markmcan.bsky.social
@markmcan.bsky.social
Founder of www.FindersBeepers.com. Tech, science, gadgets, sci-fi, gigs, festivals. Rush superfan.
Previously the Charity Engine guy, so can die happy: www.charityengine.com/grants
Previously the Charity Engine guy, so can die happy: www.charityengine.com/grants
Pinned
The Power of Charity for Protein Design - Institute for Protein Design
August 15, 2014 In this post we explore the power of charity to supply the massive computing capacity needed to support our protein design research. As shown in Figure 1, thanks to hundreds of thousan...
www.ipd.uw.edu
Ten years ago, Charity Engine began donating computing time - over 200 million hours so far - to the Institute for Protein Design's brilliant Rosetta @ Home project.
Its founder, David Baker, won the 2024 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
Beyond proud to be a supporter! www.ipd.uw.edu/news-pages/t...
Its founder, David Baker, won the 2024 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
Beyond proud to be a supporter! www.ipd.uw.edu/news-pages/t...
Reposted by markmcan.bsky.social
“Donnie Darko” offers a time travel lesson you won’t find elsewhere
The movie "Donnie Darko" first came out 25 years ago.
How does the time travel in the story stack up against what physics actually understands?
bigthink.com/starts-with-...
#space #astro #physics #timetravel #movies
The movie "Donnie Darko" first came out 25 years ago.
How does the time travel in the story stack up against what physics actually understands?
bigthink.com/starts-with-...
#space #astro #physics #timetravel #movies
"Donnie Darko" offers a time travel lesson you won't find elsewhere
Most time travel stories involve changing the past to create a better future. Donnie Darko subverts that expectation, and a whole lot more.
bigthink.com
September 24, 2026 at 3:18 PM
“Donnie Darko” offers a time travel lesson you won’t find elsewhere
The movie "Donnie Darko" first came out 25 years ago.
How does the time travel in the story stack up against what physics actually understands?
bigthink.com/starts-with-...
#space #astro #physics #timetravel #movies
The movie "Donnie Darko" first came out 25 years ago.
How does the time travel in the story stack up against what physics actually understands?
bigthink.com/starts-with-...
#space #astro #physics #timetravel #movies
Reposted by markmcan.bsky.social
"i have created the machine that thinks." you fucked up a perfectly good graphics card is what you did. look at it. it's got anxiety
i don't care if the danged chat bots are "thinking." that's not my problem. stop putting them in my computers
September 21, 2026 at 7:11 AM
"i have created the machine that thinks." you fucked up a perfectly good graphics card is what you did. look at it. it's got anxiety
Reposted by markmcan.bsky.social
🚨🚨 Social media venues such as #facebook and #instagram's algorithms have been designed by #meta to filter out 'social topic' such as #civilrights and #feminism.
#Freespeech my ass.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
#Freespeech my ass.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Meta bans ads for Virginia Woolf play in Spain because they relate to feminism
Theatre told that Facebook and Instagram filter out ads mentioning ‘social topics’ such as civil rights or feminism
www.theguardian.com
September 21, 2026 at 6:04 PM
🚨🚨 Social media venues such as #facebook and #instagram's algorithms have been designed by #meta to filter out 'social topic' such as #civilrights and #feminism.
#Freespeech my ass.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
#Freespeech my ass.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
If someone tries to tell you that #AI can never do more than what it has been taught, nor ever substitute for humans, then they do not understand AI.
It can do all of this and more. That's the problem!
It can do all of this and more. That's the problem!
September 21, 2026 at 1:13 PM
If someone tries to tell you that #AI can never do more than what it has been taught, nor ever substitute for humans, then they do not understand AI.
It can do all of this and more. That's the problem!
It can do all of this and more. That's the problem!
Perfectly articulates what I noticed when visiting Silicon Valley: you'd never guess it's created more wealth than anywhere else on Earth.
Looks like one giant, flat industrial estate with cracked roads and a sprinkling of depressed trees
Looks like one giant, flat industrial estate with cracked roads and a sprinkling of depressed trees
‘The lack of investment in the cities where our tech lords work and live reveals a…reality about how this wealth benefits a select few at the expense of everyone else. As the industry expands its footprint…with data centers, the rest of America would be wise not to let the same thing happen again.’
