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matthew du plessis

@mattduplessis.bsky.social

Holding up the sky. Stand and deliver, sky.

4893 Posts567 Follower358 Folgt
BMcG@bootsmcgoot.bsky.social · 2w ago

Our identities are so fractured online. On tumblr, they'll never know your face. On instagram, they'll never know your thoughts. On bluesky, they'll never know your job. On facebook, they'll never know a dog standing in 4 coke cans is AI.

The Continent@thecontinent.org · 2w ago

All Protocol Observed Welcome to Issue 252 of The Continent Egyptians were using the characters of SpongeBob and his friends to talk about their real lives in a Facebook group. In 2 weeks it gained almost two million members. Then it was shut down. bit.ly/252_TC

The cover of The Continent, Issue 252, dated 5 September 2026, is a colourful underwater cartoon. At the top, on a yellow strip, it reads “AFRICAN JOURNALISM | 5 SEPTEMBER 2026 | ISSUE 252”. Beneath it, the newspaper’s name, “The Continent”, appears in large white letters against a bright turquoise-blue sea. The main headline, in large white type, reads: “Egypt finds trouble at the bottom of the sea.” The illustration is a playful underwater scene featuring characters from SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob and Squidward are standing on the seabed with bows and arrows, shooting yellow-tipped arrows towards a large structure on the right. The structure looks like a giant underwater display or board, with arrows pointing towards labels including “UNEMPLOYMENT”, “COST OF LIVING”, “MIGRATION”, “POOR HEALTH CARE”, “POWER SHORTAGE” and “POWER SHORTAGE” again. It appears to represent Egypt’s social and economic problems. Behind the board is a large “MINISTRY OF INTERIOR EGYPT” box, with a stern-looking Egyptian official sitting behind a desk and apparently operating or controlling the board. The seabed contains coral, seaweed and familiar cartoon underwater buildings, including SpongeBob’s pineapple house. The overall image is bright, humorous and deliberately absurd, using the SpongeBob world to satirise Egypt’s domestic troubles. At the bottom left is the credit: “ILLUSTRATION: YEMSRACH YETNEBERK.”Bild
Coda Story@codastory.com · 2w ago

1/ Mathematics has long been considered the foundation of human knowledge. Now large language models are getting better at solving some puzzles. Mathematicians must decide if, and how, they will work with this new technology.

As mathematicians grapple with AI, divisions are multiplying - Coda Story

Mathematics has long been considered – not least by mathematicians – to be the foundation of human knowledge. Now large language models are getting better at solving some puzzles. Mathematicians must ...

codastory.com

HOPE not hate@hopenothate.org.uk · 2w ago

And the biggest howler: Reform’s geniuses in Kent were apparently able to repaint a fence, trim the verge, plant grass seed (and get it to grow instantly), redo the pavement and repave the road all so quickly that the car in the top-right corner didn’t move an inch! Amazing!

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atlasnewspaper.bsky.social@atlasnewspaper.bsky.social · 3w ago

1/ If mathematics is the foundation of human knowledge, mathematicians are its guardians — and they're having an existential crisis. Issue 004 of The Atlas goes inside the quiet revolution in mathematics, as AI gets better at solving problems that have stumped humans for years.

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BeijingPalmer@beijingpalmer.bsky.social · last mo.

the entire Chinese internet has embraced what's basically a work of outsider art; a terribly animated film about a cow's dream made by a mother-son team and distributed by a former interior decoration company. It's now made millions at the box office.

Accented Cinema@accentedcinema.bsky.social · last mo.

Niu Lai (lit. Cow Come) was released without a press kit. Movie theaters in China have begun making their own posters. Surprisingly, not an AI in sight, just ppl living in the mement.

Nicholas Dawes@nicdawes.bsky.social · last mo.

South Africa's top court just ended Shell's bid to start oil and gas exploration along a sensitive coast. If you are experiencing US Supreme Court-related symptoms, reading this kind of jurisprudence, grounded in core constitutional rights and responsive to current context, may exacerbate them.

saflii.org

Chenchen Zhang 🤦🏻‍♀️@chenchenzhang.net · 2mo ago

Icymi: I joined the SPRC podcast to talk about my book, digital reactionary discourse, and our own Shicha podcast & the new Chinese diaspora Episode webpage: soundcloud.com/ucl-advanced... Media file: feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/23651...

