Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 9hHot coals. Essential part of a Saturday evening. #braai #barbeque A stylized image of red triquettes with flames around the sides. 030
Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 12hAn update - albeit not clarifying - about things happening around this issue: petapixel.com/2026/10/01/n...petapixel.comNikon 'Re-Reviewing' Winner of Small World in Motion Contest After AI AccusationThe winner is under intense scrutiny. 021
Reposted by Marius Lootsc0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 01/10/2026You've seen fireworks that look like jellyfish, but what about a jellyfish that looks like fireworks? The E/V Nautilus filmed this rare Halitrephes maasi jellyfish glowing like a firework at a depth of 4,019 feet (1,225 meters) off the coast of Baja California, Mexico. (📷: Ocean Exploration Trust) 8648111459
Reposted by Marius LootsDavid Gaboriau @dgaboriau.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Thank you @dalemoulding.bsky.social for posting what it really looks like, with information on acquisition, time stamp, scale bar, and raw and processed images. 🔬🔬🔬🔬🔬🔬🔬 1295
Reposted by Marius LootsBrian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 02/10/2026No two words send AI industry advocates into fits of rage more than "stochastic parrots." The question is: Why? Why do they get so worked up over this particular critical framework time and time again? I sat down with @emilymbender.bsky.social, one of the coauthors of the original paper, to discussbloodinthemachine.comThe two words the AI industry hates more than anythingI talk with computational linguist Emily M. Bender, co-author of the influential 2021 “stochastic parrots” paper, about why AI industry leaders can’t stop seething over the term. 13428122
Reposted by Marius LootsJamie Schler @lifesafeast.bsky.social · 02/10/2026I’m keeping a low profile politically these days so I thought I’d share the recipe and the story behind one of my favorite French pastries, the tarte au fromage blanc. It’s so good it makes me happy. jamieschler.substack.com/p/tarte-au-f... 5655
Reposted by Marius LootsBWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 02/10/2026One in eight cases of cancer and likely multiple sclerosis is caused by Epstein-Barr. Imagine what we could do for global public he’s with a vaccine for this. 2289
Reposted by Marius LootsJonathan Jarry @jonathanjarry.bsky.social · 02/10/2026You may be shocked to know how much money is being wasted catering to feng shui, a pre-scientific belief system that makes claims about the material world. It all hinges on qi, an energy that has never been detected, measured, or quantified. My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.socialmcgill.caFeng Shui Is Not Scientific, And It’s Costing Us a Lot of MoneyThere is a superstition that has seeped into many aspects of our world in ways most of us are not aware of. It bends the greatest banks to its idiosyncrasies. It hollows out towering buildings, donati... 3105
Reposted by Marius LootsMarylou @maryloub.bsky.social · 02/10/2026The Epstein Class Will Not Arrest Themselves. 012
Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Spooks has yet to find a box that wasn't his. #cats #catsofbluesky A black cat sits in a brown cardboard box. His yellow eyes breaks the velvet black. 0120
Reposted by Marius Lootsjohnedwinmason @johnedwinmason.bsky.social · 01/10/2026America is a savage place. apnews.com/article/chri...apnews.comChrista Pike is in critical condition after Tennessee’s failed execution attempt, her lawyers sayAttorneys for Christa Pike say the death row inmate is still alive but in critical condition a day after the state's failed attempt to execute her for the 1995 murder of a woman. 34614
Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 01/10/2026So power is still out in some areas of Pretoria after a storm on Monday. In a local WhatsApp group: "I keep saying that by damaging the infrastructure or stealing if infrastructure destabilized a country, therefore it is treason...." 111
Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Pre-emptively filling up the tank. From next week, you will need a lottery win before pulling up to a fuel pump. PS: why is he not an ancestor yet? 151
Reposted by Marius LootsMill_lab @cilialab.bsky.social · 01/10/2026While #NikonSmallWorldInMotion has been quiet over #CiliaGate, the story has broken mainstream media here in the UK just in time for #PCDAwarenessMonth www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukTiny image sparks big backlash in Nikon photo contestDr Ning Xu denies he broke the rules of Nikon's annual Small World In Motion contest. 24012
Reposted by Marius LootsDan Jagger @auditorynerves.bsky.social · 01/10/2026The winning entry of a prestigious scientific photography competition is being re-evaluated following criticism from other scientists that it was made with AI. Well done @christlet.bsky.social & others for pushing this. 🧪🔬🤖 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukTiny image sparks big backlash in Nikon photo contestDr Ning Xu denies he broke the rules of Nikon's annual Small World In Motion contest. 22510
Reposted by Marius LootsBWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 01/10/2026This is also true of biological networks, ecologies, agriculture, cuisine, computer security, and more. Lesson: You want diversity. It’s better for just about every system out there. Corollary: Adversaries who are diverse are harder to defeat. See cancer for instance. 081
