Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 49m

You laugh but a lot of people have already made a fortune out of AI. Energy supply companies and companies that sell the materials grid infrastructure is made from, primarily, but business is business.

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 1h

Not thrilled with the term ‘Antifa’. Sounds sort of sneaky. Anti-Fascist has a much better roar to it.

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 2h

"Antifa has been around in various iterations for almost 100 years in some instances, going back to the Weimar Republic in Germany."

- Jack Posobiec at Trump's roundtable on antifa

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 3h

Some people like order, some thrive on chaos.

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 3h

Anyone remember The Pirate Bay?

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Reposted by Jo Wolff

Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 16h

Was at a recruitment event with a colleague from the English department once. She said ‘are you the sort of person who can sit in your room reading for 12 hours a day, day after day? If not please don’t apply to read English.’ Few have the calling.

The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · 18h

So, the plan is to cut English, the arts, and sociology - the degrees that actually study culture - while on another part of your platform claiming to “defend” British culture.

It’s performance nationalism with a reading age of seven.

Badenoch: Curb students taking 'rip-off' degrees such as English
The performing arts, sociology and anthropology are among the subjects the Conservatives would like to cut

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 5h

This was not a sample of academics.

YouGov @yougov.co.uk · 6h

How many browsing tabs do you typically have open?*

1: 6%
2-5: 54%
6-10: 14%
11-20: 8%
21-30: 2%
More than 30: 3%

*across all windows, on desktop/laptop

yougov.co.uk/topics/techn...

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Reposted by Jo Wolff

Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 17h

“If I can’t dance to it I don’t want to be part of your revolution.” Emma Goldman

Courtney Vaughn @courtneyvaughn.bsky.social · 19h

Streets are still closed off in front of the Portland ICE facility at 8:30pm. Protesters have gathered on a side street. Dance party in progress.

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Caroline Fiennes @carolinefiennes.bsky.social · 9h

Yeah,but you also recommended @jowolff.bsky.social and he turned oùt to be a total rabbit hole 🤣🤣

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Reposted by Jo Wolff

Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 14h

Ludwig Börne offering to spy on himself for half the price the police spy is being paid. (From Heinrich Heine’s book on Börne.)

And yet he knew that he was surrounded by spies, and he once said to me, "there's a fellow walking constantly behind me, following me through all the streets, standing in front of all the buildings I go into, and certainly is well paid by some government for it. If I only knew which government, I would write to it to say that I should like to earn the money myself, that I myself would submit a reliable daily report about how I had spent the whole day, with whom I had spoken, where I had gone; yes, I am ready to deliver this report at a much cheaper price,

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 7h

A German revolutionary living in Paris. Almost certainly real, just as there are police spy reports on Marx living in London 20 years later.

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 11h

Once upon a time the US was like the world’s somewhat misguided mum and dad. Now it’s the twisted uncle you dread sitting next at a family gathering.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 11h

US ‘undermining global health’ by threatening to strip funding from aid projects that do not fit its political agenda

Trump administration reported to be planning expansion of ‘global gag rule’ to halt any initiatives promoting diversity, equity and inclusion

www.theguardian.com

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 11h

When I think of populism I think of promising popular policies that you know you have no chance of bringing in, or at least not without huge, unmentioned, consequences. (Such as, in this case, house price inflation so no one wins except property speculators).

www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Tories would abolish stamp duty, Badenoch tells party conference – UK politics live

Party leader also addresses immigration and sets out what she says are the achievements of 14 years of Tory rule in closing speech at Manchester

www.theguardian.com

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 12h

London Transport ‘Mind The Gap!’ announcement sparking thoughts of airport bookshop self-help book. It was always my mentoring advice: mind the gap between aspirations and realistic outcomes.

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 12h

Last year the Nobel Prizes seemed dominated by AI. This year they are not, I think (open to correction if I’m wrong). Hmmm.

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 14h

Ludwig Börne offering to spy on himself for half the price the police spy is being paid. (From Heinrich Heine’s book on Börne.)

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 16h

Was at a recruitment event with a colleague from the English department once. She said ‘are you the sort of person who can sit in your room reading for 12 hours a day, day after day? If not please don’t apply to read English.’ Few have the calling.

The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · 18h

So, the plan is to cut English, the arts, and sociology - the degrees that actually study culture - while on another part of your platform claiming to “defend” British culture.

It’s performance nationalism with a reading age of seven.

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 17h

Work and Reform in the same sentence?

Steve Chambers @planningtransport.co.uk · 17h

One foot out the door. www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

Tories should work with Reform, says shadow minister

Andrew Rosindell admitted his Romford seat would ‘almost certainly’ fall to Reform UK at an election

www.standard.co.uk

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 17h

Define a horse, Bari Weiss.

Ian Gordon @idgordon.bsky.social · 2d

The NYT's Michael Grynbaum reported that this is the note that Bari Weiss sent to CBS News staffers this morning (1/2)

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 17h

“If I can’t dance to it I don’t want to be part of your revolution.” Emma Goldman

Courtney Vaughn @courtneyvaughn.bsky.social · 19h

Streets are still closed off in front of the Portland ICE facility at 8:30pm. Protesters have gathered on a side street. Dance party in progress.

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Reposted by Jo Wolff

Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 1d

I recommend St Helena.

Gil Durán @gilduran.com · 2d

Panicked Curtis Yarvin—JD Vance's neo-fascist guru—plans to Flee USA.

“I feel that I personally have to start thinking realistically about how to flee the country.”

www.thenerdreich.com/panicked-cur...

Panicked Curtis Yarvin—JD Vance's guru—plans to flee USA

‘I feel that I personally have to start thinking realistically about how to flee the country.’

www.thenerdreich.com

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Reposted by Jo Wolff

Laura Lopez @ohdearz.bsky.social · 1d

Valuable info about the Physics Nobel Prize today from Prof. Joseph Barranco at SFSU on Martinis and Devoret being a grad student and postdoc in Clarke's lab at UC Berkeley & Clark and Devoret being immigrants. "California *public* education made this happen. Immigration made this happen." ⚛️

Joseph Barranco posted on social media: Go Bears! Nobel Prize in Physics goes to 3 physicists studying mesoscopic quantum phenomena... Work was done in the 1980s in UC Berkeley Professor John Clarke's lab with his graduate student John Martinis and postdoctoral fellow Michel Devoret... all 3 share the Nobel Prize. Must also point out that both Clarke and Devoret are immigrants from the UK and France, respectively. All 3 are pioneers in the race to build the most powerful quantum supercomputers. California *public* education made this happen. Immigration made this happen.

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 1d

No I am not a student of evolutionary theory. In fact, evolutionary theory studies me.

(Wondering now if this quip works for every academic discipline.)

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Reposted by Jo Wolff

Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 1d

Weird flashback to about 1987 and asking whether the department would put a mirror in the gents’ toilet so I could check how I looked before I went to lecture, and being met with incredulous stares.

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 1d

My reaction to reading papers outside my own area. Three categories:

1. Brilliant
2. Obvious
3. Impenetrable

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Reposted by Jo Wolff

Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 1d

Extraordinary to look at Trump and take him as a role model.

David Oliver @mancunianmedic.bsky.social · 1d

So Jenrick saying he wants to

1. Sack any judges who make decisions he doesn't agree with

2. Interfere with operational policing decisions in a threatening way

Just as well he will never be a cabinet minister again then

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