Matt Austern

@austern.bsky.social

394 Followers 342 Following

Computer programmer, ex-physicist, husband and father, reader. I live in Palo Alto and work at Google, where my focus is large scale data. Interested in various things, including science, food and wine, science fiction, politics, and cute cat pictures.

Outdoor train station, wires overhead, sunset in the distance, and a sign in the foreground reading SPOT EMU.
Ceramic painted in red and black, showing a male figure with a club attacking at multi-head serpent while another figure is attacking it with a curved dagger
Small square clay tablet with cuneiform writing, mounted in front of a white background.
17th century painting, by one Massimo Stanzione, of a rather androgynous looking young woman dressed in what would be Neapolitan peasant clothing except that it's made of obviously luxurious fabrics, holding a rooster in her left arm.
Dimly lit short-hair tortoiseshell cat jumping down from a bookshelf. She's jumping over some Trollope novels, flanked by Tolstoy and Twain.
Video of a large black bird sitting on a wood bench in front of a wire fence, sometimes in profile and sometimes looking right at the camera, making a lot of noise.
"Insofar as I may be heard by anything, which may or may not care what I say, I ask, if it matters, that you be forgiven for anything you may have done or failed to do which requires forgiveness. Conversely, if not forgiveness but something else may be required to insure any possible benefit for which you may be eligible after the destruction of your body, I ask that this, whatever it may be, be granted or withheld, as the case may be, in such a manner as to insure your receiving said benefit. I ask this in my capacity as your elected intermediary between yourself and that which may not be yourself, but which may have an interest in the matter of your receiving as much as it is possible for you to receive of this thing, and which may in some way be influenced by this ceremony. Amen."
A square glass pan with suspiciously precise square lasagna in it, covered with red sauce and melted cheese.
Roman ruins, including brickwork and broken columns, with green grass between them. There's an orange and white cat prowling on a slab of ancient concrete. This is Largo di Torre Argentina, which includes the ruins of Pompey's Theater, where Caesar was killed.
Close up of the face of a long hair grey cat, with books in the background.
Close up of a cocktail glass with a very pale green liquid, sitting at the corner of a stone table, with a cherry on a metal toothpick sticking out of it.
Trees at the bottom and right, blue sky at the top and left, and a rainbow arcing across that corner.
Close up of a long-hair dilute tortoise-shell cat face looking at the camera, or at least she would be looking at the camera if her eyes were open.
Close up of a large "Nick and Nora" cocktail glass, half full of a dark brown drink with a slightly foamy surface.
Five people in front of a restaurant with a sign reading "Terra Cotta Warrior" in English and something else in Chinese.
A black background. On the left the words "DISOBEY ILLEGAL ORDERS" in pale blue and on the right a black-and-white photograph of Nuremberg defendants in the dock, surrounded by Allied troops.
Most of the picture is a deep blue sky, with small clouds in an almost regular pattern that seems to converge to a point near the lower left. There's a small strip of trees and rooftops toward the bottom of the picture.
Wooden platform in the water, below a pier, completely covered with sea lions. They're crowded together, sometimes flopping around, sometimes snarling at each other, and barking continuously.
Adult gull and juvenile gull sitting on a wood fence with a beach in the background. They're looking more or less in the direction of the camera, turning their heads back and forth. The juvenile is making loud calls, probably begging its parent for food.
Adult gull and juvenile gull sitting on a wood fence facing toward the cameras, turning their heads from side to side. The juvenile is making loud calls, probably begging food from its parent.
Two adult deer and two fawns, standing in front of a house. Three of them are in the dry grassy strip between the sidewalk and street. There's a tree and shrub in front of the house, and one of the fawns is nibbling it. The other fawn is further back, nibbling something else. One of the adults is looking at me.
Very spiny orange crab (a Japanese porcupine crab, to be specific), behind some rocks and above a sand floor, with a black background.
