iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Last look at the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Reunion Island. A magnificent week tasting the best Creole and French food, building research relationships, marking, and discovering volcanos and coral reefs.

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A whole different kind of nutjob president. But personally... I think he's an unlikely pick despite what the prediction markets say. My guess is Rubio or, and bear with me... Tucker Carlson, for Republican nominee.

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That's incredible! But... Morning glory cloud? Surely not. Sure surely not. 😂

Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I'm uneducated in the history of feminism, but it's interesting reading the diversity of comments among what, let's face it, is a largely leftist Bluesky audience. Half the comments thank Steinem, half criticize. Whatever the truth: it's easy to be a keyboard warrior. Whose life have YOU improved?

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It seems to me that the current Supreme Court is so Trumpian that if anything is to be achieved post 2028, the democrats MUST load the court. It probably follows that the next Republican government will do the same, and so on. I wonder how many judges will preside over the supreme court by 2099.

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

AOC is awesome. Real shame she's completely unelectable as president. AOC cannot win Pennsylvania. Republicans will paint her (falsely) as a communist. Plus she's a woman of colour - and America is racist and misogynist. I wish that weren't true - but it is.

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

So... Just bombing for the heck of it? Why not just burn billions of dollars and commit war crimes for no reason.

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Next forecast: Marine LePenn (Trump with a baguette and a few more brain cells) is excellent value at 33c. She's almost certain to make the run-off and reprice to 47%-80% depending on whom she faces. French fascism is, I fear, deeply underpriced. predictionmarketprof.substack.com/p/is-french-...

predictionmarketprof.substack.com

Is French Fascism Underpriced?

Or - why investing on desired outcomes makes you poor.

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Shame on the supreme court. Kudos to the CJ but still - Trump has shat on the whitehouse and his turd will forever blight the capital.

Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

It doesn't take a genius to know that a Gavin Newsom or a John Ossoff or a Josh Shapiro has a better chance of winning Pennsylvania than an AOC or a Kammala Harris or anyone DSA. Not saying it's right. Not saying they're better candidates. But it's just the way it is. And Pennsylvania matters.

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Donald Trump: media showman Ronald Reagan: movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger: movie star Vlodomir Zelensky: comedian Voters confuse the TV personality for reality. Trump was not a successful businessman. He's a serial failure. He played a successful businessman in a TV show.

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Vance led farcical, failed negotiation that lasted a pathetically small amount of time. John Kerry negotiated the JCPOA for 9 months. And you're wrong, high finance backed Trump, whose only success is as a TV personality. In all other ways he's just a failed businessman, sex pest & trust fund baby.

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

There's a primary, and JD Vance will get blown away. The man has zero charm, zero charisma, and he's dimwitted. The only reason he has anything to say at all is that Tucker Carlson talks to him, and Tucker will run himself. No - it'll be Rubio or Carlson. I think prediction markets have this wrong.

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Vance lacks the charisma (and intelligence) required. Hegseth is an idiotic alcoholic Fox News presenter. No. It'll be Rubio or possibly the man in Vance's ear: Tucker Carlson. When Carlson stops talking, Vance will have nothing to say. Tucker Vs Ossoff or Newsom (AOC is suicide for democrats imho).

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Yes - it's because of sleepy Joe Biden that the oil reserves are depleted. Not because the Strait of Hormuz has been shut for 6 months due to an illegal war that could never have happened had Trump not torn up the JCPOA.

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I'm no antivaxer but let's not give them ammunition - one of these patients was a newborn that died of a ruptured spleen. The child's death was not caused by measles.

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Reposted by Benjamin Smart

MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 25/08/2026

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says RFK Jr. offered federal help after two unvaccinated people died from measles, the first U.S. deaths this year. Shapiro declined, saying PA could handle it, and confronted Kennedy, telling him: “There’s real life consequences to spreading misinformation.”

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I thought an epistemic asshole was going to be "one who feels the prefacing nearly every word in the English language with "epistemic" is publication-worthy". Ps. Actually this sounds pretty interesting.

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I mean... The two Sarah Connor is already among us, I'm sure

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Natalie is feeding Trump his own faeces.

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I recorded a series of short lectures and stuck them on YouTube: #philosophy of #science through the lens of medicine. Had a lot of fun designing AI images/slides. Content draws on Ladyman, Stegenga, Broadbent, Dammann,Holman, Harris, and myself. Check it out, here: youtube.com/@profsmartle...

youtube.com

Prof Smart Lectures

@ProfSmartLectures contains academic content, lectures, podcasts, and commentary by Professor Benjamin Smart through ProfSmartMedia. Benjamin Smart is full professor in philosophy of science at the Un...

Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

An alcoholic Fox News presenter runs the world's most powerful military. #Trump sent mediocre real estate developers to negotiate peace in the middle east. The HHS secretary, an antivaxer, is on TV arguing against listening to experts for medical advice. Madness. Total madness. #Kakistocracy

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Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

This is the most convincing flat Earth argument I've heard by far.

Benjamin Smart @bthsmart.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Cool. Just get Elon to build a rocket that travels near light speed and we'll be there just after the next climate change mass extinction.

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Sorry to hear that, Chris. So sorry to hear about the problems at Notts. I hope you and philosophy in general aren't affected when everything is finalised. What a mess. My years as a PhD student at Nottingham philosophy were extremely special. Forever grateful.

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I currently feel like completing the marking and giving the feedback I owe, whilst also completing all the other teaching/research/admin my job entails, whilst also fulfilling my duties as a husband and father, is completely impossible in a 24 hours day when I need 6 hours sleep. That feeling sucks.

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This MIGHT be the best bit of news I've heard in a VERY long time. Does anyone have links to informed people writing on the specifics? #Moderna #Cancer #Health #Medicine

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And btw - Im British, but now live in South Africa and work and publish on inequality and health in the region. I'm deeply in favour of affirmative action, and those policies can be pressed here because the disadvantaged are the majority. It's a practical argument, not a reflection of my principles.

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