Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn
@anschmidtlebuhn.bsky.social
Botanist, taxonomist, phylogeneticist.
Report writing is going swimmingly.
February 6, 2026 at 2:32 AM
Report writing is going swimmingly.
Happy to be able to harvest my own Sichuan pepper from a pot on our balcony and grateful to the colleague who gave me seeds. But also puzzled because we have only the one plant, and its flowers were clearly female only.
February 4, 2026 at 8:10 AM
Happy to be able to harvest my own Sichuan pepper from a pot on our balcony and grateful to the colleague who gave me seeds. But also puzzled because we have only the one plant, and its flowers were clearly female only.
Now or Not now but maybe next time. Where is the "never, go away and don't come back" option? If there were any consumer protections in software, this would be illegal. If there was competition in the software market, it would be untenable. But they can just do whatever they want.
January 30, 2026 at 4:59 AM
Now or Not now but maybe next time. Where is the "never, go away and don't come back" option? If there were any consumer protections in software, this would be illegal. If there was competition in the software market, it would be untenable. But they can just do whatever they want.
Even if his "powerful AI" were possible, and there is no evidence for that, my frustration is that we don't have to fantasise scifi scenarios of doom. This trend here means global civilisational collapse by 2200, yet his LLMs make that problem worse, much worse. Bizarre sense of priorities.
January 27, 2026 at 5:24 AM
Even if his "powerful AI" were possible, and there is no evidence for that, my frustration is that we don't have to fantasise scifi scenarios of doom. This trend here means global civilisational collapse by 2200, yet his LLMs make that problem worse, much worse. Bizarre sense of priorities.
This means that there is a potential for bias because of what limited data happened to be included. For example, I am astonished by the idea that purple is the dominant flower colour in Australia's arid zone; but the only clades they have for this area in supplementary data are Rubus and Smilax.
January 20, 2026 at 9:53 PM
This means that there is a potential for bias because of what limited data happened to be included. For example, I am astonished by the idea that purple is the dominant flower colour in Australia's arid zone; but the only clades they have for this area in supplementary data are Rubus and Smilax.
Ozothamnus stirlingii with bull ant sitting on the capitulescence. Photographed two weeks ago in Namadgi National Park, Australian Capital Territory.
#asteraceae #compositae
#asteraceae #compositae
January 14, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Ozothamnus stirlingii with bull ant sitting on the capitulescence. Photographed two weeks ago in Namadgi National Park, Australian Capital Territory.
#asteraceae #compositae
#asteraceae #compositae
Yes, like this one.
January 5, 2026 at 9:07 PM
Yes, like this one.
Yes, this is the promise of self-driving: respects traffic rules, isn't distracted, doesn't drink alcohol.
But it is still cars. How about getting rid of most cars in favour of trams, subways, buses, bicycles, and walking?
But it is still cars. How about getting rid of most cars in favour of trams, subways, buses, bicycles, and walking?
December 31, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Yes, this is the promise of self-driving: respects traffic rules, isn't distracted, doesn't drink alcohol.
But it is still cars. How about getting rid of most cars in favour of trams, subways, buses, bicycles, and walking?
But it is still cars. How about getting rid of most cars in favour of trams, subways, buses, bicycles, and walking?
Found a macro lens for smart phones that I had forgotten I had while digging through drawers.
December 30, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Found a macro lens for smart phones that I had forgotten I had while digging through drawers.
If I sold mince made from other's pets I at least wouldn't be so open about that...
December 28, 2025 at 1:03 AM
If I sold mince made from other's pets I at least wouldn't be so open about that...
Look at this, for example. Note also the 2nd and 8th are studies that don't have Euchiton in the title but are still directly relevant to the query, e.g. 8th split a new genus off from Euchiton. The 7th result is the *only* of the top ten that is not relevant. This is very close to perfect.
December 24, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Look at this, for example. Note also the 2nd and 8th are studies that don't have Euchiton in the title but are still directly relevant to the query, e.g. 8th split a new genus off from Euchiton. The 7th result is the *only* of the top ten that is not relevant. This is very close to perfect.
What is the point of this? Is this a joke? Did they really look at this image and think, this looks great and convinces people that we are providing a useful product? Has everybody gone completely insane?
December 7, 2025 at 7:26 PM
What is the point of this? Is this a joke? Did they really look at this image and think, this looks great and convinces people that we are providing a useful product? Has everybody gone completely insane?
Graduation ceremony of year 20S5
December 3, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Graduation ceremony of year 20S5
Second and fourth place!
November 25, 2025 at 6:30 AM
Second and fourth place!
Capitulescence of a Cassinia (#Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae) at the Australian National Botanic Gardens.
November 25, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Capitulescence of a Cassinia (#Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae) at the Australian National Botanic Gardens.
Nymphoides (Menyanthaceae), presumably N. montana, near Braidwood last week.
November 23, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Nymphoides (Menyanthaceae), presumably N. montana, near Braidwood last week.
Not providing the option of "no and never ask me again" should be illegal and punishable by being catapulted into an active volcano.
October 31, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Not providing the option of "no and never ask me again" should be illegal and punishable by being catapulted into an active volcano.
Okay, so this writer uses an LLM to check his writing and seems extremely proud or surprised (?) that the LLM trained months ago isn't aware of recent events. The question arises: why not use standard office software to flag errors with red underlines? Long available, much less wasteful than LLMs.
October 30, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Okay, so this writer uses an LLM to check his writing and seems extremely proud or surprised (?) that the LLM trained months ago isn't aware of recent events. The question arises: why not use standard office software to flag errors with red underlines? Long available, much less wasteful than LLMs.
Although these people are working with billions, capital for investment is not infinite. If regulations are so lax that the highest returns are seemingly always in speculative bubbles, ventures that are productive in the long term are starved of investment.
www.derekthompson.org/p/this-is-ho...
www.derekthompson.org/p/this-is-ho...
October 14, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Although these people are working with billions, capital for investment is not infinite. If regulations are so lax that the highest returns are seemingly always in speculative bubbles, ventures that are productive in the long term are starved of investment.
www.derekthompson.org/p/this-is-ho...
www.derekthompson.org/p/this-is-ho...
Still very happy about having bought Othonna capensis, a succulent daisy from southern Africa. It just keeps blooming.
Unfortunately, the cockatoos love tearing my succulents apart, so nearly all of them now have rather ugly wire meshes around their pots.
Unfortunately, the cockatoos love tearing my succulents apart, so nearly all of them now have rather ugly wire meshes around their pots.
October 12, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Still very happy about having bought Othonna capensis, a succulent daisy from southern Africa. It just keeps blooming.
Unfortunately, the cockatoos love tearing my succulents apart, so nearly all of them now have rather ugly wire meshes around their pots.
Unfortunately, the cockatoos love tearing my succulents apart, so nearly all of them now have rather ugly wire meshes around their pots.
Minuscule insect on floret of Osteospermum ecklonis (Asteraceae), 200x macro lens.
October 12, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Minuscule insect on floret of Osteospermum ecklonis (Asteraceae), 200x macro lens.
Beetles are neat. Just look at the little dude!
October 10, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Beetles are neat. Just look at the little dude!