Sign in

Sam

@samdolan.bsky.social
463 followers 624 following 3.4K posts

Dad and son. Lecturer in Sheffield, UK. Physics, astronomy, maths, football (#ITFC), folk, fun and anti-fascism. D&D. Black holes and gravitational waves. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Sam
Nick Pettigrew @nick-pettigrew.bsky.social · 5h
"Issuing correction on a previous post of mine, regarding Man City. You do not, under any circumstances, 'gotta hand it to them'."
1379
Reposted by Sam
Margo Gontar @margogontar.bsky.social · 35m
Have your media told you Russian drone bombed the metro bridge in Kyiv today while metro train was running with people inside ?
73516
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 5h
but that's worse - you do see how that's worse, right?? www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
bbc.co.uk
Man City appeal: Club will argue sponsorship deals came from Abu Dhabi government
Manchester City's appeal against the Premier League's verdict hinges on the club's claim that its sponsorship deals came from the Abu Dhabi government.
130
Reposted by Sam
Rachel (ish) @rachelish.bsky.social · 12h
Look I try not to post or repost angry/reactionary stuff but sometimes I fail and wtf do you mean, how is Orban allowed into the UK at all, let alone to meet with far right agitators?! Surely he is on a watch list??
161
Reposted by Sam
Will Thomas @williamthomas.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The video is now available from Fara Dabhoiwala's lecture at AIP last week—an account of a Jamaican prodigy, his failed nomination to the Royal Society, and the only known depiction of the first return of Halley's comet. A story almost lost to history recovered from clues hidden in a small painting!
youtube.com
“Black Genius: Race, Science, and the Extraordinary Portrait of Francis Williams”
YouTube video by AIP History
075
Reposted by Sam
Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 30/09/2026
The Pentagon is notifying millions of current and former U.S. military servicemembers and staff that hackers stole their *unencrypted* personal information during a months-long data breach. The agency that had the breach also handles ID and login/credential access to U.S. military systems and bases.
techcrunch.com
Hackers stole millions of US military personnel records during months-long data breach | TechCrunch
The Department of Defense notified millions of current and former U.S. military personnel that their personal information had been stolen in a months-long breach.
29824301344
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
so some of the men in balaclavas around the vans were actually police? and not dogging?? as had been previously assumed
000
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
<scenery-chewing accent> It makes no damn sense. Compels me though
161
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Show, don't tell
010
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I got bills, they're multiplying And I'm losing control
132
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
You got me! Yes, I did inflate club revenues by £900m over nine seasons using sham contracts. That's on me! I see now how it did not resonate with your sense of fair play. I resolve to do better in all future machinations. Would you like help with anything else, such as money laundering?
020
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Absolute vandalism 😠. Across the UK, many good university departments are being shredded like this, and there is no end in sight ...
8 FTE roles to be cut from the School of English; with other departures this is a 37% reduction in staff over a 24 month period.
010
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Gérard Depardieu?? www.ft.com/content/262f...
ft.com
Marco Rubio says UK air base incident involved ‘foreign actor’
RAF Fairford was being used by US Air Force for strikes on Iran
020
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Four Lions 2
000
Reposted by Sam
sootie123.bsky.social @sootie123.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Fuel theft from HGVs parked over weekends at services. Barrels found in van. theft method is well established: the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) describes organised groups targeting stationary HGVs at motorway services and siphoning 100–600 litres of diesel in a single offence
231
Reposted by Sam
Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 27/09/2026
Google finally updated some of its satellite images of Gaza and my god, it's horrific. The entirety of Rafah has been demolished. The majority of Khan Younis is in ruins. Entire towns completely leveled and erased of the map.
9352403234
Reposted by Sam
Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 27/09/2026
The bizarre culture that’s sprung up around Silicon Valley AI companies - which overlaps hugely with rationalist and effective altruist circles - appears to be seriously pressuring some women into attending sex parties for the sake of networking. This is, needless to say, horrifying.
