Jack Stilgoe
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jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe
@jackstilgoe.bsky.social
4.4K followers 1.5K following 1.6K posts

Professor in Science and Technology Studies, UCL @stsucl.bsky.social. Science policy, responsible innovation, emerging technologies. Book https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-32320-2. Responsible AI UK (www.rai.ac.uk) .. more

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Political science 18%
Sociology 17%
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jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 5h
And the rest… bsky.app/profile/adam...
adamkeiper.com Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 2d
IT'S A WONDERFUL ESSAY: It seems people usually rewatch 'It's a Wonderful Life' just before Christmas. Can I commend to you this marvelous essay we published a few years ago? It could change the way you understand that classic movie.
www.thebulwark.com/p/there-is-n...
There Is No Mary Problem in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
George’s vision of his wife without him is essential to the film, but critics continue to miss its true—and profound—meaning.
www.thebulwark.com

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 6h
Watching It’s a Wonderful Life. Still hits hard. Except I’m torn by Pottersville seeming like quite a fun town.

Reposted by Elizabeth Stevenson, Katrina Navickas, Jack Stilgoe

rhodri.biz
Rhodri Marsden @rhodri.biz · 13h
Twas the night before Christmas, and throughout the land
The sleeping arrangements were carefully planned
Down in the kitchen, a picturesque scene
A mattress, a pillow, a washing machine

Reposted by Jack Stilgoe

aiannucci.bsky.social
Armando Iannucci @aiannucci.bsky.social · 15h
I see various people posting this up. Here’s me from 2001 talking about AI. Dunno how accurate it is. I hope it isn’t. youtu.be/6mvUqM2Ty5c?...
Conference "A.I." from the Armando Iannucci Show
YouTube video by Simon Kidd
youtu.be

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 16h
Song for today open.spotify.com/track/3yplSO...
The Night Before
open.spotify.com

Reposted by Andrew L. Whitehead, Jack Stilgoe

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 11 more

adamserwer.bsky.social
Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 1d
The “free speech” and “cancel culture” panics have led to overt state censorship because that was always their purpose. (Gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
The reason so many of yesterday’s free-speech champions transitioned so easily into today’s pro-Trump censors is that their definition of free speech never included the right of others to talk back. They were not defending a universal right to freedom of speech; they were defending a right to monologue. They could say what they want, and you could shut up and like it. The cynicism of the effort can be known by its fruits: an administration that issues executive orders “protecting” free speech while engaging in the most sweeping campaign of state censorship since the Red Scare.

Reposted by Jack Stilgoe

adamkeiper.com
Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 2d
IT'S A WONDERFUL ESSAY: It seems people usually rewatch 'It's a Wonderful Life' just before Christmas. Can I commend to you this marvelous essay we published a few years ago? It could change the way you understand that classic movie.
www.thebulwark.com/p/there-is-n...
There Is No Mary Problem in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
George’s vision of his wife without him is essential to the film, but critics continue to miss its true—and profound—meaning.
www.thebulwark.com

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 2d
With some thoughts from me @ucl.ac.uk @stsucl.bsky.social
Uber and Lyft partner with China's Baidu to trial UK robotaxis
Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxis have already accrued millions of driverless rides in cities worldwide.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Greg Linden, Jack Stilgoe

rodneyabrooks.bsky.social
Rodney Brooks @rodneyabrooks.bsky.social · 3d
Much of SF lost power last night. Waymos blocked intersections across the city, even though they are Wayless than 1% of cars on the roads. They accumulated at their failure points--intersections with no green lights, in busy areas, and shut down traffic there.

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 3d
A reminder of the myth of autonomy journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Reposted by Victor Pickard, Jack Stilgoe

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 4d
Political scientists should pay attention to concentration of media ownership as a key challenge for democracy.

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 5d
The style is more memestonk than dusty history of science, but the revelation that Newton and Darwin were almost the equivalent of billionaires is 😮 www.ft.com/content/5d21...
Which genius from history would have been the best investor?
FTAV goes hedge fund headhunting through the ages
www.ft.com

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 5d
Stop it! That's an AI dog, surely?

Reposted by Jack Stilgoe

sarahemilyduff.bsky.social
Sarah Emily Duff @sarahemilyduff.bsky.social · 5d
‘the life of Adolphe Sax … show[s] that his power of innovation … was matched by an ornate capacity for having accidents: he drank a bowl of acidic water…, fell onto a cast-iron frying pan, was knocked out with a cobblestone, … and asphyxiated when he slept in a room where varnish was drying.‘
Susannah Clapp · Not Quite Music
In The Madman’s Library, Edward Brooke-Hitching asked if a work of literature written on a shirt could be called a...
www.lrb.co.uk

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 6d
The hats?

