Carsten Timmermann
@ctimmermann.bsky.social
Historian of Biology and Medicine. Science is culture, and long live the Humanities. Director of @manchstm.bsky.social. Lapsed biochemist. Migrant. Rheinländer in 🇩🇪. Northerner in 🇬🇧. Gen X. Cyclist. Owned by dog. Often online. Here privately. He/him.
Pinned
My brain hurts.
Trump: “In the coming weeks, I will be laying out even more plans to help bring back affordability, and again, remember that's a fake word by Democrats.”
January 13, 2026 at 7:55 PM
My brain hurts.
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
Greenland PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen:
"If we have to choose between the US & Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU."
"Greenland does not want to be owned by the US. Greenland does not want to be governed by the US" he later added.
"If we have to choose between the US & Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU."
"Greenland does not want to be owned by the US. Greenland does not want to be governed by the US" he later added.
January 13, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Greenland PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen:
"If we have to choose between the US & Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU."
"Greenland does not want to be owned by the US. Greenland does not want to be governed by the US" he later added.
"If we have to choose between the US & Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU."
"Greenland does not want to be owned by the US. Greenland does not want to be governed by the US" he later added.
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
I just finished a three-year term as an editor at an international relations journal. I began at the start of the LLM era but ended right in the middle of it. Our volume of submissions tripled and our desk reject rate rose to 75%. I have some thoughts.
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
The Age of Academic Slop is Upon Us
what happens when AI automates "normal science"?
open.substack.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:38 PM
I just finished a three-year term as an editor at an international relations journal. I began at the start of the LLM era but ended right in the middle of it. Our volume of submissions tripled and our desk reject rate rose to 75%. I have some thoughts.
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
US bond markets should be in revolt. Fed independence matters | Nils Pratley
US bond markets should be in revolt. Fed independence matters | Nils Pratley
It is a perilous time to mess with the principle that rate-setters under an independent system should be free of political pressure
www.theguardian.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:54 PM
US bond markets should be in revolt. Fed independence matters | Nils Pratley
Trolling her ex and his new friends while doing what's right.
BREAKING: Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife has made a “transformational” donation to the LGBTQ+ advocacy group. This large gift comes just months after the Trump administration shut down counseling services for queer youth.
My latest for @wired.com:
My latest for @wired.com:
MacKenzie Scott Donates $45 Million to the Trevor Project
Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife has made a donation to the LGBTQ+ advocacy group that the organization calls “transformational.”
www.wired.com
January 12, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Trolling her ex and his new friends while doing what's right.
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
"Last year, something extraordinary happened in London. As the conversation about crime got even louder, London quietly reached the lowest per capita homicide rate in its recorded history." ~AA
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Sorry, Trump and Farage – London is no lawless ‘warzone’. Violent crime is lower than ever | Sadiq Khan
Reform’s new candidate for mayor claims people pity Londoners for living in an unsafe capital. But the evidence is clear: we’re making our streets safer, says mayor of London Sadiq Khan
www.theguardian.com
January 12, 2026 at 4:03 PM
"Last year, something extraordinary happened in London. As the conversation about crime got even louder, London quietly reached the lowest per capita homicide rate in its recorded history." ~AA
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
There's something I can't quite put my finger on that seems to be the common denominator between all of these streets.
Oh, I know what it is. It's the complete lack of cars.
Oh, I know what it is. It's the complete lack of cars.
Britain’s 20 prettiest streets
Our writer lays out the country’s very best alleys, avenues, crescents, cut-throughs, side roads, back streets and boulevards
www.telegraph.co.uk
January 12, 2026 at 3:42 PM
There's something I can't quite put my finger on that seems to be the common denominator between all of these streets.
Oh, I know what it is. It's the complete lack of cars.
Oh, I know what it is. It's the complete lack of cars.
Can I just confirm: the Drill-Baby-Drill people are also the people who find wind turbines ugly, right?
The Signal Hill oil field, Long Beach, California, 1948, by Andreas Feininger.
January 12, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Can I just confirm: the Drill-Baby-Drill people are also the people who find wind turbines ugly, right?
