Compton Scatterbrained
@comptonscatter.bsky.social
Bad hearing, bad sight, scattered brain.
Full of PFAS, but a true believer in radiation hormesis.
Why isn't rutile rutilant?
I like valence electrons (but K shell too) & deep time.
Full of PFAS, but a true believer in radiation hormesis.
Why isn't rutile rutilant?
I like valence electrons (but K shell too) & deep time.
Pinned
Reposted by Compton Scatterbrained
Why on earth don't all state schools have access to high-quality resources they can distribute for free? Online or paper. Huge inequality being perpetuated here.
January 20, 2026 at 9:09 AM
Why on earth don't all state schools have access to high-quality resources they can distribute for free? Online or paper. Huge inequality being perpetuated here.
Reposted by Compton Scatterbrained
Teen asked me to get another textbook because the school can't afford enough for a copy each and some of the resources are crappy GenAI. So far I've spent about £200 on school books this year and wtf are we doing?
January 20, 2026 at 9:04 AM
Teen asked me to get another textbook because the school can't afford enough for a copy each and some of the resources are crappy GenAI. So far I've spent about £200 on school books this year and wtf are we doing?
Reposted by Compton Scatterbrained
What a career! Geodesy is the science of determining the shape of the earth. Precise Orbit Determination requires an accurate geoid model of the gravitational field of the 🌍 . (Can be shape or density fluctuations.)
Dr West pioneered both POD & active radar measurements of ocean heights from space
Dr West pioneered both POD & active radar measurements of ocean heights from space
Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She was 95.
Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She passed away
thezebra.org
January 20, 2026 at 2:19 AM
What a career! Geodesy is the science of determining the shape of the earth. Precise Orbit Determination requires an accurate geoid model of the gravitational field of the 🌍 . (Can be shape or density fluctuations.)
Dr West pioneered both POD & active radar measurements of ocean heights from space
Dr West pioneered both POD & active radar measurements of ocean heights from space
I had a YubiKey once!
Had.
Had.
January 18, 2026 at 7:38 PM
I had a YubiKey once!
Had.
Had.
"I'm afraid I need zee leetle Greenlander boy's desk..."
January 18, 2026 at 12:22 PM
"I'm afraid I need zee leetle Greenlander boy's desk..."
Firefox update on the 16th broke the Youtubes. Sucks, because Chrome's interface on mobile is so damn unintuitive.
January 18, 2026 at 7:44 AM
Firefox update on the 16th broke the Youtubes. Sucks, because Chrome's interface on mobile is so damn unintuitive.
@hughbarnard.bsky.social whoa whoa wait
I see a LPW t-shirt!
We have *possibly* met, as I've been to 2 or maybe 3.
I see a LPW t-shirt!
We have *possibly* met, as I've been to 2 or maybe 3.
January 17, 2026 at 1:08 PM
@hughbarnard.bsky.social whoa whoa wait
I see a LPW t-shirt!
We have *possibly* met, as I've been to 2 or maybe 3.
I see a LPW t-shirt!
We have *possibly* met, as I've been to 2 or maybe 3.
4yo asked what happens to our "old paper" (recyclables).
We watched some films on carton recycling and paper mills. None of those films conveyed the stench of actial paper mills, but anyway.
Now the kid is snippering paper and mixing with water. "Look, pulp!"
We watched some films on carton recycling and paper mills. None of those films conveyed the stench of actial paper mills, but anyway.
Now the kid is snippering paper and mixing with water. "Look, pulp!"
January 17, 2026 at 12:46 PM
4yo asked what happens to our "old paper" (recyclables).
We watched some films on carton recycling and paper mills. None of those films conveyed the stench of actial paper mills, but anyway.
Now the kid is snippering paper and mixing with water. "Look, pulp!"
We watched some films on carton recycling and paper mills. None of those films conveyed the stench of actial paper mills, but anyway.
Now the kid is snippering paper and mixing with water. "Look, pulp!"
Too sick to entertain him, I'm letting the oldest watch Planes 2 again. The two characters sheltering from the wildfire in the mine just seemed so familiar but I couldn't remember the details.
But I found it! They named one of the fire trucks after him!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Pula...
But I found it! They named one of the fire trucks after him!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Pula...
Ed Pulaski - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 16, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Too sick to entertain him, I'm letting the oldest watch Planes 2 again. The two characters sheltering from the wildfire in the mine just seemed so familiar but I couldn't remember the details.