Reposted by Marius LootsNicholas Dawes @nicdawes.bsky.social · 30/09/2026The European Commission is trying to keep the scale and impact of data center construction behind a veil of commercial confidentiality. Stonewalled repeatedly as it investigated, @lighthousereports.com is now suing for the truth, and their legal submission reads a lot like great journalismlighthousereports.comData Centre SilenceHow EU leaders sided with Big Tech over the public’s right to know about the true scale and environmental impact of the AI build-out, forcing a legal challenge to seek disclosure 032
Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 30/09/2026At what point do you risk long term drug dependency to keep you from loosing your shit? I just can't anymore. "Our nutral cable has been stolen. We don't know how long they are going to take to fix it. All I can do is escalate and phone COT every day until they fix it." 100
Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 29/09/2026The joy of not having to go to work on a rainy day... Dante is living the life. #cat #catsofbluesky 030
Reposted by Marius Lootserikapotgieter.bsky.social @erikapotgieter.bsky.social · 29/09/2026“We were never consulted” – Cape Town residents challenge Equinix data centre | GroundUp share.google/S9hs7KpJxVcB...share.google“We were never consulted” – Cape Town residents challenge Equinix data centreRezoning appeal has temporarily halted plans 113
Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Elephants playing. #fauna Two elephants playing in the water in a waterhole in Pilanesberg Nature Reserve. The elephants are in a large body of water. One with broken left tusk is riding on the back of the other, who are just briefly visible here and there. 020
Reposted by Marius LootsPeter du Toit @peterdutoit.com · 28/09/2026As South Africa heads into a summer that will be shaped by the El Niño soil moisture is at record highs, and have been the entire year. This creates an important early impact buffer. We are watching this metric very closely as this event unfolds here. Data: online.flippingbook.com/view/3012222... 192
Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Struggling to get a sensible quote from the preferred (only) supplier. Ask for two hard drives, one at least 4 TB SATA. Keep getting a quote for a 2TB and an NVME which won't work in our PC. All overpriced. Fecking monopoly service. 010
Reposted by Marius LootsShayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Enhancing grainy images and videos with generative AI to identify key missing details often produces inaccurate and unreliable results. AI models have no reference as to what missing details in a grainy image/video look like, and often generate those details based on an incorrect guess. 423558
Reposted by Marius LootsShayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 28/09/2026An AI-enhanced version of a grainy image that appears to be authentic and shows several men being arrested in relation to the ongoing incident at RAF Fairford is currently being shared on multiple platforms. A SynthID check reveals that the enhanced image was generated with OpenAI. 15331126
Reposted by Marius LootsMark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 26/09/2026The AI cilia story deepens further 3194
Reposted by Marius LootsSasha | Kai Dao 🔬 @kaidaoscience.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Regarding the Nikon Small World controversy, I made a short explaining our concerns to the public—and why data integrity in microscopy matters: youtube.com/shorts/t1hlH... And just now seeing the LinkedIn breakdown showing Gemini generative AI altered the entry makes the whole outcome even sadder. 0225
Reposted by Marius LootsChristophe 🔬 Leterrier @christlet.bsky.social · 23/09/2026As they are not active here, I left a comment on the LinkedIn post from Nikon Small World about the concerns I think I share with many (first screenshot is their post, second screenshot is my comment) lnkd.in/p/ecdT6saZ 78917
Reposted by Marius LootsChristophe 🔬 Leterrier @christlet.bsky.social · 23/09/2026I want to see a 3D view of the sample stage being simultaneously under and over the optical table Mind-bending Escher stuff 151
Reposted by Marius LootsHao Yin @haoyin.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Cilia - AI champion show🏆 Credit: GPT6-Astra Inspired by @christlet.bsky.social 28320
Reposted by Marius LootsChristophe 🔬 Leterrier @christlet.bsky.social · 22/09/2026This is the updated part. Looks like the movie is an AI-generated fluorescence image from a non-labeled acquisition technique. No indication that the Small World jury and organizers have requested and verified the raw data (as mentioned as a possibility in the competition rules) 155023
Reposted by Marius Loots🆂🅷🅴🅴🅽🅰 @sheena-mck.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Attention Alphabetters! This is your reminder that Mon 28 Sep starts Week M and the #AlphabetChallenge is Machinery. Everything from cars to factory production lines, or even the internal machinery that make things work. So lots to choose from! Use the # below and have fun😁 611128