taco belle
@ animalologist
Multiple things can be true at once
22h
The purpose of SlutCon is to help ease men who are scared of approaching women, and for women who simply enjoy flirting to be in an environment where that happens a lot, since there's generally a dearth of that
At the same time, many - probably most! - women do Not want to be flirted with or propositioned by men they don't know. When a small scene only has a handful of large, well-known events, each one has disproportionate impact on everybody's ideas of acceptable behavior among other members of their milieu.
Attending the same events = specific shared context. Means
you're somewhat on the same page.
I suspect that the men who publicly raised concerns about SlutCon's impact on the scene are being megaphones for private objections and distresses they've heard from women in the scene who would NOT be comfortable at an event like that, but who don't voice it publicly because they suspect they'd suffer socially for doing so. That going to SlutCon to be flirted with gives women social cachet, and squirming at the idea means you're [not cool, can't get with the program, are probably a wokescold or a prude etc etc other pejoratives] and therefore, that you'll be excluded or held at a distance
Now, if this scene were purely a social scene, that'd be perfectly fine. Don't go to parties that don't suit you!! The issue arises because it's NOT purely a social scene. This scene is inarguably tied up with Al safety, research, and the SF tech scene in general.
When consistently being invited to the right parties is professionally advantageous, and when SlutCon itself **is** going to be an excellent networking opportunity for people in those fields, it's not neutral that {sexual proclivities} are the filtering mechanism that determines who's in the room. It means that promiscuity & forwardness is explicitly professionally advantageous.
And, if the norms of SlutCon influence the norms of that milieu outside of the e…My suspicion is that men come out of the event more bold, more forward, and with the expectation that events attended by former flirt-girls are fair game for SlutCon-style forwardness. This creates a hostile environment for women who just want to socialize and work with these men, without being propositioned. And without pretending that they're cool with being sexualized for the sake of their inclusion in the scene.
I don't think we have solutions yet, but it's important that we can talk about it, at least.
Jakeup • @ myhandle
Sep 25
the purpose of SlutCon is to help men who are scared of women to start liking women, by putting them in proximity to women who like men and aren't scared of men
I'm not attending or involved in any way, but this is very aligned to my own mission and I'm rooting for their success
36
14
• 565 ul 83,695
422433350
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
my first week at the Northern Ireland Parades Commission went really well I think
110
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Most voters are not racist. Most voters hate to see racist thugs attacking volunteers of the RNLI. Most voters have core values based on decency. So sick of weak politicians pandering to the "legitimate concerns" of the worst 10% among us
020
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Elon Musk is a ket-addled Falstaff, a sad lonely clown, and a racist of the most basic kind. He is ludicrous to perceive, and repulsive to normal people.
200
Reposted by Sam
Dan O’Sullivan @osullyville.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Today I saw the new 4 hour documentary Musk, directed by Alex Gibney. There were too many times to count that a sold out theater burst out laughing at Elon Musk, something he said or did, even sometimes just how he looked. I believe that is his worst nightmare come to life.
14195102196
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
it's a genuine misalignment problem how to reintegrate Gifted Children back into society and use their gifts For Good
040
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Respect to Gavin Bazunu. In a team sport, it's very difficult to go against the team and take an ethical stand as an individual. No doubt some in football will feel humiliated by this and will be out to get him and hurt his career.
050
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I don't understand the logic behind dropping Jordan Pickford - he's made a very good start to the season with Everton.
410
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
yes I'd a couple of iced coffees before the interview, but I think it went well
Ewen Bremner as Spud in the film Trainspotting.
010
Reposted by Sam
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Had a UKRI funded grant proposal rejected at the "AI triage stage". "This AI-based triage was used only to identify approximately 50% of the strongest proposals to take forward to full human review." 🧪 #academicsky
I am writing to let you know that, unfortunately, your application was not successful.