But I found it! They named one of the fire trucks after him!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Pula...
But I found it! They named one of the fire trucks after him!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Pula...
Reposted by Compton Scatterbrained
Highest field NMR available outside of a superconducting magnet #Chemistry #Chemsky
January 15, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Highest field NMR available outside of a superconducting magnet #Chemistry #Chemsky
Reposted by Compton Scatterbrained
Current read: The Mercy of Gods by James SA Corey.
Asks the eternal question , what if you were stuck with just your lab mates during the alien invasion?
Asks the eternal question , what if you were stuck with just your lab mates during the alien invasion?
January 16, 2026 at 2:02 AM
Current read: The Mercy of Gods by James SA Corey.
Asks the eternal question , what if you were stuck with just your lab mates during the alien invasion?
Asks the eternal question , what if you were stuck with just your lab mates during the alien invasion?
Reposted by Compton Scatterbrained
Oh to be a little Tardigrade walking across a microscope slide. 🫧🐻🧪
January 13, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Oh to be a little Tardigrade walking across a microscope slide. 🫧🐻🧪
Very cool animal study, and even better, could lead to a new technique for a host of airborne pathogens.
Looking forward to clinicals!
Looking forward to clinicals!
GOOD NEWS! Researchers have developed a nasally delivered, antibiotic-inactivated Bordetella pertussis (AIBP) vaccine that NOT ONLY prevents SEVERE disease BUT also CURBS bacterial TRANSMISSION. This NEEDLE-FREE AIBP platform could open the door to new vaccines against other respiratory bacteria.
January 16, 2026 at 9:25 AM
Very cool animal study, and even better, could lead to a new technique for a host of airborne pathogens.
Looking forward to clinicals!
Looking forward to clinicals!
Vaccinations for pertussis lasts a few years at most.
A mother can get a booster and small children have it in their vax schedules, but every adult happily visiting a newborn is *not* immune, bc adults don't (normally) get boosters.
A mother can get a booster and small children have it in their vax schedules, but every adult happily visiting a newborn is *not* immune, bc adults don't (normally) get boosters.
many infants from severe disease. Yet outbreaks still occur in countries with high vaccine coverage, and the illness continues to circle back every few years. The problem lies in where protection starts and ends. Current acellular pertussis shots, the ones many children receive, work well at
January 16, 2026 at 9:20 AM
Vaccinations for pertussis lasts a few years at most.
A mother can get a booster and small children have it in their vax schedules, but every adult happily visiting a newborn is *not* immune, bc adults don't (normally) get boosters.
A mother can get a booster and small children have it in their vax schedules, but every adult happily visiting a newborn is *not* immune, bc adults don't (normally) get boosters.
hey Bluesky users posting articles giving certain geographical locations a 403 or a "we can't stop ourselves from stealing your data and you appear to be from a region where that's illegal so we gonna block you" message...
it sucks. Let's try not supporting a broken internet.
it sucks. Let's try not supporting a broken internet.
January 16, 2026 at 9:14 AM
hey Bluesky users posting articles giving certain geographical locations a 403 or a "we can't stop ourselves from stealing your data and you appear to be from a region where that's illegal so we gonna block you" message...
it sucks. Let's try not supporting a broken internet.
it sucks. Let's try not supporting a broken internet.
Reposted by Compton Scatterbrained
What’s your favorite shark species?
Mine is definitely the blacktip reef shark. It’s not the most interesting or special looking one out there but I somehow really like them.
Mine is definitely the blacktip reef shark. It’s not the most interesting or special looking one out there but I somehow really like them.
January 15, 2026 at 4:33 PM
What’s your favorite shark species?
Mine is definitely the blacktip reef shark. It’s not the most interesting or special looking one out there but I somehow really like them.
Mine is definitely the blacktip reef shark. It’s not the most interesting or special looking one out there but I somehow really like them.
Europe: We will help Denmark defend Greenland!
Netherlands: okay, we're sending 1 person.
Netherlands: okay, we're sending 1 person.
January 15, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Europe: We will help Denmark defend Greenland!
Netherlands: okay, we're sending 1 person.
Netherlands: okay, we're sending 1 person.
Reposted by Compton Scatterbrained
So you end up with a situation where you can ostensibly find evidence for all sorts of mechanisms that's actually just confounding. I think it's bad that this type of analysis has become such a major tool driving theorizing, given how easily it can fail.
www.the100.ci/2025/03/20/r...
www.the100.ci/2025/03/20/r...