Great to see that Nadhim Zahawi is bringing his tax dodging expertise to Reform UK.
January 12, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Great to see that Nadhim Zahawi is bringing his tax dodging expertise to Reform UK.
This is a very interesting interview, from Maia Sandu’s memories of growing up in the Soviet Union to her thoughts on Russian interference, preserving integrity in a corrupt environment and on EU enlargement. She is really very impressive.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
President of Moldova, Maia Sandu: Holding the Line Between Democracy and Putin
Podcast Episode · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 12/01/2026 · 1h 6m
podcasts.apple.com
January 12, 2026 at 12:20 PM
This is a very interesting interview, from Maia Sandu’s memories of growing up in the Soviet Union to her thoughts on Russian interference, preserving integrity in a corrupt environment and on EU enlargement. She is really very impressive.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked access to nasty pervert musk's Grok over its ability to produce sexually explicit deepfakes.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Grok AI: Malaysia and Indonesia block X chatbot over sexually explicit deepfakes
Sexualised images of real people generated by Grok have circulated on X in recent weeks.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 12, 2026 at 10:56 AM
Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked access to nasty pervert musk's Grok over its ability to produce sexually explicit deepfakes.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
WHAT YOU DON’T SEE ON THE NEWS‼️
January 11, 2026 at 10:28 PM
WHAT YOU DON’T SEE ON THE NEWS‼️
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
I can't believe I'm posting this video - but we actually have to have a conversation about the real world implications of America going to war over Greenland.
Let me walk you through it. It doesn't turn out well for us.
Let me walk you through it. It doesn't turn out well for us.
January 11, 2026 at 2:44 AM
I can't believe I'm posting this video - but we actually have to have a conversation about the real world implications of America going to war over Greenland.
Let me walk you through it. It doesn't turn out well for us.
Let me walk you through it. It doesn't turn out well for us.
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
Völlig richtig 👇
Liebe Leute! Trump "bekräftigt" keinen "Anspruch", sondern er droht Grönland mit einem militärischen Überfall! Nennt es doch wie es ist! Ein "Anspruch" könnte auch legitim sein. Diese Überschrift schließt also nicht aus, dass den USA Grönland zusteht; sie impliziert eine völkerrechtliche Unklarheit.
January 12, 2026 at 10:54 AM
Völlig richtig 👇
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
My only thought for the Bluesky arrivals notice board is “it’s ok to repost more often.”
[my understanding is the algorithms (if there are any) don’t pick up on ‘likes’ in the same way as old Twitter. A ‘like’ is lovely, but a *manual* repost is the primary ‘algorithm’ to actively share something]
[my understanding is the algorithms (if there are any) don’t pick up on ‘likes’ in the same way as old Twitter. A ‘like’ is lovely, but a *manual* repost is the primary ‘algorithm’ to actively share something]
The surge in new Bluesky followers continues. Apparently.
*wind whistles forlornly*
*wind whistles forlornly*
a dirt road going through a desert landscape with mountains in the background
Alt: Tumbleweed blows across a desert road
media.tenor.com
January 12, 2026 at 10:49 AM
My only thought for the Bluesky arrivals notice board is “it’s ok to repost more often.”
[my understanding is the algorithms (if there are any) don’t pick up on ‘likes’ in the same way as old Twitter. A ‘like’ is lovely, but a *manual* repost is the primary ‘algorithm’ to actively share something]
[my understanding is the algorithms (if there are any) don’t pick up on ‘likes’ in the same way as old Twitter. A ‘like’ is lovely, but a *manual* repost is the primary ‘algorithm’ to actively share something]
Nature Scientific Reports is evidently a paper mill that disseminates a lot of junk. Aren't @nature.com worried that this might affect their brand?
I have written a blog at ForBetterScience. Scientific Reports appears to be as bad as ever despite promises to change and an "excellent team" forbetterscience.com/2026/01/06/s...
January 12, 2026 at 8:54 AM
Nature Scientific Reports is evidently a paper mill that disseminates a lot of junk. Aren't @nature.com worried that this might affect their brand?
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
"genAI" doens't "learn" (tech execs' term) since it has no brains. Instead, it stores and regurgitates - PLAGIARISM....
