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Michael Tremmel

@michaeltremmel.bsky.social
902 followers 465 following 952 posts

Astrophysicist, Cat Dad, Comic book enthusiast. Lecturer at University College Cork (Ireland) He/Him mtremmel.github.io

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Reposted by Michael Tremmel
Zach Weinersmith @zachweinersmith.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I was reading someone who put into words a way to discern ai writing (and which also makes AI writing annoying): that it tries to end every paragraph with a mic drop. I had mentally categorized this as "writes like a teenager trying to show off" but this is much more specific.
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Emily Lakdawalla 🏳️‍⚧️ Uranus Expert @elakdawalla.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
With alt text
User Fiona Tribe (fionatribe.bsky.social) says: Yes, Swiss scientist Fritz Zwicky coined the term “dark matter” which is impressive, but he also coined the term “spherical bastard” to describe people who are bastards no matter which way you look at them, and I think that should be celebrated more.
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Currently reading “The Darkening Age” by Catherine Nixey and it is very good. Really shows the evils of Christian zealotry at the later stages of the Roman Empire and causes one to consider how much it set humanity back.
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James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 29/09/2026
Are you looking to apply for the Astronomy PhD program at the University of Washington this cycle? Please look at our website and see the new Expression of Interest form!! astro.washington.edu/graduate-adm...
astro.washington.edu
Graduate Admissions | Department of Astronomy | University of Washington
The Department of Astronomy is accepting applications to our graduate program for Fall 2027 admissions.
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Mike Boylan-Kolchin @mbkplus.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
As someone in a STEM discipline, I really abhor the kind of messaging that Mark describes. The messengers aren’t people who actually care about STEM. It’s really a shorthand for “do something practical, focus on your relation to the labor market”.
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Mike Boylan-Kolchin @mbkplus.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The messengers generally look down on most scientific inquiry unless it’s a very specific form of applied science. We can’t let these folks divide us; in the end, much of STEM has more in common with the humanities and social sciences than with, e.g., business.
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Peter Onyisi @peteronyisi.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
We made a bit of a bargain with the devil by selling the sciences as being technology precursors and as having rigorous evaluation metrics, unlike Those People There
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Peter Onyisi @peteronyisi.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I've been thinking recently (in the wake of similar discussions in math regarding AI) that the practice of the "hard sciences" is a lot more humanist than generally let on
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
My mom keeps her toaster in the downstairs closet (nowhere near the kitchen). Does this make her some kind of super Protestant?
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Cats of Yore @catsofyore.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Just sitting right here for no particular reason at all. Photo from my collection, no date/info.
Photo of a shorthaired tabby cat sitting on the snowy railing of a porch, sitting as close as possible to a snow covered bird feeder.
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Greg Wester @gwestr.me · 16/09/2026
LOL
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15/09/2026
PATEL: The previous regulation automatically disqualified any individual who participated in either side of it KENNEDY: Either side of beastiality? So you disqualified the animal? P: Well, we have great canines, but we're not going to disqualify them K: I'm trying to understand why you did this.
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
1) trans kids aren’t preventing anyone from getting scholarships 2) your kid isn’t getting a scholarship bro. You should be angry that college costs what it does, not angry at a child for competing with your child in soccer.
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Louisa @louisathelast.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
(This is two months old but just crossed my timeline, sorry, I just want to address this) American parents have a disorder of some kind where they assume that there is a realistic chance their kid will get an athletic scholarship. Reality: less than 2% of high school athletes get scholarships.
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Anyone who attended this deserves to be blacklisted from all aspects of Irish life.
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Jess Pendley @jesspendley.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Future me watching temporary -productivity-burst me commit to meetings and calls.
A small machine, the front resembles a smiling face, and its back reflected in the mirror behind it resembles a horrified face.
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Jen Keane @zenbuffy.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Here's some figures, apropos of nothing. Median cost to retrofit a mid-terrace is €55,250, rising to €60,805 for a semi D. Median salary in Ireland is €41,500. Senior minister salary is €217,136.
