S.M. Pritchard
@smpritchard.bsky.social
Physics BSc. | Hard SF Writer/Worldbuilder | Space Artist | Amateur (hopefully one day professional) Astronomer | They/Them | Opinions my own
It's been so cloudy this month, I've not been able to get the scope out since January.
February 11, 2026 at 10:41 PM
It's been so cloudy this month, I've not been able to get the scope out since January.
Reposted by S.M. Pritchard
Guess who is once again displaying their ability to hyperfocus on being a hater?
It's me, I spent all evening writing my own compilation of all the reasons I think AI sucks so I can post it under genAI-made FB posts.
Work-in-progress, suggestions welcome!
www.skwinnicki.com/single-post/...
It's me, I spent all evening writing my own compilation of all the reasons I think AI sucks so I can post it under genAI-made FB posts.
Work-in-progress, suggestions welcome!
www.skwinnicki.com/single-post/...
February 5, 2026 at 3:32 AM
Guess who is once again displaying their ability to hyperfocus on being a hater?
It's me, I spent all evening writing my own compilation of all the reasons I think AI sucks so I can post it under genAI-made FB posts.
Work-in-progress, suggestions welcome!
www.skwinnicki.com/single-post/...
It's me, I spent all evening writing my own compilation of all the reasons I think AI sucks so I can post it under genAI-made FB posts.
Work-in-progress, suggestions welcome!
www.skwinnicki.com/single-post/...
Exactly.
Once again: if these LLMs could actually do all the things their owners claim, they wouldn’t be selling access. They would be building and selling all the things they claim their software can do.
February 5, 2026 at 1:08 AM
Exactly.
The CIA World Factbook has been taken down without warning or explanation.
Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell - CIA
www.cia.gov
February 4, 2026 at 10:40 PM
The CIA World Factbook has been taken down without warning or explanation.
This. A basic part of research is lit review. You have to search out and actually *read* the work that has been done already before you can actually do research. I think some people see citations as a kind of marker of "correctness", like the longer the references section is the more "right" it is.
What is the point of these LaTeX editors with a chatbot built in. To help search for references? If you aren't familiar with a reference, you shouldn't be citing it (if it even exists). And if you haven't thought carefully about how it relates to what you're doing, IT IS NOT REALLY A CITATION. 🧪
January 31, 2026 at 7:16 PM
This. A basic part of research is lit review. You have to search out and actually *read* the work that has been done already before you can actually do research. I think some people see citations as a kind of marker of "correctness", like the longer the references section is the more "right" it is.
As a treat, here's a different kind of transit. This is the eclipsing binary IW UMa, with what I think is the primary eclipse just at the start of the lightcurve. Going at it again tonight to see if I can maybe catch the secondary eclipse or not.
☄️🧪🔭
☄️🧪🔭
January 31, 2026 at 3:32 AM
As a treat, here's a different kind of transit. This is the eclipsing binary IW UMa, with what I think is the primary eclipse just at the start of the lightcurve. Going at it again tonight to see if I can maybe catch the secondary eclipse or not.
☄️🧪🔭
☄️🧪🔭
Tell me five classes you took in college:
-Fundamentals of Astronomy
-Introduction to Astrophysics (we did a fun mock TESS grant proposal and had an in-class journal club)
-Unifying Concepts in Physics (fun discussion-based "capstone" class)
-Cosmology
-Independent study on Martian geology
-Fundamentals of Astronomy
-Introduction to Astrophysics (we did a fun mock TESS grant proposal and had an in-class journal club)
-Unifying Concepts in Physics (fun discussion-based "capstone" class)
-Cosmology
-Independent study on Martian geology
Tell me five classes you took in college:
Music Theory
American Studies
History of Consciousness/STSS
Quantum Physics
Cosmology
Music Theory
American Studies
History of Consciousness/STSS
Quantum Physics
Cosmology
tell me five classes you took in college
shakespeare in the 20th century
international relations theory
the making of the american national myth
biochemistry + molecular modeling lab
wines
shakespeare in the 20th century
international relations theory
the making of the american national myth
biochemistry + molecular modeling lab
wines
January 31, 2026 at 2:31 AM
Tell me five classes you took in college:
-Fundamentals of Astronomy
-Introduction to Astrophysics (we did a fun mock TESS grant proposal and had an in-class journal club)
-Unifying Concepts in Physics (fun discussion-based "capstone" class)
-Cosmology
-Independent study on Martian geology
-Fundamentals of Astronomy
-Introduction to Astrophysics (we did a fun mock TESS grant proposal and had an in-class journal club)
-Unifying Concepts in Physics (fun discussion-based "capstone" class)
-Cosmology
-Independent study on Martian geology
I've always loved Alec's channel, and this is perhaps his magnum opus. It's a long watch, but very worth it. And even if you can't spend the hour-and-a-half to sit through the whole thing, I encourage you to at least watch the last 15 minutes.
