Turlough Downes
@tdownes.bsky.social
Full Prof of Astro & Maths, DCU. Star formation, plasmas, mathematical & computational modeling. Head of School of Mathematical Sciences. Views my own.
Dear god @irishtimes.com Your framing here is going to get a subscription cancellation. I dislike media which supports fascism.
Minneapolis shooting deepens US immigration crisis as federal accounts are challenged
Minneapolis shooting deepens US immigration crisis as federal accounts are challenged
Video evidence, political rhetoric and competing narratives collide after the death of Alex Pretti
www.irishtimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Dear god @irishtimes.com Your framing here is going to get a subscription cancellation. I dislike media which supports fascism.
Interesting thread. I have some questions about some of the points, but it sure is an interesting and productive way to view things.
And I heartily agree that fact-checking is neither here nor there. It misses the point.
And I heartily agree that fact-checking is neither here nor there. It misses the point.
🧵 @jburnmurdoch.ft.com is spot on about the conditions in his FT piece. Liberal democracy held it together thanks to growth, good demographics, and the promise of a better future. Those days are gone, and that’s the "why" behind the erosion. However...
Democratic politicians have, though, pursued growth in GDP at the expense of other values. One response to @jburnmurdoch.ft.com pessimistic scenario is refocus on those values, combined with egalitarianism, sufficiency and quality of life. Not "it's the economy, stupid" but "it's the the society"
January 25, 2026 at 12:20 PM
Interesting thread. I have some questions about some of the points, but it sure is an interesting and productive way to view things.
And I heartily agree that fact-checking is neither here nor there. It misses the point.
And I heartily agree that fact-checking is neither here nor there. It misses the point.
Reposted by Turlough Downes
"They stole my face... my identity... I don't remember who I was three years ago."
This is Lucy.
Her life changed utterly after she became a victim of deepfake image abuse.
Forced to move jobs & home... change every aspect of her daily life... she has a strong message for victims and legislators
This is Lucy.
Her life changed utterly after she became a victim of deepfake image abuse.
Forced to move jobs & home... change every aspect of her daily life... she has a strong message for victims and legislators
🗣️ "We didn't ask for this, and we don't deserve it."
A woman who was the victim of deepfake image abuse says her life has changed forever.
Lucy Geraghty speaks about having to change jobs and move home after her photos were manipulated and shared online.
#VMNews | @newschambers.bsky.social
A woman who was the victim of deepfake image abuse says her life has changed forever.
Lucy Geraghty speaks about having to change jobs and move home after her photos were manipulated and shared online.
#VMNews | @newschambers.bsky.social
January 21, 2026 at 12:50 PM
"They stole my face... my identity... I don't remember who I was three years ago."
This is Lucy.
Her life changed utterly after she became a victim of deepfake image abuse.
Forced to move jobs & home... change every aspect of her daily life... she has a strong message for victims and legislators
This is Lucy.
Her life changed utterly after she became a victim of deepfake image abuse.
Forced to move jobs & home... change every aspect of her daily life... she has a strong message for victims and legislators
One gets the feeling, particularly when coupled with the Microsoft CEO saying that the AI bubble would burst without wider AI adoption, that the timescales required for investment returns on the development of AI have become undeniably impossible to meet.
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
Nvidia CEO Says Everyone Should Stop Being So Negative About AI
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is asking us to stop being so negative about AI, since it's simply a "doomer narrative."
futurism.com
January 21, 2026 at 10:48 PM
One gets the feeling, particularly when coupled with the Microsoft CEO saying that the AI bubble would burst without wider AI adoption, that the timescales required for investment returns on the development of AI have become undeniably impossible to meet.
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
Universities should be following suit. Painful, but necessary.
The Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs is moving away from Microsoft and switching instead to Linux and LibreOffice
www.heise.de/news/Von-Wor...
www.heise.de/news/Von-Wor...
Abschied bis Herbst: Dänisches Digitalministerium kehrt Microsoft den Rücken
Beim dänischen Digitalministerium sollen alle Angestellten ohne Microsoft auskommen. Stattdessen werde man Linux und LibreOffice nutzen, sagt die Ministerin.
www.heise.de
January 20, 2026 at 11:12 PM
Universities should be following suit. Painful, but necessary.
Reposted by Turlough Downes
Tomorrow: The first of two reports from women speaking out for the first time about having their images manipulated explicitly without their consent.
They've suffered years of trauma, panic attacks and unsolicited messages from men.
This is why the Grok issue matters.
@virginmedianews.bsky.social
They've suffered years of trauma, panic attacks and unsolicited messages from men.