Reviewer notes: That’s a very nice mediation analysis you have there. It would be a shame if something happened to it.
Mediation analysis has gotten a lot of flak, including classic titles such as “Yes, but what’s the mechanism? (Don’t expect an easy answer)” (Bullock et al., 2010), “What mediation analysis can (not) ...
www.the100.ci
January 15, 2026 at 8:43 AM
So you end up with a situation where you can ostensibly find evidence for all sorts of mechanisms that's actually just confounding. I think it's bad that this type of analysis has become such a major tool driving theorizing, given how easily it can fail.
www.the100.ci/2025/03/20/r...
www.the100.ci/2025/03/20/r...
undersea rug with teeth
someone put this in a horror film pls
(I remember a woman on Twitter also misidentifying this Goosefish as a Wobbegong and the storm that it created but damn, "wobbegong" is just a cool name)
someone put this in a horror film pls
(I remember a woman on Twitter also misidentifying this Goosefish as a Wobbegong and the storm that it created but damn, "wobbegong" is just a cool name)
The Tasselled Wobbegong is a master of disguise that can eat a fish almost as big as itself in one gulp. It's classified as a shark, but when it lays on the sea floor it looks like a harmless rug if you manage to see it. But with powerful jaws and sharp teeth they are no fish to mess with.
January 15, 2026 at 8:14 AM
undersea rug with teeth
someone put this in a horror film pls
(I remember a woman on Twitter also misidentifying this Goosefish as a Wobbegong and the storm that it created but damn, "wobbegong" is just a cool name)
someone put this in a horror film pls
(I remember a woman on Twitter also misidentifying this Goosefish as a Wobbegong and the storm that it created but damn, "wobbegong" is just a cool name)
the solution to pollution is munition
This was the disposal procedure for unwanted reactive chemicals waayyy back 😱
You gave them to the army bomb guys for blow up practice.
1. Cover cylinder with charges
2. Bury in a hole
3. Retreat a safe distance, not downwind
4. Blow it up
🧪
You gave them to the army bomb guys for blow up practice.
1. Cover cylinder with charges
2. Bury in a hole
3. Retreat a safe distance, not downwind
4. Blow it up
🧪
January 15, 2026 at 6:25 AM
the solution to pollution is munition
Reposted by Compton Scatterbrained
Tried buying a pair of Brooks Glycerins to be shipped to NY.
Store wouldn't do it - their system threw a "chemicals" restriction on shipping to NY.
Sales guy said this has happened before & reason is "the shoes have nitrogen."
He didn't care when I told him he's breathing ~80% nitrogen.
#chemsky
Store wouldn't do it - their system threw a "chemicals" restriction on shipping to NY.
Sales guy said this has happened before & reason is "the shoes have nitrogen."
He didn't care when I told him he's breathing ~80% nitrogen.
#chemsky
January 14, 2026 at 11:38 PM
Tried buying a pair of Brooks Glycerins to be shipped to NY.
Store wouldn't do it - their system threw a "chemicals" restriction on shipping to NY.
Sales guy said this has happened before & reason is "the shoes have nitrogen."
He didn't care when I told him he's breathing ~80% nitrogen.
#chemsky
Store wouldn't do it - their system threw a "chemicals" restriction on shipping to NY.
Sales guy said this has happened before & reason is "the shoes have nitrogen."
He didn't care when I told him he's breathing ~80% nitrogen.
#chemsky
Repost your home river.
January 14, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Repost your home river.
Not hugely into the Alzheimer-Plaque thing but this still looks really cool. Imaging something so unstable and difficult to stabilise is pretty cool
MIT Chemists led by Mei Hong determine the structure of the fuzzy coat that surrounds Tau proteins. Learning more about this structure could help scientists find ways to block Tau from forming tangles in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients news.mit.edu/2026/chemist... #NMRchat 🧲 @mit.edu
Chemists determine the structure of the fuzzy coat that surrounds Tau proteins
MIT chemists showed they can use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to decipher the structure of the fuzzy coat that surrounds Tau proteins. The findings may aid efforts to develop drugs that interfere ...
news.mit.edu
January 14, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Not hugely into the Alzheimer-Plaque thing but this still looks really cool. Imaging something so unstable and difficult to stabilise is pretty cool