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Not Just Phlogiston

@notphlogiston.bsky.social
1.2K followers 486 following 1.9K posts

Equity, sustainability, and inclusion in high school chemistry. K12 public school union strong. NBCT. #MTBoS. Tea, not coffee. #ChemistsWhoCook, crafting, jam.

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 06/10/2026
Hot news for the sea lion in my comments bothering everyone about how training data is fair use www.courthousenews.com/ai-training-...
courthousenews.com
AI training of copyrighted material not fair use: Third Circuit
Using someone else's "creative spark" to start a competing business runs afoul of copyright law, the panel found.
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aaron boothby @ellipticalnight.bsky.social · 18h
I didn't know his name before this but he's a real one: member of La France Insoumise (to the left of the Socialists), took down Macron's portrait in the mayor's office, said elected leaders belong in the streets with the people
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Nanjala @nanjala.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I need someone to develop an app where I deposit like $100 at the beginning of the year and then when I click on an article that’s behind a paywall they deduct a cost per article for that specific site and send it to the publication rather than expect me to subscribe to 50 outlets.
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Mychal Threets @mychal3ts.bsky.social · 8h
Our Fable book club is reading Alyson Stoner's memoir this month. And… 📚 St. Martin's Press and Fable are giving you a chance to win a copy of Alyson's book! 😁 •Comment in the "Giveaway" chat room 📚 Thank you, St. Martin’s Press 😊 fable.co/club/mychal-threets-book-club-with-mychal-118918706640
Mychal Threets book club is reading their Alyson Stoner memoir in October. Picture includes a smiling Alyson Stoner and Mychal together
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Pat Bagley @bagleycartoons.bsky.social · 8h
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Jeff, formerly of MN and MA, still God of Cookies @diasporaminnesotan.bsky.social · 7h
EdTech is NOT our friend.
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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 7h
It feels very good to have been the editor who handled Soai's 1995 paper in Nature on autocatalytic amplification of an enantiomeric excess - now known as the Soai reaction. This seemed a curiosity at the time, but we clearly made the right call.
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Nicole BOO-liucci 🎃 @noisyastronomer.com · 7h
TIL that Bookshop does an anti-Prime Day and I am HERE FOR IT!
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The Fig Economy @figgityfigs.bsky.social · 18h
Sometimes my wife and I like to send each other text messages as though they’re democratic fundraising messages, and I believe she has produced the jewel of the form.
, it's
and I
have some personal news to share with you.
Being a mom is one of the greatest joys of my life, and I feel deeply that we should have salad tonight
This year has been challenging in many ways, and I have immense gratitude for the kindness and support of family, community, and people like you who have continued to stand by me through everything. It means the world, and I wanted you to be among the first to know that squash is in the oven and kale is in the fridge.As many of you are aware, ve been navigating one of the most challenging periods of my day while waiting for dinner.
Facing baseless federal hunger brought on by not eating since lunch, fighting for the working kids of this country, and now caring for a mean toddler and helping him grow up in a world that isn't always easy. But it has also reminded me exactly why I do this work and who I do it for.
I will never stop working to eat dinner. I will never stop fighting for what is right, even when there is also some feta in the fridge. And I will never stop being so very thankful that you are by my side in this important work and that there is tahini in the pantry for dressing
With love and gratitude,
stop to end
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Bob Henson @bhensonweather.bsky.social · 22h
Newborn #TD9 is predicted to become TS #Isaias on Tuesday night and reach the central U.S. Gulf Coast as a hurricane on Friday night. With the Gulf's surface waters at record-warm levels for early October, this one bears close watching. yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/10/odds...
yaleclimateconnections.org
Odds of a U.S. Gulf Coast hurricane landfall are rising » Yale Climate Connections
