Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

LightNews

Iain AF Fleming

@legalweasel.uk

960 followers 730 following 990 posts

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines Computer scientist (compilers & networks), lawyer, urban geographer, bassist, and beer drinker. Francophile/phone. Quoad ultra denied [Uphall, Scotland]

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 19h

If journalism was an offence, there would be insufficient evidence to charge Tommy Robinson.

Reposted by Iain AF Fleming

matthew @pahuski.com · 1d

Happy Columbo’s Day

Screenshot from Columbo. He his talking to his dog, which is sitting is the drivers seat of a car. “Okay, I’m gonna put you in charge. You take care of the car. You’re a responsible dog. When I get back, if the car’s okay, I’ll give you another cookie.”

“If the car’s gone,”

“I’ll give you another cookie anyway”

“because I love you.”

Reposted by Iain AF Fleming

wendy copium @alicebennett.bsky.social · 1d

one thing LLMs have revealed is that the belief that there is a magical incantation that will give you what you want is not just confined to pick-up artists and freemen on the land

Des Fitzgerald @desfitzgerald.bsky.social · 1d

Seeing people nonchalantly post stuff like makes me feel like I'm going crazy honestly.

A post from an academic on blue sky that says: "I'm learning about "prompt engineering" when asking LLMs to extract data. I now add this to all instructions:

Style
Be concise, analytic, and specific (cite page/figure if provided). If essential info is missing, keep going but flag Unclear and exact data needed. Never invent data.

#academicsky"

Reposted by Iain AF Fleming

bleary @bleary.off-the-records.com · 1d

If anyone needs me I will be in the museum, lying down next to the bog bodies.

Did people really memorize phone numbers before cell phones, or is that just a movie thing?
2? Questions
I was watching some old shows from the 90s and noticed people would just dial numbers from memory - like they'd call their friends or family without looking anything up.
Made me wonder if that was actually normal back then? Did people genuinely have all their important numbers memorized, or did most folks keep a little address book or written list nearby?

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 1d

Sadly, not by the people with the truck loads of money, that they are busily pouring into its ever-hungry maw.

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 1d

I always look at Bessent and wonder just how far up his ass the stick actually is.

Reposted by Iain AF Fleming

Foone @foone.bsky.social · 1d

signing up for the hot new linguistic dating site

A signup form for a dating site, showing two options under "I'm a" that are "Bouba" and "Kiki"
and below that, an "Interested In" section that has the options of "Boubas", "Kikis", "Both"

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 1d

Hordge, along with the other justices, only hold judicial lord/ladyships, and are not peers, so do not sit in the Lords, unless otherwise elevated.

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 1d

It was raised to 75 in 2022.

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 2d

They used to. Nowadays, they just leave it be; if it ever gets removed, someone performs a public service, and replaces it.

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 2d

"can I cycle with hands crossed over?" -- and I thought I was the only person stupid enough to do that. Wrecked the front wheel of my bike, and split my eyebrow. Never did it again, strangely.

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 2d

That's actually a close crop of the whole field!

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 2d

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 2d

The Contingent Constitution.

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 2d

It's more about the vibes, really, isn't it?

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 2d

Cops love shooting dogs.

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 2d

And Waterstones, in turn, own Blackwell's...

Wretched, isn't it?

Reposted by Iain AF Fleming

T&E @transportenvironment.org · 5d

NEW: Biofuels globally emit more than the fossil fuels they replace, our latest study shows.

The first-of-a-kind study looks at global biofuels production today and the potential impacts of government biofuel targets.
🧵⤵️

Reposted by Iain AF Fleming

Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 2d

In the superb Handel/Hendrix house in Mayfair. They let me dress up as both at once. As they point out, they are celebrating two immigrants to London

Me sitting wearing a blue frock coat with gold decorations.

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 2d

Marvelous! We have rampant fly agaric.

Rampant fly agaric mushrooms in a garden

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 2d

Yes, A Sixth Republic. With a better electoral system; two-round runoff leads to polarisation, and least-worst voting. Which led to Macron.

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 2d

Given the headline, that could well be deliberate?

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 2d

Ranking by price was always the intention - but the unis simply didn't cooperate, and all immediately adopted the highest fees allowed.

Reposted by Iain AF Fleming

your #3 source for absurdist true crime 🔨 @davidgerard.co.uk · 2d

> When AI Became a Force Multiplier for Incompetence

but it started well before AI

techtrenches.substack.com/p/the-great-...

The Great Software Quality Collapse: How We Normalized Catastrophe

The Apple Calculator leaked 32GB of RAM.

techtrenches.substack.com

Iain AF Fleming @legalweasel.uk · 3d

If you see this QRP with a game that released the year you were born.

The box for the board game "Mousetrap".