iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

It is almost time for the Imprint Art Fair (formerly the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair): Oct 29 - Nov 1 at the Lawrence Hall, Westminster. I have several pieces on show, including these Scottish landscapes. imprintartfair.com I have 5 free tickets available - shout if you'd like one.

Image of a sepia-toned etching of a rock outcrop and hillside.
Creag Mhòr Bhrinicoire - 23x10 cm - edition of 12 - £175 (unframed) £250 (framed)

image of sepia-toned etching of mountains shrouded in rain clouds, viewed across a sea loch.
Rain Over Sligachan - 30x10 cm - edition of 20 - £195 (unframed) £295 (framed)

083 8

Reposted by Ian Brooks

T. Ryan Gregory 🇨🇦 @tryangregory.bsky.social · 19h

"A closer look at the data reveals a brute-force guessing machine, not a reasoning intellect. Mathematics isn't dead; it's being spammed, strip-mined, and exploited by an industry that needs human creativity more than it admits." emeraldbook.org/news/oct-162...

emeraldbook.org

The 91% Failure Rate: Why AI Is Not Killing Mathematics – Emerald Book

◆ Emerald Pages ◆ Technology / Academia The 91% Failure Rate: Why AI Is Not Killing Mathematics Emerald Book Publication October 16, 2026 9 min read The panic over AI solving the Navier-Stokes equatio...

314261 142

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 17h

🧵🧪🌊❄️ Grounding zones, where glaciers flowing on a bed below sea level start to go afloat, are incredibly complex environments. The article link I included in the post I'm quoting here refers to a new paper by Poinelli and co-authors published in Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s414...

doi.org

Sea-level contribution from Thwaites Glacier doubles in an observation-constrained ice-sheet model - Nature Communications

Grounding zones, where seawater intrudes under grounded ice and causes melting, are largely absent from ice-sheet models. Adding them improves Thwaites Glacier hindcasts 4-fold and doubles sea-level p...

12915 29

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 13/10/2026

I don't use GenAI because I want to be capable of doing my work. I want my work to be my work. I want my successes to be *my* successes. And I want to do the work that I can only do if I don't have GenAI getting in my way. Each author and intellectual should have this conversation with themselves.

111021214 1K

Ian Brooks @ianmbrooks.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

New paper just out on direct eddy-covariance measurements of near-surface aerosol fluxes over sea-ice / leads / open water in the Arctic. Nice work by Theresa Mathes as part of her PhD, and a pleasure to have collaborated with her on this. acp.copernicus.org/articles/26/...

acp.copernicus.org

Turbulent atmospheric particle fluxes in the High Arctic: surface type dependence and variability

Abstract. The Arctic is warming at a significantly faster rate than the global average. This is altering the sources and sinks of aerosols, which influence the regional radiation balance and cloud for...

010 1

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Jennifer N. Victor @jenvictor.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Science is doing essential reporting on the decimation of NSF social science funding. We need public accounting. If you’ve benefited from an NSF grant from SBE, add to this 🧵. Tell the world what was funded that will not be funded from NSF anymore. I’ll start… www.science.org/content/arti...

Graph showing the number of NSF grants over 7 years—moving to zero in 2026.

8234130 234

Ian Brooks @ianmbrooks.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

For reference... Saturday night is pizza night! 🍕🍕

Photo of a pizza on a candle-lit kitchen table.

071 7

Ian Brooks @ianmbrooks.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Helen?...and maybe chocolates🙂

110 1

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Prof Chris Jackson @seismatters.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

This looks like a hugely valuable resource. Like @canopyrobin.com says, it’s not just about fieldwork; it’s valuable for cis folks like me to more generally understand the experiences of trans people in their everyday lives! 🏳️‍⚧️

1179 17

Ian Brooks @ianmbrooks.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

I find just regularly asking friends if they'd like to come for dinner works just fine... 😉

1111 11

Reposted by Ian Brooks

James @gravitysra1nbow.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

I genuinely mean this. I cannot imagine a more bleak dystopian notion than the idea of all art being turned into slop designed to coddle my exact perceived intentions. The point of literature, film, music, and art is to be exposed to the interior lives of others. Who are these people.

