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Nicholas Jackson

@njj4.bsky.social

820 followers 600 following 720 posts

mathematician, depressive, agnostic, European, SF fan, ancestor. (he/him/his). Assistant Professor in Maths and Economics at the University of Warwick. Mastodon: @[email protected] Instagram: dr.nicholas.jackson

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Reposted by Nicholas Jackson

David Benedict @eggsbened.bsky.social · 14h

Today is the centenary of the birth of the great Tony Hart who opened the eyes of generations to visual art and who is forever associated with this, the shimmering Gallery theme from Vision On – which was also pretty much everyone’s introduction to the vibraphone. youtu.be/-ZNkJXKV7_w

Vision On - The Gallery Tune - BBC1 1960/70s

YouTube video by Lost 1960s TV and Radio

youtu.be

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Reposted by Nicholas Jackson

Neil Norman And His Cosmic Orchestra @fubsyshabaroon.bsky.social · 1d

Just remembered this, and now I’m not getting it out of my head for the next week.

Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule | Coventry Market | ITV

YouTube video by ITV

youtu.be

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Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 23h

That's brilliant! I'd not seen it before, although I've been to Coventry market itself many times - I only live about a mile and a half away.

Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 1d

I always want to say "it's like the old ATV ident" when I teach my students about Venn diagrams, but they were all born about 25 years after ATV closed down.

Neil Norman And His Cosmic Orchestra @fubsyshabaroon.bsky.social · 1d

HOOK THIS TO MY VEINS

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Reposted by Nicholas Jackson

Isa / EvilCleverDog @evilcleverdog.bsky.social · Aug 23

Using ChatGPT

Edith @edithcharles.bsky.social · Aug 23

What's something that isn't considered embarrassing but you think it should be?

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Reposted by Nicholas Jackson

✪ Jonathan H. Gray: “Professor of Halloweenery” ✪ @jongraywb.bsky.social · Mar 26

Thinking about that time the My Little Pony comics, of all things, absolutely bodied Scott Adams.

Close up of Pinkie Pie looking at a newspaper comic saying “Hmpf. I thought these were supposed to be funny?”

The comic is called Ponybert by Trot Adams. It opens with a building and we see a word balloon that says “Well?” The second panel is of Ponybert, the Dilbert stand-in saying “No one is smart but me.”

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Reposted by Nicholas Jackson

Fiona Moore 🇨🇦 @drfionamoore.bsky.social · 5d

I'm having some thoughts about the "AI will never replace human creativity" cliche, based on the fact that I went and watched some videos by The AI Bible, and now YouTube is serving me a lot of classic-SF AI slop videos (you know, Star Trek: TNG but in the style of Miami Vice, etc). 1/🧵

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Reposted by Nicholas Jackson

New-Cleckit Dominie @ncdominie.bsky.social · 6d

It's a nice wee human story, but the task is not to build a scientific culture in which a Nobel prizewinner can happily switch their phone off for a few days.

The task is to build a scientific culture in which their grad students and postdocs can happily do the same.

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Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 6d

That start-up mentality needs to be rigorously questioned and ideally binned - 90% of start-up companies fail. And we've seen how much horrific damage can be wrought by people moving fast and breaking things. Careful, considered, incremental change is harder but works better.

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Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 6d

AT&T: American Taco and Tortilla.

Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 9d

I keep thinking of Wilhoit's definition of conservatism: "there must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect". This inconsistency isn't accidental, it's fundamental and deliberate.

Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 9d

Nearly 30 years ago, while living in York, I went to a fancy dress party as a Vorlon. I made a version of the purple (Ulkesh) encounter suit. It was rather fragile (mostly made out of polystyrene) and unfortunately I don't have any photos of it, but I was quite pleased with the result.

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Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 9d

Amazing!

Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 10d

"I have always been here".

Ambassador Kosh Naranek, the ancient and enigmatic alien Vorlon ambassador from the TV series Babylon 5. He wears an encounter suit, consisting of a large, ornate, brownish-purple cloak, and a brown organic-looking shoulder-piece and a headpiece with a single eye. We basically don't find out what he actually looks like until the end of season 2, and it later turns out that even that is a telepathic projection.

