson
#4: Tony McQuail
#5: Rob Ashton
Why?
You might ask why I would publicize my choices. I don’t expect others to of course. It is a privilege and a right in Canada to exercise your democratic choice freely and privately, but I also think there is value in knowing how others voted.
#1 why Tanille? #electoralReform and proportional representation myself, I didn't just want to pick my top two. I wanted to make a statement on each of these candidates an influence each one.
To be blunt, Heather is #3 because she is the middle-of-the-road candidate. She is an excellent representative as MP and has gathered the support of other MPs including my own, but while I would be OK with her leadership, I would see her as a continuation of the status quo, and that is not what the NDP needs as a party, nor is it what Canada needs as a country.
We desperately need a vigorous and clear alternative to the Centre-but-mostly-Right Liberals, and the MAGA-wannabe Conservatives. The only way to do that is to catch the attention of Canadians and inspire them. I am not sure that Heather has the ability to do that, and if we continue with the same leadership crew in the NDP, I am not confident that the policy choices will be strong enough to inspire and attract Canadians.
That is why Tanille and Avi are far better options.
#4 Why Tony:
Tony is the real deal. Honestly, I would have loved to rank him higher. He represents the true life blood of rural, socially progressive, environmentally aware, Canadians. You should go check out his platform. I am so glad that he was able to participate fully in the race and we need his voice in the NDP.
#5 Why not Rob?
I have been an active member in my Union for more than 10 years. Unionism is The Way. Rob is representing a division within the union movement that claims that working people can't have jobs if the environment is put first. This is a lie.
We need union leaders that look to the future and speak honestly to people. We need union leaders who are genuinely progressive, not ready to do the bidding of corporate masters to the benefit of a few.
Working people need honesty, and when an industry is on decline, a clear path to new, excellent, union, jobs!
#CanPoli #CdnPoli #Liberal #CPC #Canada #Democracy #NDP