Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn
@anschmidtlebuhn.bsky.social
Botanist, taxonomist, phylogeneticist.
Pinned
Phylogenomics and genetic admixture of the invasive fireweed complex (Senecio inaequidens–Senecio madagascariensis) at a global scale - Biological Invasions
The southern African Senecio inaequidens–S. madagascariensis complex, (‘fireweed complex’), contains several species that have established as weeds outside of their native ranges. Senecio madagascarie...
doi.org
We have expanded our target capture dataset of the Senecio inaequidens - S. madagascariensis complex to a global scale. More clarity on the areas of origin of invasive madagascariensis, but also raising new questions.
doi.org/10.1007/s105...
@biolinvasions.bsky.social
#asteraceae #compositae #weeds
doi.org/10.1007/s105...
@biolinvasions.bsky.social
#asteraceae #compositae #weeds
The people who say this should publicly acknowledge that there are broadly two possible outcomes if the AI hype is true:
1. Communism.
2. Neo-feudalist cyberpunk dystopia where everybody except the billionaires' enforcers is unemployed and destitute.
So, which of these will Hayes fight for?
1. Communism.
2. Neo-feudalist cyberpunk dystopia where everybody except the billionaires' enforcers is unemployed and destitute.
So, which of these will Hayes fight for?
I understand why people are exhausted by AI hype, and why those of us squarely in the corner of "human dignity uber alles" see AI doomerism as self-serving hype, but I *really* think people on the left broadly need to start thinking seriously about the possibiltiy of the hype being...true.
February 11, 2026 at 8:11 PM
The people who say this should publicly acknowledge that there are broadly two possible outcomes if the AI hype is true:
1. Communism.
2. Neo-feudalist cyberpunk dystopia where everybody except the billionaires' enforcers is unemployed and destitute.
So, which of these will Hayes fight for?
1. Communism.
2. Neo-feudalist cyberpunk dystopia where everybody except the billionaires' enforcers is unemployed and destitute.
So, which of these will Hayes fight for?
People should really go easy on starting their posts with BREAKING!!! or SCOOP!1! when reporting some utterly banal statement from a politician that twenty other people are also posting about at the same time.
February 10, 2026 at 9:40 PM
People should really go easy on starting their posts with BREAKING!!! or SCOOP!1! when reporting some utterly banal statement from a politician that twenty other people are also posting about at the same time.
Reposted by Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn
"soon, anyone will be able to generate a movie/book/video game/podcast in seconds!" keeps running firmly aground on "even if there was an audience for this uhhhhh content, which there isn't, why would they buy your thing instead of just generating their own?" and it's funny EVERY time
February 8, 2026 at 7:45 PM
"soon, anyone will be able to generate a movie/book/video game/podcast in seconds!" keeps running firmly aground on "even if there was an audience for this uhhhhh content, which there isn't, why would they buy your thing instead of just generating their own?" and it's funny EVERY time
Reposted by Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn
Wait I’m sorry did Elon really FINALLY realize that we’re never colonizing Mars this century?
What changed?!? Did someone teach him to read or something?
What changed?!? Did someone teach him to read or something?
February 10, 2026 at 12:21 AM
Wait I’m sorry did Elon really FINALLY realize that we’re never colonizing Mars this century?
What changed?!? Did someone teach him to read or something?
What changed?!? Did someone teach him to read or something?
Reposted by Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn
i have a beloved coworker who is genuinely very lovely as a person and in other areas i would call genuinely quite intelligent
yet somehow he has managed to go from being deeply into blockchain to deeply into generative ai and not noticed any sort of pattern. fascinating guy to observe.
yet somehow he has managed to go from being deeply into blockchain to deeply into generative ai and not noticed any sort of pattern. fascinating guy to observe.
February 9, 2026 at 5:02 AM
i have a beloved coworker who is genuinely very lovely as a person and in other areas i would call genuinely quite intelligent
yet somehow he has managed to go from being deeply into blockchain to deeply into generative ai and not noticed any sort of pattern. fascinating guy to observe.
yet somehow he has managed to go from being deeply into blockchain to deeply into generative ai and not noticed any sort of pattern. fascinating guy to observe.
