Les Carr
@lescarr.bsky.social
60 year old nerdy guy with a job researching AI and the science of online life at the University of Southampton, and a side hustle in standup comedy.
Some physics humour for your timeline: Heisenberg, Schrödinger and Ohm in a car…
vm.tiktok.com/ZNRJWJRN7/
vm.tiktok.com/ZNRJWJRN7/
TikTok - Make Your Day
vm.tiktok.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:31 AM
Some physics humour for your timeline: Heisenberg, Schrödinger and Ohm in a car…
vm.tiktok.com/ZNRJWJRN7/
vm.tiktok.com/ZNRJWJRN7/
Recent anecdotal evidence* shows it’s impossible not to feel happy when listening to this clip
*listening to it on a rainy Monday morning
youtu.be/CLP15B43uNA
*listening to it on a rainy Monday morning
youtu.be/CLP15B43uNA
It Feels Like Christmas - Fall Out Boy
YouTube video by piggy
youtu.be
November 24, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Recent anecdotal evidence* shows it’s impossible not to feel happy when listening to this clip
*listening to it on a rainy Monday morning
youtu.be/CLP15B43uNA
*listening to it on a rainy Monday morning
youtu.be/CLP15B43uNA
Enjoy Christmas Science Comedy cheer with Dr Paul Conway explaining the Moral Psychology of Santa's Naughty List! Our professional comedy headliner is a cancer scientist that The Guardian described as "deliciously funny".
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
Southampton Science Comedy!
A December evening of science-themed stand-up comedy, stories, and silliness from some of Southampton’s funniest and nerdiest people!
www.eventbrite.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Enjoy Christmas Science Comedy cheer with Dr Paul Conway explaining the Moral Psychology of Santa's Naughty List! Our professional comedy headliner is a cancer scientist that The Guardian described as "deliciously funny".
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
My iPhone’s FaceID is refusing to recognise me today and my ego is taking it badly.
November 19, 2025 at 12:31 PM
My iPhone’s FaceID is refusing to recognise me today and my ego is taking it badly.
A bit of musical science comedy for your timeline - what could be better? vm.tiktok.com/ZNdEgoqU2/
TikTok - Make Your Day
vm.tiktok.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:17 AM
A bit of musical science comedy for your timeline - what could be better? vm.tiktok.com/ZNdEgoqU2/
Calling all Women in STEM!
November's Southampton Science Comedy features women in STEM who rap, control AIs and electrocute men - because science! Come along and bring your friends!!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
November's Southampton Science Comedy features women in STEM who rap, control AIs and electrocute men - because science! Come along and bring your friends!!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
Southampton Science Comedy!
An November evening of science-themed stand-up comedy, stories, and silliness from some of Southampton’s funniest and nerdiest people!
www.eventbrite.co.uk
October 31, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Calling all Women in STEM!
November's Southampton Science Comedy features women in STEM who rap, control AIs and electrocute men - because science! Come along and bring your friends!!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
November's Southampton Science Comedy features women in STEM who rap, control AIs and electrocute men - because science! Come along and bring your friends!!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
Southampton Science Comedy is back this week, on Thursday 16th October. Get your tickets to see the brilliant Farah Sharp perform with researchers and students from @unisouthampton.bsky.social
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
Southampton Science Comedy!
An October evening of science-themed stand-up comedy, stories, and silliness from some of Southampton’s funniest and nerdiest people!
www.eventbrite.co.uk
October 12, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Southampton Science Comedy is back this week, on Thursday 16th October. Get your tickets to see the brilliant Farah Sharp perform with researchers and students from @unisouthampton.bsky.social
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
Reposted by Les Carr
Brilliantly thought-provoking workshop on critical and ethical sociological engagement with LMMs in Naples this morning led by @jessogden.bsky.social @lescarr.bsky.social @sociodigfutures.bsky.social @bdfi.bsky.social #rc33 #isa #11ICSSM #Methodology
September 22, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Brilliantly thought-provoking workshop on critical and ethical sociological engagement with LMMs in Naples this morning led by @jessogden.bsky.social @lescarr.bsky.social @sociodigfutures.bsky.social @bdfi.bsky.social #rc33 #isa #11ICSSM #Methodology
I’m in Naples for the 11ICSSM conference to run a workshop on LLMs and give a paper about social scientists responses to AI with @susanjhalford.bsky.social .
