Mary Thomson
@infraredeyes.bsky.social
Scientist, Scot, UK and US citizen, now living in New Zealand. Opinions expressed are my own. If you don't like 'em, think up your own stuff.
[Following back is not compulsory.]
[Following back is not compulsory.]
Reposted by Mary Thomson
She was a titan. Ad Astra, Ms. Hamilton.
Margaret Hamilton, Whose Software Guided the Apollo Missions, Has Died www.nytimes.com/2026/10/07/o...
Margaret Hamilton, Whose Software Guided the Apollo Missions, Has Died www.nytimes.com/2026/10/07/o...
Margaret Hamilton, Whose Software Guided the Apollo Missions, Has Died
Margaret Hamilton, the first female programmer hired to work on the space project at M.I.T., was 90.
www.nytimes.com
October 7, 2026 at 11:47 PM
She was a titan. Ad Astra, Ms. Hamilton.
Margaret Hamilton, Whose Software Guided the Apollo Missions, Has Died www.nytimes.com/2026/10/07/o...
Margaret Hamilton, Whose Software Guided the Apollo Missions, Has Died www.nytimes.com/2026/10/07/o...
Reposted by Mary Thomson
This is your occasional reminder that generative "AI" in particular could have been developed on public domain materials and/or licensed and compensated works but the major players intentionally, methodically and systemically chose to steal labor from working creative folks instead
October 5, 2026 at 4:33 PM
This is your occasional reminder that generative "AI" in particular could have been developed on public domain materials and/or licensed and compensated works but the major players intentionally, methodically and systemically chose to steal labor from working creative folks instead
Reposted by Mary Thomson
Today I read in the Economist about the 'apostles' of effective altruism, a quasi-religious Silicon Valley philosophy; an essay about the 'apostles' of rationalism, a Silicon Valley quasi-religious cult, & an article about the 'apostles' of the network state. BITCHES, WANT MY FUCKING ROYALTIES! 1/
Acts of the Apostles: Mind Over Matter Volume Blue
Amazon.com: Acts of the Apostles: Mind Over Matter Volume Blue: 9781461104209: Sundman, John F.X.: Books
www.amazon.com
October 1, 2026 at 10:24 PM
Today I read in the Economist about the 'apostles' of effective altruism, a quasi-religious Silicon Valley philosophy; an essay about the 'apostles' of rationalism, a Silicon Valley quasi-religious cult, & an article about the 'apostles' of the network state. BITCHES, WANT MY FUCKING ROYALTIES! 1/
Reposted by Mary Thomson
I think about this interview with the distinguished philosopher Conan O'Brien a lot. I actually think this is a healthy way to live your life! www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/a...
![Is this how you want to go out, with a show that gets smaller and smaller until it’s gone?
Maybe that’s O.K. I think you have more of a problem with that than I do. [Laughs.] At this point in my career, I could go out with a grand, 21-gun salute, and climb into a rocket and the entire Supreme Court walks out and they jointly press a button, I’m shot up into the air and there’s an explosion and it’s orange and it spells, “Good night and God love.” In this culture? Two years later, it’s going to be, who’s Conan? This is going to sound grim, but eventually, all our graves go unattended.
You’re right, that does sound grim.
Sorry. Calvin Coolidge was a pretty popular president. I’ve been to his grave in Vermont. It has the presidential seal on it. Nobody was there. And by the way, I’m the only late-night host that has been to Calvin Coolidge’s grave. I think that’s what separates me from the other hosts.
I had a great conversation with Albert Brooks once. When I met him for the first time, I was kind of stammering. I said, you make movies, they live on forever. I just do these late-night shows, they get lost, they’re never seen again and who cares? And he looked at me and he said, [Albert Brooks voice] “What are you talking about? None of it matters.” None of it matters? “No, that’s the secret. In 1940, people said Clark Gable is the face of the 20th Century. Who [expletive] thinks about Clark Gable? It doesn’t matter. You’ll be forgotten. I’ll be forgotten. We’ll all be forgotten.” It’s so funny because you’d think that would depress me. I was walking on air after that.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qnyq7wies2uc56bzqmfz4q25/bafkreief4hu7c6hd6ymgqnsaejlaipfuj7fq4ka2tkix72pionkb3dkkdy)
September 29, 2026 at 7:15 PM
I think about this interview with the distinguished philosopher Conan O'Brien a lot. I actually think this is a healthy way to live your life! www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/a...
Reposted by Mary Thomson
I love drawing superintelligent dogs with thumbs using drones to destroy humanity, I should do this more often
September 25, 2026 at 2:28 PM
I love drawing superintelligent dogs with thumbs using drones to destroy humanity, I should do this more often
Reposted by Mary Thomson
Reposted by Mary Thomson
Movies aren't evil per se, but propagandists exploit new media as soon as they get a handle on how the new media work. The Nazis made hay with film (Riefenstahl) and radio too. More recently, the far right and the internet. In earlier times, writing and print allowed religions to convert millions.
