Ken Scambler
@kenscambler.me
Architecture, FP, compositionality.
Reposted by Ken Scambler
A senator with a national platform who describes Indigenous Australians as "the most primitive race on Earth" is not merely expressing a view. She is issuing a permission slip, and the size of her audience determines how many people redeem it.
blakandblack.com/2026/09/16/w...
blakandblack.com/2026/09/16/w...
September 16, 2026 at 7:05 AM
A senator with a national platform who describes Indigenous Australians as "the most primitive race on Earth" is not merely expressing a view. She is issuing a permission slip, and the size of her audience determines how many people redeem it.
blakandblack.com/2026/09/16/w...
blakandblack.com/2026/09/16/w...
Reposted by Ken Scambler
The instructions included a hidden white-font prompt to use the word Madagascar "in a way that makes no sense." So if their professor saw the word Madagascar, "I knew that they copied and pasted the whole thing, and just threw it in AI."
32 of 35 Students Caught Using Hilariously Wrong AI-Generated Answers for Professor's Midterm
https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/07/25/2114259/32-of-35-students-caught-using-hilariously-wrong-ai-generated-answers-for-professors-midterm?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
32 of 35 Students Caught Using Hilariously Wrong AI-Generated Answers for Professor's Midterm
"32 of my 35 students between two classes failed a portion of their midterm because they all used AI to generate their entire response," history professor Jason Gibson says in a viral video shared over 10 million times. "And apparently, they didn't proofread it."
The instructions included a hidden...
news.slashdot.org
July 26, 2026 at 8:18 AM
The instructions included a hidden white-font prompt to use the word Madagascar "in a way that makes no sense." So if their professor saw the word Madagascar, "I knew that they copied and pasted the whole thing, and just threw it in AI."
Reposted by Ken Scambler
This lot are putting their money back into the comedy game and I salute them. theconversation.com/with-grouse-...
With Grouse House TV, Aunty Donna make a bid to usher in the future of independent Australian comedy
With their new independent streaming platform, Aunty Donna prove the future of ‘cooked’ Australian comedy is online.
theconversation.com
June 10, 2026 at 8:57 AM
This lot are putting their money back into the comedy game and I salute them. theconversation.com/with-grouse-...
"Something that used to be hard now takes no effort, therefore it is useful for me to consume your attention with it"
No. No that's not true. It's clip art now, it's a Photoshop lens flare. Nobody needs to see it
No. No that's not true. It's clip art now, it's a Photoshop lens flare. Nobody needs to see it
March 30, 2026 at 9:49 AM
"Something that used to be hard now takes no effort, therefore it is useful for me to consume your attention with it"
No. No that's not true. It's clip art now, it's a Photoshop lens flare. Nobody needs to see it
No. No that's not true. It's clip art now, it's a Photoshop lens flare. Nobody needs to see it
It's getting harder and harder to avoid slop sci-comm videos. So many impersonating famous physicists like Feynman, Susskind, etc. Always deceptively presented, with some give-away phrases like "inspired by" buried in the description.
A pox on the greedy, lazy people inflicting this shit upon us.
A pox on the greedy, lazy people inflicting this shit upon us.
March 30, 2026 at 5:32 AM
It's getting harder and harder to avoid slop sci-comm videos. So many impersonating famous physicists like Feynman, Susskind, etc. Always deceptively presented, with some give-away phrases like "inspired by" buried in the description.
A pox on the greedy, lazy people inflicting this shit upon us.
A pox on the greedy, lazy people inflicting this shit upon us.
They should have renamed it "Department of Battles" since they haven't won a war for 35 years
March 22, 2026 at 9:17 AM
They should have renamed it "Department of Battles" since they haven't won a war for 35 years
Reposted by Ken Scambler
In related news, my friend William Waites has come up with a simple 'agent framework' based on category theory.
It lets you hook up LLMs or other agents and coordinate their activity. Other agent frameworks exist, but this one is typed.
(3/n)
johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com/2026/03/11/a...
