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Steve Heaton

@steveheaton.bsky.social
126 followers 140 following 261 posts

Energy scientist. Founder and R&D Generalist. Raconteur. Only my opinions. DOB: 321ppm CO₂ (CO2.earth). Living on Darkinjung land. He/Him.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Steve Heaton
cara giaimo @cjgiaimo.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
i was fortunate enough to profile Margaret Hamilton in 2019. A really kind and curious person. This was my favorite story she told me:
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evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
We are going to use AI to file public records requests. Then we are going to use AI to reply to the public records requests. Then we are going to use AI to write news stories about the public records, which will be read by more AI. No action will be taken. #civictech
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Brian McNoldy @bmcnoldy.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Some important differences between the conventional physics-based models (European and American ensembles are 1st and 2nd panels) and the AI models (Google Deepmind operational and experimental ensembles are 3rd and 4th panels). The differences in both track and intensity are obvious. #Isaias
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Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
From NASA 📍Gale Crater, Aug. 11, 2026, 8:30 a.m. local Mars time. The Curiosity rover captures the Sun rising on crags known as yardangs, a scene that scientists have long been waiting to see up close.
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Yeah, well, insurance is gambling and the house never loses. I suspect the insurance company will rewrite the coverage to exclude damages from uncontrolled AI or boost the premium to cover the risk. Interesting times...
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evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I have spent much of this week doing the sort of work that AI is absolutely terrible at, which has helped me to see how many people doing this same work are definitely using AI.
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Ed Jefferson @edjefferson.com · 29/09/2026
They should make a comic where Batman makes a real difference by posting online
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Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
France is now both ATOMIC BUCOLIC and SOLAR PUNK
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I mean if Netflex can make a multiseason series about the "writes itself" drama in F1...
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Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
NEW: The big story is not Chinese EVs everywhere —but Chinese EV factories everywhere. And its not just Chinese firms going out. Our CM-FDI database tracks every foreign Solar, Wind, EV and battery manufacturing plant built in 21st century. cmfdi.netzeropolicylab.com
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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 27/09/2026
Four days ago, a scientist was surprised by the news that Anthropic discovered new virus genes for making DNA. He says he’s been studying them for years—and feeding his data to Anthropic’s AI as part of his own research. Coincidence? Here’s my story. nyti.ms/3VSWayc
nyti.ms
Did Anthropic’s A.I. Really Make a Scientific Discovery on Its Own? (Gift Article)
An expert at the University of Copenhagen said his team had been sharing its research with the company’s A.I. model, Claude, and that its new finding matched their work.
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Yup...
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Reposted by Steve Heaton
Bart⚓️ @bartgonnissen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The Facial Expressions of Tethys by artist Julius von Bismarck. A suspended high-sea buoy that moves in real time. Sensors on a twin buoy out in the Atlantic Ocean send live satellite data to motors inside the museum. This makes the indoor buoy copy the exact, real-time movements of the ocean waves.
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
One could argue that it's only about 10 years too late for GFI adoption. The grid should be bleeding edge, fast to adopt new technologies etc, yeah? Same scenario as the space industry was before EM. Can't afford to fail so they moved very, very slowly... But I still think it could be faster.
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Andrew Miskelly @anero.id · 23/09/2026
The September equinox occurs at 10:05 AEST (00:05 UTC) on Wednesday. The sun rising over this year's unusually strong southern stratospheric polar vortex is triggering marked ozone depletion.
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I remember someone explaining to me that the question "But is it art?!" defines it as 'art' - you're discussing it. I strongly suspect architecture falls into the same category (and also arguably, just another form of art).
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Yep. All over the new sub like a hot rash. I've got a lot of time for Chris. We've shared a few beers and pizza... that makes us pretty much bothers in some circles ;) Didn't know about the circumstances of him leaving the Transition Show however. Are you comforable sharing any detials?