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Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 10d

The Dragon is like... like...
*Crash!*
Like lightning, yes, that was it.

Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 10d

Anál nathrach, orth' bháis's bethad...

Nicol Williamson as Merlin, in John Boorman's film Excalibur (1981). A slightly worried, bearded man wearing a black cloak and a close-fitting silver metal skull-cap. He holds a black staff topped with an ornate silver symbol including two snakes. He is just about to remark "I never saw this!" In the background stands a knight in plate armour, his face obscured by a closed helmet.

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Reposted by Nicholas Jackson

Coates is Odd This Day @oddthisday.bsky.social · 10d

Today is the 63rd anniversary of the London premiere of Dr. No, which means (well, obviously) it’s time to tell you a ridiculous shaggy dog story about the theft of not one but two portraits of the Duke of Wellington

Sean Connery in Dr No’s lair, about to go up a short flight of stairs when he spots a portrait of the Duke of Wellington on a stand. The original had been stolen from the National Gallery the previous year, and this was a joke by the Bond production team

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Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 11d

I certainly watched a lot of random films when I lived there, but I don't think that was one of them.

Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 11d

From what I've seen of it, I'm not sure it's exactly my sort of humour. But I do remember enjoying Young Frankenstein. ("It's Fronkensteen, actually".)

Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 11d

I've never actually seen it, but now I want to watch all four of these: Von Trier's harrowing Dogme 95 version, Fellini's baroque masterpiece, Kubrick's cinematic perfectionism, and Brooks' screwball comedy.

(From quizoftheday.co.uk)

8. Who directed the 1974 western Blazing Saddles?
* Lars Von Trier
* Frederico Fellini
* Stanley Kubrick
* Mel Brooks

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Reposted by Nicholas Jackson

Stephen Collins @stephencollins.bsky.social · 12d

[Scene is ANCIENT GREECE - where SOCRATES and PLATO and others are sitting round, thinking]

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SOCRATES:
Plato..

PLATO:
Yes Socrates?

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SOCRATES:
Can you tell me, are you human?

PLATO:
Why… yes, Socrates

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SOCRATES:
And would you agree, Plato, that a human knows what a chariot is?

PLATO:
Um, yep

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SOCRATES:
So you can tell me, then

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[Socrates produces a papyrus, showing a drawing of the corner of a chariot wheel]

SOCRATES:
*Is that a chariot*?

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PLATO:
Well
that’s more just a bit of wheel

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SOCRATES:
So not a *chariot*.

PLATO:
No.

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SOCRATES:
[Producing another papyrus with the full drawing of the chariot, chopped into boxes]

So if a man were challenged to “tap the boxes containing chariots to prove you’re human” when he was just trying to check his ClubCard points... *where could he tap*?

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PLATO:
Well you can’t tap any of them really

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SOCRATES:
So are we not human?

PLATO:
‘Spose not.

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[Bleak pause]

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PLATO:
I’ll get the hemlock

SOCRATES:
Yeah

[ends]

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Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 12d

🎶 Reach out, touch faith.
Your own virtual Jesus. 🎶

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Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 13d

I'm currently doing a part-time postgraduate course on curriculum design in higher education. Pudding is helping me write up my project.

Pudding, an adorable little black and white cat, standing on my desk, in front of the monitor, just about to type something on my keyboard.

Pudding, a very cute little black and white cat, sitting on my desk, in front of my keyboard and all three monitors, starting intently into the camera. I think she wants to be fed.

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Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 13d

Absolutely. If you think you saw a trans or non-binary person using the "wrong" toilets, no you didn't.

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Nicholas Jackson @njj4.bsky.social · 13d

In a sense, yes. In another sense, they haven't existed since about 2016. My dad wouldn't recognise the party he was once a member of. My mum votes LibDem now. They've lost or expelled all the small-C conservatives. They're just a bunch of far-right, hate+fuelled grifters now.