emmatonkin.bsky.social
@emmatonkin.bsky.social
Researcher, sometimes lecture - currently digital health, data ethics, misc other. Charity swimathons. Ink, fiction, occasional yarn. Zombologiste à temps partiel. Citoyenne de nulle part. Franglaise. πόλλ’ ἠπίστατο ἔργα, κακῶς δ’ ἠπίστατο πάντα.
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
Noting my italian niece who, on describing a mushy fruit in the bottom of the shopping basket called it "squashato"
My partner's language with siblings is second generation family Italian via Malta with English accents. Lots of English verbs can be made Italian if you add semi-appripriate suffixes, it turns out
December 1, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Noting my italian niece who, on describing a mushy fruit in the bottom of the shopping basket called it "squashato"
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
Eleven years ago, I wrote to Tom Stoppard to ask about this coup de théâtre from 1949. It took me down an unexpected rabbit hole - in memory of Stoppard, here's what I found.
November 30, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Eleven years ago, I wrote to Tom Stoppard to ask about this coup de théâtre from 1949. It took me down an unexpected rabbit hole - in memory of Stoppard, here's what I found.
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
One hearsay anecdote I heard is that elementary studennts are starting to use "That's AI" as an alternative for "that's BS"
November 30, 2025 at 2:08 AM
One hearsay anecdote I heard is that elementary studennts are starting to use "That's AI" as an alternative for "that's BS"
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
my “AI is over” anecdote is that my wife was hired over the summer to write scripts for a big tech company explaining how to use their AI tools and after many rounds of revisions, the latest notes said “we’re finding a lot of AI fatigue among our users” and to remove all references to AI
Anecdotally on twitter seeing a big shift the last few days from every AI slop account saying every other creative field is “over” and they’re in control now to now posting about how nobody likes them and it’s not fair and they’ll persevere and real artists respect and uplift eachother
November 30, 2025 at 12:27 AM
my “AI is over” anecdote is that my wife was hired over the summer to write scripts for a big tech company explaining how to use their AI tools and after many rounds of revisions, the latest notes said “we’re finding a lot of AI fatigue among our users” and to remove all references to AI
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
Can't believe there weren't budget lines called "woke nonsense" and "free stuff for scary immigrants" they could cut to fully fund the rest of government.
Reform UK went into Durham Council promising to find huge savings. They have managed to GROW the authority's deficit by over £11m *in the last two months*.
Grimes recommends “serious consideration” to increasing council tax “by the maximum 5%.” ~AA
northeastbylines.co.uk/news/politic...
Grimes recommends “serious consideration” to increasing council tax “by the maximum 5%.” ~AA
northeastbylines.co.uk/news/politic...
Reform cabinet backs £10mn cuts to start filling Durham’s growing black hole
Reform is now learning that running a big council is not as easy as it probably thought
northeastbylines.co.uk
December 1, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Can't believe there weren't budget lines called "woke nonsense" and "free stuff for scary immigrants" they could cut to fully fund the rest of government.
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
I just don't need to know what the Telegraph has written about Dungeons & Dragons. It's a newspaper for people who are frightened of samosas.
November 30, 2025 at 12:15 PM
I just don't need to know what the Telegraph has written about Dungeons & Dragons. It's a newspaper for people who are frightened of samosas.
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
For 4000 years man has craved one thing above all others: a mug that's also a little guy.
November 29, 2025 at 4:03 PM
For 4000 years man has craved one thing above all others: a mug that's also a little guy.
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
Does it strike anyone as weird that we have a ratings board that counts the number of times a movie says fuck or shows a boob and decides who is allowed to see it, and yet GenAI was dropped on the entire with no restrictions, no age verification, no checks, no regulation whatsoever?
November 29, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Does it strike anyone as weird that we have a ratings board that counts the number of times a movie says fuck or shows a boob and decides who is allowed to see it, and yet GenAI was dropped on the entire with no restrictions, no age verification, no checks, no regulation whatsoever?
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
A big day for space weather, with the BBC reporting that a Mexico-to-USA flight in October experienced a 'sudden drop in altitude', likely caused by *solar energetic particles* from the Sun. Here is an explanation and some thoughts as a solar astrophysicist (a thread): 1/8
November 28, 2025 at 9:44 PM
A big day for space weather, with the BBC reporting that a Mexico-to-USA flight in October experienced a 'sudden drop in altitude', likely caused by *solar energetic particles* from the Sun. Here is an explanation and some thoughts as a solar astrophysicist (a thread): 1/8
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
Excellent. They rejected the social media ban and are continuing their occupation. Top quality A* Alpine nunning.
November 28, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Excellent. They rejected the social media ban and are continuing their occupation. Top quality A* Alpine nunning.
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
"1900, 200 persons were killed by horses and horse-drawn vehicles. This contrasts with 344 auto-related fatalities in New York in 2003; given the modern city’s greater population, this means the fatality rate per capita in the horse era was ~75 percent higher"
www.accessmagazine.org/spring-2007/...
www.accessmagazine.org/spring-2007/...