This is why the Grok issue matters.
@virginmedianews.bsky.social
January 19, 2026 at 7:40 PM
Tomorrow: The first of two reports from women speaking out for the first time about having their images manipulated explicitly without their consent.
They've suffered years of trauma, panic attacks and unsolicited messages from men.
This is why the Grok issue matters.
@virginmedianews.bsky.social
They've suffered years of trauma, panic attacks and unsolicited messages from men.
This is why the Grok issue matters.
@virginmedianews.bsky.social
Reposted by Turlough Downes
We have decided to move to a social media platform more in keeping with our mission and values. So here we are! We'll be posting about goings-on in Algebra & Geometry, Analysis & Probability, Financial & Actuarial Maths, Relativity & Astrophysics, and Maths Education.
January 19, 2026 at 12:26 PM
We have decided to move to a social media platform more in keeping with our mission and values. So here we are! We'll be posting about goings-on in Algebra & Geometry, Analysis & Probability, Financial & Actuarial Maths, Relativity & Astrophysics, and Maths Education.
January 19, 2026 at 12:16 PM
Reposted by Turlough Downes
I’m telling you, this is a line we should not allow to be blurred.
Assert that what has been done is illegal.
Have it investigated as illegality.
Bring prosecutions of company officials on illegality.
Describe the basis of each step clearly and without obfuscation or imprecision.
Assert that what has been done is illegal.
Have it investigated as illegality.
Bring prosecutions of company officials on illegality.
Describe the basis of each step clearly and without obfuscation or imprecision.
Without meaningful pushback from regulators and users, Grok’s example risks setting a permissive precedent—signaling to other nudification apps and platform companies that AI-generated NCII can be treated as funny, harmless, or otherwise tolerable, writes Kaylee Williams.
Grok Supercharges the Nonconsensual Pornography Epidemic
Without meaningful pushback from regulators and users, Grok’s example risks setting a dangerously permissive precedent that, writes Kaylee Williams.
buff.ly
January 18, 2026 at 6:34 PM
I’m telling you, this is a line we should not allow to be blurred.
Assert that what has been done is illegal.
Have it investigated as illegality.
Bring prosecutions of company officials on illegality.
Describe the basis of each step clearly and without obfuscation or imprecision.
Assert that what has been done is illegal.
Have it investigated as illegality.
Bring prosecutions of company officials on illegality.
Describe the basis of each step clearly and without obfuscation or imprecision.
Reposted by Turlough Downes
More wind, less gas -- the Irish grid emitted less CO₂ in 2025 than any other year in recent memory. But is it enough?
"A Year in Review: The Irish Grid in 2025" arrives Monday in all our newsletter subscribers' inboxes. Sign up for free today and ensure your copy!
📊 🔌 📩
"A Year in Review: The Irish Grid in 2025" arrives Monday in all our newsletter subscribers' inboxes. Sign up for free today and ensure your copy!
📊 🔌 📩
January 17, 2026 at 10:18 AM
More wind, less gas -- the Irish grid emitted less CO₂ in 2025 than any other year in recent memory. But is it enough?
"A Year in Review: The Irish Grid in 2025" arrives Monday in all our newsletter subscribers' inboxes. Sign up for free today and ensure your copy!
📊 🔌 📩
"A Year in Review: The Irish Grid in 2025" arrives Monday in all our newsletter subscribers' inboxes. Sign up for free today and ensure your copy!
📊 🔌 📩
Reposted by Turlough Downes
When is it not appropriate? And why is it, again atomised to individuals when Section 9 of the 1998 Act specifically assigns corporate bodies liability as well.
January 14, 2026 at 7:34 AM
When is it not appropriate? And why is it, again atomised to individuals when Section 9 of the 1998 Act specifically assigns corporate bodies liability as well.
And this, @andrewhesselden.bsky.social and @francevisafree.bsky.social, is why it is probably advisable to stop talking using "passport" as a word for "citizenship". It misleads people and, as I mentioned before, it is offensive.
not true. You can be a descendant of an Irish person and still get an Irish pasport.
January 12, 2026 at 5:09 PM
And this, @andrewhesselden.bsky.social and @francevisafree.bsky.social, is why it is probably advisable to stop talking using "passport" as a word for "citizenship". It misleads people and, as I mentioned before, it is offensive.
Reported on Google Play. The link to the relevant act is www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1998/act...
There's an issue in that they want the specific url etc, but I only provided the link to X itself.
There's an issue in that they want the specific url etc, but I only provided the link to X itself.