A tropical depression organizing in the record-breaking warm waters of the western Gulf of Mexico is predicted to arrive as Hurricane Isaias on Friday night.
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Ben Wikler @benwikler.bsky.social · 21h
"The Trump Administration is proposing to repeal the Roadless Rule, opening 45 million acres of national forests to road construction, destructive timber harvest and energy development." Today is the last day for public comment. Weigh in: defenders.org/roadless-rule
defenders.org
The Roadless Rule
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rax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 22h
a little louder for the cheap seats in the back
One of the biggest myths is that men rape by mistake. Like, "Oh, they need consent training." But research is very clear: Sexual violence is not a mistake. It is an intentionally made decision by people who know they don't have consent. They just don't prioritize consent over things like status, power, domination, and sexual gratification.
For my research, I got a certificate of confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health, so my notes couldn't be subpoenaed. One of the reasons I call them perpetrators in my work is because every single person I interviewed confessed in that context. The first question I would ask them was, "When you received that email from Title IX that you were under investigation, did you know what it was about?" Every perpetrator I interviewed said "yes." If sexual assault were a miscommunication, you would be wondering, What have I possibly done wrong? That is not the way that any of them reacted because they knew.
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Physghoul 👻 🎃 @physgal.bsky.social · 23h
My department is searching for two full-time continuing physics teaching faculty. Come work in beautiful BC. 🧪👩🏻‍🔬⚛️🎢🍎 @sfuscience.bsky.social
sfu.ca
Science
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Janette Moser @mjmoser.bsky.social · 21h
1. It's not like the billionaires don't have the money to pay people. They do. 2. They're choosing the lockout. It's not an inevitability. Their hands aren't tied. 3. Back to number 1, even if they're in a lockout they can still afford to keep these people on payroll. They're choosing not to.
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Citizen.Coping @propcazhpm.bsky.social · 20h
When people say that the U.S. should learn how to protest from the French, it erases the numerous marches for civil rights, including year long boycott, that got results. We live in the backlash. Also, Latin American countries had as many protests and uprisings, often brutally put down with help*.
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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 06/10/2026
What is the IceCube neutrino observatory? Neutrinos are elusive particles that rarely interact, but can create flashes of light when they do. Most neutrino detectors are giant water tanks surrounded by light detectors. IceCube is kilometer-long strings of detectors embedded in the Antarctic ice.
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Alex Merz 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇺🇦 @merz.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I just finished reading the academic paper that this news article briefly describes. It's terrific, and anyone teaching molecular biology might benefit from reading it. doi.org/10.1007/s107...
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Dan Moren @dmoren.com · 05/10/2026
Let's say I wanted to hire an artist to do a map for some sci-fi books. Anybody have any recommendations? :D
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NosferaPru @prufrockluvsong.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
New pastry idea: enormous fours
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Ted Underwood @tedunderwood.com · 05/10/2026
Lots of gratitude to @carlbergstrom.com for quoting probably my favorite of my own sentences about AI at @arl.org
Carl Bergstrom stands onstage at an Association of Research Libraries meeting, beside large projection screens displaying a quotation from Ted Underwood: “As in any fairytale, accepting magical assistance comes with risks.” Underwood’s name and University of Illinois affiliation appear beneath the quotation. The ballroom is dark, with blue accent lighting on the ceiling and stage curtains; a lectern and conference signage stand near Bergstrom, and the main slide fills most of the left side of the image. The quotation comes from Underwood’s essay “Will AI make us overconfident?” at tedunderwood.com.
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Anil Dash @anildash.com · 05/10/2026
