Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
@drheaddamage.bsky.social
Science, sailing, sea and scattering (X-ray flavor). Against genocide in any form. Opinions are mine.
I run a blog at https://lookingatnothing.com/
I run a blog at https://lookingatnothing.com/
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
LIVE: Israel continues deadly Gaza attacks as deal moves into phase two https://aje.news/w5o0ho
January 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
LIVE: Israel continues deadly Gaza attacks as deal moves into phase two https://aje.news/w5o0ho
Engineering art:
January 15, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Engineering art:
I've been working on a traceable, modular method to process instrument data. It processes any data using interchangeable processing steps with units & uncertainties.
It now outputs some interesting results, and I'm talking about the software design here:
lookingatnothing.com/index.php/ar...
It now outputs some interesting results, and I'm talking about the software design here:
lookingatnothing.com/index.php/ar...
“Move carefully and fix things” for all our machines: MoDaCor
I’ve written a bit about MoDaCor in the past (in these and these posts, for example); building a framework to process our instruments’ data in a standardised, traceable manner. This is …
lookingatnothing.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:58 PM
I've been working on a traceable, modular method to process instrument data. It processes any data using interchangeable processing steps with units & uncertainties.
It now outputs some interesting results, and I'm talking about the software design here:
lookingatnothing.com/index.php/ar...
It now outputs some interesting results, and I'm talking about the software design here:
lookingatnothing.com/index.php/ar...
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
“The costs of competing for grants can exceed what the grants are worth”, wasting public money.
Two models minimise the overhead of grant writing and evaluation:
– lottery
– per capita funding
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Two models minimise the overhead of grant writing and evaluation:
– lottery
– per capita funding
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
January 14, 2026 at 10:08 AM
“The costs of competing for grants can exceed what the grants are worth”, wasting public money.
Two models minimise the overhead of grant writing and evaluation:
– lottery
– per capita funding
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Two models minimise the overhead of grant writing and evaluation:
– lottery
– per capita funding
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Found a piece of engineering art: a CF flange with two tiny KF flanges welded to it, in the compactest possible configuration. Kudos to the welder for making this work.
January 13, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Found a piece of engineering art: a CF flange with two tiny KF flanges welded to it, in the compactest possible configuration. Kudos to the welder for making this work.
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
Human artists, use only one piece to convince people to follow you.
January 8, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Human artists, use only one piece to convince people to follow you.
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 13, 2026 at 8:27 AM
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
This is the kind of action that we need, and works. apnews.com/article/adel...
Adelaide Writers Week canceled as 180 speakers withdraw after the exclusion of a Palestinian writer
Organizers of Australia’s largest free literary festival have canceled the weeklong event after most writers withdrew over the removal of an Australian Palestinian writer.
apnews.com
January 13, 2026 at 9:48 AM
This is the kind of action that we need, and works. apnews.com/article/adel...
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
This has bugged me for years but I only just now finally got around to writing about it. I guess resistance is futile.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/no-you-wer...
🧪
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/no-you-wer...
🧪
No, you weren’t hit by 50,000 volts
A rant about the misuse of scientific units
badastronomy.beehiiv.com
January 12, 2026 at 6:53 PM
This has bugged me for years but I only just now finally got around to writing about it. I guess resistance is futile.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/no-you-wer...
🧪
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/no-you-wer...
🧪
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
If you can't/don't/won't use the swanky professor title to make academia better than the way in which you found it, what was the entire bloody point of getting the thing?
Fully aware I'm such an early ECR that I'm "not supposed to rock the boat".
Fully aware I'm such an early ECR that I'm "not supposed to rock the boat".
January 12, 2026 at 6:21 PM
If you can't/don't/won't use the swanky professor title to make academia better than the way in which you found it, what was the entire bloody point of getting the thing?
Fully aware I'm such an early ECR that I'm "not supposed to rock the boat".
Fully aware I'm such an early ECR that I'm "not supposed to rock the boat".
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
If the Nobel prizes are the Oscar’s of science, what are the Golden Globes of science? The Tony awards of science? The Academy awards of science? I get the impression we may be glorifying professional pretending more than professional wisdom-seeking… 🧪⚛️
January 12, 2026 at 6:12 AM
If the Nobel prizes are the Oscar’s of science, what are the Golden Globes of science? The Tony awards of science? The Academy awards of science? I get the impression we may be glorifying professional pretending more than professional wisdom-seeking… 🧪⚛️
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
Defence minister says Somalia has ‘confirmed information’ that Israel plans to forcibly move Palestinians to Somaliland.
