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Les Carr

@lescarr.bsky.social
427 followers 424 following 75 posts

60 year old nerdy guy with a job researching AI and the science of online life at the University of Southampton, and a side hustle in standup comedy.

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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Every so often the cost of living crisis rears its head in unexpected places - I’m going out for Sunday lunch at a pub tomorrow and the menu is offering “Roast Turkey with Pig in Blanket”.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Got an advert in the post from Waitrose this week - book your Christmas slot on Sept 23rd! But following the QR code leads to a page “booking opens on Sept 30th”. What? Am I a gullible fool for staying up till 1am just to book a shopping delivery 3 months in advance?
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Lots of online discussion about the implications of AI solving the Navier-Stokes Millenium Problem. But spending $15,000,000 to get a $1,000,000 prize is just business as usual for OpenAI.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Grab a ticket for this week’s British Science Festival! FREE events hosted by University of Southampton! #BSF26 @britsciassoc.bsky.social www.britishsciencefestival.org @unisouthampton.bsky.social
britsciassoc.bsky.social
British Science Association (@britsciassoc.bsky.social)
A charity with a vision for science to be more relevant, representative, and connected to society. Founded in 1831. www.britishscienceassociation.org www.britishsciencefestival.org www.britishscience...
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
I’ve just read There Is No Antimimetics Division, and while it was a wild ride exploring some great ideas at points I felt like I was reading The Laundry Files or even Hitchhikers Guide. Ultimately I thought that the brilliant setup left the story stranded with a cheap wish fulfilment ending. 6/10.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Just catching up on a paper about an AI system doing autonomous research. This quote from the "Limitations" section tells you everything about the AI field's current attitude to rigour - the fact that a technology isn't particularly good now is proof that it's going to be brilliant in a few years!
"That said, often in machine learning, once something begins to work (even with clear flaws), in a few short years with scale (for example, of compute and data), better core models and better techniques, the capabilities of a system become surprising and can exceed human performance levels. In assessing the impact of a technology, it is, thus, important to keep in mind its probable future trajectory."
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Calling all university researchers! I’m looking for qualitative research that uses chatbots to support the research, but where AI isn’t the focus of research. I’ve trawled through hundreds of papers in Scopus and I’m tempted to conclude that AI is only ever used to write papers about AI!
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Saint Sebastian was one of the early proponents of “arrow-maxxing”, a practice that allowed the Holy Fathers to really show off their abs.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Homestly those just starting to worry about the AI “backlash” really shouldn’t have spent 4 years lashing the public about how worthless their jobs and their novels and their music and their their safety are. open.substack.com/pub/bloodint...
open.substack.com
Why the AI backlash has turned violent
And why it's probably only going to get worse from here.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
How we stood on the shoulders of deaf people to get to the moon. vm.tiktok.com/ZNRVFr9fP/
vm.tiktok.com
TikTok - Make Your Day
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
I don’t normally put much credence in these phenomena, but it’s Easter Sunday and my wife has found an undeniable face in her potato.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Today I went to see Project Hail Mary, a film of a book that every science fiction fan seems to love. Although the plot is something about microbes eating the sun, its main focus is the hardest science question of all - can nerds have friends?
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
I have found out the hard way that brand distinctions are an important factor in successful baking.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
There simply isn’t enough Banjo Beale content in the world, even with the new Ulva hotel restoration series on BBC. Can I subscribe to a dedicated Grampa-the-dog cam feed? Take my money you impetuous, ambitious, visionary pair of adopted Scots!
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
One of my favourite holiday filmed is “Spirited” with Will Ferrell. His big song, and the question the whole movie turns on, is “Am I Forever Unredeemable”. Of course, it should have been “Am I Forever Irredeemable”, which is ironically something they can never put right.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
I'm reading around on vibe coding to develop some teaching materials for my undergrads. The first book starts with a canonical example of writing an app to estimate the time to read a podcast script, based on its word count. GENUINELY who would *write an app* to solve this problem? This is insane!
