Diggun
@diggun.bsky.social
UK based academic librarian. Interested in history & philosophy of science, international relations, tech, politics, OSINT, conflict studies, aviation history, scifi, historical fiction, and a variety of other nerdy things. Views own.
Reposted by Diggun
Starting to look like Trump might be a bit of wrong un. Time will tell.
November 12, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Starting to look like Trump might be a bit of wrong un. Time will tell.
Reposted by Diggun
it does not necessarily mean this though, because the dominant way people end up on Wikipedia is through Google, and Google has loaded the top of all of its search results with AI-mediated info taken from Wikipedia. This does not mean consumers prefer it this way, the choice has been made for them
AI is separating the production and consumption of information. If direct access to Wikipedia is dropping that suggests information consumers find AI mediated consumption more useful. This will impact the production of information; including the economic model
So for-profit AI companies have trained on the world's largest collaborative volunteer project and a precious free resource, to make money for their for-profit enterprises. They have crushed traffic to the volunteer project, starving it of donors and volunteers
www.404media.co/wikipedia-sa...
www.404media.co/wikipedia-sa...
October 17, 2025 at 4:03 PM
it does not necessarily mean this though, because the dominant way people end up on Wikipedia is through Google, and Google has loaded the top of all of its search results with AI-mediated info taken from Wikipedia. This does not mean consumers prefer it this way, the choice has been made for them
When did everyone decide that things in frying pans need a weight on them? Deeply weird.
October 13, 2025 at 9:51 PM
When did everyone decide that things in frying pans need a weight on them? Deeply weird.
Reposted by Diggun
it really was stunning how quickly so many managers and other people with power snapped over from "cautiously exploring AI" to "you must use AI to walk, shit, and breathe or you're fired"
Over the course of a week, my boss went from "we need to be aware of AI but careful about using it" to "you need to incorporate AI into everything you do"...
September 4, 2025 at 2:55 PM
it really was stunning how quickly so many managers and other people with power snapped over from "cautiously exploring AI" to "you must use AI to walk, shit, and breathe or you're fired"
There are an awful lot of seriously weird takes on Bad Things Happening in the UK on here at the moment. Please do take time to ask a Brit before sharing! I volunteer myself as tribute here.
August 12, 2025 at 5:43 PM
There are an awful lot of seriously weird takes on Bad Things Happening in the UK on here at the moment. Please do take time to ask a Brit before sharing! I volunteer myself as tribute here.
Reposted by Diggun
Modern AI tools emulate the classic con-man tricks of mentalism, tricking people into believing that they’re far more clever - and sapient - than they actually are.
Fantastic piece by @baldurbjarnason.com :
softwarecrisis.dev/letters/llme...
Fantastic piece by @baldurbjarnason.com :
softwarecrisis.dev/letters/llme...
The LLMentalist Effect: how chat-based Large Language Models rep…
The new era of tech seems to be built on superstitious behaviour
softwarecrisis.dev
August 12, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Modern AI tools emulate the classic con-man tricks of mentalism, tricking people into believing that they’re far more clever - and sapient - than they actually are.
Fantastic piece by @baldurbjarnason.com :
softwarecrisis.dev/letters/llme...
Fantastic piece by @baldurbjarnason.com :
softwarecrisis.dev/letters/llme...
Reposted by Diggun
Unilateral talks between trump and Putin aren’t peace talks.
They’re war plans.
They’re war plans.
August 9, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Unilateral talks between trump and Putin aren’t peace talks.
They’re war plans.
They’re war plans.
Reposted by Diggun
Trump and Putin are meeting on US soil because a country lawless enough not to arrest Trump is lawless enough not to arrest Putin.
www.npr.org/2023/03/17/1...
www.npr.org/2023/03/17/1...
The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Putin
The ICC has issued warrants for the Russian president and his children's rights commissioner for alleged war crimes involving accusations that Russia has forcibly taken Ukrainian children.
www.npr.org
August 9, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Trump and Putin are meeting on US soil because a country lawless enough not to arrest Trump is lawless enough not to arrest Putin.
www.npr.org/2023/03/17/1...
www.npr.org/2023/03/17/1...