Oh, great, somebody has made him aware of an even less habitable area than Mars.
SpaceX shifts focus from something that it will never do on Mars to something it will never do on the Moon.
February 9, 2026 at 9:30 PM
Oh, great, somebody has made him aware of an even less habitable area than Mars.
I love how Authenticator doesn't pop up the verification request, then I have to click "I cannot use Authenticator right now" to get to the screen where it allows me to input a one-time password FROM AUTHENTICATOR, and then seconds after I have done that, Authenticator shows the original request.
February 9, 2026 at 12:02 AM
I love how Authenticator doesn't pop up the verification request, then I have to click "I cannot use Authenticator right now" to get to the screen where it allows me to input a one-time password FROM AUTHENTICATOR, and then seconds after I have done that, Authenticator shows the original request.
As @davekarpf.bsky.social noted for vibe coding (davekarpf.substack.com/p/what-comes...), if generative AI really works for writing novels as this person claims, then a few months from now, *nobody* will be able to earn any money by mass-producing novels with AI. Meanwhile, we drown in garbage.
February 8, 2026 at 8:49 PM
As @davekarpf.bsky.social noted for vibe coding (davekarpf.substack.com/p/what-comes...), if generative AI really works for writing novels as this person claims, then a few months from now, *nobody* will be able to earn any money by mass-producing novels with AI. Meanwhile, we drown in garbage.
Not saying this isn't good advice for maybe three people on Bluesky, but for 99.99% of scientists, what if I am invited to an all-white event by a racist billionaire is not something that will ever happen in their lifetimes. Krauss and Dawkins are not remotely representative of scientists.
Been thinking a bit about the way that John Brockman acted as Epstein's scientist collector and would organize dinners where Epstein would just happen to show up and I think a lesson here for *white scientists* is if you're being invited to all-white events, that might be actively intentional 🧪
February 7, 2026 at 10:31 PM
Not saying this isn't good advice for maybe three people on Bluesky, but for 99.99% of scientists, what if I am invited to an all-white event by a racist billionaire is not something that will ever happen in their lifetimes. Krauss and Dawkins are not remotely representative of scientists.
I really wish people would use fewer acronyms. Much of the public understands what the problem would be with the Gulf Stream weakening or why child porn is evil, but if you post about the AMOC and CSAM, they may think "what is this nonsense letter salad?" and scroll on. Don't we want to communicate?
February 7, 2026 at 10:00 PM
I really wish people would use fewer acronyms. Much of the public understands what the problem would be with the Gulf Stream weakening or why child porn is evil, but if you post about the AMOC and CSAM, they may think "what is this nonsense letter salad?" and scroll on. Don't we want to communicate?
This flaming train wreck suggests that maybe it isn't a good idea to vibe code legal briefs and submissions. Maybe those of us who write research manuscripts should also take note, even if we are less likely to squirm in front of a judge because of AI hallucinations 🙂.
Hey, so, I don’t do civil litigation, is it generally considered good when the judge does this?
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
![Case 1:24-CV-09429-KPF Document 227 Filed 02/05/26 Page 2 of 33
Feldman [wals not excused from this professional obligation [of verifying that the cases he submitted to the Court were valid] by dint of using emerging
technology." (Dkt. #169 at 4).
Mr. Feldman persisted. A few days prior to the Court's hearing on the
Order to Show Cause, Mr. Feldman submitted a proposed reply brief in further support of Affable's motion to dismiss. Once again, his brief contained false citations. And at the August 22, 2025 hearing, Mr. Feldman was unable to respond directly to, much less answer, the Court's questioning about his
submissions.
Mr. Feldman has not, and apparently cannot, learn from his mistakes.
