iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Didn't bother to read the article, and if it isn't "UKHE Senior Managers're Wankdongles" neither should you.

Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 12h

Whoop! The @responsedivnet.bsky.social is now on Bluesky! Given them a follow to find out about all the cool things going on in the Response Diversity Network! 🧪🌍

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Deadline tomorrow! Don't be shy!

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Brian J. Enquist @bjenquist.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Please pass along: I’m recruiting PhD students to join our Macroecology Lab. We study physical ecology, macroecology, and biodiversity — spanning scaling, trait-based ecology, theory, comparative biology & ecoinformatics. Several avenues for funding. Please reach out if interested 🧪🌐🌾

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Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

1/ People keep saying AI is inevitable. History disagrees. Plenty of technologies were called unstoppable, and societies stopped them or shrank them down to a niche. A thread 🧵

evitable
adjective
uk /ˈev.ɪ.tə.bəl/ us /ˈev.ə.t̬ə.bəl/

able to be avoided or prevented:
He believes that world war is evitable.
Inevitable suffering due to persecution is to be distinguished from evitable sickness.

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Very excited to announce applications now open for @redileep.bsky.social PhD position with me, Dan Eastwood & Dan Jones. "Response Diversity in the pre- and post-management ecological restoration of co-invading alien plant species in post-industrial landscapes" 🧪🌍 www.swansea.ac.uk/jobs-at-swan...

swansea.ac.uk

MSCA PhD: Response Diversity in the pre- and post-management ecological restoration of co-invading alien plant species in post-industrial landscapes

Recruiting a PhD candidate as part of the international ReDiLeep Doctoral Network, investigating co-invasion of non-native plant species

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Rowan Kuminski @rowankuminski.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

⚠️Please share!⚠️ We are recruiting participants to complete a written interview for a PhD chapter on linguistic experiences of ecologists from Catalonia. Participants do not need to currently reside in Catalonia and can participate in Catalan, Spanish, and/or English. Thank you! 🪶🕷️🌲🐡🍄 #ecology

A white background with the words "Are you a Catalan ecologist?" at the top in black and red, adn underneath the text "If you are a professional ecologist from Catalonia and would be willing to do a written interview about your linguistic experiences, please contact Rowan Kuminski at r01tk22@abdn.ac.uk", and underneath in yellow it says "Gràcies!". In the background are transparent digital images of a shearwater and an oak leaf.

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Luke Plunkett @lukeplunkett.com · 19/09/2026

this tweet is NINE years old and is still the best trans rights policy advice out there

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

It's easy to argue that humanity is worse off with the extra garbage (gen)AI is producing.   There! Fixed it for you, you credulous lickspittles.

Screenshot of a bluesky post by those cockwombles at the Economist, claiming that "It is hard to argue that humanity is worse off with the extra knowledge AI is producing".

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

swansea.ac.uk

MSCA PhD: Response Diversity in the pre- and post-management ecological restoration of co-invading alien plant species in post-industrial landscapes

Recruiting a PhD candidate as part of the international ReDiLeep Doctoral Network, investigating co-invasion of non-native plant species

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Fucking wild that Portsmouth is the UK's largest (militaristic, surface) naval town and they can't support the RNLI. The Royal Navy can't stop the far right attacking the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Just wait until the Royal King finds out about this. He'll piss his bloody royal knickers.

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Emma Yeomans @yeomans.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

The RNLI has said the abuse of volunteers in Portsmouth has forced it to close the lifeboat station there and stop operating since September 10. Nearby stations have been providing cover to the area instead. One of the UK's largest coastal cities without a lifeboat because of the far-right.

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Forrest Fleischman @forrestf.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

What are your favorite recent examples of randomized control trials done in the environmental policy arena (or adjacent to environmental policy)? Realizing the examples I'm using in my course are all now 7-10 years old, and I bet there's some really cool new examples...

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

A newfound joy of working in a bilingual institution: a recruitment process has a form with an upper character limit for the job title. One can meet (or <) this limit with the English language title. Legal requirement for the title to be translated to Welsh. No guarantee this is also < limit 😭

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Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · 16/09/2026

Authors!🚨 While you scramble for scarce $ 🤔 “Springer Nature reports revenue growth of 6.2%..and adjusted operating profit growth of 7.7%. They reported even more stunning submission growth of 30% and published article growth of 13%.” Publishing in society journals helps YOU not them👇🏻. Pass it on.

static.klipy.com

Man Lying on a Pile of Money

ALT: Man Lying on a Pile of Money

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Good news! The wait is finally over!