I can’t emphasize this enough — “AI” wasn’t born corrupt and toxic. For ~75 years, it was mathematicians and scientists doing interesting, thoughtful work and trying to solve problems, making only the usual human mistakes. What “AI” did to machine learning is as tragic as what it did to artists.
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Anil Dash @anildash.com · 05/10/2026
Exactly this. And in fact, many models *have* been created this way, and decades of prior machine learning systems *were* created this way, consensually. These things are choices! People are STILL working this way! It’s not just that a better world is possible — it already EXISTS. We can nurture it.
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New York Attorney General Letitia James @newyorkstateag.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the CDC have stopped recommending seven vaccines for children, including vaccines that protect against hepatitis B, RSV, and meningitis. These vaccines have kept millions of children out of the hospital and saved countless lives. I'm suing.
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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
When some of you say "there's no money for public libraries etc..." I hope you know that there always is and it's just not prioritized.
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RFK Brain Worm Jr. @planetofdinosaurs.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Hear me out. All police misconduct cases paid out of police pension funds. Because as a citizen I'm really sick of public funds being used to pay these AND having to worry about a cop doing something shitty to me because they have no accountability.
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Jenknitstoomuch @jenknitstoomuch.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Once again if you are in Chicagoland the White Sox game is on channel 60 in Spanish with no political commercials.
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Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 06/10/2026
Streptomyces! Helicobacter! Clostridium! All your faves in beautiful watercolor artologica.etsy.com/listing/4581... #sciart
green and blue grid painting of 12 bacteria types
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shauna @goldengateblond.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
“every time someone is sleeping on a subway bench in a city, the rest of america can sort of say ‘ugh, look at these cities.’ but we are holding a lot of your people who you failed to love and take care of.” 👏 👏 👏
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Andrew Deck @andrewdeck.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
ChatGPT is adding the signatures of real New Yorker cartoonists to its AI-generated images. So far, I've found the signatures of more than 15 contributors. "It’s slop, and unlike the other slop that I’ve encountered, this is slop that’s pretending to be me." www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/chat...
Left: A cartoon generated by ChatGPT and signed with Emily Flake’s signature that was posted to a Reddit forum in June. Right: A real Emily Flake cartoon published in The New Yorker on August 20, 2026 and licensed via The Cartoon Bank.
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Marty Lederman @martylederman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Samuel Alito: We won't overturn Obergefell because it's engendered reliance interests. Jan Crawford: Well, many people had organized their lives around Roe v. Wade. Alito: No, they didn't. Women merely had an "abstract" interest in "ideas about the kind of society that they were going to live in."
cbsnews.com
The Alito Court: A rare interview with the influential Supreme Court justice
Justice Samuel Alito discussed his opinion in the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the leaked draft and its aftermath, same-sex marriage rights and why he's not retiring yet.
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tyrone (ty, they, he) martinez-black @teachnexttmb.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The goal is within reach if you want to support…
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Skype a Scientist @skypeascientist.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
We at Skype a Scientist are deeply troubled by the closure of the Academy of Natural Sciences. We urge you to contact Drexel University Leadership and Academy interim leader Trish Wellenbach to urge them to reopen the museum. President Merlo president@Drexel.edu Trish Wellenbach tw958@drexel.edu
a block of text with a statement that reads We at Skype a Scientist are deeply alarmed by the decision of Drexel University leadership and the Academy of Natural Sciences Board to close the Academy’s public museum.

