Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Mika McKinnon

rahaeli @rahaeli.bsky.social · 18h

In other words: the product Hive offers does not need more general training data. It needs more reinforcement learning. You don't use novel images for reinforcement learning, because it works against the entire purpose of reinforcement learning.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 17h

Moose hasn’t gone out since early in the pandemic! It’s a milestone

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 18h

It’s mellow and fun. Crowd is responsive but not overwhelming.

Josh is kicking off with a song about, then we’ll get into the competitors. I’m judging, but I’ll probably volunteer during the improv section

Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 18h

Hey Moose,

How’s it feel to go out again?

A small plush moose on a cocktail table under red light. Moose is sitting on a pile of judging forms. Behind him is a cocktail. In the far back is a slideshow advertising Science Slam

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 1d

Dear Vancouver,

Tuesday is my first live event since pre-pandemic (& pre-kids). I’ll be a judge for Science Slam.

Fox Cabaret on Main.
Doors at 7, show starts 7:30pm

Tickets: 3common.com/event/slamtu...

3Common | Discover modern experiences, events & more

3Common App

3common.com

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 1d

Why yes, I did just trigger a new bat.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 3d

Insert a big exhausted exhale because @beebrookshire.bsky.social absolutely captured the frustration of trying to cling to community as each social media network becomes a Nazi bar over & over & over: brookshire-team-trash.beehiiv.com/p/backed-int...

Backed into a corner

Where do I share, when every "where" is terrible?

brookshire-team-trash.beehiiv.com

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 3d

Related:
An arborist #scicomm strip by @barklaart.bsky.social

Illustrations and descriptions of assorted trees that could be metaphors for penises

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 4d

Malachite from the Queen of the Copper Camps, Bisbee Arizona. While it looks velvety smooth, that’s actually more like a sharkskin texture.

Soft, dissolves into sludge in acid, loaded with copper.

👅? Safe But Boring, might be neat texture if you have a fondness for licking sandpaper.

🍆? pls no

🦇🎃 Batt Murphy 🎃🦇 @mjosmurphy.bsky.social · 4d

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 4d

You have no idea how forlorn I am that quote-posts are disabled. 😂

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 4d

I mean, I’ve made pretty solid progress on categorizing🍆 y/n

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 4d

Make it a bucket list item. Coast redwoods are an easy excursion from San Francisco and will be so much taller than you’re imagining.

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Reposted by Mika McKinnon

Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 4d

Anyway. If we had polls (SIGH), I’d be asking:

Is your mental image of a redwood
a. so ludicrously tall your neck hurts trying to see the top
b. so improbably wide you can’t feel it curving away under outstretched arms
c. not nearly as impressive in your imagination as the real deal

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 4d

Sequoia deserve every aspect of gerthiness to stretch around their massive textured trunks only for such a human endeavour to fall short of encompassing their mighty …girth.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 4d

It’s a little weird growing up with them so they’re normal, then moving away so all other trees you see seem like cute little saplings

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 4d

In conclusion, if you’re freaked out about current events, fair take, but you still need rest so maybe meditate on redwood trees.

They’re incredible titans by any measure & overwhelm in the gentlest way until there’s no room in your senses for anything but them.

Or think about dick? It’s an option

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 4d

Yeah, the tweet focusing on sap from redwoods is a whole ‘nother scicomm issue since redwood sap is not a harvested product.

Add on the fermenting and we’re left with some weird jumble of palm or birch tree?? It’s such a mess that I’m glad she didn’t try to find a way to make that mockery coherent.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 4d

Anyway. If we had polls (SIGH), I’d be asking:

Is your mental image of a redwood
a. so ludicrously tall your neck hurts trying to see the top
b. so improbably wide you can’t feel it curving away under outstretched arms
c. not nearly as impressive in your imagination as the real deal

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 4d

I grew up adjacent to a redwood forest. While old growth forests in BC are soothing in the way of ancient trees & whispering ents, nothing can really compare to redwoods.

I’ve gotten taller since I first played at their roots, but on their scale, I’m still a toddler within rounding error for height

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 4d

Coast redwoods are the tallest trees while sequoia are the girthiest, & both are common name generic redwoods.

From a scicomm perspective, I’m deeply curious which tree resonates more in pop culture. From a human perspective, I do not want to know how she’s describing her fiancé’s dick, tyvm.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 4d

I had the exact wrong timing popping online & got caught in the end-of-week flood of despair. So I went seeking fluff.

I was certain I was being trolled about Taylor Swift lyrics, but nope, factcheck real.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 6d

Retires for a few years for “training” (aka, let people forget the mineral a bit, break annual repetitive patterns) then return.

All minerals, even first-round eliminations, have a Chance to come back

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 6d

Just going to casually mention:
1. We’re asking for feedback on how many times a mineral can compete without winning before it retires.

2. Kyanite ran since 2017. If it didn’t win, it wasn’t probably coming back next year. Under the wire!

Mineral Cup #MinCup25 @mineralcup.bsky.social · 6d

Read all about our #MinCup25 Champion Kyanite’s path to victory: www.mineralcup.org/2025

Help us understand who plays & what to improve: www.mineralcup.org/2025/players...

Meet our organizers: www.mineralcup.org/volunteer

Learn about #OreCup starting Nov 3: www.mineralcup.org/about-ore-cup

2025 — Mineral Cup

www.mineralcup.org

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 6d

Behind the scenes notes:
In honour of how ridiculous it was to untangle the literal last 13 minutes of #MinCup25, I’m making popcorn before writing the season finale!

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 6d

Surprise!

Mineral Cup #MinCup25 @mineralcup.bsky.social · 6d

Hark! What’s that we see on the horizon?

Is it something new? Something mostly metallic, quite heavy, and essential to society? It’s an all-new collaboration with IMA!

Ore Cup: www.mineralcup.org/about-ore-cup

Voting starts Monday November 3. Winner crowned IMA Ore Mineral of the Year

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