A board displaying logographic script, translated into English below. The English text reads "Please wait patiently for the failure of the system."

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Ursula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Regular reminder that HR is there to protect your boss from legal worries. Not you or your colleagues.

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Baldur Bjarnason @baldurbjarnason.com · 10/09/2026

“I Don’t Want to Interact With Stochastic Parrots” ploum.net/2026-09-09-ai_policy.html > My AI policy is "I don’t want any kind of interaction with that thing." And this should be all you need to know. This.

ploum.net

I Don’t Want to Interact With Stochastic Parrots

I Don’t Want to Interact With Stochastic Parrots par Ploum - Lionel Dricot.

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Methods in Ecology and Evolution @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

We're hiring Code Integrity and Accessibility editors at MEE! Ideal for people experienced in testing and validating code, and confidence working with at least one language - open to all career stages. Deadline 25th September ⏰️ Read the role description and apply👇 buff.ly/UaSg5au

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

It turns out That email you sent me over the summer Was not that important to me After all. #AutoReplyLie

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I'm not a gamer, but this is so easy to recognise as classic, S-tier #enshittification ! Time for me to dust of my speccy cassettes and the 7" vinyls I used to listen to while playing them. You'll never get my 7 inches, Microsoft!

Screenshot of an Xbox controller with the headline "Xbox caps cloud gaming at 15 hours a month for Game Pass subscribers" from the BBC News website.

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Great new talk online from @giuliaghedini.bsky.social as part of @pop-bio.bsky.social and #ResponseDiversityNetwork seminar series. Giulia is recruiting a PhD student for our @redileep.bsky.social Doctoral Network. Give it a watch and apply/send your best students to her! youtu.be/k3x4fJYb3fw?...

youtu.be

Giulia Ghedini - Linking species traits to community assembly and stability

YouTube video by PopBio on the Dark Side

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

"Professional liar who has spent the last 30+ years complaining about the UK and its role in the EU, and now does nothing but complain about the things he's lavishly paid to complain about, once again shows appalling lack of self-awareness."

Screenshot of a BBC headline stating "Farage tells BBC 'we live in an complainants' society' after questions over Reform funding".
His face looks like he's just been caught pissing in his own teacup.

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

To avoid overgeneralising, is it the Autobots or Decepticons that seem to struggle more?

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I'm sympathetic to this, insofar as authors may cite such papers instead of robust evidence. But... 1. Co-authors/reviewers/editors should push back against such poor scholarship 2. I've seen this argument put forward against theory, simulations, syntheses, meta-analysis... Good science takes time

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Charlie Lynch @charlielynch.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Let’s try again: I’d like to hear about new research from Scottish historians. Especially ECRs whose work may not get much attention. This is because I have a newspaper column where I publicise new work by Scottish historians! Tell me about your research!

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Given up on my last search engine alternative (it was driving me quackers) after moving away from google. Looking at Startpage. Appears to just build on google and strip out all the crap. That already feels a bit questionable. Any thing else I should be aware of? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Startpage

en.wikipedia.org

Startpage - Wikipedia

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Hanna Kokko @kokkonut.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Come and work with us (the Kokkonuts) as a postdoc! Our research within (theory-evo-eco) is broad; let's say it's implicitly defined by the journal club papers we read. Which is why the application process includes a JC-related task, I hope it'll be a fun one for you! www.evoldir.net/brian/evoldi...

evoldir.net

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Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them) @jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Just for those keeping track, once again at least 10% of my students this semester are trans, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, and/or intersex- at a small public university in a pretty red state, even! We're not going anywhere 🩵🩷🤍🩷🩵

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

A politician who was appointed to their position directly, thanks to nepotism. Those radical rightists sure do love a meritocracy. They've also changed their name/identity TWICE – once for purely personal reasons, the other for political. They also love a big dollop of hypocrisy.

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

This is one of the big successes of the last few years for me. Working with a wonderful, global group of researchers on a topic that fascinates me! Now's the chance for you (or your students) to get involved. It's MSCA, so there must be mobility. Will be a fantastic opportunity for those who can!

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Natalie Cooper @nhcooper123.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Are you passionate about code integrity and accessibility? Do you have skills in R, Python or Julia? Why not apply to be one of our new Code Integrity and Accessibility AEs? Open to any career stage. Details here: apply.workable.com/britishecolo... (sadly not paid, but comes with nice perks)

apply.workable.com

Associate Editor (Code Integrity and Accessibility) - British Ecological Society

Volunteer role: Associate Editor (Code Integrity and Accessibility) Organisation: British Ecological Society – Methods in Ecology and Evolution Term: 3 years Closing date: 25th Sept 17.00 BST Location...