September 20, 2026 at 11:57 PM
Movies aren't evil per se, but propagandists exploit new media as soon as they get a handle on how the new media work. The Nazis made hay with film (Riefenstahl) and radio too. More recently, the far right and the internet. In earlier times, writing and print allowed religions to convert millions.
Reposted by Mary Thomson
Billy Joel where are you. We don't know who started the fire, but we do actually know the guy who keeps spraying gasoline on it.
September 18, 2026 at 5:06 AM
Billy Joel where are you. We don't know who started the fire, but we do actually know the guy who keeps spraying gasoline on it.
Reposted by Mary Thomson
🇬🇧 It was always a risk that Brexit would lead to the breakup of the UK.
🇪🇺 One of the best ways to avoid that would be EU membership.
📊 It isn't just the people of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland who want membership - our polling shows the majority of people in England want it too.
🇪🇺 One of the best ways to avoid that would be EU membership.
📊 It isn't just the people of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland who want membership - our polling shows the majority of people in England want it too.
September 14, 2026 at 10:56 AM
🇬🇧 It was always a risk that Brexit would lead to the breakup of the UK.
🇪🇺 One of the best ways to avoid that would be EU membership.
📊 It isn't just the people of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland who want membership - our polling shows the majority of people in England want it too.
🇪🇺 One of the best ways to avoid that would be EU membership.
📊 It isn't just the people of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland who want membership - our polling shows the majority of people in England want it too.
Reposted by Mary Thomson
The magic of an Irish rainforest.
September 13, 2026 at 7:19 AM
The magic of an Irish rainforest.
Reposted by Mary Thomson
Make a band edible
Sushi and the Bahn Mis
Sushi and the Bahn Mis
Make a band edible
Bao Wow Wow
Bao Wow Wow
Make a band edible
Meatallica
Meatallica
September 12, 2026 at 6:58 AM
Make a band edible
Sushi and the Bahn Mis
Sushi and the Bahn Mis
Reposted by Mary Thomson
I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that.
Robots protested outside Poland's Digital Affairs Ministry, demanding stronger oversight of artificial intelligence.
The protest was organized by Democratism, a social movement pushing for a debate on how AI and robotics affect the labor market.
#robot #robotics #protest #demonstration #ai
The protest was organized by Democratism, a social movement pushing for a debate on how AI and robotics affect the labor market.
#robot #robotics #protest #demonstration #ai
September 11, 2026 at 3:16 AM
I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that.
Reposted by Mary Thomson
Brandi Carlile Is Releasing Alanis Morissette’s “Uninvited” After Viral Newport Folk Performance #VanityFair
www.vanityfair.com
Brandi Carlile Is Actually Releasing Her Viral Cover of Alanis Morissette’s 1998 Hit
twp.ai
September 10, 2026 at 4:09 AM
Brandi Carlile Is Releasing Alanis Morissette’s “Uninvited” After Viral Newport Folk Performance #VanityFair
Reposted by Mary Thomson
Astrophotographer Adam (AJ) Smadi caught this image a few hours ago from Washington state.
A thin crescent Moon, sunlight illuminating the rugged lunar surface.
And 2,400 times farther away—and on the other side of the Sun—mighty Jupiter, and its moons Io (left) and Ganymede (right).
A thin crescent Moon, sunlight illuminating the rugged lunar surface.
And 2,400 times farther away—and on the other side of the Sun—mighty Jupiter, and its moons Io (left) and Ganymede (right).
September 9, 2026 at 12:24 AM
Astrophotographer Adam (AJ) Smadi caught this image a few hours ago from Washington state.
A thin crescent Moon, sunlight illuminating the rugged lunar surface.
And 2,400 times farther away—and on the other side of the Sun—mighty Jupiter, and its moons Io (left) and Ganymede (right).
A thin crescent Moon, sunlight illuminating the rugged lunar surface.
And 2,400 times farther away—and on the other side of the Sun—mighty Jupiter, and its moons Io (left) and Ganymede (right).
Reposted by Mary Thomson
I hate this bad faith James Carville faculty lounge bullshit with the intensity of a thousand suns, & Barack Obama, former law professor & former President, now watching the far right authoritarians lie about & dismantle the very jewel of 🇺🇸 society - our universities - should damn well know better.
Obama: "What I'm more interested in for Democrats is, do you know how to just talk to regular people like we're not in a college seminar? Can you talk in plain English to folks? And not have a bunch of gobbledygook around it. Just talk like normal people talk. 'The rent is too high.'"
May 6, 2026 at 1:06 PM
I hate this bad faith James Carville faculty lounge bullshit with the intensity of a thousand suns, & Barack Obama, former law professor & former President, now watching the far right authoritarians lie about & dismantle the very jewel of 🇺🇸 society - our universities - should damn well know better.
Reposted by Mary Thomson
I continue to maintain my deeply unpopular position that this man’s time & our democracy would be better served by fewer glib speeches & jokes about “faculty lounges” & more direct denunciation of the lawless authoritarianism & blunt calls for Trump’s immediate impeachment, removal, or resignation.
