Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Derek

Nick 🐙 @nickoctopus.bsky.social · 1h

I would simply not let government policy be decided by screaming red-faced racists, but I'm built different

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 2h

Britain has lost control of its borders, home secretary admits on.ft.com/477w3pn

Britain has lost control of its borders, home secretary admits

Shabana Mahmood says public trust in state will be weakened unless politicians ‘bring order’ to immigration

on.ft.com

1 2 2

Reposted by Derek

🌈 Dr Ross Brooks @rossb-brighton.bsky.social · 1h

It's #WorldAnatomyDay, a good excuse to give a shout-out to Michael Sappol's brilliant 'Queer Anatomies: Aesthetics and Desire in the Anatomical Image, 1700-1900' (2024) and double take at some of the extraordinary images he discusses. 🤔 #queer #history #hstm #histmed @museumbums.bsky.social 🌈📚🗃️

Front cover of 'Queer Anatomies: Aesthetics and Desire in the Anatomical Image, 1700-1900' by Michael Sappol.

Anatomical illustration showing dissection of the perineum. The subject lies on his back, his hands and feet tied. Joseph Maclise, 'A Deeper Dissection of the Perineum, the Pudic Artery and the Artery of the Bulb are Shown,' from Richard Quain, The Anatomy of the Arteries of the Human Body (1841-1844).

3 4

Reposted by Derek

Deeply Unsexy Scary Gorgon Costume @scarygorgon.bsky.social · 1h

Urg. So, the crisis that led me to leaving my animation job, and never looking for another one (or really animating again), was my producer telling me to rip off someone’s work. A few days later we all agreed it best if I left.

Point being: the similarities are definitely not an accident.

AJ Jefferies @moonjam.com · 3h

So, I stumbled across this animation (left) that a professional studio made for a commercial client last year and a lot of it seems VERY familiar to my 2023 'PEAS' animation (right)...

2 5 26

Reposted by Derek

Al Kennedy @alkennedy.bsky.social · 1h

I miss the Schott's Miscellany books, it was like an annual for grownups

1 2 6

Reposted by Derek

Reform Party UK Exposed @reformexposed.bsky.social · 1d

Nathan Gill will be sentenced on 21st November for 8 charges of taking Russian Bribes.

It’s essential that the European Parliament carries out an investigation in to UKIP, Brexit Party and Reform UK and their connection to Russia.

Investigation now!

#InvestigateReformUK #ReformRussianBribes

75 910 2.1K

Reposted by Derek

Dr Matt Lodder @mattlodder.com · 18h

Brilliant article, with a comment that gets to the nub of it all.

5 16

Reposted by Derek

Laura Mariani @lauramariani.bsky.social · 19h

yiiiiiikes!! if you're drinking a daily protein shake, you should know that the FDA does not regulate how much lead is permitted in protein powder or other 'dietary supplements' and as a result there can be... rather a lot of lead in each serving

paris martineau @paris.nyc · 19h

my latest investigation for @consumerreports.org is based on months of reporting and 60+ lab tests of leading protein supplements

we found that most protein powders and shakes have more lead in one serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day (🧵)

www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...

Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead - Consumer Reports

CR tests of 23 popular protein powders and shakes found that most contain high levels of lead.

www.consumerreports.org

3 6

Reposted by Derek

Jolyon Maugham KC @goodlawproject.org · 18h

Woah! So Labour's position really is, 'telling us off for breaching human rights undermines the case for human rights'? Proper Trumpian stuff from Labour's answer to Suella Braverman.

67 380 1K

Reposted by Derek

Ben Averis @averisben.bsky.social · 23h

My wife Alison had these five Merveille du Jour moths in her moth trap this morning, here in SE Scotland.

Five Merveille du Jour moths found by Alison Averis in her moth trap here in SE Scotland on the morning of 14th October 2025. Background: bark with lichens.

4 10 65

Reposted by Derek

Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · 16h

Sam Altman one of a number of powerful men who have essentially risen to prominence because they’ve never been asked a single follow-up question

1 40 190

Reposted by Derek

Cheryl Lynn Eaton @cheryllynneaton.bsky.social · 16h

There are so many responses savaging the looks of these men. It's taking the easy way out. There are plenty of people who look like those men and are not racist sacks of human refuse. Something is deficient in their souls. In their minds. In the manner in which they were raised.

Jeff Yang @originalsp.in · 17h

Thousands of posts from a private Young Republican Telegram chat reveal a culture of casual racism/antisemitism, rape jokes and celebration of Hitler/Nazism.

Some of the ringleaders are below: We live in a world where 4chan types now occupy positions of real power.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Peter Giunta, chair of the New York State Young Republicans

Bobby Walker, vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans

William Hendrix, communications assistant for Kansas’ Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach

10 49 210

Reposted by Derek

From Beyond Press @frombeyondpress.bsky.social · 15h

It occurred to me today that I can publish anything I want, so please look forward to a reprint of a pamphlet about a Civil War riot.

1 8

Reposted by Derek

Linette🌻 @ohtiniestplanet.bsky.social · 1d

books by celebrities should have a maximum print run of 500. any celebrity with an idea for a children's book must pay $5000 into a pool to cover freelance artists' health insurance before publication

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 2d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

2 36 180

Reposted by Derek

Nat Guest @unfortunatalie.bsky.social · 14h

Something to be said about migrants being forced to meet A level English standards of reading & writing, whilst the reading & writing of native students actually studying English is occluded & degraded by increasingly encouraged use of ChatGPT.