January 11, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Reported on Google Play. The link to the relevant act is www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1998/act...
There's an issue in that they want the specific url etc, but I only provided the link to X itself.
There's an issue in that they want the specific url etc, but I only provided the link to X itself.
Reposted by Turlough Downes
Back after my Christmas break in New Zealand. Some New Year thoughts about the future for us Europeans.
hayest.substack.com/p/scribblings
hayest.substack.com/p/scribblings
Scribblings
Back Home Again
hayest.substack.com
January 11, 2026 at 7:31 AM
Back after my Christmas break in New Zealand. Some New Year thoughts about the future for us Europeans.
hayest.substack.com/p/scribblings
hayest.substack.com/p/scribblings
Reposted by Turlough Downes
It's unbelievably hard, nigh on impossible, to influence a zealot in a few tweets. Engaging with the worst trolls in good faith doesn't produce results, it just amplifies them and fuels their hate. They don't want to be influenced by your alternative viewpoint.
Read the argument today that people should try to influence the narratives on the other website rather than abandon it.
I respect the view but - you're not influencing anyone.
Legacy media views throttled to death. Someone gave this example.
@BBC - 2m followers. Meg IP. One retweet. 12k views.
I respect the view but - you're not influencing anyone.
Legacy media views throttled to death. Someone gave this example.
@BBC - 2m followers. Meg IP. One retweet. 12k views.
January 10, 2026 at 10:11 AM
It's unbelievably hard, nigh on impossible, to influence a zealot in a few tweets. Engaging with the worst trolls in good faith doesn't produce results, it just amplifies them and fuels their hate. They don't want to be influenced by your alternative viewpoint.
AI Minister has gone way up in my estimation. It is important to look coldly at AI, and not get up in the currents created by marketing. On at least this issue Niamh Smyth is calling things as they are.
Ireland should suspend Grok and X. The Gardaí absolutely should be raiding X offices.
Ireland should suspend Grok and X. The Gardaí absolutely should be raiding X offices.
🚨 AI Minister Niamh Smyth says it isn't appropriate for the Government to maintain a presence on X and will speak to the Taoiseach on the matter.
Says the European Commission should immediately suspend Grok while investigations are continuing.
More on @virginmedianews.bsky.social
Says the European Commission should immediately suspend Grok while investigations are continuing.
More on @virginmedianews.bsky.social
January 10, 2026 at 7:50 PM
AI Minister has gone way up in my estimation. It is important to look coldly at AI, and not get up in the currents created by marketing. On at least this issue Niamh Smyth is calling things as they are.
Ireland should suspend Grok and X. The Gardaí absolutely should be raiding X offices.
Ireland should suspend Grok and X. The Gardaí absolutely should be raiding X offices.
Reposted by Turlough Downes
The idea that journalists, politicians, groups or - you know, women, people of colour, LGBTQ+ people - should "stay on the pitch" doesn't really hold up.
Foreign Minister's account has 60k followers - 40 likes, 13k views?
Blue ticks straight to the top of the queue with misogyny, bile.
Foreign Minister's account has 60k followers - 40 likes, 13k views?
Blue ticks straight to the top of the queue with misogyny, bile.
This is the 'engagement' that the Irish government has been using to justify remaining on X. These are the top replies to a randomly chosen recent post.
January 10, 2026 at 8:59 AM
The idea that journalists, politicians, groups or - you know, women, people of colour, LGBTQ+ people - should "stay on the pitch" doesn't really hold up.
Foreign Minister's account has 60k followers - 40 likes, 13k views?
Blue ticks straight to the top of the queue with misogyny, bile.
Foreign Minister's account has 60k followers - 40 likes, 13k views?
Blue ticks straight to the top of the queue with misogyny, bile.
Reposted by Turlough Downes
"Consequence-free physical and sexual abuse of children was part of the deal the institutional Church offered the Irish state for to run schools, hospitals and other expensive-looking services.
This week the Taoiseach demonstrated the same mental habits."
www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the...
This week the Taoiseach demonstrated the same mental habits."
www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the...
The Gist: The Abuse Factory
X, the child abuse imagery app, revealed our state has no red lines. This is the Gist.
www.thegist.ie
January 10, 2026 at 2:57 PM
"Consequence-free physical and sexual abuse of children was part of the deal the institutional Church offered the Irish state for to run schools, hospitals and other expensive-looking services.
This week the Taoiseach demonstrated the same mental habits."
www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the...
This week the Taoiseach demonstrated the same mental habits."
www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the...
