A mass accelerator. On the moon. A celestial body with just seven percent the surface area of Earth. But with an economy one thousand to a million times bigger. May I see it?

The Simpsons: Principal Skinner's Aurora Borealis

ALT: The Simpsons: Principal Skinner's Aurora Borealis

static.klipy.com

George Pearkes@peark.es · 18h ago

Elon is talking about using robots to build a mass accelerator on the moon in support of an economy 1000x to 1 million times the current earth economy. It's a bad sci fi novel not an earnings call.

I know we attribute a lot of wrong to social media but I’m pretty sure there was once a time when someone apologising was grounds to sheathe your weapons, not stick the boot in.

Ben Goldacre@bengoldacre.bsky.social · yesterday

Apologies: I’m not online much, I haven't paid any attention to Rod Liddle for a long time, I didn't really know his extremes. I do now: I wouldn’t have posted if I'd known. I’ve seen death of difficult people up close (and its impact on others): that’s the only reason it was on my mind as an issue.

I recall we had a period of time where the response of Starmer and Cooper to concerns about these groups was ‘I like flags’

Oxford Clarion@oxfordclarion.bsky.social · yesterday

Leaders of flag-raising group Raise the Colours Oxfordshire placed trackers on highway workers’ cars to find out their home addresses, the High Court has heard. RTC then attempted to intimidate the highway staff into no longer removing flags by repeating their addresses to them.

Leaders of flag-raising group Raise the Colours Oxfordshire placed trackers on highway workers’ cars to find out their home addresses, the High Court has heard. RTC then attempted to intimidate the highway staff into no longer removing flags by repeating their addresses to them.

Ah well, it's not as if the Met have any other investigations to do. I'm sure those phones and bikes will probably make their way back to their owners given time.

Robert Smith@bondhack.ft.com · 22h ago

In all seriousness, the detail here is totally shocking

DPIR is launching a new MSc in Politics of Global Challenges 🌍 HOD Prof David Rueda says it will help students “think critically about global politics” and make a “meaningful impact beyond university”. Applications open in Sept: https://f.mtr.cool/pznqvezufl

Rob hints at this but it’s worth reiterating that a major failure of the Starmer government was their inability to convey a consistent antiracist message or uphold norms. They confused anger about ‘the boats’ with generalised racism and since they couldn’t denounce the former they avoided the latter

Rob Ford@robfordmancs.bsky.social · yesterday

This is what happens when anti-racism norms erode, and elites bear a lot of the responsibility for norm erosion, as they have disproportionate power to set and enforce norms

For more on the power of norms to shape political behaviour, check out this book by @valentimvicente.bsky.social which really should be required reading for every British politician and advisor, and everyone in the British political media: academic.oup.com/book/57946

This is what happens when anti-racism norms erode, and elites bear a lot of the responsibility for norm erosion, as they have disproportionate power to set and enforce norms

Charles EP Murphy@cepmurphy.bsky.social · yesterday

news.sky.com/story/nhs-st... stereotypically this has been seen as Old People, but not only would the old people of now have often been born post-Windrush, lot of this will be younger people who've always lived in a diverse Britain. The guy with a pregnant wife likely millennial at oldest

DPIR's @benansell.bsky.social comments in the @financialtimes.com on public opinion towards the Labour Party and a potential return to the "two-party system" following recent fragmentation. Read more: https://tinyurl.com/2kbej4tj

This is an excellent post that decimates the idea that there is a Truth Police out there actively monitoring bad faith academic work. As most academics and especially journal editors know, a system built on assuming good faith will always struggle against LaCour type fabulists.

Will Davies@will-davies.bsky.social · 3d ago

New post: those wanting Jason Arday to face 'justice' of some kind are not going to get what they want willd10.substack.com/p/how-the-ja...

This guy has anti-Semitic brain worms (among many other species of brain worm) and he needs to be treated as radioactive by every Democrat.

Here’s my skepticism that Farage would become PM back at that most unfashionable time, May 2025, when the press had convinced themselves of his inevitability. benansell.substack.com/p/dont-make-...

Don't Make Plans for Nigel

At least just yet...

benansell.substack.com

George Eaton@georgeeaton.bsky.social · 2d ago

It’s long been clear that Reform is beatable – Farage’s terrible personal ratings, toxic brand, mass tactical voting against them. The narrative that victory for them is inevitable was based on superficial analysis + wishful thinking on the right.

It’s long been clear that Reform is beatable – Farage’s terrible personal ratings, toxic brand, mass tactical voting against them. The narrative that victory for them is inevitable was based on superficial analysis + wishful thinking on the right.