1 1 20

Reposted by Derek

Rob MacWolf, Werewolf Hitchhiker @robmacwolf.thevoice.dog · 16h

When we write or draw porn or erotica, we get banned from having a bank account and our livelihoods get seized even if we give it away for free.

When billionaires steal what we've written or drawn to churn out a slop-approximate of porn, they're allowed to charge for it.

Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 19h

Oh good, ChatGPT is getting "erotica for verified adults" later this year

We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.

Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases.

In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!). If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing).

In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our “treat adult users like adults” principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.

35 3.1K 5.6K

Reposted by Derek

Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 14h

I agree that there’s some real horrific irony in AI conglomerates being permitted to launch the Madness Inducing Porn Spigot while actual, human porn producers are getting harassed off the internet.

Space Man @spaceds8008s.bsky.social · 14h

It feels like such a slap in the face to sex workers and nsfw artists who are actively being censored by payment processors atm. Of course visa/mc are ok with this because its a rich white guy doing it AND they get access to all that VERY PROFITABLE PII. Disgusting.

5 73 240

Reposted by Derek

Sheryl Weikal and the colorful Parrotlegals @leftistlawyer.com · 13h

I think what's bothering me about all these statements I'm seeing from politicians that are variations of "Israeli hostages and Palestinians are returning to their homes, yay" is that Israelis are returning to their homes and Palestinians are returning to uninhabitable post apocalyptic rubble.

13 210 680

Reposted by Derek

Gwen C. Katz @gwenckatz.bsky.social · 11h

So Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe are all gonna ban ChatGPT from receiving payments now, right?

Right??

Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 19h

Oh good, ChatGPT is getting "erotica for verified adults" later this year

5 56 160

Reposted by Derek

AndreaaaHHhHHHHh!! Grimes @andreagrimes.com · 10h

If the ~ correction ~ does not immediately hurt, it will be because "AI" will get a bailout that is proportionally more harmful and ridiculous than the biggest banks got post-2008. These billionaire fuckos are running all the levers and gears, and it is folly to imagine they won't fuck us all.

NightMar on Hicks Street, Part 4: The Rabbit’s Revenge @histoftech.bsky.social · 5d

“Concerns over an AI bubble bursting have grown lately, with analysts recently finding that it’s 17 times the size of the dotcom-era bubble and four times bigger than the 2008 financial crisis.”

Hang onto your butts. This “correction” is gonna hurt.
futurism.com/artificial-i...

Bank of England Warns of Impending AI Disaster

The Bank of England has sounded the alarm, warning of an intensifying risk of a "sudden correction" due to an AI spending frenzy.

futurism.com

7 26 110

Reposted by Derek

May “Bunny” Peterson 🦄 (Mostly Updates ) @goddessblade.bsky.social · 17h

"Transsexuality is bourgeois" reflects the common belief that medicine, technology, and any improvements to quality of life are owed to capitalism. The reality is that capitalism holds these improvements hostage for the sake of wealth.

13 500 1.5K

Reposted by Derek

Richard Kadrey @richardkadrey.bsky.social · 23h

Spotify is running recruitment ads for ICE and their owner is helping to develop military AI. Maybe hit that "cancel my account" button?

Santiago Mayer @santiagomayer.com · 1d

Spotify is now running recruitment ads for ICE.

It’s time to cancel your account.

19 410 580

Reposted by Derek

Rami Ismail (رامي) @ramiismail.com · 13h

Hey look, Israel broke the cease-fire, twice, in two different ways, within 24 hours - again.

Mondoweiss @mondoweiss.net · 18h

NEW: Israel informed the UN it will permit only 300 aid trucks into Gaza daily, not the 600 mandated by the ceasefire it just signed.

51 2.8K 6.1K

Reposted by Derek

abbi @abbis.bsky.social · 4h

So many important points in these conversations, but the erasure of cohort and social trust really is a vital concern.

"Nearly half of the 2,000 students surveyed by OUP said they were worried their classmates were “secretly using AI” for schoolwork without their teachers being able to spot it."

University of Southampton Educational Psychology Doctorate @suedpsy.bsky.social · 6h

An interesting report by OUP surveying 2000 13 to 18 year olds in the UK this summer www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Pupils fear AI is eroding their ability to study, research finds

One in four students say AI ‘makes it too easy’ for them to find answers

www.theguardian.com

1 3

Reposted by Derek

abbi @abbis.bsky.social · 4h

We're not far from a slice of society viewing all "techy people" (ugh ugh ugh) as flat-out duplicitous, which is radically unfair on the swathes of tech professionals who have been trying to avoid *gestures* all this.

abbi @abbis.bsky.social · 4h

So many important points in these conversations, but the erasure of cohort and social trust really is a vital concern.

"Nearly half of the 2,000 students surveyed by OUP said they were worried their classmates were “secretly using AI” for schoolwork without their teachers being able to spot it."

University of Southampton Educational Psychology Doctorate @suedpsy.bsky.social · 6h

An interesting report by OUP surveying 2000 13 to 18 year olds in the UK this summer www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

4 6

Reposted by Derek

Jack Shoulder @jackshoulder.bsky.social · 2h

Friends fear he's making piles of books for an upcoming project again.

1 16