SPRC In Conversation with Dr Chenchen Zhang

Luke de Noronha is joined by Chenchen Zhang, Associate Professor in International Relations at Durham University. Chenchen’s book Easting the West: Theorizing the Postliberal Conjuncture from China, w

soundcloud.com

The Continent@thecontinent.org · 2mo ago

All Protocol Observed Welcome to Issue 246 of The Continent. We’ve been around for a while. But nowhere near as long as the family ruling Togo. Our investigation found what was covered as a constitutional power-grab last year came at a devastating human cost. bit.ly/246_TC

This is the cover of Issue 246 of The Continent. It is designed like an investigator's evidence board pinned over a map of Togo. A warm brown background resembles aged paper, with the long, narrow outline of the country running vertically down the right side. Red string stretches across the map, connecting blue drawing pins and yellow sticky notes, creating the impression of a conspiracy or criminal investigation. The notes mark key moments and locations, including "May 2024", "June 2025", "Jan 2026", "No term limits", "Takes power 2005", "Civil prison", "Main square", "Djidjolé gendarmerie", "Sylvanus Olympio hospital" and the capital, Lomé. The strings suggest these events and places are linked. Pinned over the map is a torn newspaper clipping from *The Continent* about unofficial militias in Togo. In front of it stands an illustration of a masked gendarme in riot gear, holding a baton. His face is completely covered by a black balaclava, making him anonymous and intimidating. He wears body armour labelled "Gendarmerie", reinforcing the theme of state force and secrecy. Partly hidden beneath the newspaper is a faded photograph of a grand colonial-era building, hinting at political power and the state. Running down the map itself is the word "TOGO" in large, faded letters. At the top, the masthead *The Continent* appears in large white type, while a banner above it reads: "African Journalism | 25 July 2026 | Issue 246."A poster with a warm cream background features the words "Reading is resistance." in large, bold black lettering at the top. Below the text is a colourful illustration of a person lying on their stomach reading a newspaper. Their elbows rest on the pages while their head is propped up in their hands. They wear a pink shirt and a cap, with a pair of shoes on their raised feet behind them. The reader is sheltered beneath a roof made from the open pages of a giant book. The book is supported by two oversized upright books on either side, creating the shape of a small house or tent. The books are illustrated in soft blues, purples, greens and yellow, giving the image a warm, inviting feel. At the bottom, the poster invites people to subscribe to The Continent for free by messaging a South African phone number on WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram, or by emailing read@thecontinent.org. The Continent appears in bold black type at the very bottom.
The Continent@thecontinent.org · 2mo ago

All Protocol Observed Welcome to Issue 245 of The Continent. What happens when a liberation movement delays succession for too long? Muhoozi Kainerugaba is more than an Uganda's chief internet provocateur and the president’s son. He's the heir apparent, maybe. bit.ly/245_TC

This is the cover of The Continent (Issue 245, dated 18 July 2026) featuring a satirical illustration of Uganda's General Muhoozi Kainerugaba reimagined as the Joker. The headline reads: "The heir apparent, maybe." Muhoozi lounges casually in a large presidential-style chair beneath the Ugandan coat of arms. He wears an exaggerated Joker-inspired outfit: a purple suit, bright green shirt, oversized green bow tie, purple gloves and a light green military helmet instead of the Joker's trademark green hair. His face has been painted with a wide, unsettling red grin and heavy eye makeup, giving him the Joker's manic smile while remaining recognisably Muhoozi. He reclines with one leg draped over the arm of the chair, projecting supreme confidence. In one gloved hand he casually twirls a revolver with a white flag tied to the barrel reading "BANG" in red letters, referencing the Joker's trick weapon. In the other hand he fans a set of playing cards, another Joker motif.A poster with a warm cream background features the words "Reading is resistance." in large, bold black lettering at the top. Below the text is a colourful illustration of a person lying on their stomach reading a newspaper. Their elbows rest on the pages while their head is propped up in their hands. They wear a pink shirt and a cap, with a pair of shoes on their raised feet behind them. The reader is sheltered beneath a roof made from the open pages of a giant book. The book is supported by two oversized upright books on either side, creating the shape of a small house or tent. The books are illustrated in soft blues, purples, greens and yellow, giving the image a warm, inviting feel. At the bottom, the poster invites people to subscribe to The Continent for free by messaging a South African phone number on WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram, or by emailing read@thecontinent.org. The Continent appears in bold black type at the very bottom.
Chenchen Zhang 🤦🏻‍♀️@chenchenzhang.net · 2mo ago

many thanks to Clyde Wang for engaging with my book and raising generative questions. I really enjoyed this conversation for @madeinchinajournal.com, and I hope you do as well! madeinchinajournal.com/2026/07/14/e...

Easting the West: A Conversation with Chenchen Zhang | Made in China Journal

At a time when right-wing populism appears to be rampaging through global politics, studies about its discourses and strategies remain thin and even marginal in the field of international relations. T...

madeinchinajournal.com

Mark Chadbourn@chadbourn.bsky.social · 3mo ago

One of the great sources of humour is listening to things like the NYT’s The Daily podcast describing US democratic socialists as “extreme” when they’d barely make it to centre-left in Europe.