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
Don’t forget the reason for the season - it’s the tilt of the earth’s axis! So I’m about to watch sunrise over Stonehenge on the English Heritage YouTube channel www.youtube.com/live/FEnQmoc...
youtube.com
Winter Solstice 2025: Sunrise Live from Stonehenge
YouTube video by English Heritage
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Happy Christmas to all my university colleagues. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Point of no returns: researchers are crossing a threshold in the fight for funding
With so little money to go round, the costs of competing for grants can exceed what the grants are worth. When that happens, nobody wins.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
A Christmas film for all the bros youtube.com/shorts/jBjfk...
youtube.com
A Christmas Film For Male Loneliness
YouTube video by Ali Woods
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
An responsible science reminder at Christmas www.instagram.com/reel/DSM-8yy...
instagram.com
Tim Blais on Instagram: "On the seventh day of Newtonmas my conscience said to me.."
In this video, we delve into the world of scientific inquiry and explore the importance of objectivity in research. By learning to critically evaluate evidence and separate fact from bias, you'll be b...
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
It’s terrible that @robinince.bsky.social has had to leave the BBC because of his public pro-trans opinions. Science comedy isn’t always funny. www.chortle.co.uk/news/2025/12...
chortle.co.uk
Robin Ince forced to quit Radio 4 over pro-trans views : News 2025 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide
Robin Ince forced to quit Radio 4 over pro-trans views - Comic leaves Infinite Monkey Cage after pressure from bosses
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Hey ChatGPT show me a successful publisher to invest in vm.tiktok.com/ZNReHWCh2/
vm.tiktok.com
TikTok - Make Your Day
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
My university students interviewed me about LLMs and this is the key frame that they chose on YouTube.
A still frame with me (the interviewee) and a caption "the problem" underneath
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Some physics humour for your timeline: Heisenberg, Schrödinger and Ohm in a car… vm.tiktok.com/ZNRJWJRN7/
vm.tiktok.com
TikTok - Make Your Day
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Recent anecdotal evidence* shows it’s impossible not to feel happy when listening to this clip *listening to it on a rainy Monday morning youtu.be/CLP15B43uNA
youtu.be
It Feels Like Christmas - Fall Out Boy
YouTube video by piggy
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Enjoy Christmas Science Comedy cheer with Dr Paul Conway explaining the Moral Psychology of Santa's Naughty List! Our professional comedy headliner is a cancer scientist that The Guardian described as "deliciously funny". www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
eventbrite.co.uk
Southampton Science Comedy!
A December evening of science-themed stand-up comedy, stories, and silliness from some of Southampton’s funniest and nerdiest people!
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
My iPhone’s FaceID is refusing to recognise me today and my ego is taking it badly.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
A bit of musical science comedy for your timeline - what could be better? vm.tiktok.com/ZNdEgoqU2/
vm.tiktok.com
TikTok - Make Your Day
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Calling all Women in STEM! November's Southampton Science Comedy features women in STEM who rap, control AIs and electrocute men - because science! Come along and bring your friends!! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
eventbrite.co.uk
Southampton Science Comedy!
An November evening of science-themed stand-up comedy, stories, and silliness from some of Southampton’s funniest and nerdiest people!
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
Southampton Science Comedy is back this week, on Thursday 16th October. Get your tickets to see the brilliant Farah Sharp perform with researchers and students from @unisouthampton.bsky.social www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
eventbrite.co.uk
Southampton Science Comedy!
An October evening of science-themed stand-up comedy, stories, and silliness from some of Southampton’s funniest and nerdiest people!
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Reposted by Les Carr
Rebecca Coleman @rcecoleman.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Brilliantly thought-provoking workshop on critical and ethical sociological engagement with LMMs in Naples this morning led by @jessogden.bsky.social @lescarr.bsky.social @sociodigfutures.bsky.social @bdfi.bsky.social #rc33 #isa #11ICSSM #Methodology
Photo of workshop on sociological engagement with Large Language ModelsPhoto of workshop on sociological engagement with Large Language Models
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
I’m in Naples for the 11ICSSM conference to run a workshop on LLMs and give a paper about social scientists responses to AI with @susanjhalford.bsky.social .
