Bumping for the daytime crowd — help me choose my dustjacket pic! Pls <3 the ones you like. @matthewcobb.bsky.social? @bschillace.brandyschillace.com ? ...???

Nathaniel Comfort@nccomfort.bsky.social · 18h ago

🧵With trepidation, I submit the 5 portraits I've shortlisted as possible author photos for my forthcoming biography of James Watson. These can be cropped, obvs. I'd love for folks to <3 those they <3. Help me decide! Pix follow... 1/6

I love it when that happens!

Philip Ball@philipcball.bsky.social · yesterday

My review of Riskin coming soon in the TLS. I agree with Nathaniel.

🧵With trepidation, I submit the 5 portraits I've shortlisted as possible author photos for my forthcoming biography of James Watson. These can be cropped, obvs. I'd love for folks to <3 those they <3. Help me decide! Pix follow... 1/6

can we do breakout groups? i LOVE breakout groups

Glaxton T. FireTheWholeDamnBullpenWolf@8stringandsushi.bsky.social · 2d ago

This war is now a Teams meeting.

This war is now a Teams meeting.

"There is no science without fancy. And no art without facts". (Nabokov)

My quote of the day If you look at great human civilizations, from the Roman Empire to the Soviet Union, you will see that most do not fail simply due to external threats but because of internal weakness, corruption, or a failure to manifest the values and ideals they espouse. Cory Booker

<smh> Why have we allowed tech companies to persuade us that "just reading" is dry and boring? Guess what? Reading is actually much more engaging than passively watching a scene someone else created! It's true! Back in olden days, we called it "using your imagination."

Doremus Schafer@doremus-schafer.bsky.social · 5d ago

Google put out a five-point bullet list of supposed use cases, it is, uh, not wildly convincing. My 'favorite' is 'have the stochastic parrot show your students what historical sites looked like in olden days'. blog.google/products-and...

This is actually true

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò@olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 5d ago

your apartment, the sport of basketball, and the Republic of Korea are all social constructs. mere recognition of this fact does not actually make the question of whether you are standing in your own apartment, playing basketball, or a Korean national up in the air until settled by op ed editors

Today's #writing journal: 7 am wake 7:05 give up 7:30 take dog out 8-10 COFFEE, coffee, toast, jam 9-10 phone calls, emails, hate life 10-12 Succumb. Peck out few words, horiz Lunch Overcome w/ fatigue; IM TINKHING! 2:50pm <blink> ? 3-5:30 drop in; chap 6 nearly done! Walk dog, eat, zombie 10p zonk

I did it! I downgraded my iphone from 16 to a 15. G'bye, camera button that constantly takes random pix. Bye, accursed "Action button." Welcome back, satisfying switch where when you can see at a glance that your ringer's off by the orange line! Cost me $400 but worth it #notmade4appleintelligence

Bring back the Fairness in Broadcasting Act before we all choke each other

Karl Bode@karlbode.com · 2w ago

I am absolutely begging Democratic politicians to make media reform a centerpiece of their policy platforms

This, I suppose, would count as "AI shaming." I think it's spot on.

Twonks@twonks.bsky.social · 3w ago

Great job 👏

Consistent w/ the term "AI shaming," which I heard recently for people like myself, who cruelly assert that creative work done by brains is better than that done by algorithm. To which I respond, AI IS NOT THE VICTIM HERE!

TrueRef by Abbey Esparza@trueref.bsky.social · 2w ago

I keep seeing "pencil slop" being said by AI people as rage bait, and I'm like damn even your insults are ungrounded shallow empty ripoffs of something that already existed.

Looking forward to seeing @matthewcobb.bsky.social tonight talking about Francis Crick - still tickets available - norwichhistoryfestival.co.uk/talks-%26-de...

NORWICHHISTORYFESTIVAL.CO.UK

Explore engaging Norwich History Festival Talks, featuring cultural events and historical debates that celebrate Norwich&#39;s rich heritage.

norwichhistoryfestival.co.uk

Pop quiz: What does Mitch McConnell have in common with Schrödinger's cat?

