Dr B Mikus
@melancholerical.bsky.social
D.Phil Oxon in German language&literature; feminism, nerdiness, puns. Also, book: The Political Woman in Print:
https://www.peterlang.com/document/1053307
🌈💗💜💙
🌈🖤🤍💜🩶
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3439-5130
https://www.peterlang.com/document/1053307
🌈💗💜💙
🌈🖤🤍💜🩶
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3439-5130
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
For every 100,000 drop in net immigration, the OBR adds £7bn to the deficit.
For every 100,000 drop in net immigration, the OBR adds £7bn to the deficit.
For every 100,000 drop in net immigration, the OBR adds £7bn to the deficit.
For every 100,000 drop in net immigration, the OBR adds £7bn to the deficit.
For every 100,000 drop in net immigration, the OBR adds £7bn to the deficit.
Today we’ll get latest net immigration figures - They’ll show immigration for work is plummeting.
Why is this not part of the discussion on Rachel Reeves balancing her books & stalled growth?
For every 100,000 drop in net immigration, the OBR adds £7bn to the deficit. #r4today
Why is this not part of the discussion on Rachel Reeves balancing her books & stalled growth?
For every 100,000 drop in net immigration, the OBR adds £7bn to the deficit. #r4today
November 27, 2025 at 8:49 AM
For every 100,000 drop in net immigration, the OBR adds £7bn to the deficit.
For every 100,000 drop in net immigration, the OBR adds £7bn to the deficit.
For every 100,000 drop in net immigration, the OBR adds £7bn to the deficit.
For every 100,000 drop in net immigration, the OBR adds £7bn to the deficit.
For every 100,000 drop in net immigration, the OBR adds £7bn to the deficit.
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
Excellent news, which I suspect will barely get a mention, given this government's lack of a comms strategy to counter hostile print and broadcast media. Thank goodness for 'the socials'.
Huge news from the UK today: after UN climate talks in which there was a massive fight over language on fossil fuels, the UK government today announced that it will in fact be keeping many millions of barrels of oil & gas in the ground. Deeds rather than just words for a change! 🧵
November 27, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Excellent news, which I suspect will barely get a mention, given this government's lack of a comms strategy to counter hostile print and broadcast media. Thank goodness for 'the socials'.
This.
AND supporting your local library is super important! If you actually DO want books to be available to everyone, the library *already exists* and is staffed by the people who are deep in the trenches of fighting censorship! Supporting the library is doing actual good for your community!
TAPS SCREEN
For like the zillionth time: Libraries are FREE for you, but WE still get compensated for our work!!
For like the zillionth time: Libraries are FREE for you, but WE still get compensated for our work!!
November 26, 2025 at 8:43 PM
This.
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
Big news: the European Court of Justice rules that all member states are obliged to recognise a same-sex marriage lawfully concluded in another member state.
November 25, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Big news: the European Court of Justice rules that all member states are obliged to recognise a same-sex marriage lawfully concluded in another member state.
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
Good morning, while everyone is waiting for the budget to be announced it’s a good time to say that immigration is a source of prosperity for the UK and painting Britain as a hostile state is sabotaging the country. Thanks!
November 26, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Good morning, while everyone is waiting for the budget to be announced it’s a good time to say that immigration is a source of prosperity for the UK and painting Britain as a hostile state is sabotaging the country. Thanks!
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
This. I've been working with "machine learning" since before the current AI-fever and it's an invaluable tool in science and engineering.
LLMs and GenAI are being misused in a criminally negligent way and using misplaced legitimacy to do it, and that misdirect cannot be allowed to continue.
LLMs and GenAI are being misused in a criminally negligent way and using misplaced legitimacy to do it, and that misdirect cannot be allowed to continue.
Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪
November 23, 2025 at 1:47 PM
This. I've been working with "machine learning" since before the current AI-fever and it's an invaluable tool in science and engineering.
LLMs and GenAI are being misused in a criminally negligent way and using misplaced legitimacy to do it, and that misdirect cannot be allowed to continue.
LLMs and GenAI are being misused in a criminally negligent way and using misplaced legitimacy to do it, and that misdirect cannot be allowed to continue.