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Reposted by Les Carr
Warren Pearce @warrenpearce.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Scraping tools like @digitalmethods.net Zeeschuimer, @lescarr.bsky.social WDRA are *vital* for social media research but how widely are they used? 🤔 If you use these tools or similar in your work, please reply 'teaching' 'research' 'both' 👇🏽 or via email if preferred 🤗 #AcademicSky
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Southampton Science comedy is back in October. Get your tickets to see the brilliant Farah Sharp perform with researchers and students from @unisouthampton.bsky.social www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
eventbrite.co.uk
Southampton Science Comedy!
An October evening of science-themed stand-up comedy, stories, and silliness from some of Southampton’s funniest and nerdiest people!
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Me: my research demonstrates the benefits of large language models for qualitative research Also Me: The Last Teams Meeting
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
I’m just planning a computer science undergraduate training session called “friends don’t let friends vibe code” @softwaresaved.bsky.social
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
Please stop all this “PhD-level” nonsense when talking about how much an LLM “knows”. A PhD is about being able to systematically create new knowledge. Knowing everything in that field is just a small part of the qualification.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
Who says LLMs can’t do comedy? I just tried to use ChatGPT to convert my little #edfringe spreadsheet of shows into an ICS file for my calendar. It wrote a python program with a missing import module, and blamed my data formatting. Now that’s funny!
Screencap of python invocation
Module not found error: no module named ics.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Let me get this straight… scientists discovered a radioactive wasps nest outside a abandoned military research laboratory and declared it safe because there werent any wasps in it… ANY MORE? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
theguardian.com
Radioactive wasp nest discovered at nuclear waste storage site in South Carolina
Wasp nest was destroyed and disposed of after discovery near tanks used to store liquid nuclear waste
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
So far this afternoon at the #edfringe website trying to buy tickets I’ve had slow/no access, cloudflare errors, Fetch errors and a GraphQL error. I’m going to use this as a case study in next term’s devops course.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
I’m just trying to organise my t-shirts for the summer. You (a perfectly well-integrated member of society): what colour is in this season? How can I show myself part of the in-group? Me (a socially awkward computer nerd): I’ll hedge my bets.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
open.substack.com/pub/newcarto...
open.substack.com
The Myth of Automated Learning
AI's real threat to education.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Next year I will have worked in academia for 40 years - and I still can’t type “university” correctly on a first attempt.
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Now we can add “the Internet” to bullying, eating disorders and the climate emergency - the list of things that British children wish didn’t exist. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Almost half of young people would prefer a world without internet, UK study finds
Half of 16- to 21-year-olds support ‘digital curfew’ and nearly 70% feel worse after using social media
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
In training researchers in AI techniques to support qualitative research methodologies at @unisouthampton.bsky.social, I’m discovering that they mainly need the AI to source, curate, clean and manage complex data for them. Sticking a “good enough” reasoner on a “good enough” search is not helpful!
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Get free tickets to see @mattywin.bsky.social and 4 new @unisouthampton.bsky.social comedians at Southampton Science Comedy night on June 19th! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southampto...
eventbrite.co.uk
Southampton Science Comedy!
A June evening of science-themed stand-up comedy, stories, and silliness from some of Southampton’s funniest and nerdiest people!
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Reposted by Les Carr
University of Southampton News @uosmedia.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Fantastic article by Dr Neil Gostling on how Sir David Attenborough has reshaped how we see the natural world throughout his illustrious career. Follow him at: @neilgostling.bsky.social theconversation.com/from-zoo-que...
theconversation.com
From Zoo Quest to Ocean: The evolution of David Attenborough’s voice for the planet
Attenborough’s filmography has shaped how we perceive the natural world.
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Reposted by Les Carr
Akallabêth 🇺🇦 @akallabeth24.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
Oops 😬
9827686319215
Reposted by Les Carr
Susan Halford @susanjhalford.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
If the digital and the social are inextricable, what does that mean for research methods? Join us in Naples to explore further! @rcecoleman.bsky.social @jessicaogden.bsky.social @lescarr.bsky.social
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Les Carr @lescarr.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
Microsoft Authenticator saying “Face not recognised” is the digital equivalent of “Oi! Smile love!”
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