𝖢𝖠𝖳 𝖡𝖴𝖳𝖫𝖤𝖱 𝖲𝗋.@catbutlersr.bsky.social · 2w ago

Gov Beshear needs to do in this situation regarding Mitch McConnell exactly what Mitch McConnell would do. Call an special election and make the GOP show proof of like. Pro tip: There is no finding common ground with Yatzees. www.wkyt.com/2026/07/17/g...

Let’s talk about appearance, Steve

. "not one of the people that is demonstrating looks like a normal person" hold my beer .

Looong 22-hr day yesterday, but I made it home from #edinburgh & #hss2026. Great to see so many students and old friends. What struck me most, though, was the number of top American scholars who are tired of all the winning and moving to Europe.

Us, in Edinburgh whiskey bar: We missed the game, how’d it go? Bartender pops up, bright-eyed, from behind bar: Very well! Argentina won, 2-1!

In case you ever wondered why sterilization without consent continued well into the 21st century, see ⬇️ : deep roots in medicine. And Canada is not appreciably different from the USA. Eugenics & associated laws & especially attitudes were quite common in Canada. Even Tommy Douglas was in favour!

Nathaniel Comfort@nccomfort.bsky.social · 3w ago

hats off to editors David S. Jones and Scott Podolsky for inviting @plombardo2024.bsky.social to pull no punches in narrating @nejm.org’s support for hardcore mainline eugenics in the early 20th C. Brutal, essential. would be a great piece to use in undergraduate courses.

hats off to editors David S. Jones and Scott Podolsky for inviting @plombardo2024.bsky.social to pull no punches in narrating @nejm.org’s support for hardcore mainline eugenics in the early 20th C. Brutal, essential. would be a great piece to use in undergraduate courses.

Paul A. Lombardo@plombardo2024.bsky.social · 3w ago

They are at it again www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

just passed a castle. must be in Edinburgh for #hss2026

i’m confused — not every country goes, “Suck it, losers! We want your oil!”??

Paul Guinnessy@paulguinnessy.bsky.social · 4w ago

Pretty classy message by the Norwegian Embassy. #WorldCup

takin’ that ol’ redeye to #Edinborough for #hss2026. anyone going who fancies a wee dram? some sort of channel among scotch-lovers would seem absolutely appropriate

Absolutely fascinating how much scientific discourse is moving to consider ideas that were off the table in the 20th C. Systems thinking leads to seeing the world as processes rather than things. It’s in line w/ physics, rigorous, testable, and may just explain things a materialist view cannot.

Kevin Mitchell@wiringthebrain.bsky.social · 4w ago

Excellent overview by @philipcball.bsky.social on why the concept of "agency" is both central to biology and hotly contested www.quantamagazine.org/is-life-just...

no deals with criminals!

Gregg Gonsalves@gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 4w ago

Faculty and Students Demand Yale Not ‘Cave’ to Trump: Reports surfaced late last month that Yale University is negotiating a deal with the Trump administration, which is investigating the university’s admissions practices. www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

Only thing I find surprising here is that this "new eugenics" isn't keyed to any new technology or theory, as they usually are. @disabilitystor1.bsky.social is right: this really is 100% recycled eugenics. Thoughts, @ayahnerd.bsky.social, @plombardo2024.bsky.social, et al?

Aparna Nair@disabilitystor1.bsky.social · last yr.

Mehmet Oz channeling his eugenic ancestors. The installation in this photo was set up at a "Fitter Families" contest in 1926, and draws the same explicit connections between health, the nation and patriotism that Mehmet does here. Have a read through what it says. Source: Eugenics Archive.

This is what I'm saying. NEED MORE HUMOR! Perhaps Binface could offer a few satirical words of consolation to Graham Platner?

Commander Sterling@commandersterling.bsky.social · 4w ago

I can’t get enough of Count Binface. As miserable as everything has become, a man with a bin for a head promising to build one affordable house is what I need in my news feed. That he’s made such a joke of Farage is just the cherry on top.