Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 20h

So yes, definitely a Christmas film.

Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 20h

I watched it on an Antarctic research station on Midwinter’s Day (this is a tradition…) which is basically Christmas - we are off work all week, exchange gifts and eat a turkey dinner.

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks a heap, Microsoft. You were supposed to make collaboration easier.

(Yes, I know Microsoft are bad, but it's what the institution provides so we're stuck with it)

Microsoft 365 login box. It says "Selected user account does not exist in tenant 'University of Sussex' in red text. Below you can see that I'm signed in with a Cardiff University email address.

Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 1d

A law commission could identify the most common types of deed restrictions that are no longer necessary (anything to do with land use or buildings, as the modern planning system manages this) and then owners could apply to have the relevant clauses struck out of the deeds.

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 1d

One related topic that would benefit from reform is deed restrictions, many of which go back centuries. A house I considered buying required the Earl of Plymouth’s consent (available for a substantial fee from his solicitors) for the erection of any outbuilding.

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Reposted by Mike Prior-Jones

Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 1d

Brilliant and depressing piece on how hard it is to transact property

on.ft.com/4nHDf2m

I know some people think housing policy is simple - just build more! And to do that just have less planning! - but most appreciate the more complex tangles in life.

Moving home is maddening — here’s how the system needs to change

A new government consultation promises to speed up the conveyancing process in England and Wales. But will it work?

on.ft.com

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Reposted by Mike Prior-Jones

VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 1d

Exploring the hidden world beneath the #PersGlacier. Scanning the ice cave in 3D with a LiDAR system to reveal its shapes and layers.

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Reposted by Mike Prior-Jones

Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 1d

"if anything employment outcomes are worsening more rapidly for those with fewer skills looking for blue-collar jobs than the highly skilled seeking knowledge work"

on.ft.com/43eYeRZ

@jburnmurdoch.ft.com as ever doing the essential work.

It's not just AI. And education still matters

What the graduate unemployment story gets wrong

People with a degree are faring better, not worse than their non-graduate counterparts

on.ft.com

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Reposted by Mike Prior-Jones

Brendan Keogh @brkeogh.bsky.social · 1d

I still think the most accurate and consistent way to think about generative AI is that, in every instance, people exclusively use it for tasks that they don't have any respect for or give a shit about.

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 1d

Is it the horse?

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Reposted by Mike Prior-Jones

Andrew @generalising.bsky.social · 2d

Some very interesting if concerning stuff in here (it's particularly striking that the ONS, for all its recent struggles, is the most independent of the ones tested).

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 2d

🧵🚨

The UK’s independent scientific bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation - over the past 5 months I've been working with @martinmckee.bsky.social to map out their vulnerabilities and it's not good news.

Today our report is published!
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...

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UK’s arm’s length public bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation

Seven in ten Britons say it is important for top scientific institutions to be independent in exclusive new polling.

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 3d

Not very good on the “alphabetical order” score, so I propose renaming it to the A1 University of Wyoming to improve the ranking for next year!

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 3d

I see I’ve acquired a team of web developers!

Spider’s webs, glossy with dew, stretched across an area of succulent plants (actually the green roof of my bike shed)

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 3d

The phrase “system of bestness” has stayed with me for 25 years!

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 3d

Every time I see this in academia, I’m reminded of an “alternative prospectus” produced by students at York, which featured the lines “Alcuin College is the best college, under a system of bestness that scores alphabetical order, height above sea level and proximity to the library”

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Reposted by Mike Prior-Jones

Berna Devezer @devezer.bsky.social · 4d

Research excellence: We don't know how to measure research quality and we sure won't be reading any papers. So please make our jobs easier by providing some metrics that look good and a lot of publications, just to be on the safe side, and have demonstrable impact (by some terrible metric) and...

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Reposted by Mike Prior-Jones

Berna Devezer @devezer.bsky.social · 4d

As an aside, "Excellence" must be the single-most overused, empty, boilerplate word used in academic bureaucracy and it's typically a stand-in for "We don't know what we want so you should do everything".

Berna Devezer @devezer.bsky.social · 4d

Admin email from university: "Share your ideas: Help shape operational excellence at U of I"

Soliciting ideas for how to improve operational processes.

Except...

The form doesn't work—the form created by the Operational Excellence team.

Yeah.

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 3d

Oh, 100% this!

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 3d

This is amazing… the chemical that makes nachos cheese runny has a chemical formula that spells “Nacho”

Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 3d

The best part of it? Its chemical formula basically spells out nacho and it makes your cheese smooth like nacho cheese.

Trisodium citrate is a chemical compound with the molecular formula Na3C6H507. It is sometimes referred to simply as "sodium citrate" though sodium citrate can refer to any of the three sodium salts of citric acid. It
possesses a saline, mildly tart taste, and is a mild base.

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 4d

When we had our civil partnership, more than one person asked me if I was going to change my surname. I said "just think about that for a second!"

I really loved this article about "homonymous couples" - I think Jon-Paul and Juan-Pablo is the best one though. slate.com/human-intere...

The Coming Flood of Same-Named Couples

If you believe in living and letting live, it’s not always easy to listen to social conservatives go on about the social chaos that gay marriage will...

slate.com

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 4d

I had four PhD supervisors. Three of them are called Mike. My partner is also called Mike.

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Reposted by Mike Prior-Jones

Neil @pearofdestiny.bsky.social · 7d

I used to like to stand and think on the railway bridge but people started saying I was getting ideas above my station.

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 7d

When the jaws open wide
And there’s more jaws inside
That’s a moray…

(Not mine, but fondly remembered from when Twitter was fun)

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 8d

People start to believe their own hype and then it’s a downhill spiral from there

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Mike Prior-Jones @drmikepj.bsky.social · 8d

www.ness-soaps.co.uk/products/hea...

Heather & Bracken Large Soap Loaf 1.75kg - SLS/SLES FREE

A beautifully fragranced SLS & SLES FREE soap made with fine grade Heather & Bracken fine grade Fragrance Oil, and topped with Heather Flowers Fragrance Oil Qualities: Relaxing, Reminisce of t...

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