Jon Blaine
@vertiginousjon.bsky.social
General purpose nerd, incompetent sportsman. Like to sing big classical stuff.
Reposted by Jon Blaine
Reposted by Jon Blaine
Some people are responding to this with "it's not a problem that there's tons of fake images everywhere because I personally know they're not real," and I would invite those people to take a look at the state of the world.
A thought from @drandrewthaler.bsky.social that's going to fester:
How long until we start to see range extension papers- "This species is thought to live over there, but we saw it over here and therefore it needs protection here"- based on fake images?
www.southernfriedscience.com/thats-not-a-...
How long until we start to see range extension papers- "This species is thought to live over there, but we saw it over here and therefore it needs protection here"- based on fake images?
www.southernfriedscience.com/thats-not-a-...
That’s not a blobfish: Deep Sea Social Media is Flooded by AI Slop
Well, it finally happened. Over the last two week, my usually well-curated feeds of videos from the deep sea have been overrun with AI slop masquerading as authentic images of strange and delightfu…
www.southernfriedscience.com
January 13, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Some people are responding to this with "it's not a problem that there's tons of fake images everywhere because I personally know they're not real," and I would invite those people to take a look at the state of the world.
Reposted by Jon Blaine
Comedy is all about timing. In this case, 3 decades.
January 12, 2026 at 10:03 AM
Comedy is all about timing. In this case, 3 decades.
Reposted by Jon Blaine
Kemi, this is just a population density map
January 12, 2026 at 8:01 AM
Kemi, this is just a population density map
Reposted by Jon Blaine
Impressive nerd using powers for good. Love to see it.
research fraud:
“The United States Attorney’s Office said that Dana-Farber had admitted that its researchers “misrepresented data and images that resulted in misinformation about research being published in 14 scientific journal articles”.
www.thetimes.com/article/3113...
“The United States Attorney’s Office said that Dana-Farber had admitted that its researchers “misrepresented data and images that resulted in misinformation about research being published in 14 scientific journal articles”.
www.thetimes.com/article/3113...
Amateur sleuth earns £2m reward for exposing research fraud
A British scientist has forced a leading US cancer research institute to pay a $15m legal settlement after trawling through scientific papers in his spare time
www.thetimes.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:30 AM
Impressive nerd using powers for good. Love to see it.
Reposted by Jon Blaine
If we have to choose between a future where we slowly cede our quality of life to US capitalists while debasing ourselves, or one where we rip off the bandaid and tell them to go fuck themselves, I'm not having a hard time choosing the latter.
January 11, 2026 at 11:01 AM
If we have to choose between a future where we slowly cede our quality of life to US capitalists while debasing ourselves, or one where we rip off the bandaid and tell them to go fuck themselves, I'm not having a hard time choosing the latter.
Reposted by Jon Blaine
"When I was a very small child, I had a sense, whereof I know not, that William the Conqueror was the first king of England and that history began in 1066. When I was a slightly less small child, I was delighted to learn that this wasn’t so..."
Regarding a surprisingly complicated question
Regarding a surprisingly complicated question
Who was the first king of England?
A surprisingly complicated question.
jonn.substack.com
January 10, 2026 at 12:48 PM
"When I was a very small child, I had a sense, whereof I know not, that William the Conqueror was the first king of England and that history began in 1066. When I was a slightly less small child, I was delighted to learn that this wasn’t so..."
Regarding a surprisingly complicated question
Regarding a surprisingly complicated question
Reposted by Jon Blaine
The DG of the BBC said this week that it remains on X because it has to reach a worldwide audience.
40m followers....
40k views and 92 likes.
A local Facebook group has more reach.
40m followers....
40k views and 92 likes.
A local Facebook group has more reach.
January 9, 2026 at 6:09 PM
The DG of the BBC said this week that it remains on X because it has to reach a worldwide audience.
40m followers....
40k views and 92 likes.
A local Facebook group has more reach.
40m followers....
40k views and 92 likes.
A local Facebook group has more reach.
Reposted by Jon Blaine
brb, hearing from someone called Jesus about giving one’s life to save people who genuinely don’t give a shit about you, whatever they say to the contrary
January 9, 2026 at 5:11 AM
brb, hearing from someone called Jesus about giving one’s life to save people who genuinely don’t give a shit about you, whatever they say to the contrary
Reposted by Jon Blaine
If you missed this question to Nigel Farage from The Critic's Rob Hutton – and it was over an hour into the press conference – then it was a particularly good one. The answer was... vague.
January 7, 2026 at 11:50 AM
If you missed this question to Nigel Farage from The Critic's Rob Hutton – and it was over an hour into the press conference – then it was a particularly good one. The answer was... vague.
Reposted by Jon Blaine
It's the 3rd of January 1939, your name is professor James Smith and you are staring at a drawing of a fish. It's not a regular fish. It is a completely impossible fish.
