Elmar Kal
@elmarkal.bsky.social
Senior lecturer in Physiotherapy @Brunel University London. Movement scientist with interest in balance, gait and motor learning.
Reposted by Elmar Kal
UK governments of the 2000s and 2010s managed to buy short term "world-beating" status for British universities through a tuition fees and student loans bubble whose subsequent deflation has destabilised the sustainability of UK higher education.
A practical and moral policy failure
A practical and moral policy failure
February 17, 2026 at 9:20 AM
UK governments of the 2000s and 2010s managed to buy short term "world-beating" status for British universities through a tuition fees and student loans bubble whose subsequent deflation has destabilised the sustainability of UK higher education.
A practical and moral policy failure
A practical and moral policy failure
Reposted by Elmar Kal
I asked Jacqui Smith last year what other models she was looking at to avoid getting stuck in thinking the US and Australia are the only ways of running a higher education sector.
Her response?
That she didn't have time for that...
The deliberate ignorance is going to kill us all.
Her response?
That she didn't have time for that...
The deliberate ignorance is going to kill us all.
Something a little bizarre with a UK debate over a failing funding model with higher education whose primary benchmark of comparison is a high fees US model rather than much nearer EU member state models that manage to put university teaching together with low or no tuition fees.
February 17, 2026 at 4:59 PM
I asked Jacqui Smith last year what other models she was looking at to avoid getting stuck in thinking the US and Australia are the only ways of running a higher education sector.
Her response?
That she didn't have time for that...
The deliberate ignorance is going to kill us all.
Her response?
That she didn't have time for that...
The deliberate ignorance is going to kill us all.
Reposted by Elmar Kal
Je kunt niet juichen voor de antikoloniale boodschap van Bad Bunny én Jutta Leerdam een rolmodel noemen, schrijft @rubysanders.bsky.social. Tenminste, niet zolang Leerdam zich niet distantieert van haar verloofde die een fascistisch regime aanhangt. ‘Sport ís politiek. En politiek is kiezen.’
‘Je kunt niet juichen voor Bad Bunny én voor Jutta Leerdam’
Je kunt Jutta Leerdam geen rolmodel noemen, zolang ze impliciet een fascistisch regime steunt, schrijft Ruby Sanders.
buff.ly
February 14, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Je kunt niet juichen voor de antikoloniale boodschap van Bad Bunny én Jutta Leerdam een rolmodel noemen, schrijft @rubysanders.bsky.social. Tenminste, niet zolang Leerdam zich niet distantieert van haar verloofde die een fascistisch regime aanhangt. ‘Sport ís politiek. En politiek is kiezen.’
Reposted by Elmar Kal
This piece really nails how I have been feeling in the last couple of weeks. fortune.com/2026/02/11/s...
Something big is happening in AI — and most people will be blindsided | Fortune
It’s not like a light switch... more like the moment you realize the water has been rising around you and is now at your chest.
fortune.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:51 AM
This piece really nails how I have been feeling in the last couple of weeks. fortune.com/2026/02/11/s...
Reposted by Elmar Kal
Families of nurses and carers have said they fear being torn apart under an immigration crackdown by the government condemned as “an act of economic vandalism”
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Nurses’ families fear being torn apart in UK immigration crackdown, survey says
Exclusive: Most people in charity’s study say they worry about being separated from relatives under Mahmood plans
www.theguardian.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Families of nurses and carers have said they fear being torn apart under an immigration crackdown by the government condemned as “an act of economic vandalism”
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Reposted by Elmar Kal
This is really encouraging. It's not too late to stop this.
70 parliamentarians have written to the Home Office saying the settlement proposals are unfair & need a significant rethink
February 12, 2026 at 11:49 AM
This is really encouraging. It's not too late to stop this.
Reposted by Elmar Kal
If Starmer wants a reset - and not yet another U-turn when the parliamentary party balks at a policy - here is his chance.
300,000 children face 10-year wait for settled status under UK plans, says IPPR
The consultation closes on Thursday. What is being proposed is dreadful. Can I encourage you to engage with the consultation and put your dissent on record?
The consultation closes on Thursday. What is being proposed is dreadful. Can I encourage you to engage with the consultation and put your dissent on record?
February 10, 2026 at 7:23 AM
If Starmer wants a reset - and not yet another U-turn when the parliamentary party balks at a policy - here is his chance.
Reposted by Elmar Kal
Why did consciousness evolve at all? A superb special issue of @royalsocietypublishing.org brings together experts across disciplines to explore the functions of consciousness and why it emerged in some species but not others. @tecumsehfitch.bsky.social royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/issue/3...
February 8, 2026 at 12:47 PM
Why did consciousness evolve at all? A superb special issue of @royalsocietypublishing.org brings together experts across disciplines to explore the functions of consciousness and why it emerged in some species but not others. @tecumsehfitch.bsky.social royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/issue/3...
