Simon Mudd
LightNews LightNews
banner
simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
Simon Mudd
@simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
950 followers 550 following 84 posts
geomorphologist
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Simon Mudd
hughpumphrey.bsky.social
This is a really important read for people who have got excited about "vibe coding" and especially so for academics who think that LLMs solve the problem of how to teach students how to program.
clauswilke.com Claus Wilke @clauswilke.com · 6d
I think I understand how it can be that LLMs are both exceptionally good and quite terrible at programming. It's because there are two entirely different skillsets that we both call "good at programming." LLMs have only one of them.
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/llms-excel...
LLMs excel at programming—how can they be so bad at it?
My explanation for the mystery of why LLMs can be both exceptionally good and quite terrible at programming.
blog.genesmindsmachines.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:55 AM
simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
For the love of God please stop
An image of asinine AI slop questions being relentlessly flogged beneath my search bar.
November 7, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Reposted by Simon Mudd
christownsend.bsky.social
Just back from a few days in the Glen Affric area with @tonyswilderness . Beautiful colours, beautiful light. #glenaffric #scottishhighlands
A walker climbing a path out of a forest with many trees in golden auitumn colours wiuth hills in the distance and a cloudy sky. A Scottish glen with a river winding through it and mountains rising above lit by bright autumn sunlight. A view from a hillside across a loch to distant mountains, all light by a low autumn sun and under a cloud-streaked blue sky. Birch trees with golden autumn leaves in the foreground with green pines behind them then shadowed mountains in the background under a blue sky with white clouds.
October 19, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by Simon Mudd
giswqs.bsky.social
🚀 The OBS Zoom-to-Mouse Bug on Linux… FINALLY Solved! 🎉

👉 Watch the full breakdown and solution here: youtu.be/relTN31l0Zo

Hopefully this helps fellow OBS users and educators who’ve been struggling with the same problem.

#OBSStudio #Linux #OpenSource
September 29, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Reposted by Simon Mudd
moreorloess.bsky.social
Geomorphology in the Brandon Sandhills/Assiniboine River area of Manitoba: Crosscutting past and present meandering channels, gullied slumps on terrace scarps, and great examples of spring sapping (R image is closeup of L). HRDEM from Natural Resources Canada via @opentopography.org. More to follow.
Hillshade image of a stream floodplain with terraces on either side. There are multiple cross-cutting meandering channels on the floodplain. Along the terrace scarps there many irregular "steps" indicating recent slumping, There are also complex features with multiple rounded alcoves eroded into the terrace by spring sapping. A few dunes are visible. A close-up of the left-hand image showing areas of slumping and spring sapping. Small gullies are visible in the alcoves produced by spring sapping.
September 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Reposted by Simon Mudd
spokes.org.uk
#Tram-#Roseburn

From trams team

Hope it clarifies position now + possibilities

@edi.bike @edtiss.bsky.social @wingpig.bsky.social @robbieainsworth.bsky.social @edinreporter.bsky.social @edfoc.bsky.social @unseriously.bsky.social @harryjwilliams.bsky.social @sw20.info @stephenjenkinson.bsky.social
Thanks for your email. Further to your query regarding active travel provision on the Roseburn Path as part the Tram North / South consultation, please note our responses in red: Confirm that Roseburn Bridge path width, and the path to it from the tram stop, will be 3m. The Roseburn Bridge path width and the path to it from the tram stop will be 3m. What will be the width of the path south of the Bridge? and why is it not 3m? If it is below 3m, can this be revisited in the next phase of planning? The width south of the bridge is 2m due to the embankments. However, as part of detailed design should the project progress to Outline Business Case, the possibility of making this wider would be explored. Are cyclists being encouraged (or even forced) to drop down to the A8 crossing rather than continuing on the path over the bridge. There will be nothing to stop cyclists continuing over the bridge and down to Russell Road. However alternatives connecting onto CCWEL at Roseburn Terrace is planned to be provided via Balbirnie Place and a new green space at the old Murrayfield station. Has the possibility of continuing the path over the mainline railway, to give an entire level route been investigated, or will this be done in the next phase? Obviously it would be costly, but probably not in relation to the entire project cost, and would be a fantastic improvement for active travel. This has not been considered as part of this project. We would suggest you include this as part of your response where we ask if there are any further improvements to active travel provision on the Roseburn Path that responders would like to see. I hope this is helpful, Many thanks, Vicki – Future Trams team https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/public-transport/trams-granton-bioquarter-beyond
August 27, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Reposted by Simon Mudd
pattymo.com
This is a masterpiece. Simply excellent
www.instagram.com/reel/DMVGMIC...
August 14, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by Simon Mudd
franklinjamesl.bsky.social
Here's what I get for the same 1966-2024 historical period, using 12-h motions from the best tracks. Erin's estimated 20-kt speed earlier today would rank 12th.
August 13, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Reposted by Simon Mudd
opentopography.org
OpenTopography is excited to announce a major expansion to its international data catalog with the addition of the High Resolution Digital Elevation Model from Natural Resources Canada. This 1-meter resolution dataset is ideal for a wide range of applications.

