OK #histsci / #histtech bods, I'm trying to work out a measurement from a diatom description. It's given as 1/80-1/21 ''' (yes, 3), which the book gives as "linea parisiens." I'm assuming this is short for "linea parisiensis", fine and fair enough, but Google can only find one reference...

Or, in fact, not really a news story at all. I don’t believe at all that this was nationally important and certainly not “third on the BBC 6 o’clock news” important as a story. Cofnas started all of this because he’s a racist and the media ran with it.

Nadine Batchelor-Hunt@nadinebh.bsky.social · 3w ago

No, that is not the alternative The alternative was treating like a normal news story, and not a trial by media - one that was so clearly turbocharged by Arday’s ethnic and social background and the growing resentment in the establishment in the UK of having more black people in high places

For non-academic people, this how much UK universities pay publishers to publish their researchers’ articles. The publishers don't pay the researchers, and don't pay the peer reviewers. They also frequently cock up your paper at the typesetting stage. Academic publishing is the worst grift.

Caroline Ball@heroicendeavour.eurosky.social · last mo.

Overall data for the UK, by institutional spend. Eye-opening!

New one on me today – buggy in wheelchair space, no human with buggy. Very confusing, but massive props to my fellow passengers who made it work! I'm a little flabbergasted at the choice to leave the buggy in the first place but the driver said it was allowed so fair enough.

@clarelmoore.bsky.social and I were on the Entmoot podcast a few weeks ago talking about our special issue of JTR on asexuality! It was lovely, Sam and Kenny are great hosts and we both loved getting up on our soapboxes 😁 Available here/wherever you get your podcasts: shows.acast.com/entmootpod/e...

Asexuality in Tolkien's Legendarium (w/ Clare Moore and Rory Queripel) | The Entmoot Podcast

shows.acast.com

Today's bus journey: apart from the heat, which is just abominable, the real delight is the small dog wandering around the end of the wheelchair space, with an owner who clearly had no interest keeping it out of the way. I ended up steering in while the bus was moving, which is obvs Non Ideal 😒

Well, complaint to TfL went in same day, response came back today! The driver will be identified and there'll be disciplinary action. Sounds harsh and I'm trying not to feel weird about that, but also solid response from them. Can't really say much fairer than that 🤷🏻

Rory (they/them)@roryq.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Haven't rated a bus journey in a while – had some highs and lows recently but today's is weird. Driver pulls up, I can see they're not far enough forward for the ramp to clear the bus stop (pictured). No worries, passenger getting on lets driver know, he'll move, right?

@imc-leeds.bsky.social last-minute paper prep brought to you courtesy of Blazin' Fiddles and tea 😅 Wish I was there in person, but my partner did make sure we had mead around so I don't have to feel too far away... youtu.be/zELzWM80BbU?...

Blazin' Fiddles perform 'The Windmill' live from Real World Studios

YouTube video by Blazin' Fiddles

youtu.be

Haven't rated a bus journey in a while – had some highs and lows recently but today's is weird. Driver pulls up, I can see they're not far enough forward for the ramp to clear the bus stop (pictured). No worries, passenger getting on lets driver know, he'll move, right?

When reality surpasses fiction! Top: fictional forecast for August 2050, broadcast by French TV in 2014 to warn about the consequences of global warming. Bottom: Real French forecast for yesterday, June 22, 2026.

Both totally unnecessary and extremely funny that the Guardian has an interactive graphic for you to change the color of the US flag's blue to the color of the Reflecting Pool from 8 to 19 June and counting

It's #FathersDay! ‘"Nursing Fathers": A Humorous Commentary,’ The Sphere, April 1927. It depicts good king penguin and seahorse dads. The seahorse fry are being eaten by a jellyfish, though. Not sure what's humorous about that, but it's nice that male parenting in nature was celebrated in 1927! 🌈🐧🗃️

By happenstance, I googled a philosophy colleague’s distinctive terminology today to find her papers on it. The first dozen search results were ALL her papers, or citations of them. The AI Overview didn’t mention her once. It falsely attributed her (non-tech) concept to some tech bros at Stanford.

Mel Andrews@bayesianboy.bsky.social · 3mo ago

When utilized in literature review, LLMs consistently 1. fail to mention female authors in female-led literatures, 2. insist that men are more influential or more heavily cited when this is contradicted by objective citation counts, and 3. attribute women’s work to hallucinated male scholars.

How many trans women does it take to change a lightbulb? Zero. She just gets her trans man bestie to come over and do it for her, and, as she bats her eyelashes at the gallant gent on a ladder, they both get their genders affirmed

All-too-regular reminder to my fellow pavement users that I have neither x-ray vision nor mind-reading powers, so if you're coming around a corner and end up in front of me, there's nothing either of us can do. I am not going "too fast" just because physics has its limits 😒

I get the impression that some people aren't clear what this means. This is the UK state deciding to intervene directly in the healthcare of individual children, depriving them of medicine that their doctors have prescribed for their personal health & wellbeing, in defiance of global best practice.