"many AI developers use a more technically accurate term when talking about these models: lossy compression."
"many AI developers use a more technically accurate term when talking about these models: lossy compression."
New research presents the most compelling evidence yet that generative AI directly stores and reproduces material used to train it—a finding that could have massive legal consequences for the tech industry, Alex Reisner reports.
AI’s Memorization Crisis
Large language models don’t “learn”—they copy. And that could change everything for the tech industry.
bit.ly
January 12, 2026 at 7:56 AM
"genAI" doens't "learn" (tech execs' term) since it has no brains. Instead, it stores and regurgitates - PLAGIARISM....
"many AI developers use a more technically accurate term when talking about these models: lossy compression."
"many AI developers use a more technically accurate term when talking about these models: lossy compression."
Plagiarism
New research presents the most compelling evidence yet that generative AI directly stores and reproduces material used to train it—a finding that could have massive legal consequences for the tech industry, Alex Reisner reports.
AI’s Memorization Crisis
Large language models don’t “learn”—they copy. And that could change everything for the tech industry.
bit.ly
January 12, 2026 at 7:58 AM
Plagiarism
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
I have written a blog at ForBetterScience. Scientific Reports appears to be as bad as ever despite promises to change and an "excellent team" forbetterscience.com/2026/01/06/s...
January 6, 2026 at 9:23 AM
I have written a blog at ForBetterScience. Scientific Reports appears to be as bad as ever despite promises to change and an "excellent team" forbetterscience.com/2026/01/06/s...
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
According to these figures London is safer than many if not all major North American cities. In 2025, there were 1.1 killings for every 100,000 residents of London, compared to 2.8 in New York, 5.6 in Los Angeles, 10.5 in Houston and 12.3 in Philadelphia
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
London’s homicide rate drops to lowest in more than a decade
Sadiq Khan says ‘public health’ approach has made the capital one of the safest cities in the western world
www.theguardian.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:00 AM
According to these figures London is safer than many if not all major North American cities. In 2025, there were 1.1 killings for every 100,000 residents of London, compared to 2.8 in New York, 5.6 in Los Angeles, 10.5 in Houston and 12.3 in Philadelphia
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
Good to see #IranProtests on the streets of Dublin, the crowd chanting 'Down with the Dictator!'
A sign reads: “No internet, no freedom, stop killing our women.”
A sign reads: “No internet, no freedom, stop killing our women.”
January 11, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Good to see #IranProtests on the streets of Dublin, the crowd chanting 'Down with the Dictator!'
A sign reads: “No internet, no freedom, stop killing our women.”
A sign reads: “No internet, no freedom, stop killing our women.”
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
This is really interesting. I’ve visited a few houses with large libraries where the books are protected with wires so you can’t take them off the shelves. Felt like such a waste. In contrast I remember visiting Husserl’s library and being able to pick up volumes and see his annotations. Magical.
‘We want people to sit, pause, relax’: National Trust to open its libraries for public use
‘We want people to sit, pause, relax’: National Trust to open its libraries for public use
Charity plans to make stately homes more welcoming by inviting visitors to use furniture and reading rooms
www.theguardian.com
January 12, 2026 at 6:17 AM
This is really interesting. I’ve visited a few houses with large libraries where the books are protected with wires so you can’t take them off the shelves. Felt like such a waste. In contrast I remember visiting Husserl’s library and being able to pick up volumes and see his annotations. Magical.
Reposted by Carsten Timmermann
Got an even better take here. Calling it an 'eggplant' is the colonial name whereas aubergine/brinjal is a better representation of how it would have been called by the Sanskrit speaking peoples who domesticated it and thus should be preferred. Besides the white form is not likely the original form.
Friendly reminder that we call eggplant eggplant because the "normal" eggplant used to look like this
January 12, 2026 at 7:02 AM
Got an even better take here. Calling it an 'eggplant' is the colonial name whereas aubergine/brinjal is a better representation of how it would have been called by the Sanskrit speaking peoples who domesticated it and thus should be preferred. Besides the white form is not likely the original form.