opentopography.org/news/opentop...
Map showing extent of data coverage, primarily over southern Canada A hillshade colored by elevation of downtown Toronto draped on Google Earth imagery. A three panel figure of a section of the Athabasca River in Alberta. Figure A is the Digital Surface Model which includes buildings, trees and other structures. Figure B is the Digital Terrain Model and is a bare-earth representation of the topography. Figure C is the Canopy Height Model (CHM) which is the difference between the DSM and the DTM.
July 23, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by Simon Mudd
countrysideben.bsky.social
New bus service from Dundee to Aberdeen starting, via Braemar. I really hope this is successful as we get soooo many folk emerge from the Lairig Ghru at Linn o Dee, asking when the buses south are 😉 www.ember.to/news/#new-du...
News
Find out what's new at Ember
www.ember.to
July 21, 2025 at 5:21 PM
simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
The Blatten disaster could have been so much worse.
Anyone know what data the Swiss government is using to inform evacuation orders? Seismics? Radar? Pixel tracking? GPS? @geoluca.bsky.social @subfossilguy.bsky.social @davepetley.bsky.social
May 29, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Reposted by Simon Mudd
geoluca.bsky.social
Helicopter view published by Pomona Media (🔗 below) shows the lake building up by the end of the day. 5 m3/s is a lot of water.
youtu.be/R0YlCNDW2l4?...
May 28, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Reposted by Simon Mudd
subfossilguy.bsky.social
SPEECHLESS BEFORE / AFTER #BLATTEN

The magnitude of destruction after the 3:24 pm collapse of Birch Glacier is immense! 😱

