Ummm...

I recently booked a car viewing via a dealer's website, and didn't even realise I was talking to an AI chatbot. And fair play, it was great! Apart from it booking us in to the wrong department, for the wrong vehicle, and not telling anyone we were coming, which took half a dozen people to sort out.

I've seen enough Bond films to know that if the follically challenged head of a corrupt organisation invites you to a meeting in an exotic location, you do not go. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Gianni Infantino latest: Fifa chief calls executive meeting as criticism mounts

Gianni Infantino summons senior leaders to a meeting on Wednesday, after facing more fierce criticism of his plan to sell off Fifa's commercial and event operations.

bbc.co.uk

Had this a lot recently. People explaining things to me that I didn't mention in a 300 character post that was only tangentially related, and that the briefest glimpse of my bio would suggest I'm fully aware of I'd never have a go at anyone for that, but it's not *not* annoying

John Scalzi@scalzi.com · 23h ago

Noticing some folks seem to think writers just say clever things without understanding how the world works, as if we're all naifs who just happen to be good with words instead of people with formal educations and a professional interest verging on requirement in the ability to conduct research

How many of those who condemn any positive portrayal of a 'plus-sized' woman, even a headless mannequin, because it "encourages unhealthy eating behaviours" have said the same about the #Grande glorification of anorexia? As far as I can see, it's zero I wonder what the difference is here

Possibly odd question Does anyone know if other countries have examples of "Blitz spirit" or "Victorian values"? As in, something people nostalgically invoke from their country's history, despite invariably being far too young to have any actual experience of it.

Had a few replies now insisting that it's just a question, not an accusation. But I can't help but wonder, is everyone who believes that's a valid argument mentioned in the Epstein files?

Dr Dean Burnett@drdeanburnett.bsky.social · 3d ago

Only just found out about this For the record, you don't get multiple genetic markers and one of the most effective medications known to science with 'social constructs' Channel 4, this is, in scientific parlance, an absolute fu*king disgrace that will genuinely endanger lives #c4 #ADHD

Looking forward to hearing @channel4tv.bsky.social justify this unfathomably reckless and damaging title, let alone anything else. The journalistic equivalent of throwing a hornet's nest into an A&E ward, to 'raise awareness of injuries'.

Dr Dean Burnett@drdeanburnett.bsky.social · 3d ago

Only just found out about this For the record, you don't get multiple genetic markers and one of the most effective medications known to science with 'social constructs' Channel 4, this is, in scientific parlance, an absolute fu*king disgrace that will genuinely endanger lives #c4 #ADHD

Only just found out about this For the record, you don't get multiple genetic markers and one of the most effective medications known to science with 'social constructs' Channel 4, this is, in scientific parlance, an absolute fu*king disgrace that will genuinely endanger lives #c4 #ADHD

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Rare genetic variants confer a high risk of ADHD and implicate neuronal biology - Nature

An analysis of rare genetic variants identifies three genes—MAP1A, ANO8 and ANK2—that have a role in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and investigates the potential underlying biologica...

nature.com

Dr Dean Burnett@drdeanburnett.bsky.social · 3d ago

Only just found out about this For the record, you don't get multiple genetic markers and one of the most effective medications known to science with 'social constructs' Channel 4, this is, in scientific parlance, an absolute fu*king disgrace that will genuinely endanger lives #c4 #ADHD

I work in disability study support. I hate the effect on students + colleagues that 'just asking questions' has after programmes like this. Families who don't want to believe in ADHD, students stuck waiting on diagnoses, doubters feeling emboldened to say "it's a bandwagon". This prog is DANGEROUS.

Dr Dean Burnett@drdeanburnett.bsky.social · 3d ago

Only just found out about this For the record, you don't get multiple genetic markers and one of the most effective medications known to science with 'social constructs' Channel 4, this is, in scientific parlance, an absolute fu*king disgrace that will genuinely endanger lives #c4 #ADHD

Looking forward to the following installments in this series of documentaries, like "Clinical depression, or just lazy and dramatic?" and "Is cancer really fatal, or do people just not fight hard enough?" #ADHD #channel4 #FFS

Dr Dean Burnett@drdeanburnett.bsky.social · 3d ago

Only just found out about this For the record, you don't get multiple genetic markers and one of the most effective medications known to science with 'social constructs' Channel 4, this is, in scientific parlance, an absolute fu*king disgrace that will genuinely endanger lives #c4 #ADHD

Only just found out about this For the record, you don't get multiple genetic markers and one of the most effective medications known to science with 'social constructs' Channel 4, this is, in scientific parlance, an absolute fu*king disgrace that will genuinely endanger lives #c4 #ADHD

When it comes to defending the argument that you should judge people by their actions, not their words, "Trying to block a law that prevents you from creating nude images of whoever you like, regardless of whether they consent or are even of legal age" should be promoted to 'Exhibit A'

NBC News@nbcnews.com · 5d ago

A federal judge denies a request from Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI to block a Minnesota law that bans nudification technology.