And while the Court does not oppose the use of Al to assist in legal research
and writing, it must take a stand where, as here, counsel repeatedly files
submissions with false citations because counsel refuses to verify those
submissions. This Court can do no more. For the reasons that follow, the
Court sanctions Mr. Feldman pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11
and the Court's inherent powers by striking Affable's submissions and entering
default judgment against it.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ssxnmhdtz6le6nxu7jfhglz6/bafkreigeefuabd636ruucelhxav3v3p43dezhotggrwlgjgsev2z2ggev4@jpeg)
February 6, 2026 at 5:04 AM
This flaming train wreck suggests that maybe it isn't a good idea to vibe code legal briefs and submissions. Maybe those of us who write research manuscripts should also take note, even if we are less likely to squirm in front of a judge because of AI hallucinations 🙂.
Report writing is going swimmingly.
February 6, 2026 at 2:32 AM
Report writing is going swimmingly.
If one pays attention to how Asimov writes about female characters, the revelations were no surprise at all.
1950s: Faceless, nameless wives and receptionists.
1980s: "Small-breasted and narrow-waisted, with hips round and full". And then that 23-year-old starts a relationship with a 52-year-old.
1950s: Faceless, nameless wives and receptionists.
1980s: "Small-breasted and narrow-waisted, with hips round and full". And then that 23-year-old starts a relationship with a 52-year-old.
To everyone just now finding out Isaac Asimov was rather famously a sex pest: He's been gone 34 years now, you can handle this truth, I believe in you
February 6, 2026 at 1:38 AM
If one pays attention to how Asimov writes about female characters, the revelations were no surprise at all.
1950s: Faceless, nameless wives and receptionists.
1980s: "Small-breasted and narrow-waisted, with hips round and full". And then that 23-year-old starts a relationship with a 52-year-old.
1950s: Faceless, nameless wives and receptionists.
1980s: "Small-breasted and narrow-waisted, with hips round and full". And then that 23-year-old starts a relationship with a 52-year-old.
That language is so peculiar. If stocks are over-inflated to ridiculous multiples of a company's revenue, and then the stock price corrects, no value has been "erased". That value never existed in the first place. It was a lie. People were merely in denial about the true, much lower value.
GOLDMAN DESK: “.. this is a simple basket of US software stocks. .. the cycle highs were as recent as September; in the time since, around $2tr of market cap has been erased.”
February 5, 2026 at 9:32 PM
That language is so peculiar. If stocks are over-inflated to ridiculous multiples of a company's revenue, and then the stock price corrects, no value has been "erased". That value never existed in the first place. It was a lie. People were merely in denial about the true, much lower value.
I like the image that guy used to illustrate his post, because I saw the movie when it came out, and it was famously about how all the relationships and sexualities of its characters were healthy heterosexuality.
Presented without comment. I just want everyone here to know.
I want you to know what you're looking at the next time you see this guy being interviewed or RTed by an Abundance bro.
1/8
I want you to know what you're looking at the next time you see this guy being interviewed or RTed by an Abundance bro.
1/8
February 5, 2026 at 8:10 AM
I like the image that guy used to illustrate his post, because I saw the movie when it came out, and it was famously about how all the relationships and sexualities of its characters were healthy heterosexuality.
This has been the foundational belief of bad script kiddies for years, long before the current LLM craze. Just download ALL THE DATA, and the model will do the rest. Be it in data science, spatial analysis, biodiversity, there are so! many! who refuse to understand that garbage in = garbage out.
Yupppppppp and you just know no one is gonna pay for anyone to clean that data first bc "it'll all just average out" (I've been in so many meetings where people asserted that sufficiently large quantities of shit somehow turn into gold 🙄)
February 4, 2026 at 9:18 PM
This has been the foundational belief of bad script kiddies for years, long before the current LLM craze. Just download ALL THE DATA, and the model will do the rest. Be it in data science, spatial analysis, biodiversity, there are so! many! who refuse to understand that garbage in = garbage out.
Happy to be able to harvest my own Sichuan pepper from a pot on our balcony and grateful to the colleague who gave me seeds. But also puzzled because we have only the one plant, and its flowers were clearly female only.