January 31, 2026 at 2:01 AM
I've always loved Alec's channel, and this is perhaps his magnum opus. It's a long watch, but very worth it. And even if you can't spend the hour-and-a-half to sit through the whole thing, I encourage you to at least watch the last 15 minutes.
How anxious should I be that I've not heard back from any of the astro grad programs I applied to yet
January 29, 2026 at 1:33 AM
How anxious should I be that I've not heard back from any of the astro grad programs I applied to yet
Reposted by S.M. Pritchard
Beast Breaker meant the world to us~ and now Vodeo Games' first release is coming to Steam!
Enjoy our brick-breaking adventure to take down tyrants with your diverse family (both related & found). Relevant today, relevant always.
Check out our announcement & wishlist Beast Breaker on Steam ❤️
Enjoy our brick-breaking adventure to take down tyrants with your diverse family (both related & found). Relevant today, relevant always.
Check out our announcement & wishlist Beast Breaker on Steam ❤️
Hi friends! I'm happy to announce that our little mouse-bouncing adventure Beast Breaker will finally be playable on Steam!
Everyone thank our friends at @kandofactory.bsky.social for making this possible.
Lots of details about all the new stuff here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWfQ...
Everyone thank our friends at @kandofactory.bsky.social for making this possible.
Lots of details about all the new stuff here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWfQ...
Beast Breaker Steam Announcement - A Message from Vodeo Games
YouTube video by Kando Factory
www.youtube.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:49 PM
Beast Breaker meant the world to us~ and now Vodeo Games' first release is coming to Steam!
Enjoy our brick-breaking adventure to take down tyrants with your diverse family (both related & found). Relevant today, relevant always.
Check out our announcement & wishlist Beast Breaker on Steam ❤️
Enjoy our brick-breaking adventure to take down tyrants with your diverse family (both related & found). Relevant today, relevant always.
Check out our announcement & wishlist Beast Breaker on Steam ❤️
Rest in power, Alex Pretti.
Abolish ICE.
Abolish ICE.
This is Alex Pretti.
This morning he was murdered by ICE. Six ICE agents held him down and shot him at point blank range. Alex was a nurse and researcher at the VA.
Our thoughts are with his loved ones and we stand united in action calling for the abolishment of ICE.
#ScientistsAgainstICE
This morning he was murdered by ICE. Six ICE agents held him down and shot him at point blank range. Alex was a nurse and researcher at the VA.
Our thoughts are with his loved ones and we stand united in action calling for the abolishment of ICE.
#ScientistsAgainstICE
January 24, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Rest in power, Alex Pretti.
Abolish ICE.
Abolish ICE.
Reposted by S.M. Pritchard
I'm tired of watching my government kill people. Covid, George Floyd, Palestine, ICE. I am tired of being ruled by butchers.
January 24, 2026 at 7:18 PM
I'm tired of watching my government kill people. Covid, George Floyd, Palestine, ICE. I am tired of being ruled by butchers.
Reposted by S.M. Pritchard
Once again, immigration is not even a problem. Immigrants are not more criminal, they don't cost jobs, they don't harm the economy. There is no reason for any of this. It is hurting ourselves to hurt them.
January 24, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Once again, immigration is not even a problem. Immigrants are not more criminal, they don't cost jobs, they don't harm the economy. There is no reason for any of this. It is hurting ourselves to hurt them.
The Pentagon has failed all of its audits for almost as long as I've been alive.
As always, the military budget should be cut by 75% and the proceeds used to fund universal healthcare, UBI, public transit, education (including free college), student loan forgiveness, and NSF/NASA/NIH.
As always, the military budget should be cut by 75% and the proceeds used to fund universal healthcare, UBI, public transit, education (including free college), student loan forgiveness, and NSF/NASA/NIH.
70% of House Democrats and 89% of House Republicans just voted to push this year's military budget past $1 trillion.
The Pentagon still hasn't passed a single audit.
www.stephensemler.com/p/house-boos...
The Pentagon still hasn't passed a single audit.
www.stephensemler.com/p/house-boos...
January 23, 2026 at 10:28 PM
The Pentagon has failed all of its audits for almost as long as I've been alive.
As always, the military budget should be cut by 75% and the proceeds used to fund universal healthcare, UBI, public transit, education (including free college), student loan forgiveness, and NSF/NASA/NIH.
As always, the military budget should be cut by 75% and the proceeds used to fund universal healthcare, UBI, public transit, education (including free college), student loan forgiveness, and NSF/NASA/NIH.
Reposted by S.M. Pritchard
Have a nice day!
a man holding a cup with the words " oppression is the mask of fear remember that " below him
Alt: a man holding a cup with the words " oppression is the mask of fear remember that " below him
media.tenor.com
January 22, 2026 at 7:34 AM
Have a nice day!
I reprocessed my transit data for TOI 3822.01 using more comp stars and slightly different aperture settings. I also tweaked the model star parameters and remembered to detrend airmass this time. Now I get the predicted transit depth exactly and a radius of 1.14 R_jup (a 5.78% error vs. 15%)!