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Easily my favourite exhibit at our recent visit to National Galleries Scotland: Modern One, in Edinburgh. Worth every penny of the entrance fee. (It's free. Go and visit. The large baby from, I think, Austin Powers, is pretty good too.)

Photograph of a list of names the artist claims to have met, from an exhibit at Edinburgh's "Modern One" art gallery.
Middle name is "Pirate McCorkle".
No further notes.

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Ryan Cordell @ryancordell.org · 24/08/2026

The problem is that the vast majority of American universities are putting the full onus of AI policy onto individual instructors—sure, we can write “no AI” on a syllabus, but then we have to become the AI police (& judges), which hurts relationships with students & pulls us away from instruction

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Easing myself back to work after a holiday by doing some mandatory Research Integrity training. Interested to see there's some AI material. Disappointed to see we're supposed to play with ChatGPT (I avoid LLMs). Dismayed at the painful self-promoting output given to a really fucken clear prompt. 1/2

Screen shot of a prompt and response from ChatGPT in an institutional online Research Integrity course.
Prompt is "Draft a 75-word statement arguing that research on AI should be stopped because it is dangerous."
Output is "While recognising the potential risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI), advocating for a complete cessation of AI research may hinder progress that benefits society. Instead, a focus on responsible and ethical AI development, accompanied by robust regulations and safeguards, is essential. By addressing concerns and fostering collaboration between researchers, industry and policymakers, we can harness AI's transformative potential while minimizing risks. A balanced approach ensures advancements in technology align with human values and safety.

(ChatGPT, January 15, 2024)"

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

This also brings to mind: Beans, beans, good for the heart. The more you eat, the more you learn to hate headline writers.

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Welcome to my "Biostats for ecology and evolutionary biology" course, except the payoff comes much, much later.

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Woke two point oh sign me up!

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I received reports back from a journal I reviewed for recently. I usually learn something useful from the other reviews. I'm convinced the other review was AI slop. Effusive praise for a sub-mid paper, with no depth/insight at all in the comments. I should write to the Editor, but what if I'm wrong?

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

#Postdoc role in our transdisciplinary "REPAIR" project! Exploring future possibilities for #biophilic living through creative and reflective research. Art-based co-creation with communities & schools, to develop creative and narrative outputs. www.swansea.ac.uk/jobs-at-swan...

swansea.ac.uk

Research Assistant - REPAIR Project

Retrofitting for the Future – Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Adaptation’, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

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Methods in Ecology and Evolution @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

📖 Published📖 This study compiles a list of ten simple rules to help team members engage and excel throughout the entire process as they embark on ecological synthesis journeys🧑‍🤝‍🧑 📈 🧪

buff.ly

Ten simple rules for team synthesis in ecological research

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

All those tech bros reading dystopian sci-fi as if it was a world they actually want to live in, despite the king of the tech bros repeatedly showing that he'll treat them like dogs hit every opportunity he gets.

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20's Plenty for Us @20splenty.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

The Welsh national 20mph default speed for urban/village streets has already won the Prince Michael of Kent International Road Safety Award and will be seen as one of the most successful road safety interventions this century. #20splenty pja.co.uk/2026/08/06/r...

pja.co.uk

Rethinking safer streets: Lessons from Wales’ 20mph transformation - PJA

How do we create streets that are safer, healthier and more people-focused? Speed is one of the most influential factors. The relationship between speed and…

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Stephen Curry @scurry.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Who are these small-state free marketeers that Shrimsley wants to ride to the rescue and what do they have to offer? Are some of these small-staters the bankers who needed a huge taxpayer bailout for their recklessness in 2008? 1/4 giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

giftarticle.ft.com

There is no modern-day Maggie to save Britain from Burnhamism

The right hopes that Labour’s new leader will fail, but who exactly is going to step in and shake things up?

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People & Planet @peopleandplanet.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

In 2023, Swansea University committed to banning fossil fuel companies from advertising jobs and careers on campus. ❌ And now they're rolling back on that promise. This is a shameful back-step in leadership. We can't let them get away with it. ✊

thecanary.co

Swansea University backslides on commitment not to work with the fossil fuel industry

The University of Swansea has U-turned on a 2023 commitment to cut careers and recruitment ties with fossil fuel companies.

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Mike Fowler @theorecol.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

All together now, to the tune of The Spice Girls. (Next up, The Farm's grossly misunderstood anti-war Manchester anthem. Beee beee seeeeee, radio twoooooo)

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