8746191092 4.6K

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 08/10/2026

Not saying anything especially novel here but I just keep thinking about how if one’s position is that AI can do STEM just fine on its own, then one’s position is that people are not needed. And then what? What’s the point? What’s the point of doing the STEM with anything? Capitalism is an uroburos

614821 148

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Brooke Harrington @ebharrington.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The frequency of campus rapes, & their role in getting women to drop out of college, could be regarded as a 2nd stage in a process that starts by making it nearly twice as hard for qualified women to gain university admission compared to men. Excluding women from upward mobility is a policy choice.

Guardian headline about Japanese medical schools falsifying women applicants' test scores to avoid having to admit them.

015985 159

Reposted by Ian Brooks

MwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I believe preprints and papers that use AI slop in any form or shape should have this disclaimer on top 🧪

111737 117

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Greg Jericho @grogsgamut.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if AI can't improve productivity of coding, then all other claims about productivity improvements are essentially horseshit. Coding was the one thing everyone was like "well yeah of course it will be able to do that faster"

30364127 364

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 08/10/2026

Meanwhile: bsky.app/profile/shim...

15416 54

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Signe Aaboe @signeaaboe.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Antarctic sea-ice extent has begun declining much earlier than usual and is currently at a level comparable to the record-low year of 2023 at this time of year. @osi-saf.eumetsat.int 🧪🌊❄️

Line plot of Southern Hemisphere sea-ice extent throughout the year from 1978 to 2026, with individual years coloured by decade and 2026 shown in black. Sea-ice extent follows a strong seasonal cycle, reaching its minimum in February and maximum in September. In 2026, sea-ice extent began declining unusually early and is currently close to, or below, the record-low levels observed in 2023.

02912 29

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Kashana @kashana.blacksky.app · 05/10/2026

Every day I have a new reason to hate AI, but today’s is that they faked the work of one of my longtime collaborators.

51073332 1.1K

Ian Brooks @ianmbrooks.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Not content with imitating artist's work, AI tools are adding the artist's signature to the imitation. My contempt knows no bounds.

000 0

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Hugh Pumphrey @hughpumphrey.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

This is why pervasive use of GenAI by university students is such a problem. (*) We do not set you an essay on the fauna of the lower Carboniferous because we want to read it (*) We do not make you write a computer program from scratch because we need to run that program (1/2)

315749 157

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Joanne Harris @joannechocolat.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Book festivals, please, PLEASE don’t use AI to write author bios and book descriptions. Currently, I am being advertised as attending a festival next month for a talk about a book that doesn’t exist…

1724357 243

Reposted by Ian Brooks

J. R. Carpenter @jrcarpenter.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I’ll be reading from my latest poetry collection p a u s e. @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social alongside some wonderful colleagues at Poetry@Leeds showcase at Ilkley Literature Festival Sunday 11 October 3PM www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/events/56-po...

book cover- brown with a blue river running through it and the words- pause, J. R. Carpenter, Broken Sleep Books

083 8

Reposted by Ian Brooks

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Here’s another way climate change will kill us: the expansion of mosquitoes and the deadly diseases they carry. In Paris, the invasive Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), an aggressive, day-biting nuisance, is now everywhere. So excited to get Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika in Paris.

to.pbs.org

Scientists explore new ways to target mosquitoes as warming climate expands threat

It doesn't have sharp teeth or claws, but the mosquito kills more people than any other animal on earth. As the climate warms, mosquito season is lasting longer, giving them more time to spread danger...

11334112 334

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

"... what we need people to understand is that net zero is literally a description of scientific fact. If we don’t reach net zero emissions, we will see temperatures continue to rise.” This cannot be repeated too often.

23519 35

Ian Brooks @ianmbrooks.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I really enjoyed it (long ago), draws you in wonderfully...though the ending is a bit meh. It's on the must re-read at some point list.

010 1

Reposted by Ian Brooks

fluids_guru @fluidsguru.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I don’t understand the hand-wringing reaction to claims that nueral networks have a 10% chance of destroying civilisation. Fossil fuel companies have a 100% chance of initiating a mass extinction event. Maybe we could address that?

8410149 410

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 19/09/2026

I’ve worn a grubby RNLI cap for decades. I sound London, but I was born in Truro and I was a basically feral (Gen X) kid wandering the coast path with a dog until sunset for a lot of my early life. The lifeboats are in the fabric like trawlers and farms and pasties and fish and chips.