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Frank O'Connor @frankoconnor.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Bus Eireann charging 2 of us €15 single from Cork to Macroom really shows how much this country cares about getting people out of cars No option to buy return on bus Bus 3/4 empty If we'd a car it would cost €11.00 return on fuel 6 times price This government hates public transport #speirghorm
Bus Eireann charging 2 of us €15 single from Cork to Macroom really shows how much this country cares about getting people out of cars 
No option to buy return on bus
Bus 3/4 empty
If we'd a car it would cost €11.00 return on fuel
6 times price
This government hates public transport

#speirghorm
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
So there’s this idea that universities must adopt AI in the curriculum in order to prepare students for the workforce. Let’s ignore for a min the fact that UNIVERSITIES ARE NOT FOR JOB TRAINING. How do you use AI well? The key is being able to think, reason, and critically analyze the results.
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Is there an example of a university president that’s competent? Asking for a friend.
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John Burn-Murdoch @jburnmurdoch.ft.com · 08/09/2026
2) England is a rare exception. During the 2010s many other countries (including the other 3 UK nations) changed tack, experimenting with ideas like transferrable skills instead of focusing on tried-and-tested disciplines and methods. It looks like those experiments have failed.
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Louise @selkies.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Sorry something must have been lost in translation, they're saying you don't need to speak Irish to be Minister for the Gaeltacht (representing the native Irish speakers of Ireland and their very specific interests), but you DO need to speak Irish if you just want to live in Ireland and are foreign
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
My sys admin for my little research server left and there’s no replacement but today I found he had a nice script to create a new user. A live video of me right now after running the script:
static.klipy.com
Alan Cumming in GoldenEye: I Am Invincible
Alt: Alan Cumming in GoldenEye: I Am Invincible
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Peter Coles 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ 🇮🇪 @telescoper.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
A propos the proposed Irish language requirement, remember that even the former Minister for the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys couldn't speak Irish.
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AAUP Texas A&M-College Station Chapter @tamu-aaup.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Happy Labor Day!
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Well fuck
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Carl Kinsella @carlkinsella.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
unless you're waking up early to get the bus, Luas or DART, in which case you'll soon be paying 30% more per journey
rte.ie
Budget to support those 'who get up early every morning'
Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris has said this year's Budget will support people "who get up early every morning and go to work".
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Rob @robosullivan.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
It's hard to overstate the audacity it takes for Fine Gael to romanticise the hustle-culture made necessary by their failings. I want to vote for the party who promise to support people so we can "get home in time to spend quality time with family and friends".
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Clare Moriarty @quiteclare.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
"Those who get up early every morning and go to work in a car" he surely meant. Also, this is such ridiculously stale rhetoric. The work landscape has changed. If you mean hard-working ppl, say that. If you just mean you're giving us a budget that benefits men in finance jobs, we already knew that.
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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
The Cat Righting Reflex is the official name of the process cats use to automatically correct themselves mid-fall and land on their feet. It develops between 3 - 9 weeks of age, and is responsible for the greatest wikipedia gif of all time.
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
This was always the lazy way out, doomed to fail. Provide kids + parents w resources, activities, places to exist for free. Give people a sense of purpose + community. Prosecute those who hurt kids (not make them president). You can’t take away kids’ online communities and not give them alternatives
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Cats of Yore @catsofyore.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Who ordered the basket of disappointed kittens? Postcard from my collection, mailed 1904.
Black and white photo of four kittens spilling out of a basket that seems to be partially full of hay. They’re all short haired, and there is a black haired tuxedo, two tabbies, and what looks like a white and calico. They all look grumpy and disappointed.
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
One of the richest countries in Europe and the citizens have nothing to show for it. Worst public transit, in addition to poorly funded higher ed, research, and infrastructure. Time to get FFG out of gov.
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The Journal FactCheck @factcheck.thejournal.ie · 03/09/2026
While the internet is filled with arguments denying the effects of farming on climate change, it is worth delving into one argument that methane from cow herds is harmless, as featured in a video whose popularity has endured online.
