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Will Ellwood

@unleashtheginger.bsky.social

Mountain runner, lapsed climber, occasional writer, and sometimes engineer.

659 Posts104 Follower112 Folgt
Nereide@drnereide.bsky.social · 12h ago

Curiosity caught an extraordinary panorama at dawn on Mars: the yardangs — wind-sculpted cliffs on Mount Sharp — lit by morning light. Shot 11 Aug 2026 at 8:30 local, no white balancing so the blue early-morning tones stay visible. The most detailed view ever. www.nasa.gov/missions/mar... 🔭 ⚛️🧪

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Catches Stunning Martian Dawn - NASA

A newly released panorama captured by NASA’s Curiosity rover offers the most detailed view yet of distant, wind-carved Martian cliffs, highlighting features

nasa.gov

Will Ellwood@unleashtheginger.bsky.social · 2d ago

I feel intensely that generative AI not only mugs the imagination at knifepoint, but it leaves the victim permanently injured.

James Reeves@jamesreeves.co · 2d ago

Is Artificial Intelligence generative or a zero-sum game? Can a person have a deep relationship with their spouse *and* a chatbot? Does using it for creative work feed or rob the imagination? (I’m on the zero-sum side. It feels very either/or to me, but I’m not exactly sure why.)

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Let me recommend grabbing a cup of tea & reading this really thoughtful piece from the inimitable @hogg.bsky.social on moderating AI/LLM use in astrophysics. 🔭 "the real question we face is not ... how we do astrophysics. It is the question of why we do astrophysics." 📖: arxiv.org/pdf/2602.10181

A screenshot of text from a paper that reads: One idea or rule of thumb is perhaps that we should or could interact with an LLM only in the same ways that we would interact with a non-coauthor colleague. You might ask your colleague for help finding something in the literature, but you wouldn’t ask your non-coauthor colleague to write the introduction of the paper you are writing. You might ask your colleague to help speed up your code, but you wouldn’t ask your colleague to write your code. Another idea is that, given our respect for our readers, we shouldn’t ask them to engage with something that took way less time to write than to read. I like these ideas; maybe they could evolve into conventions or community-supported best practices.
Mike Boylan-Kolchin@mbkplus.bsky.social · 8mo ago

David Hogg has written a white paper on doing astrophysics in the age of LLMs. It looks to be thought-provoking. My initial reaction is that either LLMs will destroy the field or they will force a reckoning with and re-imagining of the current system that often prioritizes output over quality. 🧪

Will Ellwood@unleashtheginger.bsky.social · 2w ago

I would be extremely grateful if my late-middle aged cat with the soul of a puppy, whom I love dearly, didn't have a habit of waking me with zoomies at 4am. It left me anxiously awake for 90 minutes this morning.

Will Ellwood@unleashtheginger.bsky.social · 2w ago

One Can of Beans, Some Yogurt, and Chilli Crisp Last week the vegan cook Derek Sarno published a short video on YouTube with a simple dip recipe. I’m writing the rough details down here in case that video vanishes or I forget about it. Take one can of black beans (any kind of bean really), a few…

One Can of Beans, Some Yogurt, and Chilli Crisp

Last week the vegan cook Derek Sarno published a short video on YouTube with a simple dip recipe. I’m writing the rough details down here in case that video vanishes or I forget about it. Take one can of black beans (any kind of bean really), a few tablespoons of unsweetened plain vegan yogurt, and several spoons of chilli crisp. Mash the beans a little and mix in the yogurt then the chilli.

blog.will-ellwood.com

Will Ellwood@unleashtheginger.bsky.social · 2w ago

Traverse Each year the Cairngorm Club traverses across, though, or over the range of mountains that gives the club its name. This year, on the of 13th September, the club members attending the day meet were driven to the ski centre in the north and left to make their many ways back to the Linn of…

Traverse

Each year the Cairngorm Club traverses across, though, or over the range of mountains that gives the club its name. This year, on the of 13th September, the club members attending the day meet were driven to the ski centre in the north and left to make their many ways back to the Linn of Dee in the south. It was a warm autumn Sunday where the wind and rain had paused for a single day.

blog.will-ellwood.com

Will Ellwood@unleashtheginger.bsky.social · 2w ago

Traverse Each year the Cairngorm Club traverses across, though, or over the range of mountains that gives the club its name. This year, on the of 13th September, the club members attending the day meet were driven to the ski centre in the north and left to make their many ways back to the Linn of…

Traverse

Each year the Cairngorm Club traverses across, though, or over the range of mountains that gives the club its name. This year, on the of 13th September, the club members attending the day meet were driven to the ski centre in the north and left to make their many ways back to the Linn of Dee in the south. It was a warm autumn Sunday where the wind and rain had paused for a single day.

blog.will-ellwood.com

Will Ellwood@unleashtheginger.bsky.social · 3w ago

I can't find one of my pairs of running shoes and this is really bothering me, because it's really disorienting to lose something so large in one's home and because they're the exact trainer that I need tonight.

Will Ellwood@unleashtheginger.bsky.social · 4w ago

My concentration is absolutely gone this week after Sunday's jog over the Cairngorms. I've resorted to making granular todo lists and listening to the Disintegration Loops on repeat. I'd really like to be running or writing today, but alas.

The view of Sgor an Lochain Uaine from the Ben Macdui WW2 crash site memorial. Mostly blue skies above granite mountains. Fluffy white clouds lie in the distance.Lochain Uaine on the east side of Sron Riach. in a bowl half way up a mountain.The view down the Dee fro mthe side of Ben Macdui. Carn a Mhaim sites to the left of the Dee snaking its way through the glen.
Dr Tess Machling@tessmachling.bsky.social · last mo.

My mum wanted the details of her death heard. She strongly believed in the right to die & had a living will. We need to be honest about what death often looks like & that there is often *no* palliative care that can make someone like my mum's death any easier. TW: This thread is a difficult read.

Lauren Edwards MP@laurenedwardsmp.bsky.social · last mo.

My article in today's Guardian on why I am sending the assisted dying bill back to the Lords and why the will of the elected chamber – and a popular, compassionate piece of legislation – must not be frustrated again by a small minority of peers: buff.ly/RTe24vy

Chris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · last mo.

This is quietly big news for @esa. General chat around #EPSC2026 is a strong desire to reduce dependence on perfidious NASA, driving Europe to new capabilities and partners (see expanding partnership with JAXA for BepiColombo and beyond)

Leigh Fletcher@leighfletcher.bsky.social · last mo.

A lot of the coffee-discussion here at #EPSC2026 has been about European-led future exploration of the outer solar system, for Saturn and beyond. This would be a game-changer.

Will Ellwood@unleashtheginger.bsky.social · last mo.

The weird isn't an aesthetic one can adopt but a response to one's estrangement to the world. That's what most people can't grasp.

jonny@misterbloat.bsky.social · last mo.

Weird fiction seems to be having a moment but without lots of the people trying to write it actually grasping what it is. I keep reading stories where there’s clearly an attempt at vaguely gesturing towards ‘the Weird’ but they just cant help over-explaining everything. Truly frustrating stuff.