Price change in Tesco school uniforms after 46 years: Trousers: ⬇️ £1 Shirts: ⬇️ 49p Jumpers: ⬆️ 25p And that's *nominal*. Loss leaders and all that, but that's still incredible.

Old UK Print Ads@oldukprintads.bsky.social · 2d ago

Aug 1980: Schoolwear ad from Tesco (+Grey Polyester/Viscose Trousers; Polyester/Viscose Trousers; Sanforised cotton Denim Jeans; Acrylic Zippers; Acrylic V-neck Pullovers; Polyester/Cotton Shirts; Ribbed Polo Neck Jumpers; White lace-to-toe Sports Shoes; Black Plimsolls, and more)

Actual research! If you ever wanted to know how the Big Mac index could be reconstructed on a per calorie basis here it is

FT Alphaville@alphaville.ft.com · 2d ago

as.ft.com/r/2d618169-7...

Worst episode of Come Dine With Me

Paula Surridge@psurridge.bsky.social · 2d ago

Just back from holiday and catching up. Interesting quirk in latest @yougov.co.uk polling is they have a different party ahead in each of the four age groups they disaggregate. 18-24 Green 25-49 Labour 50-64 Reform 65+ Conservative

(I get that Bluesky is very obviously the Wow We Loved Lockdowns website but I think it's absolutely fine, five years after the fact, to wonder if we got the balance right between "protecting older people" and "making sure younger people weren't getting entirely shafted", arguments are allowed)

Westminster Voting Intention: LAB: 27% (+5) RFM: 23% (=) CON: 17% (-3) GRN: 12% (-2) LDM: 12% (+1) SNP: 3% (=) Via OpiniumResearch, 29-31 Jul. Changes w/ 15-17 Jul.

There's lots of stuff LLMs can't do, but if you want to disbelieve all the recent math, you have to believe a bunch of Fields Medalists with long track records are just straightforwardly lying about the thing they care most about. Here's a recent blog by Gowers: gowers.wordpress.com/2026/05/08/a...

A recent experience with ChatGPT 5.5 Pro

We are all having to keep revising upwards our assessments of the mathematical capabilities of large language models. I have just made a fairly large revision as a result of ChatGPT 5.5 Pro, to whi…

gowers.wordpress.com

People need to get it through their heads that whatever they *might* have “actually” meant a couple of years ago, when leftists say “AIPAC” or “Israel” NOW they often mean (((Jewish))) just as when MAGA says “DEI” they mean “Black.” If you can’t get that I don’t know what the else to say.

Those of us with some connection to the trend among Republicans twenty-somethings will not find this enormously surprising

E.J. Fagan@ejfagan.com · 4d ago

Senior Republican congressional staffer on trying to recruit new policy experts: “We have a generation of rabid, incompetent idiots.”

New Heritage staffers are “More MAGA than Trump.”

Columbia associate prof in CS on the difference between AI solving a proof and reporting in a manner that is intelligible to an expert whose work it builds on

Larry has the advantage of not being quieted by whatever the weird British view of not standing up for your profession is. Nothing wrong with defending your sector.

Hank Greely@hankgreely.bsky.social · 4d ago

Former Stanford Law School dean - best leader I've ever seen at close range.

Especially as the sector has reached out to the Govt and sought partnership but nothing. Kramer’s view is widely shared throughout sector 👆

I no longer use X/Twitter, so here I am to support @stianwestlake.bsky.social who has written well on @ukri.org 's strategy I believe his argument is correct: a science funder must fund both curiosity driven and applied research, and that will demand difficult choices 🧵 x.com/stianwestlak...

This is a very good, balanced - and extraordinary - piece; worth reading in full.

Playbooks, plagiarism and a pig’s head: new claims surrounding a star Cambridge professor

Jason Arday was regarded as an academic superstar, but then questions about his work prompted scrutiny of his backstory and counterclaims of racism

theguardian.com

MAGA masculinity means declining to publicly criticize the man your daughter has accused of physical abuse, because doing so might prompt a senile 80-year-old man to write mean things about you.

Wajahat Ali@wajali.bsky.social · 5d ago

The man beat his daughter and injured his granddaughter but he's fine with it apparently. www.notus.org/ohio/bernie-...

Bravo Larry. It pains me a former Labour Party member to agree, I just can’t fathom how they thought this could make sense on any level

Ben Ansell@benansell.bsky.social · 4d ago

Glad someone senior from the sector is pushing back. Labour MPs need to understand the serious real anger from graduates and the people who produce them. And the dangerous financial situation they have allowed to fester, or indeed worsened, in one of Britain’s leading sectors.