Reposted by Elmar Kal
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:09 AM
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Elmar Kal
No wonder absolutely nobody was in favor of Brexit over at the Financial Times. They know their stuff.
The authors "estimate that by 2025, the Brexit process had reduced UK GDP per capita by 6 to 8 percent, investment by 12 to 18 percent, employment by 3 to 4 percent, and productivity by 3 to 4 percent. These effects grew gradually over time." www.nber.org/202602/diges...
What a total disaster... 🇪🇺🇬🇧
What a total disaster... 🇪🇺🇬🇧
February 3, 2026 at 9:40 AM
No wonder absolutely nobody was in favor of Brexit over at the Financial Times. They know their stuff.
Reposted by Elmar Kal
There's an interesting appearance from @mattbelloni.bsky.social in the "Melania" documentary. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/triumph...
Triumph Of The Bill: Amazon’s $75 Million ‘Melania’ Movie Is A Corrupt, Fascistic Cinema Fest
The latest offering from Trumpworld’s robust propaganda machine
talkingpointsmemo.com
January 31, 2026 at 4:16 PM
There's an interesting appearance from @mattbelloni.bsky.social in the "Melania" documentary. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/triumph...
Reposted by Elmar Kal
In de week dat ASML een winst van 10 miljard bekendmaakt en ING een winst van 6 miljard haalt het nieuwe kabinet de miljarden bij… de mensen.
Column! Vandaag zonder betaalmuur www.groene.nl/artikel/opto...
Column! Vandaag zonder betaalmuur www.groene.nl/artikel/opto...
De economische keuzes van het nieuwe kabinet zijn vooral goed voor het bedrijfsleven
Het regeerakkoord is een integrale vertaling van het rapport Wennink: zoveel mogelijk publiek geld richting bedrijven, en zoveel mogelijk regels voor bedrijven afschaffen.
www.groene.nl
January 31, 2026 at 9:21 AM
In de week dat ASML een winst van 10 miljard bekendmaakt en ING een winst van 6 miljard haalt het nieuwe kabinet de miljarden bij… de mensen.
Column! Vandaag zonder betaalmuur www.groene.nl/artikel/opto...
Column! Vandaag zonder betaalmuur www.groene.nl/artikel/opto...
Reposted by Elmar Kal
“For more than a century, scientific journals have been the pipes through which knowledge of the natural world flows into our culture. Now they’re being clogged with AI slop”
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
Science Is Drowning in AI Slop
Peer review has met its match.
www.theatlantic.com
January 31, 2026 at 8:35 AM
“For more than a century, scientific journals have been the pipes through which knowledge of the natural world flows into our culture. Now they’re being clogged with AI slop”
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
Reposted by Elmar Kal
I think I might take one of these "under 20 minutes" AI skills courses the UK Govt. seems very keen on everyone doing and live-post it here... Maybe we can all learn something together! The press release sends me to aiskillshub.org.uk/aiskillsboost/ - let's go and see!
AI Skills Boost - AI Skills Hub
aiskillshub.org.uk
January 28, 2026 at 12:07 PM
I think I might take one of these "under 20 minutes" AI skills courses the UK Govt. seems very keen on everyone doing and live-post it here... Maybe we can all learn something together! The press release sends me to aiskillshub.org.uk/aiskillsboost/ - let's go and see!
Reposted by Elmar Kal
Comparing registrations to published papers is essential to research integrity - and almost no one does it routinely because it's slow, messy, and time-demanding.
RegCheck was built to help make this process easier.
Today, we launch RegCheck V2.
🧵
regcheck.app
RegCheck was built to help make this process easier.
Today, we launch RegCheck V2.
🧵
regcheck.app
RegCheck
RegCheck is an AI tool to compare preregistrations with papers instantly.
regcheck.app
January 22, 2026 at 11:05 AM
Comparing registrations to published papers is essential to research integrity - and almost no one does it routinely because it's slow, messy, and time-demanding.
RegCheck was built to help make this process easier.
Today, we launch RegCheck V2.
🧵
regcheck.app
RegCheck was built to help make this process easier.
Today, we launch RegCheck V2.
🧵
regcheck.app
Reposted by Elmar Kal
The national security assessment on biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse was supposed to have been published in October 2025. It wasn’t. “ Apparently there were two reasons: because its conclusions were “too negative”, and because it would draw attention to the government’s failure to act.”
Please spread this far and wide, as stories don't get much bigger than this. When the government blocks even the intelligence services from telling us we're heading for environmental catastrophe, you know we have a problem. A very big problem.
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The UK government didn't want you to see this report on ecosystem collapse. I'm not surprised | George Monbiot
It took an FOI request to bring this national security assessment to light. For ‘doomsayers’ like us, it is the ultimate vindication, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
January 28, 2026 at 9:57 AM
The national security assessment on biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse was supposed to have been published in October 2025. It wasn’t. “ Apparently there were two reasons: because its conclusions were “too negative”, and because it would draw attention to the government’s failure to act.”