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 7d
Thinking of starting a PR consultancy where I only represent people thinking of talking to journalists about their tax grumbles and I just say “don’t”

Reposted by Jack Stilgoe

abeba.bsky.social
Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.bsky.social · 7d
i'm hiring a postdoc to map the age-verification space and do some audits

if you’ve worked in this area, pls apply: aial.ie/hiring/postd...

pls share widely

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 7d
I tried to do the same recently, but couldn't get past the inescapable conclusion that 'GPT is a GPT' was just a naked way to avoid any accountability for actual impacts and purposes. GPTs are normally diagnosed in retrospect by economists, not by inventors

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 7d
Unimportantly, NCAR also has a most excellent building, in the foothills above Boulder. Designed by IM Pei.
usatoday.com USA TODAY @usatoday.com · 8d
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 7d
Interesting development. Will TECHFORCE become something like DARPA or something like McKinsey?
Tech Force
Building technology for the American people. Join the Tech Force and use your skills to serve your country.
techforce.gov

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 8d
If you're a white male writer writing one of those 'meritocracy is dead, people are biased against white men' pieces, it's a good idea to not write a really bad boring piece

Reposted by Margot C. Finn, Jack Stilgoe

philipcball.bsky.social
Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 8d
My review of the year in science for @thenewworldmag.bsky.social, including an optimistic view that we might finally start to reconsider our tolerance of AI slop.
www.thenewworld.co.uk/philip-ball-...
2025 could have been the year of peak AI
Maybe we have decided to restore it to being a mere useful tool for data analysis, and not to let it run and ruin our lives
www.thenewworld.co.uk

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 8d
Absolute truth
earlymodernjohn.bsky.social John Gallagher @earlymodernjohn.bsky.social · 8d
People make fun of him for Lady In Red but forget that Chris de Burgh wrote what is hands down the single greatest UFO nativity Christmas anthem of all time. And what the hell have you ever done?

Reposted by Jack Stilgoe

eaterofsun.bsky.social
Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun @eaterofsun.bsky.social · 8d
The system shouldn't discriminate against young white men, says Mr Douthart
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/o...
The system is discriminating in favour of young men, says Dr Mounck
www.persuasion.community/p/the-quiet-...
Opinion | There’s a Simpler Explanation for the Rightward Shift of Young Men
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Jack Stilgoe

earlymodernjohn.bsky.social
John Gallagher @earlymodernjohn.bsky.social · 8d
People make fun of him for Lady In Red but forget that Chris de Burgh wrote what is hands down the single greatest UFO nativity Christmas anthem of all time. And what the hell have you ever done?

Reposted by Jack Stilgoe

mrchrisaddison.bsky.social
Chris Addison @mrchrisaddison.bsky.social · 8d
17. Christmas isn't Christmas without at least one rose carol. 'There is No Rose' has been set more times than your nana's hairdo, but perhaps this is the most recent version, by the brilliant young composer, Lucy Walker. Made it into the latest Carols for Choirs. So fancy.

youtu.be/jFYb4-_glZw?...
There is no Rose
YouTube video by St Martin's Voices - Topic
youtu.be

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Kimberly A. Prather, Joe R. Feagin , and 18 more

colincarlson.bsky.social
Colin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 8d
NSF is about to dismantle NCAR at Russell Vought's direction to protect the fossil fuel industry. It's hard to communicate just how much NCAR does, so let's take a look: I've never worked at NCAR, and I've worked with NCAR researchers once ever. What scientific discoveries has NCAR made possible? 👇
Russ Vought (piss man) tweet about doing piss man shit: The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country. A comprehensive review is underway & any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.

Reposted by Katharine Hayhoe, Elizabeth Saunders, Rebecca Solnit , and 67 more

usatoday.com
USA TODAY @usatoday.com · 8d
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly

jackstilgoe.bsky.social
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 8d
As someone who has recently used Qualtrics panels of, I hope, humans, I have THOUGHTS
sabrinanorwood.bsky.social Sabrina Norwood @sabrinanorwood.bsky.social · 8d
Did you know that from tomorrow, Qualtrics is offering synthetic panels (AI-generated participants)?

Follow me down a rabbit hole I'm calling "doing science is tough and I'm so busy, can't we just make up participants?"
Text reads: About synthetic panels Recruiting the right participants for a study can be difficult. You may not get the exact demographics you need, and the shorter the deadline, the less sure you can be that everyone will answer on time. One possible solution can be to use synthetic panels. Synthetic panels are powered by a first party proprietary AI model developed here at Qualtrics. Our synthetic panel is trained on thousands of responses from a variety of demographic backgrounds in order to more accurately predict how certain populations would respond to a survey. Our synthetic panel is based on the United States General Population, and is only available in English. This panel comes with ready-made quotas and target breakouts in order to represent your chosen population and make it easy to launch your survey right away. Text reads: Question-writing best practices To get the most reliable and actionable results from synthetic audiences, consider these question-writing best practices: Ask forward-looking and attitudinal questions. Synthetic panels perform best with perceptions, preferences, and intent-based questions. For example, “How likely are you to try…?” Synthetic panels are less applicable for studies on past behaviors, detailed recall, brand recall, or awareness questions. For example, “When did you last visit…?” Text reads: Discussion The current study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of the TPB when applied to health behaviours which addressed the limitations of previous reviews by including only prospective tests of behaviour, applying RE meta-analytic procedures, correcting correlations for sampling and measurement error, and hierarchically analysing the effect of behaviour type and sample and methodological moderators. Some 237 tests were identified which examined relations amongst model components. Overall the analysis indicated that the TPB could explain 19.3% of the variance in behaviour and 44.3% of the variance in intention across studies. This level of prediction of behaviour is slightly lower than that of previous meta-analytic reviews which have found between 27% (Armitage & Conner, 2001; Hagger et al., 2002) and 36% (Trafimow et al., 2002) of the variance in behaviour to be explained by intention and PBC.