Opinion | Paris Has the Arc de Triomphe. Florence Has the Uffizi. Silicon Valley Has a Big Shopping Mall. (Gift Article)
The center of the tech industry is culturally barren because wealthy executives have no interest in communities outside their fiefs.
www.nytimes.com
September 21, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Perfectly articulates what I noticed when visiting Silicon Valley: you'd never guess it's created more wealth than anywhere else on Earth.
Looks like one giant, flat industrial estate with cracked roads and a sprinkling of depressed trees
Looks like one giant, flat industrial estate with cracked roads and a sprinkling of depressed trees
What sort of regime would want to destroy the International Criminal Court, I wonder
⚖️US sanctions are now targeting ICC officials, freezing assets, closing bank accounts and creating a chilling effect that reaches far beyond US borders.
Read the interview with James Patrick Sexton and Christophe Paulussen on sanctions and international criminal justice.
🔗 tiny.cc/pmua101
Read the interview with James Patrick Sexton and Christophe Paulussen on sanctions and international criminal justice.
🔗 tiny.cc/pmua101
September 21, 2026 at 12:42 PM
What sort of regime would want to destroy the International Criminal Court, I wonder
Reposted by markmcan.bsky.social
The Irish data privacy authority fined Google €403 million today over how it has been gathering location data from users.
Google hit with €403M privacy fine over handling of user location data
The tech giant infringed the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.
www.politico.eu
September 21, 2026 at 10:31 AM
The Irish data privacy authority fined Google €403 million today over how it has been gathering location data from users.
Reposted by markmcan.bsky.social
my brilliant colleague @robertshrimsley.bsky.social on the threat from Elon Musk’s X platform
www.ft.com/content/f270...
www.ft.com/content/f270...
September 18, 2026 at 10:54 PM
my brilliant colleague @robertshrimsley.bsky.social on the threat from Elon Musk’s X platform
www.ft.com/content/f270...
www.ft.com/content/f270...
Reposted by markmcan.bsky.social
15/ The *scale* of the US investment in datacenters is staggering.
Other countries are having similar conversations about the effect of AI on economic development, electricity and land etc but hard to compete with US financial sector & technological dominance of AI firms @katemac.bsky.social
Other countries are having similar conversations about the effect of AI on economic development, electricity and land etc but hard to compete with US financial sector & technological dominance of AI firms @katemac.bsky.social
September 18, 2026 at 6:13 PM
15/ The *scale* of the US investment in datacenters is staggering.
Other countries are having similar conversations about the effect of AI on economic development, electricity and land etc but hard to compete with US financial sector & technological dominance of AI firms @katemac.bsky.social
Other countries are having similar conversations about the effect of AI on economic development, electricity and land etc but hard to compete with US financial sector & technological dominance of AI firms @katemac.bsky.social
Q. What do these three have in common?
1. Wolves
2. Currency markets
3. Professional female athletes
A. Men only think they can beat them until they try it:
1. Wolves
2. Currency markets
3. Professional female athletes
A. Men only think they can beat them until they try it:
For example here is one where they think they can out run a woman athlete in a sprint.
September 18, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Q. What do these three have in common?
1. Wolves
2. Currency markets
3. Professional female athletes
A. Men only think they can beat them until they try it:
1. Wolves
2. Currency markets
3. Professional female athletes
A. Men only think they can beat them until they try it:
Reposted by markmcan.bsky.social
All of a sudden people are shocked at "rogue" AI. Supposedly understanding what makes LLMs tick will help us prevent that. But the more we understand AI models, the more caution is advised. www.wired.com/story/if-the...
If the AI Industry Followed Its Own Research, It Might Have Paused Already
Anthropic’s CEO says that safety hinges on understanding how AI “thinks.” So far the evidence is disturbing.
www.wired.com
September 18, 2026 at 5:08 PM
All of a sudden people are shocked at "rogue" AI. Supposedly understanding what makes LLMs tick will help us prevent that. But the more we understand AI models, the more caution is advised. www.wired.com/story/if-the...
Reposted by markmcan.bsky.social
British journalism and polling are both utterly implicated in the Farage funding scandal iandunt.substack.com/p/british-jo...
September 18, 2026 at 11:46 AM
British journalism and polling are both utterly implicated in the Farage funding scandal iandunt.substack.com/p/british-jo...
Sometimes AI slop clues are subtle.