Reposted by Elmar Kal
Reposted by Elmar Kal
Worth remembering when looking at the horrific scenes in the US right now that both Reform and the Tories have pledged to bring in ICE-style organisations to the UK if they win power
January 24, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Worth remembering when looking at the horrific scenes in the US right now that both Reform and the Tories have pledged to bring in ICE-style organisations to the UK if they win power
Reposted by Elmar Kal
New real-world field study *inoculating* against misinformation in live social media scroll feeds out in Harvard Misinfo Review @misinforeview.bsky.social
We targeted +375k users with a short ad on Insta using a novel quasi-experimental method (1/3)
misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/preb...
We targeted +375k users with a short ad on Insta using a novel quasi-experimental method (1/3)
misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/preb...
January 23, 2026 at 12:12 PM
New real-world field study *inoculating* against misinformation in live social media scroll feeds out in Harvard Misinfo Review @misinforeview.bsky.social
We targeted +375k users with a short ad on Insta using a novel quasi-experimental method (1/3)
misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/preb...
We targeted +375k users with a short ad on Insta using a novel quasi-experimental method (1/3)
misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/preb...
Reposted by Elmar Kal
CAIL = prerequisite knowledge for a critical perspective, such as to tell apart nonsense hype from true theoretical computer scientific claims. For example, the idea that human-like systems are a sensible or possible goal is the result of circular reasoning and anthropomorphism. olivia.science/ai
🧵
🧵
October 23, 2025 at 12:03 PM
CAIL = prerequisite knowledge for a critical perspective, such as to tell apart nonsense hype from true theoretical computer scientific claims. For example, the idea that human-like systems are a sensible or possible goal is the result of circular reasoning and anthropomorphism. olivia.science/ai
🧵
🧵
Reposted by Elmar Kal
Excellent new blog post from our 2025 Emerging Scientist Award winner, Dr Benjamin Filtjens, who describes his award-winning programme of research on enhancing the use of artificial intelligence in clinical gait analysis.
ispgr.org/using-artifi...
ispgr.org/using-artifi...
Using Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Clinical Gait Assessment in Parkinson’s Disease: Insights from ISPGR’s 2025 Emerging Scientist - ISPGR
ispgr.org
January 19, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Excellent new blog post from our 2025 Emerging Scientist Award winner, Dr Benjamin Filtjens, who describes his award-winning programme of research on enhancing the use of artificial intelligence in clinical gait analysis.
ispgr.org/using-artifi...
ispgr.org/using-artifi...
Reposted by Elmar Kal
"Those 18-year-olds – the first guinea pigs, the class who matriculated in 2012 – are now turning 31. And belatedly, the impact of the loans they were assured were a rock-solid investment in their futures is becoming apparent."
Some thoughts on student loans
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
Some thoughts on student loans
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
Britain's youth are living in Nick Clegg's shadow
All except the richest graduates since 2012 face a bespoke additional tax. No wonder they're radicalised
www.newstatesman.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:08 AM
"Those 18-year-olds – the first guinea pigs, the class who matriculated in 2012 – are now turning 31. And belatedly, the impact of the loans they were assured were a rock-solid investment in their futures is becoming apparent."
Some thoughts on student loans
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
Some thoughts on student loans
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
Reposted by Elmar Kal
Good website to find European alternatives: www.goeuropean.org
Go European — Discover European products and services
Go European is a community-driven directory bringing you European products and services from across the continent.
www.goeuropean.org
January 18, 2026 at 10:16 AM
Good website to find European alternatives: www.goeuropean.org
Reposted by Elmar Kal
Op www.bitsoffreedom.nl/campagnes/st... staat een heel draaiboek hoe je van de Big Tech afkan. @jorisluyendijk.bsky.social
Tijd voor actie:
stap af van Big Tech!
Bits of Freedom komt op voor internetvrijheid door de online grondrechten op communicatievrijheid en privacy te beschermen.
www.bitsoffreedom.nl
January 12, 2026 at 10:10 PM
Op www.bitsoffreedom.nl/campagnes/st... staat een heel draaiboek hoe je van de Big Tech afkan. @jorisluyendijk.bsky.social
Reposted by Elmar Kal
There's much talk these days about what's required for "real" intelligence, such as world models and the like. One thing we know about the human evolution of it: it required/requires emotion. That may have been better appreciated in 1938 than today.
archive.org/details/in.e...
archive.org/details/in.e...
January 11, 2026 at 7:51 AM
There's much talk these days about what's required for "real" intelligence, such as world models and the like. One thing we know about the human evolution of it: it required/requires emotion. That may have been better appreciated in 1938 than today.
archive.org/details/in.e...
archive.org/details/in.e...