September 21, 2025 at 6:06 AM
I’m in Naples for the 11ICSSM conference to run a workshop on LLMs and give a paper about social scientists responses to AI with @susanjhalford.bsky.social .
Reposted by Les Carr
Scraping tools like @digitalmethods.net Zeeschuimer, @lescarr.bsky.social WDRA are *vital* for social media research but how widely are they used? 🤔
If you use these tools or similar in your work, please reply 'teaching' 'research' 'both' 👇🏽 or via email if preferred 🤗
#AcademicSky
If you use these tools or similar in your work, please reply 'teaching' 'research' 'both' 👇🏽 or via email if preferred 🤗
#AcademicSky
September 4, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Scraping tools like @digitalmethods.net Zeeschuimer, @lescarr.bsky.social WDRA are *vital* for social media research but how widely are they used? 🤔
If you use these tools or similar in your work, please reply 'teaching' 'research' 'both' 👇🏽 or via email if preferred 🤗
#AcademicSky
If you use these tools or similar in your work, please reply 'teaching' 'research' 'both' 👇🏽 or via email if preferred 🤗
#AcademicSky
Southampton Science comedy is back in October. Get your tickets to see the brilliant Farah Sharp perform with researchers and students from @unisouthampton.bsky.social
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
Southampton Science Comedy!
An October evening of science-themed stand-up comedy, stories, and silliness from some of Southampton’s funniest and nerdiest people!
www.eventbrite.co.uk
September 14, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Southampton Science comedy is back in October. Get your tickets to see the brilliant Farah Sharp perform with researchers and students from @unisouthampton.bsky.social
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
Me: my research demonstrates the benefits of large language models for qualitative research
Also Me: The Last Teams Meeting
Also Me: The Last Teams Meeting
September 12, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Me: my research demonstrates the benefits of large language models for qualitative research
Also Me: The Last Teams Meeting
Also Me: The Last Teams Meeting
I’m just planning a computer science undergraduate training session called “friends don’t let friends vibe code” @softwaresaved.bsky.social
August 21, 2025 at 7:49 AM
I’m just planning a computer science undergraduate training session called “friends don’t let friends vibe code” @softwaresaved.bsky.social
Please stop all this “PhD-level” nonsense when talking about how much an LLM “knows”. A PhD is about being able to systematically create new knowledge. Knowing everything in that field is just a small part of the qualification.
August 10, 2025 at 5:57 AM
Please stop all this “PhD-level” nonsense when talking about how much an LLM “knows”. A PhD is about being able to systematically create new knowledge. Knowing everything in that field is just a small part of the qualification.
Who says LLMs can’t do comedy? I just tried to use ChatGPT to convert my little #edfringe spreadsheet of shows into an ICS file for my calendar. It wrote a python program with a missing import module, and blamed my data formatting. Now that’s funny!
August 3, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Who says LLMs can’t do comedy? I just tried to use ChatGPT to convert my little #edfringe spreadsheet of shows into an ICS file for my calendar. It wrote a python program with a missing import module, and blamed my data formatting. Now that’s funny!
Let me get this straight… scientists discovered a radioactive wasps nest outside a abandoned military research laboratory and declared it safe because there werent any wasps in it… ANY MORE? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Radioactive wasp nest discovered at nuclear waste storage site in South Carolina
Wasp nest was destroyed and disposed of after discovery near tanks used to store liquid nuclear waste
www.theguardian.com
August 1, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Let me get this straight… scientists discovered a radioactive wasps nest outside a abandoned military research laboratory and declared it safe because there werent any wasps in it… ANY MORE? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
So far this afternoon at the #edfringe website trying to buy tickets I’ve had slow/no access, cloudflare errors, Fetch errors and a GraphQL error. I’m going to use this as a case study in next term’s devops course.