Review process

As part of the initial triage of the 179 proposals submitted to this call, each was assessed using an AI-based review. Every proposal was read independently by several different AI models against the same seven criteria used to shape this call (including cyber security relevance, research quality and novelty, importance of the problem addressed, feasibility of the project plan, likely outputs and impact, value for money, and responsible research practice), with each model asked to give a score and a written justification with supporting quotations from the text. To guard against any one model's idiosyncrasies, we also ran a second, independent process in which different AI models debated the merits and weaknesses of each proposal before reaching a judgement, again against the same criteria. Scores from both processes were combined to produce an overall ranking. 

This AI-based triage was used only to identify approximately 50% of the strongest proposals to take forward to full human review.  Projects selected for funding were drawn from those that progressed to the full human review stage. We recognise that AI-assisted assessment is a new and evolving part of the review process, and we are continuing to evaluate how well it aligns with the judgements of human reviewers on this call. We will soon produce a document detailing our method, so that others can build upon it and improve it.

Feedback on your application

Your application was not selected to progress beyond the AI triage stage.  To provide transparency on the outcome of this assessment, we are sharing below the scores (out of 5) from each of the two AI review processes described above, together with the mean score across the two processes.
40432237
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Anthony Gordon is not English, according to Suella's rules
000
Reposted by Sam
Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Endangering another during a journey by sea; criminal damage; carrying an offensive weapon; possession of a bladed article; conduct endangering ships or individuals; unlawfully and intentionally destroying a ship breaching section 11 of the aviation and maritime security act;
14540158
Reposted by Sam
Luke Taylor MP @luketaylorld.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It is mindblowing that the Home Secretary is not making absolutely clear that these scumbag thugs will be locked up and charged with every offence possible. They put brave RNLI volunteers at risk, and they are clearly becoming more brazen. Lock them up and send a signal, before a tragedy occurs.
37925
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Sachindu Colombage starts his bowling run-up like a Grand Vizier stealing a precious orb. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricke...
bbc.co.uk
England v Sri Lanka First ODI - Sachindu Colombage bowling on debut
Sachindu Colombage enjoys a debut to remember as he removes Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Jamie Overton to finish with figures of 3-44 in the first One Day International between England and Sri Lanka at C...
000
Reposted by Sam
Brett "Solidarity 2026" Banditelli @banditelli.org · 22/09/2026
They even made DoorDash apologize.
DoorDash on Instagram: We messed up.
Our mistakes meant some NYC Dashers were underpaid or paid late. That's unacceptable, and we're deeply sorry to the Dashers we let down.
We've reached a settlement with the City of New York, and we will make this right by paying every impacted Dasher the amounts they are owed.
11870791482
Reposted by Sam
Laura Phillips @lauraphillips.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
@backthebbc.bsky.social: Estimated 1000-2,000 redundancies being announced this week and next at the BBC, most departments impacted: ▶️Staff being made to reapply for "restructured" jobs is one HR tactic being used ▶️TV and Radio channel closures are likely ▶️ Growing talk of staff industrial action
268
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
an ominous email from the University VC, which makes it clear that guesses about future student demand are driving stab-in-the-dark decisions
"we are relatively vulnerable in several areas of activity, including some that are most exposed to rapid changes in student demand"
010
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
reading a bit about the Danelaw, and very confusingly it is Aethelred I who was found to be unready - though very quick with the excuse of piety ...
Æthelred could not be found at the start of battle, as he was busy praying in his tent, so Alfred led the army into battle.
120
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
and why not let those with a higher social credit score delete the skeets of those with a lower social credit score 🤦‍♂️
010
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
there is a lotttt going on here
000
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"The property would benefit from modernisation and cosmetic improvement"
it's subsiding into a mine
000
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
meet the new boss, same as the old boss www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Andy Burnham says UK to provide Saudi Arabia with 'defensive' support
The prime minister says "defensive air-to-air refuelling" is to be provided following a request from Saudi Arabia, after it faced attacks from the Houthis in Yemen.
000
Reposted by Sam
Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
* compressed timelines as the administration demanded 1,000+ strikes in 24 hours * over-reliance on Palantir's Maven AI system, which personnel wrongly expected to flag old data * and Hegseth's 90% cuts to civilian-harm-mitigation teams.
118331
Reposted by Sam
Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
A Pentagon investigation found that the murder of 123 Iranian children at the school in Minab resulted from a cascade of failures, Bloomberg reports. * Outdated intelligence that still classified the school as an IRGC facility
30486166
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
orphan meets Sir Jim Ratcliffe
030
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
very sadly, I expect that the files will eventually show that not only were young girls sexually assaulted, but in at least one case were killed, and there is an omerta among the abusers who were present
000
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Here's yet another way in which the younger generations have been screwed over. I got 3 years of full National Insurance contributions simply for doing A-levels. Anyone who turned 16 after 2010 got nowt.
Between 1975 and 2010 the Government awarded "starting credits" for those aged 16, 17, 18 who stayed on for A-levels.
011
Reposted by Sam
Sam Wilson @samwilson.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
I am amazed that for a few years we had the ability to instantly access information through an almost perfect search engine and the makers of that search engine decided hundreds of billions wasn’t enough profit so they destroyed it
11511223
Reposted by Sam
John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 18/09/2026
What on earth is happening?
  This had become the new normal. RNLI crew members had been forced to take their permits off their cars after their tyres have been repeatedly slashed. Most of them have been pilloried at the school gates or turned away from local pubs. One man who worked in search and rescue had been beaten unconscious and hospitalised, recognised for TV interviews he had done.
23833131341
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
UK university sector latest ...
000
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
the unredacted expert evidence from Microsoft and OpenAI is damning. "LLMs are a product that destroys its supply chain"
010
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Legally Rex
000
Sam @samdolan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"... and that's our job!" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Microsoft says AI rival Anthropic could have 'disastrous impact' on humanity
Mustafa Suleyman says he believes the AI giant is in effect teaching Claude it "may be conscious".
000