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
It is very hard to overstate the evil of the fossil fuel industry.
When people finally do figure it out, it may be too late to undo the damage.
When people finally do figure it out, it may be too late to undo the damage.
U.N. climate talks fizzle out 10 years after Paris accord
Nearly 200 countries at the U.N. climate summit reached a deal that didn’t include a road map to curtail use of fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:14 PM
It is very hard to overstate the evil of the fossil fuel industry.
When people finally do figure it out, it may be too late to undo the damage.
When people finally do figure it out, it may be too late to undo the damage.
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
I don't doubt that some women feel unsafe walking in the dark, but this article would have been much improved if the writer had included the information that most violence against women is committed by people we know and not by randoms on the street.
'Dark winter nights feel like an unspoken curfew for women'
Women in the north west of England speak of how they have to be more cautious as nights turn dark.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 10:20 AM
I don't doubt that some women feel unsafe walking in the dark, but this article would have been much improved if the writer had included the information that most violence against women is committed by people we know and not by randoms on the street.
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
“The United States is helping fascist regimes like Russia gain control over a huge portion of the world. We should not pretend this is not the case when every action shows this is the policy the Trump admin is pursuing. We must save the free world.”
Every word.. 🧵
Every word.. 🧵
There is absolutely no reason for the European Union and NATO to behave like we are hostage to the policy choices and objectives of the United States on matters of international affairs, in particular, on Russia's war and genocide against Ukraine. We're not slaves or pawns to Washington.
1/8
1/8
November 23, 2025 at 11:44 AM
“The United States is helping fascist regimes like Russia gain control over a huge portion of the world. We should not pretend this is not the case when every action shows this is the policy the Trump admin is pursuing. We must save the free world.”
Every word.. 🧵
Every word.. 🧵
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
I wish more reporting on this made the point that novelists won't be displaced by LLMs suddenly producing literature instead of story mulch, but because decision makers focused only on the bottom line, who don't understand what makes a good book, will be persuaded story mulch has got 'good enough'.
New research by @mctd.bsky.social shows the impact of generative AI on authors in the UK. They found over a third of novelists report their income has already been negatively impacted by AI and 85% expect their future income will be negatively impacted.
www.mctd.ac.uk/impact-of-ge...
www.mctd.ac.uk/impact-of-ge...
Impact of Generative AI on the Novel
A report examining how literary creatives being affected by GenAI and what measures they want see implemented by the government to protect the UK’s literary scene.
www.mctd.ac.uk
November 20, 2025 at 11:05 PM
I wish more reporting on this made the point that novelists won't be displaced by LLMs suddenly producing literature instead of story mulch, but because decision makers focused only on the bottom line, who don't understand what makes a good book, will be persuaded story mulch has got 'good enough'.
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
DON'T FORGET to register for #BSECS2026 @pembrokeoxford.bsky.social, 7-9 January 2026.
Early bird rates apply until tomorrow (Saturday 15 November 2025)
#skystorians #18thC 🗃️
www.bsecs.org.uk/conferences/...
Early bird rates apply until tomorrow (Saturday 15 November 2025)
#skystorians #18thC 🗃️
www.bsecs.org.uk/conferences/...
BSECS Conference Registration
Registration for the BSECS Annual Conference is now open. Please use the form below to register for the conference.
www.bsecs.org.uk
November 14, 2025 at 9:23 AM
DON'T FORGET to register for #BSECS2026 @pembrokeoxford.bsky.social, 7-9 January 2026.
Early bird rates apply until tomorrow (Saturday 15 November 2025)
#skystorians #18thC 🗃️
www.bsecs.org.uk/conferences/...
Early bird rates apply until tomorrow (Saturday 15 November 2025)
#skystorians #18thC 🗃️
www.bsecs.org.uk/conferences/...
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
Register for BSECS using the link below! If any PhD students and/or ECRs want to chat over coffee about postdoc applications, drop me a DM :) I'm always happy to share my experiences of post-PhD life. #c18
DON'T FORGET to register for #BSECS2026 @pembrokeoxford.bsky.social, 7-9 January 2026.