341534329 1.5K

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Matthew R Francis @bowlerhatscience.org · 17/09/2026

speaking as a science journalist who is also a trained physicist, this is the FUCKING WORST POSSIBLE THING. This is the opposite of trustworthy. You can't trust a damn thing an "AI agent" tells you. An article needs to be unchanged between queries, or any change needs to be documented clearly.

1732093 320

Reposted by Ian Brooks

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

NSF has reduced the research budget for all atmospheric, ocean, and earth sciences by ~80%. 80%! A lot of us will not be conducting new research or training new students for the foreseeable future.

201447724 1.4K

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Daniel C. Blight @danielcblight.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

***URGENT PLEASE SHARE*** University of Brighton management have announced today that they ‘give notice of termination of all collective agreements’. This is a fundamental erasure of workers' rights. Management have announced the termination of all contractual documents, which includes:

13598708 708

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Phil PlAIt @philplait.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Oh this is interesting! Climate scientist @leahstokes.bsky.social shows that candidates who talk about climate change *get a bump in preference from voters*. "Common knowledge" is that climate is a losing issue, but this survey shows the opposite is true: voters care. mailchi.mp/9af4ccd3280e...

mailchi.mp

Climate action comes in waves

8344109 344

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

As the government bans social media for kids further evidence emerges that it's a minority of retired adults we should really be concerned about. www.devonlive.com/news/devon-n...

devonlive.com

Pensioners attack traffic lights over wild 'deadly weapon' claims

An online movement say that the sensors on traffic lights can cause heart attacks, brain cancer, anxiety and even sudden death

1961764567 1.8K

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Kevin Anderson @kevinclimate.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I was asked by a colleague from my oil & gas days (who has remained in the industry) why UK producing its own gas is less acceptable to the Greens (& others) than importing it from America and West Africa.' The full question & my reply is now online at: climateuncensored.com/there-is-no-...

climateuncensored.com

There Is No Atmospheric Exemption for British Oil and Gas - Climate Uncensored

I was recently contacted by a colleague from my days in the 1980s and 90s when I worked as an engineer in the offshore oil and gas sector. He remains in the

1517292 172

Ian Brooks @ianmbrooks.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Yeah, I don't get in until...9 or 9:30.

100 1

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 10/09/2026

The thing liberals fundamentally don't understand is that trans people are losing rights they already had. We're not asking for more, we're asking not to lose what we already had for decades. Most sports leagues and the Olympics had inclusion criteria for decades without issue.

Screenshot of an X (formerly Twitter) exchange discussing political pragmatism and the Overton window.
The initial post by onion person (@CantEverDie) reads:
> "doesn't matter, this is about what the right is able to push with the overton window. first its democrats needing to disavow trans women in sports to get elected, next it'll be agreeing to ban access to HRT to get elected. we've seen how this plays out"
>
A reply from Nick Pappas (@NickAPappas) reads:
> "Are you insane? The Overton window didn’t even include this discussion until recently. The public has never been in favor of desegregating the sports by sex.
> Personally I’m glad Barack Obama ran against gay marriage in 2008. Not because that was the right position, or one he even actually held, but because he knew the public wasn’t with him on it. If he hadn’t won he wouldn’t have been able to appoint 2 of the justices who ultimately voted in the majority for Obergefell.
> Lincoln in 1860 didn’t even run on abolishing slavery! He just wanted to stop its expansion. And thankfully he did that and won because a more extreme and morally correct position would have lost. As a result he was able to win the Civil War and push through the 13 amendment.
> Political practicality is the entire history of progress in America. There’s no other way."
>

633233761 3.2K

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Alfred Wegener Institute @awi.de · 10/09/2026

A Year in the Ice: The Tara Polar Station has begun its drift through the central Arctic!🧊🐻‍❄️On 9 September, the Tara Polar Station, reached its ice floe. From there, it will drift with the sea ice across the Arctic Ocean for a year. AWI scientist Julia Regnery is on board. www.awi.de/en/about-us/...

