IOP and @ioppublishing.bsky.social extend our warmest congratulations to Prof Francis Halzen, awardee of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics "for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin".👏 www.iop.org/about/news/f...

Quite a contrast to the aims of the Sutton Trust which he founded. "We want the kids who survive air pollution to have the chance for a great education,"

Paul Bernal@paulbernal.bsky.social · 2w ago

Personally, I’d rather have healthy kids than mollycoddled millionaires

Thanks to austerity, 31% of UK children are living in poverty.

Ed Wilson@eddwilson.bsky.social · 2w ago

Nick Clegg stands to make as much as $40m (£30m) from the Wall Street flotation of an AI company he joined six months ago. #R4Today

Cc @rachelphysics.bsky.social and anyone interested in assessment of physics understanding

Cassandra Paul@cassandrapaul.bsky.social · 3w ago

@djphysicswebb.bsky.social, Mary Chessey and I have a newly accepted paper on uncollected test item responses on open-ended physics exam questions! Blank responses on exams are missing data, not measurements of physics knowledge or skills. Read on for details... Preprint: arxiv.org/abs/2606.05473

SCOOP: Meta execs announced that its much-hyped AI agent, Muse, had a new feature: It could call businesses for you to do things like make a restaurant reservation or a haircut appointment. In reality, Meta is testing having these calls being made by human beings in call centers, 404 Media learned.

Meta Tests Muse AI Agent Calls That Are Actually Made By Humans in a Call Center

"This has potential for so much negative PR. It could portray us as ‘their AI is not good enough so they still need humans’ kind of coverage for this launch."

404media.co

It's not been a bad day overall. Got things done at the allotment, drank good coffee, cooked and ate decent food, Carcassonne as a family, a book to read this evening. And I still feel... numb. I'm so tired of feeling like I don't want to be here any more.

Just discovered that Forensic Seismology is a thing. Now *that* feels like a career we should be telling kids about. #iteachphysics

Not new, and not discovered...still great news. I offer a, perhaps, more accurate, less colonizing, title: "Western scientists describe a felid known to local communities as Tilcayo. It is the first description of its kind in over a century"

Dr. Matt Schabath (he/him/his)@mattschabathphd.bsky.social · 3w ago

🧪 New cat species identified in Bolivia, first in over a century - Called Tilcayo by local communities, it is part of a group called tiger cats found across much of South America www.reuters.com/business/env...

It has been an excel-heavy week but I've gotten my dashboards talking to each other properly *and* I've just got my first power query doing what I wanted. I know nobody cares but I'm pleased.

Join us for a FREE Improving Secondary Physics Day Take practical ideas – and equipment – back to your classroom!! Every participant receives: ✅A set of ray-box torches ✅2 BeeSpi V sensors #PhysicsTeaching #Confidence #Pedagogy #Skills #Knowledge https://loom.ly/oWdsBsI

See also: private ownership of firearms in the US.

Dave Karpf@davekarpf.bsky.social · 4w ago

If the law stated REAL DAMN CLEAR that a frontier lab is found liable for punitive damages if its model escapes its sandbox and hacks shit, and if that law was robustly enforced, then the frontier labs would figure out how to build better sandboxes. This really isn't rocket science.

Is it "anything my teenager has touched"?

The Independent@the-independent.com · 4w ago

The household fabrics you need to be washing more often

To anyone working in education who has been affected by suicide, we’re thinking of you today. 💙 Our free, confidential helpline is open 24/7 for teachers and education staff across the UK. We're always here to listen on 08000 562 561. 📱 #WorldSuicidePreventionDay #YouAreNotAlone

For the first time in fourteen years I've woken up in our home without a cat. I don't like it.

«students who do not use AI outperform those who do, on average, by around 20 points – equivalent to being around one year of schooling ahead of their peers.» Trippelwhammen Tiktok 2018, Covid i 2020, kronet med ChatGPT i 2022 har gjort underverker for kidsa våre. www.oecd.org/en/publicati...

Bill Bryson’s words seem appropriate to post right now

Astonishing to hear people say they'd rather asylum seekers drowned than be saved by the RNLI. Next comes letting people die in burning hostels rather than be saved by the fire brigade and letting people get kicked to death in the street rather than be saved by the Police. Don't platform this hate.

#Edinburgh! What are you doing on Friday night? Come to my book launch at Dynamic Earth! There will be: 🍺 A bar 🎶 Music 💃 Dancing (well, I'll be dancing from all the excitement) 🪐 Planetarium 360 visuals 🧪 Science + a little bit of philosophy 🎟️: dynamicearth.org.uk/event/how-to... 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🔭

I made somebody's blog. For something I did literally *years* ago. mycharisma.com/culture/youn... (also featuring @alomshaha.bsky.social and @humanists.uk )

Third day of secondary school and they've left both coat and drinks bottle there already. Blazer was missing this morning but found on the coat rack. Give me strength.

I feel like Bluesky is the place where people will appreciate how envious I still am of my sister, around 35 years after she achieved her (and my) top bucket list item of being locked in the bookshop when it closed, and having the place to entirely to herself.

I think for me it's at least 24 hours. Each night.

The Independent@the-independent.com · last mo.

The eight-hour sleep rule is outdated. Here’s how much you really need

Reminder to all that the Women's Sports Union (WSU), which is attacking multiple sporting bodies, is owned and directed by Sharron Davies, a member of the House of Lords. Their secretary, Tracy Edwards, is listed as a member of staff for Davies at the HoL.

I hope the kids of all these protesters are having a lovely day out with their Mums and new Stepdads.

Sky News@news.sky.com · last mo.

Dozens of masked men stop traffic at Port of Dover as part of 'protest'

oh protesters are they? if just stop oil block a street for an hour thats a criminal offence and when a nice old grammy holds up a pro-palestine sign shes a domestic terrorist but seizing a port still counts as a protest then, i see

Unofficial BBCNews (UK) Bot@bbcnews-uk-rss.bsky.social · last mo.

Masked protesters block access at Port of Dover

‘These are not random conference oddballs caught saying something stupid after several drinks. ‘They were the people meant to turn Faragism from an insurgency into a government.’ unherd.com/newsroom/ref...

Reform sleaze probe shows Farage is not ready for power

Two of Nigel Farage’s most senior aides, James Orr and Dan Jukes, have stepped down after an undercover Channel 4 investigation filmed party figures discussing an apparent foreign donor paying for pol...

unherd.com

And remembering that the most effective modelling in the classroom shows the students your thought process - can you do that when a robot has done the thinking?

A reminder for all the people who are still using genAI images to express their opposition to right-wing crap. Please, find another way.

@cstross.bsky.social they're sharing her superpowers!

McSweeney's@mcsweeneys.net · last mo.

Q: How does one become invisible? A: If you’re a woman, enjoy being seen while it lasts. Much like puberty, being seen is just a phase. You’ll grow out of it. www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/faq...

Cat is poorly. At 14 he's done really well, but it never feels like enough. Small paws leave big gaps.