From Horse Power to Horsepower – ACCESS Magazine
www.accessmagazine.org
November 28, 2025 at 5:43 PM
"1900, 200 persons were killed by horses and horse-drawn vehicles. This contrasts with 344 auto-related fatalities in New York in 2003; given the modern city’s greater population, this means the fatality rate per capita in the horse era was ~75 percent higher"
www.accessmagazine.org/spring-2007/...
www.accessmagazine.org/spring-2007/...
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
I remember once reading that in NYC before cars (1900) the per capita fatality rate was higher from horse drawn carriages than cars in modern times (2000)
November 28, 2025 at 5:37 PM
I remember once reading that in NYC before cars (1900) the per capita fatality rate was higher from horse drawn carriages than cars in modern times (2000)
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
Dear Skype.
How can I reactivate my credit if you have shut the service down?
No love
Me.
There is a literal ghost in the machine sending automated emails. The internet is haunted!
How can I reactivate my credit if you have shut the service down?
No love
Me.
There is a literal ghost in the machine sending automated emails. The internet is haunted!
November 28, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Dear Skype.
How can I reactivate my credit if you have shut the service down?
No love
Me.
There is a literal ghost in the machine sending automated emails. The internet is haunted!
How can I reactivate my credit if you have shut the service down?
No love
Me.
There is a literal ghost in the machine sending automated emails. The internet is haunted!
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
There was no state. Who does she think crucified him, an anarchist collective?
November 28, 2025 at 11:22 AM
There was no state. Who does she think crucified him, an anarchist collective?
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
Here is a list of reasons why some of my hearings and trials this year have been delayed and kicked off into the long grass, stuck in our record court backlog. Serious allegations which will now be tried *years* after the event. 🧵👇
November 27, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Here is a list of reasons why some of my hearings and trials this year have been delayed and kicked off into the long grass, stuck in our record court backlog. Serious allegations which will now be tried *years* after the event. 🧵👇
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
i know WHY this is but that just makes it even more of a kick in the pants lmao
November 28, 2025 at 3:28 AM
i know WHY this is but that just makes it even more of a kick in the pants lmao
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
All of which illustrates how infuriating it is when dipshits say that AI can 'help me to brainstorm ideas'. It can't do that. It can plaster a deepfake smile onto the corpse of zombie capitalism as it shambles towards the precipice of climate catastrophe, but it can't create meaningful literature.
November 27, 2025 at 12:07 AM
All of which illustrates how infuriating it is when dipshits say that AI can 'help me to brainstorm ideas'. It can't do that. It can plaster a deepfake smile onto the corpse of zombie capitalism as it shambles towards the precipice of climate catastrophe, but it can't create meaningful literature.
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
i’m so happy for him
November 26, 2025 at 10:48 PM
i’m so happy for him
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
I did a PhD on the uses of Antichrist preaching as a form of propaganda and people ask me, "how is that useful?"
November 26, 2025 at 11:55 AM
I did a PhD on the uses of Antichrist preaching as a form of propaganda and people ask me, "how is that useful?"
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
‘The clip, which appeared on live television, shows the President of the United States snapping at a female reporter “Quiet, Piggy!”’
From the new Private Eye, out now.
From the new Private Eye, out now.
November 27, 2025 at 5:18 AM
‘The clip, which appeared on live television, shows the President of the United States snapping at a female reporter “Quiet, Piggy!”’
From the new Private Eye, out now.
From the new Private Eye, out now.
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
Every spec fic take on the British: oh they all want to run about looking like medieval knights
Me: nonsense
Actual British futurism:
Me: nonsense
Actual British futurism:
real Lunar spacesuit designed by the British interplanetary society.
I think it would be perfect for a comic, (it even has a cape!!!!)
I think it would be perfect for a comic, (it even has a cape!!!!)
November 26, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Every spec fic take on the British: oh they all want to run about looking like medieval knights
Me: nonsense
Actual British futurism:
Me: nonsense
Actual British futurism:
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
great. just what I need, my tax software telling me to kill myself
TurboTax is about to be integrated into ChatGPT, where customers will be guided through tasks tied to their tax filings or financial profile by the AI chatbot.
TurboTax owner Intuit is also paying OpenAI more than $100 million a year to power AI agents.
TurboTax owner Intuit is also paying OpenAI more than $100 million a year to power AI agents.
November 19, 2025 at 3:34 AM
great. just what I need, my tax software telling me to kill myself
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
The thing about "AI" is that before it became a marketing catchphrase by and for the worst douchebags you ever saw over the last few years, it was just a broad field of study that would periodically produce something that was narrowly useful, and it was Completely Fine, Actually.
November 26, 2025 at 2:13 PM
The thing about "AI" is that before it became a marketing catchphrase by and for the worst douchebags you ever saw over the last few years, it was just a broad field of study that would periodically produce something that was narrowly useful, and it was Completely Fine, Actually.
Reposted by emmatonkin.bsky.social
So this happened in Oslo yesterday. Four articulated buses got stuck in a roundabout.
November 25, 2025 at 8:23 AM
So this happened in Oslo yesterday. Four articulated buses got stuck in a roundabout.