02915 29

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Tom Wilson @feedthedrummer.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

This does suggest Britain is a) very good at integration b) actively attracts the world's smart and ambitious people who want to get on and do well for themselves Both of these are very good, competitive qualities to have and should be celebrated.

936298 362

Ian Brooks @ianmbrooks.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Oddly enough, I will be...but too late for your talk. An overnight before heading to Kiel Saturday for a project meeting starting Sunday (academia eh! 🤨).

110 1

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Fred Gambino @fredgambino.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

In case you thought AI enables you to create in a way you couldn’t before.

0112 11

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Tim Harford @timharford.ft.com · 09/09/2026

Twice in the last week I've pasted a quotation into Google to check the source, and Gemini has barged in with the wrong answer. CS Lewis quote from The Seeing Eye (1967) was placed in The Screwtape Letters (1942). Alfred Loftus quote (1857) attributed to Austen Layard (1849). Gemini 0/2.

98419 84

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Sian Berry MP @sianberry.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I have asked the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission to come to Brighton, and today Brighton came to me with so many stories of how the EHRC Code of Practice is impacting them. Trans lives are already being harmed, and the EHRC needs to hear this.

Image is of Siân with three staff members from Refuge UK. They are stood smiling in Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament. A crowd of people is visible in the background participating in the mass lobby for trans equality.

Image is of Siân holding a notebook and pen. She is stood in front of desks, staffed by people in high-vis jackets. A placard is resting against a table and reads: Trans people deserve real equality.

1033485 334

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Rolando Valdés Aguilar @rvathz.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

This should be a scandal. Mathematicians (and scientists in general) should stop using these tools just because it seems from this story that these companies are reaching into people's projects and getting ideas for things to work on to then claim credit.

14326 43

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

When I say "bullshitting is inherent to LLMs," I don't mean it colloquially, I mean it empirically. Here's the bleeding edge of the frontier (Opus, Sol, Fable, Astra), and the lowest bullshit rate (answering wrongly instead of admitting ignorance) is 45%. artificialanalysis.ai/evaluations/...

AA-Omniscience Hallucination Rate vs. AA-Omniscience Index
AA-Omniscience Hallucination Rate (lower is better) measures how often the model answers incorrectly when it should have refused or admitted to not knowing the answer. It is defined as the proportion of incorrect answers out of all non-correct responses, i.e. incorrect / (incorrect + partial answers + not attempted) · AA-Omniscience Index

AA-Omniscience
Description: AA-Omniscience is a knowledge and hallucination benchmark that measures factual reliability, rewards precise knowledge, and penalizes incorrect guesses or hallucinations. It provides a detailed assessment of a model’s ability to distinguish known from unknowns across diverse knowledge domains.
Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.13029
Dataset: https://huggingface.co/datasets/ArtificialAnalysis/AA-Omniscience-Public
Implementation:
The benchmark consists of 6,000 questions covering 42 topics, including Business, Humanities and Social Sciences, Health, Law, Software Engineering, and Science, Engineering and Mathematics.
Models are scored using the AA-Omniscience Index, which assigns points for correct answers, subtracts points for hallucinated responses, and keeps abstentions neutral, rewarding abstentions over incorrect guesses
Each answer is graded as either CORRECT, INCORRECT, PARTIAL_ANSWER, or NOT_ATTEMPTED based on the model's response and the ground truth answer. GPT-5.6 Luna (medium) is used as the grading model
Intelligence Index Integration: AA-Omniscience contributes two components to the Intelligence Index: (1) Accuracy - the proportion of correct answers, weighted at 10% of the overall Index, and (2) Non-Hallucination Rate - calculated as 1 minus the hallucination rate, weighted at 5% of the overall Index (AA-Omniscience's 15% share).

533581 335

Reposted by Ian Brooks

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

🧵CO₂ removal (CDR) is back in the news, but just because the UNEP report says we need CDR, it doesn't mean we'll have CDR. Many challenges will take decades of research and negotiation to solve. Here are some examples: Technological: We currently don't have any durable CDR method that scales.

22425161 425

Reposted by Ian Brooks

Kait Richardson 🥔 @thryse.com · 07/09/2026

HOW the FUCK are you going to have 17-year-old college students unable to check out “adult” books from the library? 17-19 is the normal age range to begin college! I was 17!

67920 79