Reposted by Turlough Downes
There doesn’t need to have been an intent to create CSAM, just a requirement that the company “facilitates” the making of the material for an offence under Section 5(1)(d) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 to have been committed
But if the changes to software were made “knowingly”
But if the changes to software were made “knowingly”
Grok producing vile sexualized deepfakes of women and children isn’t an accident
www.cnn.com/2026/01/08/t...
www.cnn.com/2026/01/08/t...
January 9, 2026 at 7:16 AM
There doesn’t need to have been an intent to create CSAM, just a requirement that the company “facilitates” the making of the material for an offence under Section 5(1)(d) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 to have been committed
But if the changes to software were made “knowingly”
But if the changes to software were made “knowingly”
Reposted by Turlough Downes
X is based in Ireland. Under Irish law what they are doing is illegal. I didn't have "Irish government arguing against removing CSA images" on my 2026 bingo card. I'm fully astonished by FFG here. Anyone who voted for them want to weigh in?
#Speirgorm
#Speirgorm
X not responsible for child sexual abuse images, individual users are - Media Minister jrnl.ie/6921190
X not responsible for child sexual abuse images, individual users are - Media Minister
The minister argued that technology is moving too fast for laws to keep pace.
jrnl.ie
January 8, 2026 at 1:35 PM
X is based in Ireland. Under Irish law what they are doing is illegal. I didn't have "Irish government arguing against removing CSA images" on my 2026 bingo card. I'm fully astonished by FFG here. Anyone who voted for them want to weigh in?
#Speirgorm
#Speirgorm
Oh wtf lads. What a complete inability to face up to the events. A lot of times slow and careful is the best approach, even though it can be frustrating and unpopular.
Sometimes, like now, you just take action based on the overwhelming evidence.
We are a sovereign country for a reason.
Sometimes, like now, you just take action based on the overwhelming evidence.
We are a sovereign country for a reason.
My word.
The Taoiseach, in China, says "platforms can be misused and abused or they can be used for positive reasons as well..." and says that should be considered carefully "before jumping to conclusions" on whether it's appropriate for the Government to be on X.
The Taoiseach, in China, says "platforms can be misused and abused or they can be used for positive reasons as well..." and says that should be considered carefully "before jumping to conclusions" on whether it's appropriate for the Government to be on X.
January 8, 2026 at 9:39 AM
Oh wtf lads. What a complete inability to face up to the events. A lot of times slow and careful is the best approach, even though it can be frustrating and unpopular.
Sometimes, like now, you just take action based on the overwhelming evidence.
We are a sovereign country for a reason.
Sometimes, like now, you just take action based on the overwhelming evidence.
We are a sovereign country for a reason.
Reposted by Turlough Downes
I'm almost certainly late to this, but the list of risks for the Claude in Chrome beta is 👀. Essentially, you the human need to be extremely cautious so that the AI agent can be permissive support.claude.com/en/articles/...
January 6, 2026 at 5:28 PM
I'm almost certainly late to this, but the list of risks for the Claude in Chrome beta is 👀. Essentially, you the human need to be extremely cautious so that the AI agent can be permissive support.claude.com/en/articles/...
Reposted by Turlough Downes
Much has been written about potential safety benefits of AVs. Given the lack of AV data transparency, I cannot speak to whether, or to what degree, AVs are safer than an average human driver. What I can say:
This is the wrong question.
🧵
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
This is the wrong question.
🧵
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
We Still Don’t Know if Robotaxis Are Safer Than Human Drivers
And even if self-driving technology proves to be less dangerous, there are many better ways to improve traffic safety and prevent fatal crashes.
www.bloomberg.com
January 6, 2026 at 8:51 PM
Much has been written about potential safety benefits of AVs. Given the lack of AV data transparency, I cannot speak to whether, or to what degree, AVs are safer than an average human driver. What I can say:
This is the wrong question.
🧵
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
This is the wrong question.
🧵
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Yep. Just get off X. It really isn't appropriate for govt and institutions to be preferentially focused on what the FT referred to as a deepfake porn site for comms.
Why does this need to wait for a 'collective' decision? This really is a simple decision: leave X. Period.
www.independent.ie/irish-news/g...
www.independent.ie/irish-news/g...
Government must decide ‘collectively’ about its use of X, minister says as Grok linked to AI-generated abuse images
The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment has said the Government would have to make a “decision collectively” about its use of the social media site X.
www.independent.ie
January 7, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Yep. Just get off X. It really isn't appropriate for govt and institutions to be preferentially focused on what the FT referred to as a deepfake porn site for comms.