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Yup. The more astronomy I learn, star life cycles, particle physics, galaxy dynamics, dark matter, dark energy... it only deepens my wonder at the night sky. Stay curious.
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Rodney Brooks @rodneyabrooks.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Cory @doctorow.pluralistic.net has been writing about inflammatory AI predictions for years. Message below is that systems are being deployed & given the ability to do real things on the network, without adequate testing or guardrails. The systems have zero intentions. medium.com/@doctorow/ll...
medium.com
LLMs are real, AI is fake
No, it didn’t “go rogue.”
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I floored a room full of elderly embroidery guild ladies once by recognising some nice blackwork. I said as much. 'Oh so you know what that is?!' Not skipping a beat, I replied 'I know my Anthovan from my Casalguidi'. Now that doesn't make any sense, but that I knew those two names?! Same play =)
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A mate convinced me of the virtues of knowing a key word or phrase from any topic that you know nothing about. He knew nothing about cars but when all the other blokes were looking under the bonnet would, with the right tone of curiosity, ask "Webers?". I've used that approach well many times ;)
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Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
4/ “It was naive to believe that science and advocacy alone could transform a global energy system forged over centuries by war and empire.” Read @bentleyallan.bsky.social on The Climate Geopolitics Era www.noemamag.com/the-new-geop...
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Yeah, I always figure feeling a bit crook after a vaccine is like people complaining about the brusing after getting shot wearing a bullet proof vest ;)
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E. Allyn Bloom 🇺🇳🇺🇸🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇺🇦 @ericallyn.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
"It starts with remembering." We don't value good historians and good history teachers nearly enough. College history programs should be funded and valued *at least* as well as management programs. Hell, most programs should include a required course in the history of that topic.
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Thanks Dave. That'll be an interesting addition to keep an eye on.
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Zeke Hausfather @zekehausfather.com · 09/09/2026
For reference, here is the year-to-date vs annual gap projected in 2026 compared to other years. Its comparable to 2023 but well above anything else!
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Prof. Eliot Jacobson @climatecasino.net · 09/09/2026
One more totally fucking nuts graph for today, care of a request by @leonsimons.com. Not only is the current standard deviation for the Nino 3.4 sea-surface temperature above 4SD over the 1982-2011 mean for the first time on record, but no previous year even reached 3SD.
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
'Forcing' coal fired powerstations to remain open longer. Even when the operator says it's a bad idea. Muja Power Station in WA. Go look it up if you're unfamiliar. Those that don't learn from history...
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
'Popularism' in politics is like being told you can have icecream for dinner.
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Kate Bevan @katebevan.com · 08/09/2026
Two things: one, no, it won't, because cancer isn't one disease with a single cure that's just waiting to be found, and two, why is the economics editor writing about tech, and indeed health research, when he clearly knows fuck all about either subject? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
AI will cure cancer in our lifetime, claims boss of UK chip giant
Arm Holding's chief executive Rene Haas says artificial intelligence will find a solution to the disease.
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Can wait to see how this effort digests the additional digitised observations from the islands in the channel. A bit of model 'bumping' will be awesome to watch. @anero.id
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Crackin' article, well work a read if you're a weather geek. Esp if you're curious about retrospective application of modern forecasting methods to historical events. As I often point out, to forecast the future you have to be able to successsfully forecast the past!
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 25/08/2026
I ended up having more extended thoughts on Dolly Parton over on Facebook and I thought I would share them here as well.
When I was much younger, I knew her mostly as a caricature and the object of jokes, because young men are kind of stupid that way and I was no exception, and because she willingly played along with the joke, in part because she knew it would happen anyway, and this way she got to shape some of how that would play out for her, and use it for her own ends. It took me a while to realize how canny that was. 