September 8, 2026 at 1:58 AM
I continue to maintain my deeply unpopular position that this man’s time & our democracy would be better served by fewer glib speeches & jokes about “faculty lounges” & more direct denunciation of the lawless authoritarianism & blunt calls for Trump’s immediate impeachment, removal, or resignation.
Reposted by Mary Thomson
The big splits on the hard right in both the US and the UK is which bit of their hatred takes precedence. Attack Muslims and black people first, and then blame the Jews for the ‘great replacement’, or go for all of them now. Disgusting racists, with too many fellow travellers
September 7, 2026 at 11:35 PM
The big splits on the hard right in both the US and the UK is which bit of their hatred takes precedence. Attack Muslims and black people first, and then blame the Jews for the ‘great replacement’, or go for all of them now. Disgusting racists, with too many fellow travellers
Reposted by Mary Thomson
Reposted by Mary Thomson
Moonrise Boogie by bohemiansthings
September 7, 2026 at 12:26 AM
Moonrise Boogie by bohemiansthings
Reposted by Mary Thomson
An absolutely fantastic #Roman barge, "De Meern 1", lenght 25m. It was wrecked in a winding tributary of the Rhine around the year 190 AD, possibly due to navigational error.
Much of the barge's interior and the captain's personal belongings were preserved in...🧵1/2
📷 me 🏺 #Archaeology
Much of the barge's interior and the captain's personal belongings were preserved in...🧵1/2
📷 me 🏺 #Archaeology
September 6, 2026 at 7:37 AM
An absolutely fantastic #Roman barge, "De Meern 1", lenght 25m. It was wrecked in a winding tributary of the Rhine around the year 190 AD, possibly due to navigational error.
Much of the barge's interior and the captain's personal belongings were preserved in...🧵1/2
📷 me 🏺 #Archaeology
Much of the barge's interior and the captain's personal belongings were preserved in...🧵1/2
📷 me 🏺 #Archaeology
Reposted by Mary Thomson
How fast was the duck going?
September 6, 2026 at 7:23 AM
How fast was the duck going?
Reposted by Mary Thomson
Okay friends, I have some recommendations for you. The first is the book “A Pox on Fools”, by @tomlevenson.bsky.social.
I know a lot about the anti-vax movement and still learned a lot from this extremely engaging book.
Special shout out for the phrase “verbal squid ink”, which I will purloin.
I know a lot about the anti-vax movement and still learned a lot from this extremely engaging book.
Special shout out for the phrase “verbal squid ink”, which I will purloin.
A Pox on Fools by Thomas Levenson: 9798217155002 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
An urgent and profound history of vaccine skepticism, seeking to understand how our three most common fears about vaccines hardened into a lethal ideology—from a leading science writer “Brimming...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
August 27, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Okay friends, I have some recommendations for you. The first is the book “A Pox on Fools”, by @tomlevenson.bsky.social.
I know a lot about the anti-vax movement and still learned a lot from this extremely engaging book.
Special shout out for the phrase “verbal squid ink”, which I will purloin.
I know a lot about the anti-vax movement and still learned a lot from this extremely engaging book.
Special shout out for the phrase “verbal squid ink”, which I will purloin.
Reposted by Mary Thomson
Are YOU a bigger organization working on aid and human rights who wants to fund and host a center focused on understanding and reducing the shockingly rapid pace of novel drone threats to civilians?
You should contact me!!!
You should contact me!!!
I would also be very open to putting a group focused on civilian protection from novel, small drone attacks in a bigger organization, but that’s very hard to do right now for a lot of reasons.
August 20, 2026 at 11:12 PM
Are YOU a bigger organization working on aid and human rights who wants to fund and host a center focused on understanding and reducing the shockingly rapid pace of novel drone threats to civilians?
You should contact me!!!
You should contact me!!!
Reposted by Mary Thomson
RFK the Lesser said "something must have happened in the 90's" as autism rates have since 'spiked.'
Actually, Robert, the DSM-IV happened in 1994. It added the Asperger's diagnosis. Suddenly, people who hadn't been eligible for an autism diagnosis ... were.
This is not a mystery. Or a conspiracy.
Actually, Robert, the DSM-IV happened in 1994. It added the Asperger's diagnosis. Suddenly, people who hadn't been eligible for an autism diagnosis ... were.
This is not a mystery. Or a conspiracy.
August 14, 2026 at 3:54 AM
RFK the Lesser said "something must have happened in the 90's" as autism rates have since 'spiked.'
Actually, Robert, the DSM-IV happened in 1994. It added the Asperger's diagnosis. Suddenly, people who hadn't been eligible for an autism diagnosis ... were.
This is not a mystery. Or a conspiracy.
Actually, Robert, the DSM-IV happened in 1994. It added the Asperger's diagnosis. Suddenly, people who hadn't been eligible for an autism diagnosis ... were.
This is not a mystery. Or a conspiracy.