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Locus Magazine @locusmag.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Ronald D. Moore presents the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form to Murderbot: “All Systems Red”, written by Paul Weitz & Chris Weitz, directed by Roseanne Liang, based on the book All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Apple TV). #HugoAwards
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Scott Gray @scott1gray.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Jack Kirby, BOTD: 1917
An image of the Watcher by Jack Kirby, and a quote from Kirby beneath it. "I had a guy die on me once, during the war, and
he looked up at me and he said, 'What the hell happened? What happened?' And here I was, just a schmo from the East Side of New York City, y'know, and how do you answer the guy? I told him,'You happened' See? And that was real. It got me to think how valuable human beings are; and at that moment I discovered my own humanity.
In that moment, I discovered everybody else's."
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Chris Mihos @chrismihos.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Ahh, I'm seeing a lot of particle physicists riding into astronomy research, ready fix our field and solve all our science questions for us. I mean, how hard can astronomy be, right? Welcome in, dear.
1950s man comes home, where his wife and children are hiding behind the door holding carving knives. His wife is labelled "Systematic uncertainties" and his kids are labelled "Non-Gaussian Errors" and "Dust".
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
These people are all idiots. This is why good grades on tests don’t tell you shit. These are the people pushing and funding the AI. We are fucked.
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Jason Song Quinn (Comms Open) @hulkhoquinn.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Think about Miss Piggy. She lost a best friend and now an ex-lover in matter of 24 hours.
Miss Piggy and Dolly Parton in fancy dresses posing together photo of Tim Curry surrounded by muppets, smiling for a photo. A quote from curry is added “it didn’t go very well. It didn’t survive the shoot. She felt I wasn’t being faithful to her” it’s him discussing his ill fated affair with miss piggy
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Wren Walker @wrenwalker.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
"..companies such as Costco, Apple, and Delta Air Lines continued to defend or maintain key diversity initiatives.. The results show that the corporations that remained firm on their stance on DEI did not take a hit to their bottom line." #DEI www.blackenterprise.com/pro-dei-comp...
blackenterprise.com
Pro-DEI Companies Are Doing Just Fine According To New Study
New research finds S&P 500 companies that maintained DEI policies performed as well as — and sometimes better than — peers that pulled back.
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
If this doesn’t put off any Irish person to using AI I don’t know what will
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Dr Lucy J.S. Clarke 🇵🇸🏳️‍⚧️🌈 no human is illegal @lucyjsclarke.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
why take a shit in public when you can just sign that open letter in support of Nathan Cofnas
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Foreign students don’t get UK student loans. Stupidest party in the world with the most gullible followers.
Times Higher Education • @timeshighered
X.com
Reform UK has promised to ban "foreign students" from accessing student loans and said it will end public subsidies for "woke nonsense" degrees
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
This iconic Fabian Todorovic cartoon is still one of the best I’ve seen at illustrating the remarkable amount of space we surrender to cars, leaving little space left for everyone and everything else. The text added later makes the bonus point that many drivers still manage to complain about it.
Cartoon image of a street with much of the space taken up by a car with a single driver, while the rest of the street has people tightly packed in a bus, a bus shelter and riding bikes in a bike lane. Adding insult to injury, the driver says “damn those bike paths and bike lanes taking all the space.”
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
If you see this, share your pet
Torbie cat sitting in a basket on a cat treeLarge tabby cat sleeping on his side on a yellow chair with a zebra blanket
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Michael Tremmel @michaeltremmel.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Haven’t listened to the podcast yet but we need to provide kids with a way to socialize and explore hobbies/interests that is safe and affordable. Kids need to find a sense of self outside of social media. I worry proposed solutions will be bans or censorship which won’t solve the underlying issue.
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Shecky @shecky.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
He's back in the ICU with "low blood pressure" now, and frankly, this is looking like it might be it. Please, friends, if you or someone you know has a safe, comfortable, loving landing zone for his two cats, please please *please* speak up ASAP.
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Shecky @shecky.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
FRIENDS IN THE NYC AREA: Okay, this is a tough one, but please bear with me. My wife's lifelong friend has stage 4 pancreatic cancer and is desperately seeking a home for his two cats when that time comes. The elder, Wally, is something like 13 years old and DELIGHTFULLY dim. The younger, Doris,
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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Here’s a bank saying the thing that everyone else in the EU can see with their own eyes. If you weaken climate action because you want better economic outcomes, your economic outcomes get much worse because of the bad climate change you could have acted on.
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