Cal Horton (they/them)@fiercemum.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Update: Young people & families today received shocking & transphobic letters from NHS. These letters tell people that endocrine care (blockers / HRT) is being fully withdrawn in 7 weeks time (July 31st). Forced medical detransition. This country is a danger to trans children & young people.

This discovery amazed me: A whale "graveyard" extending over 1,200 km. The remains or fossils of about 480 whales found in a total survey area of about 0.64 square kilometres, with one of the fossils dating back more than 5 million years. 🧪 🐋 🦑 🦊 #cetaceans www.livescience.com/animals/whal...

Scientists discover 5 million-year-old whale graveyard stretching for hundreds of miles in the Indian Ocean

Researchers have discovered a "megasite" of dead whales along with new species of marine life feasting on the corpses.

livescience.com

One for @museumbums.bsky.social assuming you've not already seen it!

If you yourself have not personally sucked dicks for money, then I don’t wanna hear you use the word “whore” as a slur like you’re fighting for freedom or some shit. No sir, that is misogynistic as hell, and you ain’t no comrade of mine

Morgan J Freeman@mjfree.bsky.social · 3mo ago

So now we are hearing confirmation that Melania was an expensive whore, and Donald Trump bought her off Epstein after Epstein and his friends had been dipping her for over a year. Thoughts?

A reminder of what Nigel Farage said following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer.

An adorable late Roman/early Byzantine infant's sock or bootee (length 11,5cm). It has been remarkably preserved because of Egypt's arid desert climate. Made of wool, nalbinding technique (single needle looping). Found in #Egypt dating 4th/5th c. AD. 📷Royal Ontario Museum

RIP Marjane Satrapi (1969-2026)

🏳️‍🌈 Happy Pride month 🏳️‍🌈 Thrilled to announce that the special issue “Asexuality in Tolkien’s Legendarium” co-edited with @roryq.bsky.social is now published on the Journal of Tolkien Research: scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftol...

So, two-ish years ago my lovely pal @clarelmoore.bsky.social and I started work on this special issue of JTR on asexual readings of Tolkien's legendarium. Today, we get to celebrate Pride month with its release! Our authors are amazing and we're so proud of it 🥹 scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftol...

It’s Pride 🏳️‍🌈 Spare one repost for a small creator? 🥺 My science and sci fi pins raise money for homeless LGBTQ+ people. Just sent another £800 to @aktcharity.bsky.social bringing total to £47,521 New for Pride 2026: 🌈Scientist🌈 🏳️‍🌈🐥🦜🦅🏳️‍🌈 🌈pronouns🌈 www.jamiebgall.co.uk/shop

trans rights and women’s rights are not in opposition, they are in fact two fronts of the same war, and cis women should support trans folk not just because it’s the morally correct thing to do but also because an attack on trans folk is an attack on us

Dave Andress@davidandress.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Meanwhile, antitrans commentary has already pivoted to antiabortion commentary, and you lot are about to find out just how tasty leopards think your faces are. For shame. May you live to see all your efforts overturned.

Also, it's obvious that the ambiguity is the point. The pro-AI world doesn't want us to be able to distinguish different kinds of AI. It wants us to accept GPT with the same enthusiasm we welcome breast cancer detection and LLMs for bird conservation. But fuck 'em. Be specific.

Rory (they/them)@roryq.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Constantly annoyed by the fact that when mentioning the evils of AI, someone always feels the need to 'splain that there's good AI (LLMs for cancer detection etc) and bad AI (GPT, Claude, etc) as if we aren't all annoyed by the semantic ambiguity of "AI" covering a multitude of sins.

Constantly annoyed by the fact that when mentioning the evils of AI, someone always feels the need to 'splain that there's good AI (LLMs for cancer detection etc) and bad AI (GPT, Claude, etc) as if we aren't all annoyed by the semantic ambiguity of "AI" covering a multitude of sins.

If this were a human imitating Dr. Fitzharris, it would be fraud, identity theft, and blackmail. But because an AI company has stolen her likeness and public health work, there is unlikely to be much recourse. This is why they use the language of non-consent. Because this is a violation.

Dr Lindsey Fitzharris@drlindseyfitz.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I genuinely feel sick. A company reached out to me on IG, linking me to an AI version of myself. You can even ask "me" questions. They are also advertising it using an AI photo of me. They told me if I like it, they will give me free access... to my own fucking content that they stole. /1

Once again I repeat my motto: "Don't comply in advance, but also, don't cry in advance."