Reposted by Diggun
I'll say it again, as this is ramping up: if you gave access to the archives of goverment data and information, it is your moral responsibility to make sure that untouched versions get preserved, now. There are people worh archival expertise who can help you, if you don't have it yourself. Start now
The Trump administration has announced that the US will rewrite past climate reports, in a clear attempt to erase scientific history and undermine the consensus on human-caused climate change.
US to rewrite its past national climate reports
US President Donald Trump's administration is revising past editions of the nation's premier climate report -- its latest move to undermine the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming.
www.france24.com
August 9, 2025 at 4:55 PM
I'll say it again, as this is ramping up: if you gave access to the archives of goverment data and information, it is your moral responsibility to make sure that untouched versions get preserved, now. There are people worh archival expertise who can help you, if you don't have it yourself. Start now
Thinking about it, and as someone who could never have cared less about them at the time, it is genuinely culturally embarrassing that The Liberties were a Thing.
Oooooooh he's just like Byron. Grow up.
Oooooooh he's just like Byron. Grow up.
August 7, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Thinking about it, and as someone who could never have cared less about them at the time, it is genuinely culturally embarrassing that The Liberties were a Thing.
Oooooooh he's just like Byron. Grow up.
Oooooooh he's just like Byron. Grow up.
Reposted by Diggun
Ok, for each retweet I’ll provide one insight, fact, or opinion on unconventional naval warfare, like submarines, explosive boats, special forces or crazy ideas
0/n 🧵
0/n 🧵
August 7, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Ok, for each retweet I’ll provide one insight, fact, or opinion on unconventional naval warfare, like submarines, explosive boats, special forces or crazy ideas
0/n 🧵
0/n 🧵
Babbage indulging in some Victorian vaguebooking...
July 29, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Babbage indulging in some Victorian vaguebooking...
Reposted by Diggun
The best time to act was in Feb 2014. Then in Feb 2022. The next best time is now
While Russia hisses at the West to dissuade it from helping Ukraine. Meanwhile it pulls materiel and fighters from abroad
Russia sees the current approach to escalation management as weakness and exploits it as such
While Russia hisses at the West to dissuade it from helping Ukraine. Meanwhile it pulls materiel and fighters from abroad
Russia sees the current approach to escalation management as weakness and exploits it as such
A recurrent theme throughout this war has been that Western decision-makers, driven by inherent risk aversion, are being pushed ever closer to a position where they will sooner or later have to accept tremendous risks to avert Ukrainian defeat and its catastrophic consequences.
July 7, 2025 at 7:14 PM
The best time to act was in Feb 2014. Then in Feb 2022. The next best time is now
While Russia hisses at the West to dissuade it from helping Ukraine. Meanwhile it pulls materiel and fighters from abroad
Russia sees the current approach to escalation management as weakness and exploits it as such
While Russia hisses at the West to dissuade it from helping Ukraine. Meanwhile it pulls materiel and fighters from abroad
Russia sees the current approach to escalation management as weakness and exploits it as such
Reposted by Diggun
A recurrent theme throughout this war has been that Western decision-makers, driven by inherent risk aversion, are being pushed ever closer to a position where they will sooner or later have to accept tremendous risks to avert Ukrainian defeat and its catastrophic consequences.
July 7, 2025 at 10:05 AM
A recurrent theme throughout this war has been that Western decision-makers, driven by inherent risk aversion, are being pushed ever closer to a position where they will sooner or later have to accept tremendous risks to avert Ukrainian defeat and its catastrophic consequences.
Unfortunately, I think It's Happening Here
July 1, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Reposted by Diggun
A wonderful quote by Herbert Simon:
"In an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. [...] It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention."
"In an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. [...] It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention."
June 18, 2025 at 2:56 PM
A wonderful quote by Herbert Simon:
"In an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. [...] It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention."
"In an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. [...] It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention."
