Ben Dickson
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drbenomycin.bsky.social
Ben Dickson
@drbenomycin.bsky.social
270 followers 100 following 1.8K posts
Pākehā lecturing chem @ University of Waikato
Ex-academic precariat, still in the fight.
NZAS council and NZSR editorial board
Rides a 💖pink💖 bicycle.
he / him
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Ben Dickson
sarahceross.bsky.social
University of Waikato in Hamilton, NZ, are hiring in English and Writing Studies - pass it on! www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
The University of Waikato hiring Lecturer in English and Writing Studies in Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand | LinkedIn
Posted 7:02:29 AM. Job DescriptionNgā kōrero mō te tūranga – About the roleTe Kura Toi School of Arts is seeking a…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.
www.linkedin.com
January 23, 2026 at 9:28 PM
drbenomycin.bsky.social
I'm not entirely sure what has happened, but since the beginning of this year Adobe Acrobat (full, pro-version) has become unusably slow.

Click and wait 30 seconds for response slow. Is it just me?
January 20, 2026 at 3:48 AM
drbenomycin.bsky.social
I was just idly thinking the other day how any business making huge profit can hire a few extra people, decreasing unemployment and giving a whole bunch a four day work week.

Don't hear about that much eh?
dejanajuk.bsky.social D Jukic She/her @dejanajuk.bsky.social · 7d
Listen no one is "vilifying" rich people. They ARE villains. If you run a multimillion or billion dollar company, give yourself millions in $$/shares &/or benefits, but pay your directly employed or contracted workers less than a living wage what are you if not a villain? #nzpol #NBRrichLIST
Overstuffed rich bloke stuffing his face with what he doesn’t need rather than sharing. Text reads: "Poverty exists not because we can't feed the poor, but because we can't satisfy the rich."
January 17, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Reposted by Ben Dickson
natforsdick.bsky.social
On behalf of the Science NZ Early Career Member Group (ECMG), I’m delighted to share our new publication in the New Zealand Science Review: ‘Pressures and Pathways: Early Career Experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Research Organisations’: doi.org/10.26686/nzs... 🧵1/5
Pathways and Pressures: Early Career Experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Research Organisations | New Zealand Science Review
doi.org
January 14, 2026 at 1:00 AM
Reposted by Ben Dickson
makingmolecules.com
Today's #Chemistry #ChemEd #ChemSky summary is SN1/SN2 substitution. I waited until 46th summary to cover this as I don't think it's as important as the chemistry of the carbonyl group (but is invariably introduced 1st in textbooks 🤷‍♂️go figure). More info www.makingmolecules.com/blog/substit... enjoy
A summary of substitution at a saturated carbon. An introduction to SN1 and SN2. Two boxes show each overall reaction + rate law. Then give a simple energy diagram/reaction profile for each followed by the curly arrow mechanism. In the final box there are 6 factors that influence which mechanism is in operation (structure of the substrate and its effect on the stability of carbocations; leaving group ability, nucleophile strength and the solvent). Enjoy.
January 13, 2026 at 7:30 AM
Reposted by Ben Dickson
nsousanis.bsky.social
In case anyone needs it for their syllabi, my statement in gen-Ai from the minicomic I made as a syllabus for class last semester. All online and printable here spinweaveandcut.com/fall-2025-sy...
a snippet of a mini-comic, at top - straight line stretches from point A to B. Immediately below, same dot at A, then becomes a curving, meandering line that winds through the page and ends at a point with rays and a question mark emanating from it. Text reads: "Nothing can do this for you - for that robs you of experience and conflates answers with learning. Rather, it's all the decisions you make along the way, the mistakes, struggles, and surprises! These pathways you create - this is learning. https://spinweaveandcut.com/fall-2025-syllabi/
January 6, 2026 at 4:54 PM
drbenomycin.bsky.social
My last read of 2025? @hendysh.bsky.social's Silencing Science.

I think the topics it explores should be taught in high school science and/or social studies. It's a great, approachable primer and it's slightly shameful that I've taken this long to get around to it ☺️
December 31, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Reposted by Ben Dickson
andrewjull.bsky.social
Shaun Hendy's The Covid Response is a great read - my review here -https://ojs.wgtn.ac.nz/nzsr/article/view/10256/9049
December 17, 2025 at 5:22 AM
Reposted by Ben Dickson
nzic.bsky.social
If you’re at #Pacifichem2025 visit the NZIC booth during the Village open hours (at the Hawai’i Convention Centre) and try a Pascall Milkshake - a classic NZ sweet.
December 16, 2025 at 12:51 AM
drbenomycin.bsky.social
In Wellington Harbour now. See: black ship with pointy things
December 11, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Reposted by Ben Dickson
ernie.tedium.co
If you have been sharing that Malwarebytes article on the Gmail thing, you should note the giant correction up top.

www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
Update November 22. We’ve updated this article after realising we contributed to a perfect storm of misunderstanding around a recent change in the wording and placement of Gmail’s smart features. The settings themselves aren’t new, but the way Google recently rewrote and surfaced them led a lot of people (including us) to believe Gmail content might be used to train Google’s AI models, and that users were being opted in automatically. After taking a closer look at Google’s documentation and reviewing other reporting, that doesn’t appear to be the case. Gmail does scan email content to power its own “smart features,” such as spam filtering, categorisation, and writing suggestions. But this is part of how Gmail normally works and isn’t the same as training Google’s generative AI models. Google also maintains that these feature settings are opt-in rather than opt-out, although users’ experiences seem to vary depending on when and how the new wording appeared. It’s easy to see where the confusion came from. Google’s updated language around “smart features” is vague, and the term “smart” often implies AI—especially at a time when Gemini is being integrated into other parts of Google’s products. When the new wording started appearing for some users without much explanation, many assumed it signalled a broader shift. We’ve revised this article to reflect what we can confirm from Google’s documentation, as it’s always been our aim to give readers accurate, helpful guidance.
November 22, 2025 at 9:44 PM
drbenomycin.bsky.social
Shortly catching my first ever Queenstown bus and I realized that I've lived in Hamilton for 2 years and never caught a Hamilton bus... the cycling is just too convenient 😅
November 22, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Reposted by Ben Dickson
writerlaurabee.bsky.social
Gmail users!!