It lets you hook up LLMs or other agents and coordinate their activity. Other agent frameworks exist, but this one is typed.
(3/n)
johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com/2026/03/11/a...
A Typed Language for Agent Coordination
guest post by William Waites Agent frameworks are popular. (These are frameworks for coordinating large language model agents, not to be confused with agent-based modelling in the simulation sense.…
johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com
March 12, 2026 at 10:06 PM
In related news, my friend William Waites has come up with a simple 'agent framework' based on category theory.
It lets you hook up LLMs or other agents and coordinate their activity. Other agent frameworks exist, but this one is typed.
(3/n)
johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com/2026/03/11/a...
It lets you hook up LLMs or other agents and coordinate their activity. Other agent frameworks exist, but this one is typed.
(3/n)
johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com/2026/03/11/a...
Reposted by Ken Scambler
Pretty crazy how important the blockade of a trade route is right now
March 10, 2026 at 9:30 PM
Pretty crazy how important the blockade of a trade route is right now
Reposted by Ken Scambler
Here's how Hideki Yukawa predicted the mass of the particles that carry the nuclear force. It was a stunning episode in the history of physics, and the start of a new era.
(1/9)
(1/9)
March 4, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Here's how Hideki Yukawa predicted the mass of the particles that carry the nuclear force. It was a stunning episode in the history of physics, and the start of a new era.
(1/9)
(1/9)
Reposted by Ken Scambler
Hey! Now you can read about my work on applied category theory here on Quanta magazine! And not just me, lots of folks....
www.quantamagazine.org/can-the-most...
www.quantamagazine.org/can-the-most...
Can the Most Abstract Math Make the World a Better Place? | Quanta Magazine
Columnist Natalie Wolchover explores whether applied category theory can be “green” math.
www.quantamagazine.org
March 5, 2026 at 11:18 PM
Hey! Now you can read about my work on applied category theory here on Quanta magazine! And not just me, lots of folks....
www.quantamagazine.org/can-the-most...
www.quantamagazine.org/can-the-most...
It's a lot of fun when the kids start getting into something that I'm into, and this week it's @felixcolgrave.bsky.social and Donks youtu.be/4gvSYEqOMn8?...
DONKS
YouTube video by Felix Colgrave
youtu.be
March 5, 2026 at 7:43 AM
It's a lot of fun when the kids start getting into something that I'm into, and this week it's @felixcolgrave.bsky.social and Donks youtu.be/4gvSYEqOMn8?...
Same with you @albomp.bsky.social - you could have just done your usual thing and hedged, and even that would have been better
Is it really so hard for Mark Carney to say something like this instead of constantly defending US breaches of international law?
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Iran:
“Remember that one can be against a hateful regime, as is the case with the Iranian regime, as is the whole of Spanish society, and at the same time be against an unjustified, dangerous military intervention outside of international law.”
“Remember that one can be against a hateful regime, as is the case with the Iranian regime, as is the whole of Spanish society, and at the same time be against an unjustified, dangerous military intervention outside of international law.”
March 2, 2026 at 6:25 AM
Same with you @albomp.bsky.social - you could have just done your usual thing and hedged, and even that would have been better
Reposted by Ken Scambler
This obviously very stupid but is it also smart? We’ll talk to some liars after this break.
March 1, 2026 at 12:23 AM
This obviously very stupid but is it also smart? We’ll talk to some liars after this break.
Reposted by Ken Scambler
If you liked this experiment, I published a full piece today in the same vein: a text that gets 100 years older with every section, from a modern blog post to a medieval chronicle.
It's a single story spanning 1000 years of English. See how far you get.
www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/how-far-ba...
It's a single story spanning 1000 years of English. See how far you get.
www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/how-far-ba...
How far back in time can you understand English?
An experiment in language change
www.deadlanguagesociety.com
February 18, 2026 at 6:40 PM
If you liked this experiment, I published a full piece today in the same vein: a text that gets 100 years older with every section, from a modern blog post to a medieval chronicle.
It's a single story spanning 1000 years of English. See how far you get.
www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/how-far-ba...
It's a single story spanning 1000 years of English. See how far you get.
www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/how-far-ba...
Reposted by Ken Scambler
> When I find myself impressed by the box performing a task correctly, it doesn't make me feel like I have hard-earned skills that are now irrelevant...It is painful [that] the things I am good at are engulfed by so much tedious junk that didn't need to be this bad.
My sentiments on what what LLM-based systems have demonstrated to us https://chris-martin.org/2026/natural-language-black-boxes
Natural language black boxes
chris-martin.org
February 22, 2026 at 12:19 AM
> When I find myself impressed by the box performing a task correctly, it doesn't make me feel like I have hard-earned skills that are now irrelevant...It is painful [that] the things I am good at are engulfed by so much tedious junk that didn't need to be this bad.
Reposted by Ken Scambler
We really need to come up with better metaphors for AI agents than junior developers and interns. It’s far more of a reflection of how disrespectfully we treat those roles than it is a useful metaphor for how agents behave
January 3, 2026 at 9:20 AM
We really need to come up with better metaphors for AI agents than junior developers and interns. It’s far more of a reflection of how disrespectfully we treat those roles than it is a useful metaphor for how agents behave
Reposted by Ken Scambler
Go do more things than you really want to. It is now a good deed to just show up. moultano.wordpress.com/2025/12/09/t...
The Dead Weight Loss of Entertainment
It is undeniably the best time to be alone in human history, but nobody is happy being alone. Why can’t we fix it?
moultano.wordpress.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Go do more things than you really want to. It is now a good deed to just show up. moultano.wordpress.com/2025/12/09/t...
Reposted by Ken Scambler
This startup, Axiom Math, seems to be trying to automate the "puzzle solving" aspect of math. I'll be glad if they transfer some money from investors to mathematicians. But I've got a bit to say about this.
(1/n)
www.businessinsider.com/axiom-math-s...
(1/n)
www.businessinsider.com/axiom-math-s...
A 24-year-old Stanford Ph.D. dropout shares how she lured Meta's top AI researchers and raised $64 million for her math startup
24-year-old Axiom Math founder Carina Hong wooed top Meta researchers in a competitive AI talent market.
www.businessinsider.com
December 7, 2025 at 10:42 AM
This startup, Axiom Math, seems to be trying to automate the "puzzle solving" aspect of math. I'll be glad if they transfer some money from investors to mathematicians. But I've got a bit to say about this.
(1/n)
www.businessinsider.com/axiom-math-s...
(1/n)
www.businessinsider.com/axiom-math-s...
Reposted by Ken Scambler
The main rule of quantum mechanics answers: if a system is in one state, what's the probability that it's in some different state? Shockingly, it's not zero!
I explain this with minimum jargon, and fear not: I say what all the funky symbols here mean: ∈, ℂᵈ, etc.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0a8...
I explain this with minimum jargon, and fear not: I say what all the funky symbols here mean: ∈, ℂᵈ, etc.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0a8...
Standard Model - Part 4: Quantum Physics
YouTube video by John Baez
www.youtube.com
December 4, 2025 at 9:53 AM
The main rule of quantum mechanics answers: if a system is in one state, what's the probability that it's in some different state? Shockingly, it's not zero!
I explain this with minimum jargon, and fear not: I say what all the funky symbols here mean: ∈, ℂᵈ, etc.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0a8...
I explain this with minimum jargon, and fear not: I say what all the funky symbols here mean: ∈, ℂᵈ, etc.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0a8...
Reposted by Ken Scambler
educational software is a funny concept because, as long as you avoid using software, it's very difficult to find something to do in life that you won't learn from
December 2, 2025 at 10:28 PM
educational software is a funny concept because, as long as you avoid using software, it's very difficult to find something to do in life that you won't learn from
Reposted by Ken Scambler
Multiple surveys are telling the same story: AI adoption has stalled. Census data shows ~11% of workers use AI, with rates falling at 250+ employee firms. Surveys show usage spiked then plateaued.
Meanwhile Big Tech is planning $5T in AI spend by 2030 that needs $650B/year in revenue vs ~$50B today
Meanwhile Big Tech is planning $5T in AI spend by 2030 that needs $650B/year in revenue vs ~$50B today
Investors expect AI use to soar. That’s not happening
Recent surveys point to flatlining business adoption
www.economist.com
November 28, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Multiple surveys are telling the same story: AI adoption has stalled. Census data shows ~11% of workers use AI, with rates falling at 250+ employee firms. Surveys show usage spiked then plateaued.
Meanwhile Big Tech is planning $5T in AI spend by 2030 that needs $650B/year in revenue vs ~$50B today
Meanwhile Big Tech is planning $5T in AI spend by 2030 that needs $650B/year in revenue vs ~$50B today
Reposted by Ken Scambler
This is wild (via ajf) labs.watchtowr.com/stop-putting...
Stop Putting Your Passwords Into Random Websites (Yes, Seriously, You Are The Problem)
Welcome to watchTowr vs the Internet, part 68.
That feeling you’re experiencing? Dread. You should be used to it by now.
As is fast becoming an unofficial and, apparently, frowned upon tradition - w...
labs.watchtowr.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:56 PM
This is wild (via ajf) labs.watchtowr.com/stop-putting...
Reposted by Ken Scambler
I guess I now have to do a thread on shoes in ancient Mesopotamia in response to this (which happens to be from one of my favourite accounts).
I’m not an archaeologist, nor do I really know anything about shoes, but let’s go on this journey together.
I’m not an archaeologist, nor do I really know anything about shoes, but let’s go on this journey together.
can't believe this ancient mesopotamia shoe wearing ass said people need to dress up at the airport
November 26, 2025 at 9:03 AM
I guess I now have to do a thread on shoes in ancient Mesopotamia in response to this (which happens to be from one of my favourite accounts).
I’m not an archaeologist, nor do I really know anything about shoes, but let’s go on this journey together.
I’m not an archaeologist, nor do I really know anything about shoes, but let’s go on this journey together.
Reposted by Ken Scambler
My series explaining the Standard Model of particle physics has 3 parts so far:
1) Particles
2) The Big Ideas
3) Qubits
Next:
4) Quantum Physics
5) Spinors
Then isospin, pions and more particle physics!
Alas, I've been slowed down by our kitchen remodeling. I want to pick up the pace.
1) Particles
2) The Big Ideas
3) Qubits
Next:
4) Quantum Physics
5) Spinors
Then isospin, pions and more particle physics!
Alas, I've been slowed down by our kitchen remodeling. I want to pick up the pace.
Thoroughly enjoying this very approachable series from @johncarlosbaez.bsky.social on the Standard Model and quantum mechanics
youtu.be/0yjxqMoX-y8?...
youtu.be/0yjxqMoX-y8?...
Standard Model - Part 1: Particles
YouTube video by John Baez
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 11:02 AM
My series explaining the Standard Model of particle physics has 3 parts so far:
1) Particles
2) The Big Ideas
3) Qubits
Next:
4) Quantum Physics
5) Spinors
Then isospin, pions and more particle physics!
Alas, I've been slowed down by our kitchen remodeling. I want to pick up the pace.
1) Particles
2) The Big Ideas
3) Qubits
Next:
4) Quantum Physics
5) Spinors
Then isospin, pions and more particle physics!
Alas, I've been slowed down by our kitchen remodeling. I want to pick up the pace.
Thoroughly enjoying this very approachable series from @johncarlosbaez.bsky.social on the Standard Model and quantum mechanics
youtu.be/0yjxqMoX-y8?...
youtu.be/0yjxqMoX-y8?...
Standard Model - Part 1: Particles
YouTube video by John Baez
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Thoroughly enjoying this very approachable series from @johncarlosbaez.bsky.social on the Standard Model and quantum mechanics
youtu.be/0yjxqMoX-y8?...
youtu.be/0yjxqMoX-y8?...