Nicholas Jackson
@njj4.bsky.social
mathematician, depressive, agnostic, European, SF fan, ancestor. (he/him/his).
Assistant Professor in Maths and Economics at the University of Warwick.
Mastodon: @njj4@mathstodon.xyz
Instagram: dr.nicholas.jackson
Assistant Professor in Maths and Economics at the University of Warwick.
Mastodon: @njj4@mathstodon.xyz
Instagram: dr.nicholas.jackson
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
i can’t think about deer anymore without thinking of this tweet
February 7, 2026 at 4:27 AM
i can’t think about deer anymore without thinking of this tweet
Name a videogame you've put 500 hours into.
I can't say for definite, but I did spend rather a lot of time in the 1980s and 1990s playing Elite.
I can't say for definite, but I did spend rather a lot of time in the 1980s and 1990s playing Elite.
February 14, 2026 at 11:10 AM
Name a videogame you've put 500 hours into.
I can't say for definite, but I did spend rather a lot of time in the 1980s and 1990s playing Elite.
I can't say for definite, but I did spend rather a lot of time in the 1980s and 1990s playing Elite.
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
Red Bull gives you Wings. And Lucozade gives you The Plastic Ono Band.
February 14, 2026 at 10:20 AM
Red Bull gives you Wings. And Lucozade gives you The Plastic Ono Band.
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
You may laugh, but the Macbeths are a much better role model for a marriage than Romeo and Juliet. They discuss their problems (killing the king of Scotland), share their hobbies (killing the king of Scotland), and resolve their conflicts (by killing the king of Scotland).
February 13, 2026 at 5:09 PM
You may laugh, but the Macbeths are a much better role model for a marriage than Romeo and Juliet. They discuss their problems (killing the king of Scotland), share their hobbies (killing the king of Scotland), and resolve their conflicts (by killing the king of Scotland).
Last week I took my daughter (12) along to a Saturday morning maths outreach workshop I was running for year 9 school pupils. It's basically the same. Except with more mathematical puzzles and games, and fewer missiles, I guess.
"She was shown inspecting North Korea's latest intercontinental ballistic missile while holding her father's hand" THIRTEEN
February 12, 2026 at 12:43 PM
Last week I took my daughter (12) along to a Saturday morning maths outreach workshop I was running for year 9 school pupils. It's basically the same. Except with more mathematical puzzles and games, and fewer missiles, I guess.
DH Lawrence, novelist and poet
Captain Albert Ball VC, WW1 flying ace
Fr Henry Garnet, Jesuit priest executed for complicity in the Gunpowder Plot
Captain Albert Ball VC, WW1 flying ace
Fr Henry Garnet, Jesuit priest executed for complicity in the Gunpowder Plot
Who's the most famous alum of your high school?
I'll go first: David Draiman of Disturbed
I'll go first: David Draiman of Disturbed
guys i just found out i went to the same high school as howard lutnick. please respect my privacy at this time.
February 12, 2026 at 6:44 AM
DH Lawrence, novelist and poet
Captain Albert Ball VC, WW1 flying ace
Fr Henry Garnet, Jesuit priest executed for complicity in the Gunpowder Plot
Captain Albert Ball VC, WW1 flying ace
Fr Henry Garnet, Jesuit priest executed for complicity in the Gunpowder Plot
Yesterday I used matrix diagonalisation to solve a system of first-order linear difference equations. Should it be allowed to vote?
Researchers working with the A.I. system Claude have come to understand that the model’s selfhood, like our own, is a matter of both neurons and narratives. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/kEX1vV
February 11, 2026 at 9:49 AM
Yesterday I used matrix diagonalisation to solve a system of first-order linear difference equations. Should it be allowed to vote?
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
I drew a face on a paper plate. Who could even begin to understand how it perceives the world or what it dreams of?
Researchers working with the A.I. system Claude have come to understand that the model’s selfhood, like our own, is a matter of both neurons and narratives. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/kEX1vV
February 11, 2026 at 4:39 AM
I drew a face on a paper plate. Who could even begin to understand how it perceives the world or what it dreams of?
Orange album cover
February 10, 2026 at 9:09 PM
Orange album cover
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
This thread did not go where I thought it would, and is well worth a read.
Mornington Crescent: a rant.
Or: how a goofy word game about train stations is the key to how devout causes can ruin people's ability to have a conversation.
Stand clear of the closing doors, let's begin.
1/18
Or: how a goofy word game about train stations is the key to how devout causes can ruin people's ability to have a conversation.
Stand clear of the closing doors, let's begin.
1/18
February 9, 2026 at 9:09 AM
This thread did not go where I thought it would, and is well worth a read.
I was on precarious, short-term, hourly-paid teaching contracts for 12 years, to the (ongoing) detriment of my mental health, and I can't stress enough how awful and unethical casualisation is. But here are five simple and effectively free things universities could do to improve matters.
New on the CDBU blog: 5 low cost things employers could do to help precarious staff 💰
Words by @hagenilda.bsky.social ✍️
Words by @hagenilda.bsky.social ✍️
Our employers say they care about precarious staff. Here are five low cost things they could do right now to help us – and them - CDBU
cdbu.org.uk
February 8, 2026 at 11:02 AM
I was on precarious, short-term, hourly-paid teaching contracts for 12 years, to the (ongoing) detriment of my mental health, and I can't stress enough how awful and unethical casualisation is. But here are five simple and effectively free things universities could do to improve matters.
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
I wrote a piece for the CDBU blog with some low or no cost things our employers could do right now if they care about precarious staff as much as they say they do.