They've turned on AI scraping by default now...Here's how to turn it off.

Pass it on!!

www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out
A new Gmail update may allow Google to use your private messages and attachments for AI training. Here's how to turn it off.
www.malwarebytes.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:11 AM
drbenomycin.bsky.social
Outrage baiting myself comparing tobacco harm to puberty blockers.

I don't know why I bother. The only consistent position this government has is being awful 😒
November 20, 2025 at 12:08 AM
drbenomycin.bsky.social
Latest COVID booster inspired by the Beatles White Album.

Number 9... Number 9...
November 18, 2025 at 10:58 PM
drbenomycin.bsky.social
BRB investing in spike club stocks
xkcd: Car Size
m.xkcd.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Reposted by Ben Dickson
angmcgaughran.bsky.social
Here is the publication link for those who want a closer look: dx.doi.org/10.1002/edn3...
November 16, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Reposted by Ben Dickson
nzic.bsky.social
In 12 months, the NZIC conference will be kicking-off in the beautiful Waikato! Plans are underway to bring you a diverse & inspiring programme. But, just in case you need convincing, here are some highlights from students who attended the 2024 conference.
www.cinz.nz/posts/studen...
Canterbury Branch student perspectives from the NZIC Conference in Dunedin, Nov 2024
Canterbury Branch student travel grant reports from the NZIC Conference, Dunedin, 24-28 November 2024
www.cinz.nz
November 15, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Reposted by Ben Dickson
liangrhea.bsky.social
For those saying James Watson's intellectual brilliance made his bigotry an acceptable trade-off, might I point out (Exhibit A below 👇) that one brain ought to be easily big enough to be a genius AND a decent human being. We don't call bigotry 'small mindedness' for nothing.
theladyred.bsky.social The_Lady_Red @theladyred.bsky.social · Nov 4
"The separation of the races is not a disease of colored people, but a disease of white people. I do not intend to be quiet about it."
~ Albert Einstein
picture Albert Einstein teaching a Physics Class to young black men (1946) In the twenty years before Einstein died, he almost never accepted invitations to speak at universities. In 1946 he broke his self-imposed rule to give an address and accept an honorary degree from a small, traditionally black university: Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. At Lincoln University he declared: "The separation of the races is not a disease of colored people, but a disease of white people. I do not intend to be quiet about it."
November 8, 2025 at 5:08 AM
drbenomycin.bsky.social
"His signal achievements, and the way he accomplished them, inflated his belief not only in his genius but also in how to succeed"

This is (IMO) a prevalent and harmful feature of the way academia and funding systems work.

www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:15 PM
drbenomycin.bsky.social
Somewhat perplexing that with all the pointless redesigning of things in Word M365 they still don't let you do a horizontal split view.

I have so much horizontal screen real-estate! I know there are ways to achieve this, but it should be a single button press... 😒
November 6, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by Ben Dickson
lcsnz.bsky.social
I'm sure it's totally coincidental that the AoNZ government's changes to the Marsden Fund have been followed by successful applications led by female investigators dropping from 55% to 33%, and successful applications led by Māori investigators dropping from 13% to 5%. 🫠 🧪
Information on the 2025 Marsden Fund round
Information about the number of funded proposals in the 2025 Marsden Fund round broken down by research area and institution, also including gender and ethnicity data
www.royalsociety.org.nz
November 5, 2025 at 9:16 PM
drbenomycin.bsky.social
If there are any international chemists who look at this idyllic picture and think they would love to travel to NZ for a conference - hit me up! I can't promise anything, but if you have a compelling story to tell, we'll definitely take a look.
nzic.bsky.social New Zealand Institute of Chemistry @nzic.bsky.social · Nov 3
Save the date! NZIC Conference 2026!

The NZIC 2026 conference organising committee invites you to set aside Sunday 15th - Thursday 19th November 2026 to join us in Kirikiriroa Hamilton. We're aiming to build a diverse programme weaving together all aspects of the chemistry 'life cycle'.
Buildings and trees on the University of Waikato Campus reflected in water.
November 4, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Reposted by Ben Dickson
nzic.bsky.social
The Ferrier Research Institute in Wellington is seeking a motivated PhD student to work on an exciting project at the interface of organic chemistry, peptide science, and antibiotic discovery, contributing to urgently needed new treatments.
www.wgtn.ac.nz/ferrier/stud...
Synthesis of ambocidin and novel analogues | Te Kāuru / Ferrier Research Institute | Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington
This is a unique opportunity to work at the interface of organic chemistry, peptide science, and antibiotic discovery, contributing to new treatments.
www.wgtn.ac.nz
November 2, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Reposted by Ben Dickson
tiwaiwaka.bsky.social
Mōrena e te whānau. Do any of you have contact with Emma Wehipeihana? Her linkedin bio says she's still on Twitter, but I'm not. I'd appreciate either an email address, or an introduction if possible? My DMs are open
November 1, 2025 at 9:53 PM