Outdoor train station with tracks on the right and wires overhead, receding into the distance, blue sky above, a tree to the left. In the center an overhead display with two upcoming departures, the first listed as 404 7:36 AM ON TIME
Large hawk (not sure which species) standing on top of a chain link fence post, in profile facing right. Most of the background is grey sky, with a step of dry grass at the bottom.
Hanging woven wire sculpture with three lobes and forms within them. You can see the shadow of the sculpture, and also another shadow next to it.
Large crowd in a park with signs, flags, and phones, singing along with and swaying to the music.
Scan of a flyer, black text on yellow paper NO KINGS 7X7k 7 miles of resistance, 7000 resisters Flag Day June 14, 2025 12-2PM El Camino Real (south side of the street) from Tesla Palo Alto to Tesla Sunnyvale Pick your spot and help stretch this historic protest! Bring flags, signs, lawn chairs and friends! Rally 2:30PM, El Camino and Castro, Mountain View
Street art on a concrete bridge pylon: a genderfluid monster with turquoise skin, and the caption DEATH BEFORE DE-TRANSITION.
Sign with a Palo Alto Police logo and a picture of a duck. Text: Please do not feed ducks in this area. We are aware of the seemingly friendly mallards hanging around this shopping center. They have coming around for years and appear to be healthy. Please do not offer them any food. Feeding wildlife affects the health and natural patterns of animals and can create conflicts with humans and may help spread disease.
Cartoon style poster of what you should and shouldn't feed ducks (rice: yes. Peas: yes. Slugs: yes. Popcorn: no. Bread: absolutely no), with a lagoon and houses in the background and red roses in the foreground.
Plate with matzo simmered in salsa roja, with grated cheese on top and sour cream on the side.
Long hair dilute tortie with big green eyes looking nearly into the camera, sitting on the lap of a human wearing blue jeans. Blurry bookshelves in the background.
Tortoiseshell cat curled up in a ball, with her tail under her head and her eyes closed, lying on a green bed.
Food label reading "Prime roots, Three Little Pigs, plant-based koji-foie gras. Rich, smooth, and buttery, koji-foie gras makes the classiest addition to your dinner party."
Close up of a long hair dilute tortoiseshell cat, sitting up on my lap. Her face is partly in profile, but both of her big green eyes are visible. There are blurry bookshelves and a range hood in the background.
Close-up of the two-toned face of a long-hair dilute tortoiseshell cat with green eyes, looking at the camera. The cat is sitting on the lap of a human wearing blue jeans, and there's a wood chair, books, and a window in the background.
Close-up of a tortoiseshell cat's face. The cat is sitting on my leg (although it's hard to tell that it's a leg), and there are stacks of books and a brandy snifter in the background.
Hawk sitting on a post, seen from the back but with its head turned to the left so we get close-up side view. Water in the background at the top of the picture.
Selfie of me with my "I voted" sticker, blue sky and wispy clouds in the background.
A bunch of sheep on a slope with dry grass behind a fence, grey sky above.
Grassy hill with goats on it, and a blue sky. There's longer grass in the foreground, and a long shadow of me and my bicycle.
Two flags flying against a blue sky with a few clouds in it. They're the same size and height but the one in front looks larger and higher because it's well, closer. The flag in back is an Australian flag: a Union Jack in one corner against a blue background with white stars. The one in front has a red stripe at the bottom, a black stripe on top, and a yellow circle in the middle.
Two cocktail glasses with pale yellow liquid and foamy white top
Plate with a mound of polenta with melting butter on top, and a small frying pan in the background, held by someone wearing an oven mitt, holding a yellow frittata.
Cast iron pan containing an orange center and brown rim, bowl with orange cherry tomatoes, and two place settings with rosé wine in them.
Plate with green pasta and pieces of green roasted zucchini, and a wine glass next to it.
Selfie of me standing in front of a sliding glass door, trees in the background. I'm wearing a green circular sticker with a turtle on it, and the words "I got my shot! ❤️CVS."
Jason and Tahani from "The Good Place". Jason is saying: Any time I had a problem and I threw a Molotov cocktail, boom! Right away I had a different problem.
Screenshot of the NYT crossword app, reading: "Congratulations! You finished a Friday puzzle in 1:48:56. 1024 Day Streak. 1:07:23 Slower than your average."
Cooper's Hawk perched in a stand of bamboo.