January 6, 2026 at 10:27 PM
It's the 3rd of January 1939, your name is professor James Smith and you are staring at a drawing of a fish. It's not a regular fish. It is a completely impossible fish.
Reposted by Jon Blaine
"Gosh, the Princess of Wales in a bikini!"
January 5, 2026 at 9:21 PM
"Gosh, the Princess of Wales in a bikini!"
Reposted by Jon Blaine
New euphemism for "bottomless corruption and naked abuses of power" just dropped
January 4, 2026 at 11:35 AM
New euphemism for "bottomless corruption and naked abuses of power" just dropped
Reposted by Jon Blaine
This just in: calculator has apologized for saying BOOBS
“Upside down calculator says ‘BOOBS’”
January 2, 2026 at 8:10 PM
This just in: calculator has apologized for saying BOOBS
Reposted by Jon Blaine
This is quite an important point; if you are a UK citizen with Twitter on your phone, opening it up is like playing Russian roulette that the algorithm might commit a strict liability offence on your behalf.
Has everyone whose scroll the illegal image appeared on also committed an offence by downloading it? This is one of those AI worst case scenarios that ought to make everyone aware of the current direction of travel.
January 2, 2026 at 12:03 PM
This is quite an important point; if you are a UK citizen with Twitter on your phone, opening it up is like playing Russian roulette that the algorithm might commit a strict liability offence on your behalf.
Reposted by Jon Blaine
Every year chocolates get smaller and more expensive. Extrapolating backwards, in 1906 a Creme Egg would have been the size of Rochester Cathedral and they would have paid you 12 guineas to eat it.
January 2, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Every year chocolates get smaller and more expensive. Extrapolating backwards, in 1906 a Creme Egg would have been the size of Rochester Cathedral and they would have paid you 12 guineas to eat it.
Reposted by Jon Blaine
They gentrified the tinfoil hat
January 1, 2026 at 8:57 PM
They gentrified the tinfoil hat
Reposted by Jon Blaine
Shoutout to all my fellow Y2K survivors
December 31, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Shoutout to all my fellow Y2K survivors
Reposted by Jon Blaine
Open up this picture fully.
Then look at the surface of Mars.
Then look up to the top right.
Spot Mars' moon Phobos high in the sky.
Then notice the bright spot beside Phobos.
That's Earth.
Then look at the surface of Mars.
Then look up to the top right.
Spot Mars' moon Phobos high in the sky.
Then notice the bright spot beside Phobos.
That's Earth.
December 30, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Open up this picture fully.
Then look at the surface of Mars.
Then look up to the top right.
Spot Mars' moon Phobos high in the sky.
Then notice the bright spot beside Phobos.
That's Earth.
Then look at the surface of Mars.
Then look up to the top right.
Spot Mars' moon Phobos high in the sky.
Then notice the bright spot beside Phobos.
That's Earth.
Reposted by Jon Blaine
🎵”Suss-suss-sausages”🎵
December 30, 2025 at 5:56 PM
🎵”Suss-suss-sausages”🎵
Reposted by Jon Blaine
Here’s hoping 2026 is another great year to be a freelance cartographer!
Now I’m based in Vancouver, I hope to create all sorts of maps of Canada, and to work with some awesome Canadian clients.
If you, or someone you know, needs a map, get in touch!
I’ll continue to love making maps of NZ too!
Now I’m based in Vancouver, I hope to create all sorts of maps of Canada, and to work with some awesome Canadian clients.
If you, or someone you know, needs a map, get in touch!
I’ll continue to love making maps of NZ too!
December 31, 2025 at 6:20 AM
Here’s hoping 2026 is another great year to be a freelance cartographer!
Now I’m based in Vancouver, I hope to create all sorts of maps of Canada, and to work with some awesome Canadian clients.
If you, or someone you know, needs a map, get in touch!
I’ll continue to love making maps of NZ too!
Now I’m based in Vancouver, I hope to create all sorts of maps of Canada, and to work with some awesome Canadian clients.
If you, or someone you know, needs a map, get in touch!
I’ll continue to love making maps of NZ too!
Reposted by Jon Blaine
gotta be the time I enjoyed cheese
December 30, 2025 at 10:15 PM
gotta be the time I enjoyed cheese
Reposted by Jon Blaine
Hello everyone. Keir Starmer, Lad Lawyer, here. Just to say that if you have enjoyed Smersh Pod's 2025 output, why not tell everyone? Why not review and rate on your platform of choice? Why not join the Patreon?
December 29, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Hello everyone. Keir Starmer, Lad Lawyer, here. Just to say that if you have enjoyed Smersh Pod's 2025 output, why not tell everyone? Why not review and rate on your platform of choice? Why not join the Patreon?