Skype a Scientist is based in Philadelphia with deep roots in our city. Making science accessible, in particular for Philly’s children, is a top priority for our organization. We operate in community centers, at street festivals, and at the intersection of science and art. For the last 10 years, we have worked to engage a broader coalition of Philly residents to care for our local biodiversity. 

Our program does not exist in a vacuum. The work that we do, alongside environmental education centers, our museums, classroom teachers, and more, create an ecosystem of connections with science. The loss of any part of this fragile ecosystem is detrimental. The Academy of Natural Sciences grounds biodiversity education in Philadelphia. With grand fossil halls, historical connections, and engaging exhibits, it is a place where many Philadelphians develop a love of science. Loss of access to this space cannot be tolerated.

We are living through an erosion of public education, particularly in the life sciences. Philadelphia cannot afford to lose our flagship biodiversity museum.

We call on the leaders of Drexel University and the Academy board to reverse their decision to close the Academy’s public museum. The children of Philadelphia and future generations of Philly-made scientists are counting on you.
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Tim Carmody @tcarmody.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This is the funniest thing I've seen today, possibly ever
A tweet by SarahStarberry that says "oh god read the vertical axis" on top of a chart measuring AI models' release dates and model numbers rather than any real capabilities
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Justin @jlentini09.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Shared by a woman I would've used a steak knife
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Dana El Kurd @danaelkurd.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Any suggestions for middle grade books with arab protagonists? My kid just said they dont like being arab because "we're always the bad guys."
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ceej @ceej.online · 04/10/2026
“how do we win back trump voters in 2026” we don’t. we create an environment where admitting to voting for trump is so socially embarrassing as to render them completely inert. you don’t “win back” trump voters. you demoralize them into staying home. you make it a dunce cap
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Annie loves Mpls @anniekp.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
You want these sweet mittens? Register people to vote or give to down ballot candidates and I will send them to one of you so you can wear them on Election Day. Send me nothing except a screenshot of your voter registration event or of your donation. More threaded.
Four pictures of rainbow and white kittens showing both sides. One kitten is unfinished but close. Each kitten shows a middle finger on one side and says “we the people” on the other side. The rainbow in one kitten is reversed with the white in the other so they are complementary but not identical.
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jess m. ☕🍂 @jametc.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Something AI is responsible for that doesn't get enough talk: How, when it scrapes a website to illegally steal everything on it, it uses up a ton of its bandwidth allotment, crashing it or racking up massive fees for site owners.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
And this right here is why I switched to LibreOffice last year. Just basic stuff to get your work done without 10,000 features I don't need. Including garbage AI.
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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
A thread about a great cat, and the post-retirement creative evolution of a great artist, in 20 images...
My late cat The Bear in a box marked Hotel California, realising he can check out but he can never leave.
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Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 26/09/2026
The petri dish scarf in silk chiffon 🧪🐡🦠 artologica.etsy.com/listing/3992...
artologica.etsy.com
Black Petri Dishes Silk Chiffon Scarf - Etsy
This Scarves item by artologica has 82 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Washington, DC. Listed on Sep 26, 2026
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Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 01/10/2026
Imagine a room full of brilliant jazz musicians, all playing solos, none of them listening to each other. That's climate communication right now--and we have the data to prove it. Join @fisherdanar.bsky.social, @bernwoodsplacky.bsky.social & I on our @tccollab.bsky.social webinar today, 3pm ET!
us06web.zoom.us
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Who’s Really Talking About Climate Change?. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Climate concern is everywhere. Climate conversations are almost nowhere. That’s why the Talking Climate Collaborative is bringing together new research and practical action. Join us to explore findin...
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Voter registration deadlines are SUNDAY in Alaska, Rhode Island, South Carolina. And MONDAY in: Arizona, Arkansas Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and *Texas*. If you live in these states, verify your registration now, literally.
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Julian R. Silverman @manhattanscientist.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I really need to know what the “professor” air freshener smells like.
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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 03/10/2026
It’s a nation where domestic abuse reports rise during football season. It’s a president folks elected twice, knowing he abused women and girls.. Yes, it’s 7 men at Cornell. And it’s America.
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Michael @scienceteacher.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Turns out high school students love them--I'm handing them out like candy in class.
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Nicole Bedera @nbedera.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Earlier this week, I agreed to interviews with two USA Today journalists. They wrote fantastic articles about the Cornell case that I'm proud to have been a part of. What I did not know is that their employer considers interviews to proprietary and opens up recordings to be used by any journalist.
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Angie Nixon @angieforfl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Folks have insulted:  My Southern drawl.  My loc’d hair.  My clothes.  My shoes.  My intelligence.  I’ve been called a ghetto Black b!t€h. Now @JDVance says I don’t belong and should leave the very country my ancestors helped build. This is a lot y’all. It is. #AngieForFlorida
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