New on the CDBU blog: 5 low cost things employers could do to help precarious staff 💰
Words by @hagenilda.bsky.social ✍️
Words by @hagenilda.bsky.social ✍️
Our employers say they care about precarious staff. Here are five low cost things they could do right now to help us – and them - CDBU
cdbu.org.uk
February 7, 2026 at 4:21 PM
I wrote a piece for the CDBU blog with some low or no cost things our employers could do right now if they care about precarious staff as much as they say they do.
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
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 Nicholas Jackson
Context: this speech is from SIR THOMAS MORE, a history written, as near as scholars can tell, in the early 1600s by 6 or 7 people including Dekker, Heywood, Chettle, Shakespeare, and Munday.
It was never performed, because Jacobean England was a police state and it was banned by the censor.
It was never performed, because Jacobean England was a police state and it was banned by the censor.
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Context: this speech is from SIR THOMAS MORE, a history written, as near as scholars can tell, in the early 1600s by 6 or 7 people including Dekker, Heywood, Chettle, Shakespeare, and Munday.
It was never performed, because Jacobean England was a police state and it was banned by the censor.
It was never performed, because Jacobean England was a police state and it was banned by the censor.
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
Stuart Dunkel (American Artist, born 1952)
"Hero", 2020.
Oil on Panel, 4 × 5 inches.
Private Collection.
#art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt
"Hero", 2020.
Oil on Panel, 4 × 5 inches.
Private Collection.
#art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt
February 5, 2026 at 10:26 AM
Stuart Dunkel (American Artist, born 1952)
"Hero", 2020.
Oil on Panel, 4 × 5 inches.
Private Collection.
#art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt
"Hero", 2020.
Oil on Panel, 4 × 5 inches.
Private Collection.
#art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
We don't usually do requests, but this title was suggested and was just too good not to do
February 4, 2026 at 5:09 PM
We don't usually do requests, but this title was suggested and was just too good not to do
Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict / Pink Floyd (1969)
youtu.be/cYfxdFZkM5Y
youtu.be/cYfxdFZkM5Y
February 4, 2026 at 10:51 AM
Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict / Pink Floyd (1969)
youtu.be/cYfxdFZkM5Y
youtu.be/cYfxdFZkM5Y
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
What's that you say!
It was all just fear pushing by bad faith groups and that trans women pose no threat to cisgender women.
www.independent.co.uk/news/science...
It was all just fear pushing by bad faith groups and that trans women pose no threat to cisgender women.
www.independent.co.uk/news/science...
Trans athletes may not have fitness advantage in women’s sport, landmark study finds
Findings suggest physical performance in trans women converges toward that of cis women over time
www.independent.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 8:44 AM
What's that you say!
It was all just fear pushing by bad faith groups and that trans women pose no threat to cisgender women.
www.independent.co.uk/news/science...
It was all just fear pushing by bad faith groups and that trans women pose no threat to cisgender women.
www.independent.co.uk/news/science...
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
In April 1976, in a café at Cambridge railway station, Douglas Adams bought some biscuits. We know this because he told the story so many times that it somehow opened up a wormhole in the space-time continuum, travelling both forwards and backwards and, intriguingly, sideways in time. (1/some...)
January 31, 2026 at 8:55 PM
In April 1976, in a café at Cambridge railway station, Douglas Adams bought some biscuits. We know this because he told the story so many times that it somehow opened up a wormhole in the space-time continuum, travelling both forwards and backwards and, intriguingly, sideways in time. (1/some...)
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
You can test new tech ideas using the Seinfeld Test
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
January 31, 2026 at 6:57 AM
You can test new tech ideas using the Seinfeld Test
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
BATMAN'S FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF
• denial
• anger
• bargaining
• dressing up as a bat with your underwear on the outside to fight crime
• acceptance
• denial
• anger
• bargaining
• dressing up as a bat with your underwear on the outside to fight crime
• acceptance
May 11, 2023 at 5:06 PM
BATMAN'S FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF
• denial
• anger
• bargaining
• dressing up as a bat with your underwear on the outside to fight crime
• acceptance
• denial
• anger
• bargaining
• dressing up as a bat with your underwear on the outside to fight crime
• acceptance
The current vibe is no sun, no moon, no morn, no noon, no dawn, no dusk, no proper time of day, no healthful ease, no comfortable feel in any member, no shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, no fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, November!
-- Thomas Hood (1799-1845)
-- Thomas Hood (1799-1845)
January 29, 2026 at 11:49 AM
The current vibe is no sun, no moon, no morn, no noon, no dawn, no dusk, no proper time of day, no healthful ease, no comfortable feel in any member, no shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, no fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, November!
-- Thomas Hood (1799-1845)
-- Thomas Hood (1799-1845)
The current vibe is no income tax, no VAT, no money back, no guarantee.
January 29, 2026 at 10:54 AM
The current vibe is no income tax, no VAT, no money back, no guarantee.
Some years ago I worked part-time as a production editor for a maths research journal for which my PhD supervisor was one of the managing editors. There was a guy in Italy who kept sending us "articles". We'd get one every few weeks, and they were always complete nonsense.
We’re getting so many journal submissions from people who think ‘it kinda works’ is the standard to aim for.
1. The thing about science that these jokers don't understand is that science cannot be vibe-coded.
Whatever its flaws, the point with vibe coding is that you're trying to quickly make something that sorta works, where you can immediately sorta see if it sorta works and then sorta use it.
Whatever its flaws, the point with vibe coding is that you're trying to quickly make something that sorta works, where you can immediately sorta see if it sorta works and then sorta use it.
January 28, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Some years ago I worked part-time as a production editor for a maths research journal for which my PhD supervisor was one of the managing editors. There was a guy in Italy who kept sending us "articles". We'd get one every few weeks, and they were always complete nonsense.
Reposted by Nicholas Jackson
Carry On Zardoz
January 27, 2026 at 1:18 AM
Carry On Zardoz