Tom Pickard
@oddtwang.bsky.social
PhD in NLP @ Sheffield | Tell me your favourite idioms! | Occasional crossword puzzles.
Reposted by Tom Pickard
No idea who Laurent Brindeau is, but isn’t this caricature of @zackpolanski.bsky.social in today’s @dailymailpolitics.bsky.social ragingly antisemitic?
December 28, 2025 at 6:42 PM
No idea who Laurent Brindeau is, but isn’t this caricature of @zackpolanski.bsky.social in today’s @dailymailpolitics.bsky.social ragingly antisemitic?
Reposted by Tom Pickard
Yesterday @bootsmcgoot.bsky.social and I saw some techbro giving “30 pieces of advice for people under 30” over on Twitter and it was all grind culture bullshit. As adults of 38 and 43 respectively, we compiled 30 pieces of advice that people under 30 won’t have heard before:
December 28, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Yesterday @bootsmcgoot.bsky.social and I saw some techbro giving “30 pieces of advice for people under 30” over on Twitter and it was all grind culture bullshit. As adults of 38 and 43 respectively, we compiled 30 pieces of advice that people under 30 won’t have heard before:
Reposted by Tom Pickard
Watching THE GREEN KNIGHT again
April 22, 2024 at 7:43 PM
Watching THE GREEN KNIGHT again
Reposted by Tom Pickard
And to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, and will return in Avengers: Doomsday
December 23, 2025 at 11:28 PM
And to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, and will return in Avengers: Doomsday
Reposted by Tom Pickard
Your power bill has tripled and you can't afford new PC parts just to create this.
December 20, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Your power bill has tripled and you can't afford new PC parts just to create this.
Reposted by Tom Pickard
A while ago, @wangleberry.bsky.social and I made a shocking discovery. By writing a caption, hiding that caption, and having another person draw an unrelated Thing, the caption and the drawing inevitably resolve into a perfect New Yorker cartoon. We've blown the whole thing wide open.
Thread:
Thread:
January 14, 2025 at 12:25 PM
A while ago, @wangleberry.bsky.social and I made a shocking discovery. By writing a caption, hiding that caption, and having another person draw an unrelated Thing, the caption and the drawing inevitably resolve into a perfect New Yorker cartoon. We've blown the whole thing wide open.
Thread:
Thread:
Reposted by Tom Pickard
Like it or not, radium toothpaste is here to stay! The only possible thing to do now is to put all your money into lovely zingy radium toothpaste!
December 19, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Like it or not, radium toothpaste is here to stay! The only possible thing to do now is to put all your money into lovely zingy radium toothpaste!
Reposted by Tom Pickard
This interaction is just brilliantly sweet and sublimely played by a wonderfully present Frank Oz…
December 12, 2025 at 3:19 AM
This interaction is just brilliantly sweet and sublimely played by a wonderfully present Frank Oz…
Reposted by Tom Pickard
I looked up "anxiety" in the thesaurus and found worry, concern, and apprehension. Then I looked up "stillness" and found tranquility, serenity, and peace.
From this, I conclude traumatic words stress out the thesaurus, but soothing, mindful words can calm it down. The thesaurus is intelligent.
From this, I conclude traumatic words stress out the thesaurus, but soothing, mindful words can calm it down. The thesaurus is intelligent.
March 18, 2025 at 3:28 AM
I looked up "anxiety" in the thesaurus and found worry, concern, and apprehension. Then I looked up "stillness" and found tranquility, serenity, and peace.
From this, I conclude traumatic words stress out the thesaurus, but soothing, mindful words can calm it down. The thesaurus is intelligent.
From this, I conclude traumatic words stress out the thesaurus, but soothing, mindful words can calm it down. The thesaurus is intelligent.
Reposted by Tom Pickard
Tonight Þvörusleikir (Spoon Licker), the 4th of Iceland's 13 Yule Lads, comes down from the mountains. He sneaks in to lick used þvörur (large wooden cooking spoons).
Children leave their shoes out for him in the window. He gives the good ones a small gift or a treat. The bad ones get a potato.
Children leave their shoes out for him in the window. He gives the good ones a small gift or a treat. The bad ones get a potato.
December 14, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Tonight Þvörusleikir (Spoon Licker), the 4th of Iceland's 13 Yule Lads, comes down from the mountains. He sneaks in to lick used þvörur (large wooden cooking spoons).
Children leave their shoes out for him in the window. He gives the good ones a small gift or a treat. The bad ones get a potato.
Children leave their shoes out for him in the window. He gives the good ones a small gift or a treat. The bad ones get a potato.
Reposted by Tom Pickard
The moment when AI news summaries accidentally create the murder mystery we deserve
December 14, 2025 at 3:33 PM
The moment when AI news summaries accidentally create the murder mystery we deserve
Reposted by Tom Pickard
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
December 13, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
Turns out that decaff is a nice pale lilac colour. Who knew?
December 9, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Turns out that decaff is a nice pale lilac colour. Who knew?
Reposted by Tom Pickard
Here's the reality this example illustrates:
It's not even just about people blindly trusting what ChatGPT tells them. LLMs are poisoning the entire information ecosystem. You can't even necessarily trust that the citations in a published paper are real (or a search engine's descriptions of them).
It's not even just about people blindly trusting what ChatGPT tells them. LLMs are poisoning the entire information ecosystem. You can't even necessarily trust that the citations in a published paper are real (or a search engine's descriptions of them).
