Saint Sebastian was one of the early proponents of “arrow-maxxing”, a practice that allowed the Holy Fathers to really show off their abs.

Why the AI backlash has turned violent And why it's probably only going to get worse from here.

Homestly those just starting to worry about the AI “backlash” really shouldn’t have spent 4 years lashing the public about how worthless their jobs and their novels and their music and their their safety are. open.substack.com/pub/bloodint...

How we stood on the shoulders of deaf people to get to the moon.
vm.tiktok.com/ZNRVFr9fP/

I don’t normally put much credence in these phenomena, but it’s Easter Sunday and my wife has found an undeniable face in her potato.

Today I went to see Project Hail Mary, a film of a book that every science fiction fan seems to love. Although the plot is something about microbes eating the sun, its main focus is the hardest science question of all - can nerds have friends?

I have found out the hard way that brand distinctions are an important factor in successful baking.

There simply isn’t enough Banjo Beale content in the world, even with the new Ulva hotel restoration series on BBC. Can I subscribe to a dedicated Grampa-the-dog cam feed? Take my money you impetuous, ambitious, visionary pair of adopted Scots!

One of my favourite holiday filmed is “Spirited” with Will Ferrell. His big song, and the question the whole movie turns on, is “Am I Forever Unredeemable”. Of course, it should have been “Am I Forever Irredeemable”, which is ironically something they can never put right.

I'm reading around on vibe coding to develop some teaching materials for my undergrads. The first book starts with a canonical example of writing an app to estimate the time to read a podcast script, based on its word count.

GENUINELY who would *write an app* to solve this problem? This is insane!

Winter Solstice 2025: Sunrise Live from Stonehenge YouTube video by English Heritage

Don’t forget the reason for the season - it’s the tilt of the earth’s axis! So I’m about to watch sunrise over Stonehenge on the English Heritage YouTube channel www.youtube.com/live/FEnQmoc...

From Aunty Beeb to Aunty Trans is a heck of a shift to government censorship.

Point of no returns: researchers are crossing a threshold in the fight for funding With so little money to go round, the costs of competing for grants can exceed what the grants are worth. When that happens, nobody wins.

Happy Christmas to all my university colleagues. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

A Christmas Film For Male Loneliness YouTube video by Ali Woods

A Christmas film for all the bros youtube.com/shorts/jBjfk...

Tim Blais on Instagram: "On the seventh day of Newtonmas my conscience said to me.." In this video, we delve into the world of scientific inquiry and explore the importance of objectivity in research. By learning to critically evaluate evidence and separate fact from bias, you'll be b...

An responsible science reminder at Christmas www.instagram.com/reel/DSM-8yy...

It’s terrible that @robinince.bsky.social has had to leave the BBC because of his public pro-trans opinions. Science comedy isn’t always funny. www.chortle.co.uk/news/2025/12...

Hey ChatGPT show me a successful publisher to invest in

vm.tiktok.com/ZNReHWCh2/

A still frame with me (the interviewee) and a caption "the problem" underneath

My university students interviewed me about LLMs and this is the key frame that they chose on YouTube.

Some physics humour for your timeline: Heisenberg, Schrödinger and Ohm in a car…

vm.tiktok.com/ZNRJWJRN7/

It Feels Like Christmas - Fall Out Boy YouTube video by piggy

Recent anecdotal evidence* shows it’s impossible not to feel happy when listening to this clip

*listening to it on a rainy Monday morning

youtu.be/CLP15B43uNA

Southampton Science Comedy! A December evening of science-themed stand-up comedy, stories, and silliness from some of Southampton’s funniest and nerdiest people!

Enjoy Christmas Science Comedy cheer with Dr Paul Conway explaining the Moral Psychology of Santa's Naughty List! Our professional comedy headliner is a cancer scientist that The Guardian described as "deliciously funny".

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...

My iPhone’s FaceID is refusing to recognise me today and my ego is taking it badly.

A bit of musical science comedy for your timeline - what could be better? vm.tiktok.com/ZNdEgoqU2/

Southampton Science Comedy! An November evening of science-themed stand-up comedy, stories, and silliness from some of Southampton’s funniest and nerdiest people!

Calling all Women in STEM!
November's Southampton Science Comedy features women in STEM who rap, control AIs and electrocute men - because science! Come along and bring your friends!!

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...

Southampton Science Comedy is back this week, on Thursday 16th October. Get your tickets to see the brilliant Farah Sharp perform with researchers and students from @unisouthampton.bsky.social

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...

Photo of workshop on sociological engagement with Large Language Models

Photo of workshop on sociological engagement with Large Language Models

Brilliantly thought-provoking workshop on critical and ethical sociological engagement with LMMs in Naples this morning led by @jessogden.bsky.social @lescarr.bsky.social @sociodigfutures.bsky.social @bdfi.bsky.social #rc33 #isa #11ICSSM #Methodology

I just got a fast train from Milan via Rome to Naples that serves Napoli Afragola - a new mainline station that has no facility for taxis and that no-one in Naples has ever heard of.

I’m in Naples for the 11ICSSM conference to run a workshop on LLMs and give a paper about social scientists responses to AI with @susanjhalford.bsky.social .

Scraping tools like @digitalmethods.net Zeeschuimer, @lescarr.bsky.social WDRA are *vital* for social media research but how widely are they used? 🤔

If you use these tools or similar in your work, please reply 'teaching' 'research' 'both' 👇🏽 or via email if preferred 🤗

#AcademicSky

Southampton Science comedy is back in October. Get your tickets to see the brilliant Farah Sharp perform with researchers and students from @unisouthampton.bsky.social

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...

Me: my research demonstrates the benefits of large language models for qualitative research

Also Me: The Last Teams Meeting