When I got older, I learned that underneath the caricature was a formidable songwriting and business mind. I had an inkling of what a rare combination that was in any person, but how even more rare it was for someone who was who she was, in the field and environment she worked in. Hidden in all those sparkles was a spine of steel. 

When I got older than that I learned that in addition to a brilliant mind was a heart of kindness, which directed so much of the good fortune she amassed to herself right back out the door through philanthropic work, helping those in her communities, state and country, and which allowed to see the worth and dignity in those whom so many others treated (and still do treat) with contempt.

She was always all the things she was. What changed was my ability to see and understand who she was. I'm glad I was eventually smart enough to see it all.
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Vale Dolly Parton. One of the good people. Amazing talent, song writing esp.
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Yup. As I've gotten older (and perhaps wiser?) I've learnt that just because you're smarter, doesn't preclude others from having better ideas. Mouth shut - ears open, is typically a good starting position.
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Michael Warburton @michaelwarburton.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
One of the best job applications ever written came from the hands of Robert Pirosh in 1934. MGM loved it, took him on and in 1949 he won an Oscar for ‘Battleground’.
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Imagine if Australia did the same... But we're obviously a more 'advanced' economy... 🤔
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Thanks for the insight, Kate. Appreciate your ongoing efforts.
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r o o @jakepaulsartre.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
"Bluesky is dying" bro you're talking about a website full of 38 year olds who have fringe political beliefs and listen to black metal bands with >1000 listeners on spotify, nobody here cares about popularity
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Matthias Deutsch @matthiasdeutsch.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
"Heatwaves are forcing farmers across Europe to modify how and when they work, from harvesting at night to covering fields with shade netting, cooling cattle sheds and abandoning planting schedules refined over decades."
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Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
You can't predict the turns this sentence takes. Extreme heat is threatening Italy’s “cheese banks,” where hundreds of thousands of Parmigiano-Reggiano wheels are stored as loan collateral. fortune.com/2026/08/10/i...
fortune.com
Italy's $4.7 billion cheese economy is feeling the heat as climate change threatens its cheese banks that hold Parmigiano wheels as loan collateral | Fortune
Extreme heat is straining the vaults that hold Parmigiano wheels as loan collateral, and economists say the damage runs wider than the vault
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Andrew Dessler @andrewdessler.com · 10/08/2026
Why should people care?

The 1930s were a period of tremendous social disruption. Just read The
Grapes of Wrath. Today, we are better adapted to the heat, but the
lesson should be the same: elevated temperatures have the capability
to tear apart the fabric of our society.  In very poor places, it will
happen sooner than it will in richer places, but climate change is
coming for all of us.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 06/08/2026
In July, on ABC, CBS, and NBC, there were 194 segments on the extreme heat waves rolling across the US. Number that mentioned climate change: 0.
mediamatters.org
ABC, CBS, and NBC aired nearly 200 segments about three U.S. heat events without mentioning climate change
From late June through July, successive heat waves swept across large portions of the United States, breaking temperature records and placing more than 100 million people at a time under heat alerts. ...
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Sorry, gotta say it... now with lasers too... ;)
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Kelly Hereid @kellyhereid.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Explosive dredging + emergency sunken barge dam to try to buy an extra few cm of water does have a certain flair to it
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
I got the quote in the title before openning the article. IIRC 'Cool Hand Luke' even got a reference in the sitcom 'Cheers', for 'sweatiest movie' :)
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Micro SF/F by O. Westin @microsff.com · 28/07/2026
... users can be found giggling, crying, or simply staring into the distance saying "Whoah..." We spoke to one, and asked how they feel about warnings that the practice is addictive: "I could stop, but I don't want to." Some experts say if reading was invented today it would be banned at once.
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Andrew Dessler @andrewdessler.com · 27/07/2026
On The Climate Brink, @zekehausfather.com and I revisit the warmth of the 1930s. This seems to be one of the most important denier arguments out there. www.theclimatebrink.com/p/raw-data-w...
theclimatebrink.com
Raw Data, Wrong Answers
What happens to the 1930s temperature record after correcting measurement biases and station coverage
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Matthew Kenworthy @mattkenworthy.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
You always discover something when you have a new instrument with higher sensitivity - Mahapatra+ on Planet-wide, Concentric Density Waves in Venus’s Upper Atmosphere Revealed through Polarimetry? in which you can see a bullseye on the day-lit side of our sister planet! #exoplanets #astrodon
Two images of Venus, illuminated by the Sun from the lower right. The first image shows a smooth illuminated planet, similar to early ray tracing computer graphics simulations, the right hand image is an image of the degree of polarization and it shows the upper right and lower left are bright, and super imposed on this are a series of faint rings, alternating bright and dark, starting from the point on the planet pointing towards the Sun, and moving out in about eight concentric rings out to the terminator.
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Steve Heaton @steveheaton.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Love it! Great bit of viz. Is there enough sensor density to get a 3D tomographic-type image?
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