All the forest has been razed and the ice/wood/debris dammed the Lonza river 🌊

Some buildings of Blatten are buried 🏠

📷 Pomona
May 28, 2025 at 3:34 PM
simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
You know you have been in a field a long time when you can tell who wrote the paper just from the colourmap in the figures.
May 6, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Reposted by Simon Mudd
drfionaclubb.bsky.social
Our new paper as part of Anya Towers' PhD research is out in ESPL! We used in situ 14C to trace sediment storage dynamics in the River Feshie, Cairngorms - finding paraglacial terraces are an important sediment source: doi.org/10.1002/esp.... @simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
Denudation rates and Holocene sediment storage dynamics inferred from in situ 14C concentrations in the Feshie basin, Scotland
Inferred catchment-averaged denudation rates in post-glacial landscapes do not always reflect true ‘basin-wide’ denudation rates, and instead represent a mixture of sediment sourced from paraglacial ...
doi.org
March 27, 2025 at 9:43 AM
simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
University management news:
"During the session, committee convener D Ross MSP revealed that the university's recovery plan document sent to trade unions included the number of job losses in its password.
Prof O'Neill replied: "I'm surprised at that, I didn't know that."
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Dundee University insolvency 'a real possibility'
Senior management give evidence over the university's £35m financial deficit to MSPs.
www.bbc.com
March 20, 2025 at 7:29 AM
simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
It is fun when your code spits out something psychedelic
A red and blue bit of abstract art. You can vaguely make out something that looks like a channel network in the blues.
March 14, 2025 at 5:05 PM
simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
We know this will be upsetting to many colleagues, if you are struggling please see our Staff Wellbeing Sharepoint
A screengrab of Kier Starmer with the closed caption "there's a famous slogan in the United Kingdom"
February 28, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Reposted by Simon Mudd
rosscarroll.bsky.social
When I worked in UK academia I recall hearing of a Japanese man who was baffled at how Britain had decided to run its universities like firms. “Why? Your universities are excellent and your firms are terrible.”
chrisbrooke.bsky.social Chris Brooke @chrisbrooke.bsky.social · Feb 25
To repeat: "A country so stupid it actively trashes one of things it's good at and famous for."
gsoh31.bsky.social Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · Feb 25
Today's university slashing and burning is Edinburgh, where about 10% of the budget will be cut. There'll be another case every single day until UK govts actually do something. A country so stupid it actively trashes one of things it's good at and famous for.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
February 25, 2025 at 10:24 PM
simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
Hey British academics! While we await the latest job cut email, lets look at our pension (or those of us in USS). The Financial Times had a nice plot about Local Government Pension Schemes. The worst one (by far) lost 18.3% for a yr to March 2023. Awful!! Lets have a look at the performance of USS 😱
Plot from the Financial Times (https://www.ft.com/content/87c321ab-e5ac-4a1d-a637-c1f7befcc1cb) showing performance of Local Government Pension schemes for the 12 months to March 2023. The worst performing scheme was a closed Environment Agency scheme that lost 18.3% The next worst lost 10%. Image from the USS 2023 annual report (https://www.uss.co.uk/-/media/project/ussmainsite/files/about-us/report-and-accounts/uss-report-and-accounts-2023.pdf?rev=ad96ac2875264986bc7386ce1f82f108&hash=5A67B41B27A7B876F0BF0CF7A853FC0D). In the 12 months to March 31 2023, USS income builder (the defined benefit part of the scheme) lost 18%.
February 25, 2025 at 3:47 PM
simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
Delighted to announce that I convinced a student not to use a pie chart today.
January 22, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by Simon Mudd
decvalts.bsky.social
Six weeks left to apply for this super-cool fully-funded PhD studentship developing flood forecasting models for HPC; supervised by Mark Bull @epcc.bsky.social, Maggie Creed at Glasgow Uni, @simonmariusmudd.bsky.social, and myself at the British Geological Survey.
decvalts.bsky.social Declan Valters @decvalts.bsky.social · Dec 21
Interested in a fully-funded PhD developing the next generation of flood forecasting models for the Exascale computing era? Have a look at this project as part of the ExaGeo PhD programme - supervised by EPCC with colleagues from Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the BGS

www.exageo.org/phd-student-...
Developing large scale hydrodynamic flood forecasting models for Exascale GPU systems
January 9, 2025 at 7:43 AM
simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
I'm quite pleased with this effort.
Image from the book Grove Karl Gilbert, A Great Engine of Research By Stephen J. Pyne. Image shows an engraving of Gilbert working at Lake Bonneville in Utah. One can see the old lake bed as well as hills in the distance. An oil painting of Lake Bonneville with hills in the background. Painting by Simon M Mudd. Hills and lake bed are in various yellow, red and brown hues, with a blue sky.
January 1, 2025 at 5:11 PM
simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
I was driving through Los Angeles and they did a radio bit explaining Boxing Day. The host said "it is mainly celebrated in Australia".
😫😢🇬🇧
December 28, 2024 at 2:10 PM
simonmariusmudd.bsky.social
Enjoy some photos of Joshua Tree.
Split rock (a granite rock formation that has a large, uh, split rock) at Joshua Tree national Park. Sunrise over rock formations at Joshua Tree The face of the photographer in front of rock formations at Joshua tree
December 28, 2024 at 2:03 PM