Somalia ‘has confirmed information' of Israel's Palestine-Somaliland plan
Somalia's defence minister says Israel plans to forcibly move Palestinians to Somaliland, citing confirmed intelligence.
www.aljazeera.com
January 11, 2026 at 5:30 AM
Defence minister says Somalia has ‘confirmed information’ that Israel plans to forcibly move Palestinians to Somaliland.
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
Everyone else's needs are met, but yours are an afterthought.
Executive function struggles or exhaustion are overwhelming.
New year, but same old feelings of stress and anxiety.
Sounds familiar? #ResearcherRenew is here to help with priorities and planning
theresearchcompanion.com/timeplanning
Executive function struggles or exhaustion are overwhelming.
New year, but same old feelings of stress and anxiety.
Sounds familiar? #ResearcherRenew is here to help with priorities and planning
theresearchcompanion.com/timeplanning
Plan your time - The Research Companion
Where do you start when there's too much to do? Today's task invites you to think of ways to plan your time and start scheduling!
theresearchcompanion.com
January 10, 2026 at 11:09 AM
Everyone else's needs are met, but yours are an afterthought.
Executive function struggles or exhaustion are overwhelming.
New year, but same old feelings of stress and anxiety.
Sounds familiar? #ResearcherRenew is here to help with priorities and planning
theresearchcompanion.com/timeplanning
Executive function struggles or exhaustion are overwhelming.
New year, but same old feelings of stress and anxiety.
Sounds familiar? #ResearcherRenew is here to help with priorities and planning
theresearchcompanion.com/timeplanning
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
So his white supremacist views are fine. Boosting neo-Nazis on X are fine. Attacking LGBT people is fine. Inciting race riots in the UK is fine. Overseeing revenge porn and AI child porn is fine.
The Royal Society is completely morally bankrupt. Pure cowardice.
The Royal Society is completely morally bankrupt. Pure cowardice.
January 9, 2026 at 6:09 PM
So his white supremacist views are fine. Boosting neo-Nazis on X are fine. Attacking LGBT people is fine. Inciting race riots in the UK is fine. Overseeing revenge porn and AI child porn is fine.
The Royal Society is completely morally bankrupt. Pure cowardice.
The Royal Society is completely morally bankrupt. Pure cowardice.
Sure, buddy. Sure.
January 10, 2026 at 7:14 AM
Sure, buddy. Sure.
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
I'm really looking forward to the PeerRank workshop in Milan next week.
If you're interested in research evaluation, ranking systems, etc., please join us online.
If you're interested in research evaluation, ranking systems, etc., please join us online.
January 9, 2026 at 9:13 PM
I'm really looking forward to the PeerRank workshop in Milan next week.
If you're interested in research evaluation, ranking systems, etc., please join us online.
If you're interested in research evaluation, ranking systems, etc., please join us online.
The genocide continues, just less visible.
Gaza cancer deaths triple as doctors say Israel allows entry of 'chocolates and chips" but blocks chemotherapy drugs.
‘We just sit and cry': Gaza's cancer patients die waiting for treatment
Gaza cancer deaths triple as doctors say Israel allows entry of 'chocolates and chips" but blocks chemotherapy drugs.
www.aljazeera.com
January 9, 2026 at 6:30 AM
The genocide continues, just less visible.
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
As someone who was in a leadership industry role 'twixt postdoc and professorhood, I have a unique perspective on how absolutely unnecessary and ridiculous most of the paperwork in academia is.
January 9, 2026 at 1:11 AM
As someone who was in a leadership industry role 'twixt postdoc and professorhood, I have a unique perspective on how absolutely unnecessary and ridiculous most of the paperwork in academia is.
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
Cartoon by Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune
January 8, 2026 at 3:55 AM
Cartoon by Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
The gayest possible first date occurs in Dark Science High School (Part 9!) dresdencodak.com/2026/01/05/d...
January 5, 2026 at 11:55 PM
The gayest possible first date occurs in Dark Science High School (Part 9!) dresdencodak.com/2026/01/05/d...
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
Meanwhile "authorship motivations are incredibly difficult to shift....many attempts over the past 25 years...as a general rule, the research enterprise is extremely conservative when it comes to adapting to change" scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2026/01/08/h...
Hot Takes on the First Quarter of 21st Century Scholarly Publishing - The Scholarly Kitchen
Todd Carpenter looks back on the past quarter century of a digital revolution in scholarly publishing
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org
January 8, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Meanwhile "authorship motivations are incredibly difficult to shift....many attempts over the past 25 years...as a general rule, the research enterprise is extremely conservative when it comes to adapting to change" scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2026/01/08/h...
Reposted by Dr. ir. Brian R. Pauw 🍉
I recommend submitting a complaint.
January 7, 2026 at 3:18 PM
I recommend submitting a complaint.