Early bird rates apply until tomorrow (Saturday 15 November 2025)
#skystorians #18thC 🗃️
www.bsecs.org.uk/conferences/...
Early bird rates apply until tomorrow (Saturday 15 November 2025)
#skystorians #18thC 🗃️
www.bsecs.org.uk/conferences/...
BSECS Conference Registration
Registration for the BSECS Annual Conference is now open. Please use the form below to register for the conference.
www.bsecs.org.uk
November 22, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Register for BSECS using the link below! If any PhD students and/or ECRs want to chat over coffee about postdoc applications, drop me a DM :) I'm always happy to share my experiences of post-PhD life. #c18
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
Everyone who has memory-holed the pandemic in the UK should take a walk along the Covid memorial wall in London. Each heart represents a single person who died of Covid, and it goes of *forever*. It's very, very long.
November 22, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Everyone who has memory-holed the pandemic in the UK should take a walk along the Covid memorial wall in London. Each heart represents a single person who died of Covid, and it goes of *forever*. It's very, very long.
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
Walter de Staplecat, Simpkin IV, Teabag, Balthasar and Benny D Cat take the stage as we meet the college cats of Oxford. And, of course, Magdalen’s Ozymandias. Read on for our photo special. (Includes a cat map.) oxfordclarion.uk/college-cats...
College cats of Oxford
Once upon a time, we featured an image of Magdalen's kitten, Ozymandias, in our newsletter. We figured it might be a gentle contrast to our regular diet of planning and local politics.
The grey ball ...
oxfordclarion.uk
November 20, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Walter de Staplecat, Simpkin IV, Teabag, Balthasar and Benny D Cat take the stage as we meet the college cats of Oxford. And, of course, Magdalen’s Ozymandias. Read on for our photo special. (Includes a cat map.) oxfordclarion.uk/college-cats...
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
Gmail is now stealing your emails and attachments to train their AI. You have to turn it off to “opt out”. Details: www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
November 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Gmail is now stealing your emails and attachments to train their AI. You have to turn it off to “opt out”. Details: www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
Today is International Men’s Day. So here’s to refugee men fleeing abuse, trans men denied healthcare, queer men bullied for being different, Black men racially profiled, disabled men excluded from work, and all the other men who fail at being “real men.” May we continue to cultivate our humanity.
November 19, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Today is International Men’s Day. So here’s to refugee men fleeing abuse, trans men denied healthcare, queer men bullied for being different, Black men racially profiled, disabled men excluded from work, and all the other men who fail at being “real men.” May we continue to cultivate our humanity.
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
"The early internet was dominated by the English language and western institutions, and this imbalance has hardened over time, leaving whole worlds of human knowledge and experience undigitised...with the rise of GenAI...asymmetry threatens to become entrenched."
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
What AI doesn’t know: we could be creating a global ‘knowledge collapse’ | Deepak Varuvel Dennison
The long read: As GenAI becomes the primary way to find information, local and traditional wisdom is being lost. And we are only beginning to realise what we’re missing
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:00 AM
"The early internet was dominated by the English language and western institutions, and this imbalance has hardened over time, leaving whole worlds of human knowledge and experience undigitised...with the rise of GenAI...asymmetry threatens to become entrenched."
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
authors you have the chance to do the funniest thing right now
AI advocates have warned that if every author in the class action filed a claim, it would "financially ruin" the entire industry.
Authors celebrate “historic” settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action
Advocates fear such settlements will “financially ruin” the AI industry.
arstechnica.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:35 AM
authors you have the chance to do the funniest thing right now
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
WHEN the AI market blows up, we’d better be seeing prison time for its architects and every single penny of their billions-worth of assets being seized to pay THE PEOPLE (y’know, the ACTUAL VICTIMS) for the fallout*
*Yes, I know, I’m a naive optimist at heart…
*Yes, I know, I’m a naive optimist at heart…
WSJ: “.. If the AI market blows up, the blast radius would be wide, hitting not only Wall Street firms, but also pensions, mutual and exchange-traded funds and individual investors, because of how debt is often sliced and resold across the financial landscape.”
@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/finance/inve...
@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/finance/inve...
