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Marius Loots

@mariusloots.bsky.social
2.1K followers 908 following 9.1K posts

eat:sleep:exercise| live learn chaos.co.za he/him university of pretoria Histology, 3D printing, photography, anthropology For what it's worth - my data is not allowed to train AI.

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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 9h
Hot coals. Essential part of a Saturday evening. #braai #barbeque A stylized image of red triquettes with flames around the sides.
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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 12h
An update - albeit not clarifying - about things happening around this issue: petapixel.com/2026/10/01/n...
petapixel.com
Nikon 'Re-Reviewing' Winner of Small World in Motion Contest After AI Accusation
The winner is under intense scrutiny.
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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
You'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)
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David Gaboriau @dgaboriau.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Thank you @dalemoulding.bsky.social for posting what it really looks like, with information on acquisition, time stamp, scale bar, and raw and processed images. 🔬🔬🔬🔬🔬🔬🔬
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Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
No 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 discuss
bloodinthemachine.com
The two words the AI industry hates more than anything
I 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.
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Jamie Schler @lifesafeast.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I’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...
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BWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
One 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.
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Jonathan Jarry @jonathanjarry.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
You 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.social
mcgill.ca
Feng Shui Is Not Scientific, And It’s Costing Us a Lot of Money
There 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...
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Marylou @maryloub.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The Epstein Class Will Not Arrest Themselves.
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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Spooks 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.
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johnedwinmason @johnedwinmason.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
America is a savage place. apnews.com/article/chri...
apnews.com
Christa Pike is in critical condition after Tennessee’s failed execution attempt, her lawyers say
Attorneys 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.
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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
So 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...."
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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Pre-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?
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Mill_lab @cilialab.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
While #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.uk
Tiny image sparks big backlash in Nikon photo contest
Dr Ning Xu denies he broke the rules of Nikon's annual Small World In Motion contest.
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Dan Jagger @auditorynerves.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The 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.uk
Tiny image sparks big backlash in Nikon photo contest
Dr Ning Xu denies he broke the rules of Nikon's annual Small World In Motion contest.
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BWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This 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.
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Nicholas Dawes @nicdawes.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The 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 journalism
lighthousereports.com
Data Centre Silence
How 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
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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
At 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."
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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The joy of not having to go to work on a rainy day... Dante is living the life. #cat #catsofbluesky
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erikapotgieter.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 centre
Rezoning appeal has temporarily halted plans
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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Elephants 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.
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Peter du Toit @peterdutoit.com · 28/09/2026
As 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...
Figure 2.1: Average soil moisture levels in percentage water in top metre of soil for South Africa

Source: SMAP Data from US National Snow and Ice Data Centre, Absa Research, 2026
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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Struggling 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.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Enhancing 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.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
An 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.
AI-enhanced version of an authentic image showing arrests at RAF Fairford
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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
No.
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The AI cilia story deepens further
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Sasha | Kai Dao 🔬 @kaidaoscience.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Regarding 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.
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Christophe 🔬 Leterrier @christlet.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
As 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
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Christophe 🔬 Leterrier @christlet.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I want to see a 3D view of the sample stage being simultaneously under and over the optical table Mind-bending Escher stuff
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Hao Yin @haoyin.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Cilia - AI champion show🏆 Credit: GPT6-Astra Inspired by @christlet.bsky.social
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Christophe 🔬 Leterrier @christlet.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This 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)
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🆂🅷🅴🅴🅽🅰 @sheena-mck.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Attention 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😁
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epithelial mechanics fan club @epimechfc.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Can 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.
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Michelle @michelleroy78.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I had no idea a place like this even existed.
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JulieW67 @juliew67.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
#Alphabetchallenge #WeekLForLookingIn #Stunday Looking into the nave yesterday Manchester Cathedral
A photo looking towards the nave in Manchester Cathedral yesterday. 
The grand golden pipes of the Stoller organ can be seen at the opposite end of the Cathedral. 
Either side are grand stone arches with stained glass windows above. 
There are two sections of seats either side with a few people stood and sat on the right.
My phone was placed upside down on a small mirrored table so everything is reflected in the photo
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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Treatment 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.com
The Treatment of the Crooked Hand; or, A Journey through the Sundry Remedies
People 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...
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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
It'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.
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Paul Kirschner @paulkirschner.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Het 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.nl
Eenvoudig model van lesgeven - kirschner-ED
Het eenvoudige model van lesgeven, gebaseerd op wat de cognitieve psychologie ons heeft gebracht, is een krachtig kader voor lesgeven.
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Jamie Schler @lifesafeast.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
This is domestic terrorism. Making food so unsafe that its dangerous to eat is domestic terrorism.
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A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her) @samstehbens.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Thank-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.
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Christophe 🔬 Leterrier @christlet.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Here'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.com
Allegations of AI Use in Nikon Competition Spark Controversy | The Scientist
Microscopists raise concerns about inappropriate AI usage in Nikon's microscopy contest-winning video. Nikon stands their ground, citing no policy breach.
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MwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This 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 🧪
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MwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
PLUS: unless otherwise specified, this text is now part of the training datasets. Think about it 🧪
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Robert Kowalenko @rob-kowa.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A “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
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Jamie Smart @jamiesmart.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Can’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.
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Screaming Butterfly @screamingbutterfly.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
America the land of the free and the cowardly white ppl theintercept.com/2026/09/24/h...
theintercept.com
Flock Wants the Most Detailed Map of Its Surveillance Cameras Taken Offline
A new map shows Flock has more cameras in the U.S. than was previously known. The company wants the map taken down.
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Naomi Kritzer @naomikritzer.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
There'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."
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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Sunset #panophotos #panorama #OMSystem #hugin A deep red sun sits just above the horison and below a cloud-filled sky.
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Marius Loots @mariusloots.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
With 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.
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