July 29, 2025 at 6:01 PM
So far this afternoon at the #edfringe website trying to buy tickets I’ve had slow/no access, cloudflare errors, Fetch errors and a GraphQL error. I’m going to use this as a case study in next term’s devops course.
I’m just trying to organise my t-shirts for the summer.
You (a perfectly well-integrated member of society): what colour is in this season? How can I show myself part of the in-group?
Me (a socially awkward computer nerd): I’ll hedge my bets.
You (a perfectly well-integrated member of society): what colour is in this season? How can I show myself part of the in-group?
Me (a socially awkward computer nerd): I’ll hedge my bets.
June 11, 2025 at 8:16 PM
I’m just trying to organise my t-shirts for the summer.
You (a perfectly well-integrated member of society): what colour is in this season? How can I show myself part of the in-group?
Me (a socially awkward computer nerd): I’ll hedge my bets.
You (a perfectly well-integrated member of society): what colour is in this season? How can I show myself part of the in-group?
Me (a socially awkward computer nerd): I’ll hedge my bets.
Next year I will have worked in academia for 40 years - and I still can’t type “university” correctly on a first attempt.
June 11, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Next year I will have worked in academia for 40 years - and I still can’t type “university” correctly on a first attempt.
Now we can add “the Internet” to bullying, eating disorders and the climate emergency - the list of things that British children wish didn’t exist.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Almost half of young people would prefer a world without internet, UK study finds
Half of 16- to 21-year-olds support ‘digital curfew’ and nearly 70% feel worse after using social media
www.theguardian.com
May 20, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Now we can add “the Internet” to bullying, eating disorders and the climate emergency - the list of things that British children wish didn’t exist.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
In training researchers in AI techniques to support qualitative research methodologies at @unisouthampton.bsky.social, I’m discovering that they mainly need the AI to source, curate, clean and manage complex data for them. Sticking a “good enough” reasoner on a “good enough” search is not helpful!
May 19, 2025 at 7:46 AM
In training researchers in AI techniques to support qualitative research methodologies at @unisouthampton.bsky.social, I’m discovering that they mainly need the AI to source, curate, clean and manage complex data for them. Sticking a “good enough” reasoner on a “good enough” search is not helpful!
Get free tickets to see @mattywin.bsky.social and 4 new @unisouthampton.bsky.social comedians at Southampton Science Comedy night on June 19th!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
Southampton Science Comedy!
A June evening of science-themed stand-up comedy, stories, and silliness from some of Southampton’s funniest and nerdiest people!
www.eventbrite.co.uk
May 19, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Get free tickets to see @mattywin.bsky.social and 4 new @unisouthampton.bsky.social comedians at Southampton Science Comedy night on June 19th!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
Reposted by Les Carr
Fantastic article by Dr Neil Gostling on how Sir David Attenborough has reshaped how we see the natural world throughout his illustrious career.
Follow him at: @neilgostling.bsky.social
theconversation.com/from-zoo-que...
Follow him at: @neilgostling.bsky.social
theconversation.com/from-zoo-que...
From Zoo Quest to Ocean: The evolution of David Attenborough’s voice for the planet
Attenborough’s filmography has shaped how we perceive the natural world.
theconversation.com
May 13, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Fantastic article by Dr Neil Gostling on how Sir David Attenborough has reshaped how we see the natural world throughout his illustrious career.
Follow him at: @neilgostling.bsky.social
theconversation.com/from-zoo-que...
Follow him at: @neilgostling.bsky.social
theconversation.com/from-zoo-que...
Reposted by Les Carr