Reposted by Diggun
A lot of speculation about how things got so Stupid and Evil and I think one reason is we've collectively been too tolerant of Stupid and Evil for too long
June 16, 2025 at 1:34 PM
A lot of speculation about how things got so Stupid and Evil and I think one reason is we've collectively been too tolerant of Stupid and Evil for too long
Reposted by Diggun
I was proud to be invited to give oral evidence that shaped this report on #science in #Antarctica 🧪❄️🥼🇦🇶👇
Let's hope the #UK Government acts on its recommendations 🤞
Let's hope the #UK Government acts on its recommendations 🤞
"It is impossible to overstate how critical this region is to our shared future." - @tobyperkinsmp.bsky.social, Chair
Read our report on the UK and the Antarctic environment: publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cm...
Read our report on the UK and the Antarctic environment: publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cm...
June 9, 2025 at 8:28 PM
I was proud to be invited to give oral evidence that shaped this report on #science in #Antarctica 🧪❄️🥼🇦🇶👇
Let's hope the #UK Government acts on its recommendations 🤞
Let's hope the #UK Government acts on its recommendations 🤞
Reposted by Diggun
Ordinary people "feel like mugs" for paying when others feel they can get away without doing so, says Robert Jenrick, who was found to have falsely claimed £122 in travel expenses, and used his own office to help a Conservative donor avoid paying £45m in tax www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/robert-jen...
Robert Jenrick's Honesty-Dodging
That someone as dishonest and hypocritical as the Shadow Justice Secretary was not long ago shamed out of public life is a damning indictment of the state of politics and media in the UK
www.adambienkov.co.uk
June 1, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Ordinary people "feel like mugs" for paying when others feel they can get away without doing so, says Robert Jenrick, who was found to have falsely claimed £122 in travel expenses, and used his own office to help a Conservative donor avoid paying £45m in tax www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/robert-jen...
Reposted by Diggun
Hat off to my coauthors who are wonderful social scientists and so patient with all my philosophising: Dimitrios Panayotopoulos-Tsiros, Rosa Marks, @ojgarling.bsky.social @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social @michaelkenny.bsky.social
April 30, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Hat off to my coauthors who are wonderful social scientists and so patient with all my philosophising: Dimitrios Panayotopoulos-Tsiros, Rosa Marks, @ojgarling.bsky.social @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social @michaelkenny.bsky.social
Reposted by Diggun
Very proud to be part of this. As a philosopher I relished the challenge to define a familiar but fuzzy untheorised and value-laden concept, then line up an ideal of measurement fit for it. I wish everyone such satisfying interdisciplinary work. Hope we are heard!
🚨 New report from the Bennett Institute warns that social & cultural spaces like libraries, galleries & community hubs risk being overlooked without better ways to measure their impact. They’re vital for economic growth & tackling inequality.
www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/blog/value-o...
www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/blog/value-o...
April 30, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Very proud to be part of this. As a philosopher I relished the challenge to define a familiar but fuzzy untheorised and value-laden concept, then line up an ideal of measurement fit for it. I wish everyone such satisfying interdisciplinary work. Hope we are heard!
Reposted by Diggun
On March 9th 2025, the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) was filmed for the first time in its natural habitat. But this is just a juvenile, a mere 30 cm in length.
Colossal squids are not transparent as adults, but as juveniles they look very similar to other cranchiids.
Colossal squids are not transparent as adults, but as juveniles they look very similar to other cranchiids.
April 28, 2025 at 12:04 AM
On March 9th 2025, the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) was filmed for the first time in its natural habitat. But this is just a juvenile, a mere 30 cm in length.
Colossal squids are not transparent as adults, but as juveniles they look very similar to other cranchiids.
Colossal squids are not transparent as adults, but as juveniles they look very similar to other cranchiids.
Reposted by Diggun
It’s absolutely appalling to live in a timeline where we know Putin’s assault last night is still unlikely to change Trump (and other western leaders) minds.
April 24, 2025 at 7:47 AM
It’s absolutely appalling to live in a timeline where we know Putin’s assault last night is still unlikely to change Trump (and other western leaders) minds.