November 18, 2025 at 7:08 AM
WHEN the AI market blows up, we’d better be seeing prison time for its architects and every single penny of their billions-worth of assets being seized to pay THE PEOPLE (y’know, the ACTUAL VICTIMS) for the fallout*
*Yes, I know, I’m a naive optimist at heart…
*Yes, I know, I’m a naive optimist at heart…
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
This piece was greenlit and then killed by a British newspaper, so I’ve decided to publish myself instead.
Trans People Deserve Better.
"Gender critical" feminism doesn't help women but it does help the far right
open.substack.com/pub/wellread...
Trans People Deserve Better.
"Gender critical" feminism doesn't help women but it does help the far right
open.substack.com/pub/wellread...
Trans People Deserve Better
"Gender critical" feminism doesn't help women but it does help the far right
open.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:36 AM
This piece was greenlit and then killed by a British newspaper, so I’ve decided to publish myself instead.
Trans People Deserve Better.
"Gender critical" feminism doesn't help women but it does help the far right
open.substack.com/pub/wellread...
Trans People Deserve Better.
"Gender critical" feminism doesn't help women but it does help the far right
open.substack.com/pub/wellread...
🥳🥳🥳
💕
💕
✨ Please join SFWA in celebrating the announcement of our latest Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award: N. K. Jemisin. ✨
Learn more here about @nkjemisin.bsky.social, the Grand Master Award, and how the work goes on after the accolades for all we've already done:
www.sfwa.org/2025/11/16/p...
Learn more here about @nkjemisin.bsky.social, the Grand Master Award, and how the work goes on after the accolades for all we've already done:
www.sfwa.org/2025/11/16/p...
November 16, 2025 at 10:56 PM
🥳🥳🥳
💕
💕
OK. Time to finally catch up.
Couldn't really be bothered after *that* ending of vol. 9 and the hiatus, but now it's a quarter of the series I haven't read and I can't let that stand, either. 😆
Couldn't really be bothered after *that* ending of vol. 9 and the hiatus, but now it's a quarter of the series I haven't read and I can't let that stand, either. 😆
November 16, 2025 at 9:56 PM
OK. Time to finally catch up.
Couldn't really be bothered after *that* ending of vol. 9 and the hiatus, but now it's a quarter of the series I haven't read and I can't let that stand, either. 😆
Couldn't really be bothered after *that* ending of vol. 9 and the hiatus, but now it's a quarter of the series I haven't read and I can't let that stand, either. 😆
This.
And I mean, I have plenty of stories about being treated like I can't know what I'm doing because I'm a woman. Or men thinking I must be the DBA's secretary.
But it's the stories where I was stuck in a room full of men making it clear women are not actual people to them that really left a mark.
But it's the stories where I was stuck in a room full of men making it clear women are not actual people to them that really left a mark.
November 16, 2025 at 7:48 PM
This.
Reposted by Dr B Mikus
Hillary Clinton was highly qualified. Kamala Harris was highly qualified.
They lost in large part because men were that put off by the prospect of a woman being in charge of the country -- including a lot of men who like to pat themselves on the back for their feminist bona fides.
They lost in large part because men were that put off by the prospect of a woman being in charge of the country -- including a lot of men who like to pat themselves on the back for their feminist bona fides.
people.com/michelle-oba... Those of us who voted for Kamala would love to see a qualified and kind woman as president. Unfortunately, too many people won’t vote for a woman. 🤬🤬🤬 They would rather vote for the most selfish, idiotic, disgusting, and corrupt man!
Michelle Obama Says Americans Are 'Lying' About Wanting Her to Be President: 'Don't Waste My Time'
Michelle Obama said Americans 'are lying' about wanting her to run for president. 'You're not ready for a woman. You are not. So don't waste my time,' she said, nodding to the results of the 2024 pres...
people.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Hillary Clinton was highly qualified. Kamala Harris was highly qualified.
They lost in large part because men were that put off by the prospect of a woman being in charge of the country -- including a lot of men who like to pat themselves on the back for their feminist bona fides.
They lost in large part because men were that put off by the prospect of a woman being in charge of the country -- including a lot of men who like to pat themselves on the back for their feminist bona fides.