🔭🧪☄️
🔭🧪☄️
January 22, 2026 at 7:51 AM
I reprocessed my transit data for TOI 3822.01 using more comp stars and slightly different aperture settings. I also tweaked the model star parameters and remembered to detrend airmass this time. Now I get the predicted transit depth exactly and a radius of 1.14 R_jup (a 5.78% error vs. 15%)!
🔭🧪☄️
🔭🧪☄️
As true now as it was then, if not more so.
In times such as these, I find it grounding to spend some time staring up into the vast cosmic infinity, while the world falls apart around us. It helps me recenter myself for the battles ahead. The stars wheel ever onward, heedless to our plight below. Stop. Refocus. Be the starlight in the dark.
January 22, 2026 at 2:08 AM
As true now as it was then, if not more so.
Lightcurve for the eclipsing binary system XY Leo.
🔭🧪☄️
🔭🧪☄️
January 22, 2026 at 1:52 AM
Lightcurve for the eclipsing binary system XY Leo.
🔭🧪☄️
🔭🧪☄️
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, and post the second sentence.
"Full well saturation is tied to the gain and ADU by [equation] (3.2)."
"Full well saturation is tied to the gain and ADU by [equation] (3.2)."
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, and post the second sentence.
"The elements of group I are all of the rotations of a regular icosahedron (or a regular dodecahedron)."
"The elements of group I are all of the rotations of a regular icosahedron (or a regular dodecahedron)."
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, and post the second sentence.
"Note that we can first determine the parameter vector \mathbf{w}_{\rm ML} governing the mean, and subsequently use this to find the variance \sigma^2_{\rm ML} as was the case for the simple Gaussian distribution."
"Note that we can first determine the parameter vector \mathbf{w}_{\rm ML} governing the mean, and subsequently use this to find the variance \sigma^2_{\rm ML} as was the case for the simple Gaussian distribution."
January 22, 2026 at 12:21 AM
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, and post the second sentence.
"Full well saturation is tied to the gain and ADU by [equation] (3.2)."
"Full well saturation is tied to the gain and ADU by [equation] (3.2)."
Okay this is super super cool. According to this new paper, the enigmatic pillar-like prototaxites (which has for a while been thought to have been some kind of giant fungus) is actually not only *not* a fungus but seems to not be related to any modern branch of life!
Our paper on the mysterious Devonian organism Prototaxites has now finally been published! See the paper here (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...) and our explainer thread below!
Prototaxites reconstruction by Matt Humpage
Prototaxites reconstruction by Matt Humpage
January 21, 2026 at 10:25 PM
Okay this is super super cool. According to this new paper, the enigmatic pillar-like prototaxites (which has for a while been thought to have been some kind of giant fungus) is actually not only *not* a fungus but seems to not be related to any modern branch of life!
If I ever have enough money (lol) to have a house with some land (lmao, even), I'd really love to set up a big 14" SCT with an LHIRES spectroscope and do long-term observations of spectroscopic binaries.
January 21, 2026 at 12:58 AM
If I ever have enough money (lol) to have a house with some land (lmao, even), I'd really love to set up a big 14" SCT with an LHIRES spectroscope and do long-term observations of spectroscopic binaries.
Reposted by S.M. Pritchard
January 18, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Reposted by S.M. Pritchard
I can't trust politicians who are anti-trans. Not because I'm "only searching for perfection" which is what centrists will be accusing me of for the rest of my life, it's because if you're not pro-trans you'll be garbage on lots of other issues too. Being anti-trans NEVER exists in a vacuum.
January 17, 2026 at 9:42 AM
I can't trust politicians who are anti-trans. Not because I'm "only searching for perfection" which is what centrists will be accusing me of for the rest of my life, it's because if you're not pro-trans you'll be garbage on lots of other issues too. Being anti-trans NEVER exists in a vacuum.
The other night I had a little bit of time left over from my transit observation to image the Pinwheel Galaxy. It's only about 45 minutes or so of total exposure time so it's not very detailed but it's surprisingly nice-looking nonetheless. 🔭
January 16, 2026 at 1:03 AM
The other night I had a little bit of time left over from my transit observation to image the Pinwheel Galaxy. It's only about 45 minutes or so of total exposure time so it's not very detailed but it's surprisingly nice-looking nonetheless. 🔭
@jebox.bsky.social Hi Jens. Would the team ever be open to adding blocks from Minecraft Dungeons to vanilla, or do they prefer to add new unique blocks when thinking about updates? I ask because there's a lovely stone pillar texture in MCD I'd love to use in my vanilla builds one day!
January 15, 2026 at 6:11 AM
@jebox.bsky.social Hi Jens. Would the team ever be open to adding blocks from Minecraft Dungeons to vanilla, or do they prefer to add new unique blocks when thinking about updates? I ask because there's a lovely stone pillar texture in MCD I'd love to use in my vanilla builds one day!