December 5, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Here's the reality this example illustrates:
It's not even just about people blindly trusting what ChatGPT tells them. LLMs are poisoning the entire information ecosystem. You can't even necessarily trust that the citations in a published paper are real (or a search engine's descriptions of them).
It's not even just about people blindly trusting what ChatGPT tells them. LLMs are poisoning the entire information ecosystem. You can't even necessarily trust that the citations in a published paper are real (or a search engine's descriptions of them).
Reposted by Tom Pickard
That ending was amazing. My soul left my body
I like whatever is wrong with my algorithm over there
December 8, 2025 at 7:27 AM
That ending was amazing. My soul left my body
Reposted by Tom Pickard
my one very sincere piece of business advice to universities:
it takes *a lot* of indignities to kill the goodwill of people who choose to work at universities but managing to do so is not something to be proud of
it takes *a lot* of indignities to kill the goodwill of people who choose to work at universities but managing to do so is not something to be proud of
December 8, 2025 at 7:49 AM
my one very sincere piece of business advice to universities:
it takes *a lot* of indignities to kill the goodwill of people who choose to work at universities but managing to do so is not something to be proud of
it takes *a lot* of indignities to kill the goodwill of people who choose to work at universities but managing to do so is not something to be proud of
Reposted by Tom Pickard
Starmer says he’s "taking the gloves off" and that the Greens are "nuts"
Big talk from the PM of vibes based cruelty and trickle down cowardice.
Join.greenparty.org.uk
Big talk from the PM of vibes based cruelty and trickle down cowardice.
Join.greenparty.org.uk
December 7, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Starmer says he’s "taking the gloves off" and that the Greens are "nuts"
Big talk from the PM of vibes based cruelty and trickle down cowardice.
Join.greenparty.org.uk
Big talk from the PM of vibes based cruelty and trickle down cowardice.
Join.greenparty.org.uk
Reposted by Tom Pickard
Here's a rule of thumb: If "AI" seems like a good solution, you are probably both misjudging what the "AI" can do and misframing the problem.
>>
>>
October 11, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Here's a rule of thumb: If "AI" seems like a good solution, you are probably both misjudging what the "AI" can do and misframing the problem.
>>
>>
Reposted by Tom Pickard
Interesting thing to take away here.
BBC asked 5000 doctors to take part in a survey about overdiagnosis of mental health conditions. Only 15% of them responded.
And what do you think the belief will be of that 15% who specifically wanted to respond to a study into overdiagnosis? 🤔
BBC asked 5000 doctors to take part in a survey about overdiagnosis of mental health conditions. Only 15% of them responded.
And what do you think the belief will be of that 15% who specifically wanted to respond to a study into overdiagnosis? 🤔
December 6, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Interesting thing to take away here.
BBC asked 5000 doctors to take part in a survey about overdiagnosis of mental health conditions. Only 15% of them responded.
And what do you think the belief will be of that 15% who specifically wanted to respond to a study into overdiagnosis? 🤔
BBC asked 5000 doctors to take part in a survey about overdiagnosis of mental health conditions. Only 15% of them responded.
And what do you think the belief will be of that 15% who specifically wanted to respond to a study into overdiagnosis? 🤔
Reposted by Tom Pickard
All in one day:
Immigration Minister lied about me with a slur.
Wes Streeting then tried a different attack.
And the Evening Standard write yet another attack piece because I dare to say we need to tax the rich.
Want to help create our better future?
Join.greenparty.org.uk
Immigration Minister lied about me with a slur.
Wes Streeting then tried a different attack.
And the Evening Standard write yet another attack piece because I dare to say we need to tax the rich.
Want to help create our better future?
Join.greenparty.org.uk
December 5, 2025 at 10:19 PM
All in one day:
Immigration Minister lied about me with a slur.
Wes Streeting then tried a different attack.
And the Evening Standard write yet another attack piece because I dare to say we need to tax the rich.
Want to help create our better future?
Join.greenparty.org.uk
Immigration Minister lied about me with a slur.
Wes Streeting then tried a different attack.
And the Evening Standard write yet another attack piece because I dare to say we need to tax the rich.
Want to help create our better future?
Join.greenparty.org.uk
Reposted by Tom Pickard
Reposted by Tom Pickard
I don't know if people should be out there choosing their own genders. Call me old fashioned, but I believe that's something J. K. Rowling decides for you.
December 4, 2025 at 11:52 AM
I don't know if people should be out there choosing their own genders. Call me old fashioned, but I believe that's something J. K. Rowling decides for you.
Reposted by Tom Pickard
Very much underlines the point I was making yesterday about standing up to this shit regardless of the cost. When you capitulate, it doesn't make them happy, it doesn't even make them stop: they just ask why you didn't do it sooner, why you aren't being more full-throated in your cowardice.
Note how these awful people are getting exactly the exclusions of children that they demanded and *that still isn’t enough for them*: they demand everyone be delighted about it and kiss their arses for being brilliant.
December 4, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Very much underlines the point I was making yesterday about standing up to this shit regardless of the cost. When you capitulate, it doesn't make them happy, it doesn't even make them stop: they just ask why you didn't do it sooner, why you aren't being more full-throated in your cowardice.
Reposted by Tom Pickard
good morning
Doom - E1M1 - At Doom's Gate Acapella
YouTube video by Smooth McGroove
www.youtube.com
December 4, 2025 at 8:38 AM
good morning