Reposted by Marius Lootsepithelial mechanics fan club @epimechfc.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Can mathematics explain how biological patterns are formed? Alan Turing thought so. Join me, @benswedlund.bsky.social, as we explore his reaction-diffusion theory and how it transformed our understanding of pattern formation and self-organisation. 15326
Reposted by Marius LootsMichelle @michelleroy78.bsky.social · 26/09/2026I had no idea a place like this even existed. 2211515
Reposted by Marius LootsJulieW67 @juliew67.bsky.social · 27/09/2026#Alphabetchallenge #WeekLForLookingIn #Stunday Looking into the nave yesterday Manchester Cathedral 1124226
Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Treatment modalities of Dupuytren's contracture (Viking hand). Long essay but worth the read and a reliable source. kalense.substack.com/p/the-treatm...kalense.substack.comThe Treatment of the Crooked Hand; or, A Journey through the Sundry RemediesPeople have tried to find remedies for Dupuytren’s disease for at least two centuries, and probably for thousands of years. We hear of stretching, massage, oils, supplements, light, shock waves, injec... 000
Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 26/09/2026It's Saturday. Take a break, even a small one. For yourself. If you can, stare into some flames. #alphabetchallenge #weeklforlookin #fire #braai #barbeque Short video clip of a fire with fiery orange flames. 140
Reposted by Marius LootsPaul Kirschner @paulkirschner.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Het eenvoudige model van lesgeven, gebaseerd op wat de cognitieve psychologie ons heeft gebracht, is een krachtig kader voor lesgeven. Bedankt @pepsmccrea.bsky.social www.kirschnered.nl/2026/09/26/e...kirschnered.nlEenvoudig model van lesgeven - kirschner-EDHet eenvoudige model van lesgeven, gebaseerd op wat de cognitieve psychologie ons heeft gebracht, is een krachtig kader voor lesgeven. 0142
Reposted by Marius LootsJamie Schler @lifesafeast.bsky.social · 26/09/2026This is domestic terrorism. Making food so unsafe that its dangerous to eat is domestic terrorism. 68524
Reposted by Marius LootsA/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her) @samstehbens.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Thank-you to the community members who spoke up. In the age of AI it is increasingly important to maintain #biologicalreality. Hallucinating biological structures is not science. @melaniedwhite.bsky.social @christlet.bsky.social & Robert Hirst. 0194
Reposted by Marius LootsChristophe 🔬 Leterrier @christlet.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Here's a balanced account of where the microscopy community stands on AI use by this year's Small World in Motion winner. My main issue is that no one seems to have seen the original data despite requests (no mention of it being reviewed by the organizers) www.the-scientist.com/allegations-...the-scientist.comAllegations of AI Use in Nikon Competition Spark Controversy | The ScientistMicroscopists raise concerns about inappropriate AI usage in Nikon's microscopy contest-winning video. Nikon stands their ground, citing no policy breach. 67528
Reposted by Marius LootsMwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 25/09/2026This is it. This is what everyone is enabling by humoring genAI: you spend months writing something that took you years to get at, for an opaque algorithm that a few control to spit a number and cut you off right there and then. This is what we're up against 🧪 14409171
Reposted by Marius LootsMwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 25/09/2026PLUS: unless otherwise specified, this text is now part of the training datasets. Think about it 🧪 1123
Reposted by Marius LootsRobert Kowalenko @rob-kowa.bsky.social · 25/09/2026A “chatbot” cannot have “chats” with you, because it does not know what a chat *is*. It does not *reply* to you, because it does not know that words have meaning and refer to a world. It does not know that there *is* a world outside of its dataset. You’ve been having conversations with a doorknob 0137
Reposted by Marius LootsJamie Smart @jamiesmart.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Can’t eat a sandwich until you subscribe to sandwiches. Can’t eat today’s sandwich until it has applied daily sandwich updates. Sandwich now has adverts even though you paid for ad-free sandwich. Can pay again to have less sandwich adverts. Now you can eat the sandwich, but it’s smaller. 20847501188
Reposted by Marius LootsScreaming Butterfly @screamingbutterfly.bsky.social · 25/09/2026America the land of the free and the cowardly white ppl theintercept.com/2026/09/24/h...theintercept.comFlock Wants the Most Detailed Map of Its Surveillance Cameras Taken OfflineA new map shows Flock has more cameras in the U.S. than was previously known. The company wants the map taken down. 111
Reposted by Marius LootsNaomi Kritzer @naomikritzer.bsky.social · 24/09/2026There's a lot that is appalling about this but one is the idea that you can shed basic skills and be a good "systems thinker." 711916
Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Sunset #panophotos #panorama #OMSystem #hugin A deep red sun sits just above the horison and below a cloud-filled sky. 041
Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 24/09/2026With my electronic eye I spy Looking in the rearview mirror... #alphabetChallenge #weekLforLookingIn #OMSystem #photography #fauna A car's rearview mirror shows the red body of the car and a smallish black elephant in the bush directly behind the car. 0171