February 4, 2026 at 8:10 AM
Happy to be able to harvest my own Sichuan pepper from a pot on our balcony and grateful to the colleague who gave me seeds. But also puzzled because we have only the one plant, and its flowers were clearly female only.
So annoying how often botanicalrealm comes up as one of the top search results for a plant species. The entire site reads as if somebody used generative AI to slop out a page for every plant species on the planet and then added a shop interface to occasionally sell potting mix. Dead internet theory.
February 4, 2026 at 3:31 AM
So annoying how often botanicalrealm comes up as one of the top search results for a plant species. The entire site reads as if somebody used generative AI to slop out a page for every plant species on the planet and then added a shop interface to occasionally sell potting mix. Dead internet theory.
It really gets me how bad public discourse has allowed to become with these people. Aside from all the other fallacies, how would $3T of US economic growth directly pay off debt? That would imply a 100% tax rate on that economic activity. Why wasn't everybody just rolling on the floor laughing?
Dr Oz: "If we could get the average American to start working a year earlier, right out of high school, or a year later -- not retire -- or work better during their lifetime because they're healthy, it would generate about $3 trillion to the US economy. That would more than remove the debt."
February 3, 2026 at 9:48 PM
It really gets me how bad public discourse has allowed to become with these people. Aside from all the other fallacies, how would $3T of US economic growth directly pay off debt? That would imply a 100% tax rate on that economic activity. Why wasn't everybody just rolling on the floor laughing?
As always, eugenics are strongly correlated with not understanding genetics. Mate, your genes aren't special. They are a sample of all the alleles floating around the human population. Your genes will still be there in your cousins to seventh or twentieth degree even if you don't have kids.
📢 “A huge amount of men between the age of 15 and 50 will not pass on their genes. They will effectively die out of the gene pool ... Should society intervene?” Steven Bartlett asked last year.
Two top podcasters have identified a global decline. The problem, they say, is women
www.smh.com.au
February 3, 2026 at 9:16 PM
As always, eugenics are strongly correlated with not understanding genetics. Mate, your genes aren't special. They are a sample of all the alleles floating around the human population. Your genes will still be there in your cousins to seventh or twentieth degree even if you don't have kids.
I really enjoy how many authors whose manuscripts I review, when faced with discordance in the data, throw out a collection of words they have heard somewhere like an octopus discharging its ink sac.
"Um... hybridisation, convergence, incomplete lineage sorting, or rapid radiation" (scuttles off)
"Um... hybridisation, convergence, incomplete lineage sorting, or rapid radiation" (scuttles off)
February 3, 2026 at 2:11 AM
I really enjoy how many authors whose manuscripts I review, when faced with discordance in the data, throw out a collection of words they have heard somewhere like an octopus discharging its ink sac.
"Um... hybridisation, convergence, incomplete lineage sorting, or rapid radiation" (scuttles off)
"Um... hybridisation, convergence, incomplete lineage sorting, or rapid radiation" (scuttles off)
When future generations ask why we didn't do more to avoid large parts of the planet becoming uninhabitable, the answer will be that we needed the money for more important stuff like keeping tax rates low, cryptocurrency speculation, and data centers used to flood Amazon with AI-generated books.
February 2, 2026 at 9:20 PM
When future generations ask why we didn't do more to avoid large parts of the planet becoming uninhabitable, the answer will be that we needed the money for more important stuff like keeping tax rates low, cryptocurrency speculation, and data centers used to flood Amazon with AI-generated books.
Reposted by Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn
I will never quite understand why some colleagues send me Word documents at 70% zoom and others send them at 210% zoom. On any computer I have ever used, documents are comfortably readable somewhere in the 100-120% range. What is happening on their computers?
February 2, 2026 at 12:39 AM
I will never quite understand why some colleagues send me Word documents at 70% zoom and others send them at 210% zoom. On any computer I have ever used, documents are comfortably readable somewhere in the 100-120% range. What is happening on their computers?
Reposted by Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn
