Arete Roper
@areteroper.bsky.social
Dutch, love ( my 5) cats, English, books, science and crochet.
Pinned
Arete Roper
@areteroper.bsky.social
· Nov 21
"Wisdom is better than wit, and in the long run certainly has the laugh on her side"
Jane Austen
Jane Austen
How I'm walking out of 2025
December 27, 2025 at 4:32 PM
How I'm walking out of 2025
Reposted by Arete Roper
🧵Teaching Students NOT to use AI
So...I've tried to explain to my students why they aren't allowed to use genAI in MY class (even though the university seems to be encouraging them to)
I've written this document to try to explain WHY it's a bad idea rather than just forbidden fruit.
#AI
#genAI
So...I've tried to explain to my students why they aren't allowed to use genAI in MY class (even though the university seems to be encouraging them to)
I've written this document to try to explain WHY it's a bad idea rather than just forbidden fruit.
#AI
#genAI
December 12, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Reposted by Arete Roper
Angels climbing the stairway to Heaven on the West front of Bath Abbey in Somerset, England, circa 1521.
December 26, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Angels climbing the stairway to Heaven on the West front of Bath Abbey in Somerset, England, circa 1521.
Reposted by Arete Roper
Reposted by Arete Roper
It’s been a year since I started my band, 1023 megabytes. Still not one gig.
December 27, 2025 at 11:01 AM
It’s been a year since I started my band, 1023 megabytes. Still not one gig.
Reposted by Arete Roper
John is tongue in cheek, but there's a statistic in Laura Bates new book that 90% of deep fakes made are of women, and if you don't process the implications of that and come out demanding regulation I'm not sure you're reachable.
Amateurs. I'm going round the care home with some pre-drafted wills and AI showing me as their grandson.
The comments on this are all about how sweet it is and I feel insane. Using AI to make fake memories of your grandma with dementia and telling her they happened and then filming her reaction
December 26, 2025 at 10:52 AM
John is tongue in cheek, but there's a statistic in Laura Bates new book that 90% of deep fakes made are of women, and if you don't process the implications of that and come out demanding regulation I'm not sure you're reachable.
Reposted by Arete Roper
'I've found a sword – and there's a hand on the end of it.' 🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Kislingbury metal detectorist looks back at decades of finds
Dave Derby began detecting in 1964 and his finds include a Saxon warrior and a Roman villa.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 27, 2025 at 11:27 AM
'I've found a sword – and there's a hand on the end of it.' 🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Arete Roper
85. It's me and @tprstly.com talking about Space Junk, Women in Tech, Indigenous Cultures!
🧪 🔭 #WomenInSTEM #TabClosed2026
🧪 🔭 #WomenInSTEM #TabClosed2026
Dr Alice Gorman: Space Junk, Women in Tech, Indigenous Cultures | Days of Futures Passed Ep007
YouTube video by Days Of Futures Passed
www.youtube.com
December 27, 2025 at 11:11 AM
85. It's me and @tprstly.com talking about Space Junk, Women in Tech, Indigenous Cultures!
🧪 🔭 #WomenInSTEM #TabClosed2026
🧪 🔭 #WomenInSTEM #TabClosed2026
Reposted by Arete Roper
You don't know what day it is.
You're eating countless meals a day with lots of snacks in between.
You're napping throughout they day.
Either it's the time between Christmas and New Year or you're a cat.
You're eating countless meals a day with lots of snacks in between.
You're napping throughout they day.
Either it's the time between Christmas and New Year or you're a cat.
December 27, 2025 at 9:55 AM
You don't know what day it is.
You're eating countless meals a day with lots of snacks in between.
You're napping throughout they day.
Either it's the time between Christmas and New Year or you're a cat.
You're eating countless meals a day with lots of snacks in between.
You're napping throughout they day.
Either it's the time between Christmas and New Year or you're a cat.
Reposted by Arete Roper
“On the Third Day of Christmas… ce sont les trois poules Françaises” says Snowman. The Three Wise Hen bring gifts of ail, camembert and pain (echoing the coming gifts at Epiphany of gold, frankincense and beurre).
#TheTwelveDaysOfChristmas ⛄️🎄
#TheTwelveDaysOfChristmas ⛄️🎄
December 27, 2025 at 8:59 AM
“On the Third Day of Christmas… ce sont les trois poules Françaises” says Snowman. The Three Wise Hen bring gifts of ail, camembert and pain (echoing the coming gifts at Epiphany of gold, frankincense and beurre).
#TheTwelveDaysOfChristmas ⛄️🎄
#TheTwelveDaysOfChristmas ⛄️🎄
Reposted by Arete Roper
If you don’t get them all (I didn’t) there’s an explanation on the website and more examples in the replies…
![Comic. [Banner: Mathematical Society: 2025 Meeting.] PERSON 1 with bun: Any other new developments from the year to cover before we wrap? PERSON 2: Oh, the teens picked a new funny number. PERSON 3 with short hair: Aww, I’m glad to hear they’re still doing that. PERSON 4 with ponytail: I’ll add it to the list. [List: 23 (skidoo!; 42; 69; 420; 1,337; 58,008; [circled]: 67]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreig43e2u4zzpifhq6fbf2iwplmva2lt5rokfg5uws5dysbe55up6wa@jpeg)
December 27, 2025 at 10:27 AM
If you don’t get them all (I didn’t) there’s an explanation on the website and more examples in the replies…
Reposted by Arete Roper
The map's form: dents
It shows: archaeology
Its purpose: to record disaster
It shows: archaeology
Its purpose: to record disaster
December 27, 2025 at 8:58 AM
The map's form: dents
It shows: archaeology
Its purpose: to record disaster
It shows: archaeology
Its purpose: to record disaster
Reposted by Arete Roper
🧵Have you ever heard of LLM-authored books being used as part of an disinformation operation?
Well now you have!
#AI #Disinformation
open.substack.com/pub/marcowen...
Well now you have!
#AI #Disinformation
open.substack.com/pub/marcowen...
December 24, 2025 at 10:21 AM
🧵Have you ever heard of LLM-authored books being used as part of an disinformation operation?
Well now you have!
#AI #Disinformation
open.substack.com/pub/marcowen...
Well now you have!
#AI #Disinformation
open.substack.com/pub/marcowen...
Reposted by Arete Roper
One of the joys of this time of year is the later mornings, sitting at my desk or driving to work and watching the sunrise.
Seeing light reclaim what was lost in the night. The healing, restorative power of the new day (and coffee!)
#poetry
#poemoftheday
Seeing light reclaim what was lost in the night. The healing, restorative power of the new day (and coffee!)
#poetry
#poemoftheday
December 27, 2025 at 8:35 AM
One of the joys of this time of year is the later mornings, sitting at my desk or driving to work and watching the sunrise.
Seeing light reclaim what was lost in the night. The healing, restorative power of the new day (and coffee!)
#poetry
#poemoftheday
Seeing light reclaim what was lost in the night. The healing, restorative power of the new day (and coffee!)
#poetry
#poemoftheday
Reposted by Arete Roper
It’s the 32nd anniversary today of one of the greatest chase sequences in the whole history of the motion picture, which means it’s also the anniversary of the single greatest sound effect 🧵👇
Well, it’s the day after Wallace and Gromit rode again – and it’s the 31st anniversary of the first appearance of the greatest sound effect in the history of the motion picture, so here’s the story of how (I found out how) they made it...
December 26, 2025 at 6:36 PM
It’s the 32nd anniversary today of one of the greatest chase sequences in the whole history of the motion picture, which means it’s also the anniversary of the single greatest sound effect 🧵👇
Reposted by Arete Roper
Nobody tell Loeb.
Astronomers made a truly mind-boggling discovery using the JWST:
A runaway super-massive black hole, rocketing through space at a staggering 1,000 km/s, leaving a 200,000 light-year-long tail in its wake in which gas is accumulating and triggering star formation.
🧪
www.space.com/astronomy/bl...
A runaway super-massive black hole, rocketing through space at a staggering 1,000 km/s, leaving a 200,000 light-year-long tail in its wake in which gas is accumulating and triggering star formation.
🧪
www.space.com/astronomy/bl...
James Webb Space Telescope confirms 1st 'runaway' supermassive black hole rocketing through home galaxy at 2.2 million mph: 'It boggles the mind!'
"The forces that are needed to dislodge such a massive black hole from its home are enormous."
www.space.com
December 27, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Nobody tell Loeb.
Reposted by Arete Roper
I summarise:
In June, DOGE cancelled a $4,192,431 premium subscription for Adobe Acrobat, forcing the FBI to save the latest batch of redacted #Epstein files in the basic version. So now they can all be copy pasted into a Memo app & then read without redactions.
This time is too stupid for me.
In June, DOGE cancelled a $4,192,431 premium subscription for Adobe Acrobat, forcing the FBI to save the latest batch of redacted #Epstein files in the basic version. So now they can all be copy pasted into a Memo app & then read without redactions.
This time is too stupid for me.
December 27, 2025 at 6:02 AM
I summarise:
In June, DOGE cancelled a $4,192,431 premium subscription for Adobe Acrobat, forcing the FBI to save the latest batch of redacted #Epstein files in the basic version. So now they can all be copy pasted into a Memo app & then read without redactions.
This time is too stupid for me.
In June, DOGE cancelled a $4,192,431 premium subscription for Adobe Acrobat, forcing the FBI to save the latest batch of redacted #Epstein files in the basic version. So now they can all be copy pasted into a Memo app & then read without redactions.
This time is too stupid for me.
Reposted by Arete Roper
99% of what you need to understand about the relentless murder of our living planet, in one word:
CAPITALISM
CAPITALISM
December 27, 2025 at 7:55 AM
99% of what you need to understand about the relentless murder of our living planet, in one word:
CAPITALISM
CAPITALISM
Reposted by Arete Roper
What gave you courage in 2025?
December 27, 2025 at 6:32 AM
What gave you courage in 2025?
Reposted by Arete Roper
Tired of raising children in a country where raping children is not disqualifying for being President of the United States.
But being a woman is.
But being a woman is.
December 27, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Tired of raising children in a country where raping children is not disqualifying for being President of the United States.
But being a woman is.
But being a woman is.
Reposted by Arete Roper
Talking to one of these types at a con who asked how I 'got in' with so many 'famous writers' who I'd been talking to and I said "we made friends before anyone knew who we were decades ago by striking up interesting conversations and enjoying each other's company" and he kept re-asking the question.
They have come to the convention hoping to "break in" and then find themselves -- shocker! -- a "nobody in the book world." Yeah no shit! We all are! I have gently told guys like this a million times that it takes most of us *years* of hard work but they do not believe that could be true for them. +
December 26, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Talking to one of these types at a con who asked how I 'got in' with so many 'famous writers' who I'd been talking to and I said "we made friends before anyone knew who we were decades ago by striking up interesting conversations and enjoying each other's company" and he kept re-asking the question.
Reposted by Arete Roper
This is one of my fave social media posts ever.
Just an archival studies scholar here, but my family has a spoon saved from the 1779 burning of Fairfield CT and a trunk carried by wagon along the Oregon Trail and filled with dresses my mom let me wear in a high school production of Oklahoma
Just an archival studies scholar here, but my family has a spoon saved from the 1779 burning of Fairfield CT and a trunk carried by wagon along the Oregon Trail and filled with dresses my mom let me wear in a high school production of Oklahoma
Archivists/librarians please share the coolest thing in your collections that will never be digitized.
I live in the heart of California gold country. One of the richest mines ever in CA is nearby. Opened circa 1860 closed 1942. A local foundation has preserved the records on site. I know not a stitch has been digitized and am confident no more than 2 pro historians have ever been in there.
December 27, 2025 at 4:56 AM
This is one of my fave social media posts ever.
Just an archival studies scholar here, but my family has a spoon saved from the 1779 burning of Fairfield CT and a trunk carried by wagon along the Oregon Trail and filled with dresses my mom let me wear in a high school production of Oklahoma
Just an archival studies scholar here, but my family has a spoon saved from the 1779 burning of Fairfield CT and a trunk carried by wagon along the Oregon Trail and filled with dresses my mom let me wear in a high school production of Oklahoma
Reposted by Arete Roper
merry christmas, my gf got us a print sub to @theonion.com and gave it to me like this
December 25, 2025 at 6:35 PM
merry christmas, my gf got us a print sub to @theonion.com and gave it to me like this
Reposted by Arete Roper
we’ve been over this
we just did this in Massachusetts
they’re not gonna leave, they’ll whine and bitch and moan and eventually this will raise more money than expected because nowhere they go is actually like the place they’re leaving
we just did this in Massachusetts
they’re not gonna leave, they’ll whine and bitch and moan and eventually this will raise more money than expected because nowhere they go is actually like the place they’re leaving
Billionaires are considering cutting or reducing their ties to California by the end of the year because of a proposed ballot measure that could tax the state’s wealthiest residents.
A Wealth Tax Floated in California Has Billionaires Thinking of Leaving
It’s uncertain whether the proposal will reach the statewide ballot in November, but some billionaires like Peter Thiel and Larry Page may be unwilling to take the risk.
nyti.ms
December 27, 2025 at 12:49 AM
we’ve been over this
we just did this in Massachusetts
they’re not gonna leave, they’ll whine and bitch and moan and eventually this will raise more money than expected because nowhere they go is actually like the place they’re leaving
we just did this in Massachusetts
they’re not gonna leave, they’ll whine and bitch and moan and eventually this will raise more money than expected because nowhere they go is actually like the place they’re leaving