This year's birthday cake was a 2-tier carrot cake, baked by my mother, iced by my own 10 year old daughter It was so good, I'd be perfectly happy if it was my last ever birthday cake ...because I wouldn't need another, not because it'd kill me. A fair amount of sugar in it, but not THAT much

#fifa #uefa

In other news, Facebook has reminded me that it's been 10 years exactly since my creative peak.

Also... Smartphone Free Childhood have their own merch?

Dr Dean Burnett@drdeanburnett.bsky.social · last wk.

At Latitude festival, I did an event on the many flaws with the UK social media ban A woman in a 'Smartphone Free Childhood' top attended She listened attentively, and asked a reasonable, valid question at the end If you see this, thank you for being an excellent example of how discourse *should* go

At Latitude festival, I did an event on the many flaws with the UK social media ban A woman in a 'Smartphone Free Childhood' top attended She listened attentively, and asked a reasonable, valid question at the end If you see this, thank you for being an excellent example of how discourse *should* go

Currently watching a Belgian neuroscience documentary, in Flemish but with subtitles, at double speed, and having no problem at all following it. I have no idea who or what I am any more.

Reading a load of articles in my role as judge for the European Science Journalism prize has made me feel a bizarre sense of national pride. Not because Britain is better or anything, but because it turns out every other country is best with clueless/inefficient/hilariously corrupt institutions too!

Really interesting talk this evening from @drdeanburnett.bsky.social and Dr Sarah Turner about the social media ban for children. Really insightful about the science (or lack there of) supporting the ban. I think it's fair to say that the ban in its current form might not be up to scratch!

1996 - Trying to learn about science in a context where it was never mentioned and nobody had any experience with it 2026 - On the *judging panel* for the prestigious European Science Journalist prize I was exactly the sort of person for whom good science journalism was vital, so this is an honour

Smersh Pod - INDEPENDENCE DAY shows.acast.com/smer... Dr Dean Burnett joins friends John Rain and Dan Thomas to dissect the 90s megablockbuster about an alien invasion defeated by woeful tech support. #Podcast #humour #Scifi #Film

INDEPENDENCE DAY with Dr. Dean Burnett and Dan Thomas | Smersh Pod

The award nominated film podcast that does a bit of everything. One of Esquire's 38 Best Comedy Podcasts Around. Hosted by John Rain.

shows.acast.com

Psycho-Logical: Why Mental Health Goes Wrong – and How to Make Sense of It amzn.eu/d/06pMJONX Dean Burnett's book all about the underlying science of #MentalHealth issues and disorders. An absolute must-read for making sense of a confusing, but vitally important, matter #Book #Psychology

This disingenuous commentary doesn’t help anyone. Frauds start unravelling pretty quickly. That you apparently cannot afford to put your oven or treat yourself is quickly undermined by the question “so why are you spending £50 per week on petrol?” Then, it turns out, she has an agent and /1

Ash@queerash.bsky.social · 2w ago

Elaine in this article "can't remember the last time she used her oven" but also spends £200 a month on petrol (so driving probably ~50 miles a day?) (she's also a professional old person; she was on Good Morning Britain last year, and then also at the Nov budget, and the year before lmao)

People claiming that recent UK Prime Ministers are not representative, but I have to say I disagree. - Signed, a boring white man wearing glasses

Busting the Biggest Myths in Neuroscience | Dr Dean Burnett | Instant Genius podcast youtu.be/JQYtTcNSHak... Dean Burnett answers quickfire questions about familiar brain myths, for the Instant Genius Podcast #Brains #Myths #BadScience #Youtube #Podcast

Busting the Biggest Myths in Neuroscience | Dr Dean Burnett | Instant Genius podcast

Relatively speaking, neuroscience and psychology are young fields of scientific research that only really got going over the last hundred years or so. However, during this time, several stubborn myths have arisen that, zombie-like, just don’t seem to go away. In this episode, we speak to neuroscien

youtu.be

Not saying I've been overly immersed in work, but my immediate reaction to turning on the news just now was "Wait... Prime Minister WHO now?"