And other times... 😬
And other times... 😬
So Oxford United just launched, and then quickly withdrew, a new American football-style shirt collection.
This was the launch image:
This was the launch image:
September 18, 2026 at 12:12 PM
Sometimes AI slop clues are subtle.
And other times... 😬
And other times... 😬
Reposted by markmcan.bsky.social
This is a good deep-dive into AI slop invading what used to be legit media sites. One thing I’m seeing more and more: slop outlets churning archaeology stories from 1-5 years ago and presenting them as news. 🏺🧪
How Three Brothers Built an AI Slop Empire by Buying Legitimate News Sites and Turning Them Into Zombie Content Farms That They Say Get 50 Million Page Views per Month
Brown Brothers Media is a media empire raking in millions of clicks with AI, fake writers, and plagiarism.
futurism.com
September 17, 2026 at 11:04 PM
This is a good deep-dive into AI slop invading what used to be legit media sites. One thing I’m seeing more and more: slop outlets churning archaeology stories from 1-5 years ago and presenting them as news. 🏺🧪
Reposted by markmcan.bsky.social
This is incredible
September 17, 2026 at 9:07 AM
This is incredible
Reposted by markmcan.bsky.social
Not only did I meet Robert Kraft, I worked for him.
His kid Jonathan asked me to “remove the black music” from my gameday playlist in ‘94 & I refused so they fired me. I was the cheerleader director at the time. 
I sued them for wrongful termination and won.
So yes, I know that motherfucker. 
His kid Jonathan asked me to “remove the black music” from my gameday playlist in ‘94 & I refused so they fired me. I was the cheerleader director at the time. 
I sued them for wrongful termination and won.
So yes, I know that motherfucker. 
Did you ever meet Bob Kraft?
September 17, 2026 at 4:45 AM
Not only did I meet Robert Kraft, I worked for him.
His kid Jonathan asked me to “remove the black music” from my gameday playlist in ‘94 & I refused so they fired me. I was the cheerleader director at the time. 
I sued them for wrongful termination and won.
So yes, I know that motherfucker. 
His kid Jonathan asked me to “remove the black music” from my gameday playlist in ‘94 & I refused so they fired me. I was the cheerleader director at the time. 
I sued them for wrongful termination and won.
So yes, I know that motherfucker. 
Putting jam, cream and a scone into a blender to make a smoothie.
Only way to be sure
Only way to be sure
September 16, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Putting jam, cream and a scone into a blender to make a smoothie.
Only way to be sure
Only way to be sure
Reposted by markmcan.bsky.social
#NobelPeacePrize
When eating a cream tea split the scone - spread cream on one side and jam on the other. Put them together vertically so that neither cream nor jam is on top. EAT by turning head sideways.
Thank you.
When eating a cream tea split the scone - spread cream on one side and jam on the other. Put them together vertically so that neither cream nor jam is on top. EAT by turning head sideways.
Thank you.
September 16, 2026 at 12:47 PM
#NobelPeacePrize
When eating a cream tea split the scone - spread cream on one side and jam on the other. Put them together vertically so that neither cream nor jam is on top. EAT by turning head sideways.
Thank you.
When eating a cream tea split the scone - spread cream on one side and jam on the other. Put them together vertically so that neither cream nor jam is on top. EAT by turning head sideways.
Thank you.
Is war with Russia a bad idea?
Russia doesn't think so
Russia doesn't think so
U.S. prosecutors have revealed charges against five people in connection with planned attacks on civilian and military infrastructure across Europe.
All five defendants remain at large.
🔗 www.politico.eu/article/russ...
All five defendants remain at large.
🔗 www.politico.eu/article/russ...
September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Is war with Russia a bad idea?
Russia doesn't think so
Russia doesn't think so
why not kanye? *chris rock voice* “same crime. better tunes.”
September 16, 2026 at 11:55 AM
Reposted by markmcan.bsky.social
You can’t always tell if someone is recording you with their smart glasses, but your phone can help. www.wired.com/story/zuckof...
ZuckOff Is a Free App That Sees Meta Glasses Before They See You
You can’t always tell if someone is recording you with their smart glasses, but your phone can help.
www.wired.com
September 15, 2026 at 5:18 PM
You can’t always tell if someone is recording you with their smart glasses, but your phone can help. www.wired.com/story/zuckof...
These are acts of war
Amazing. A Cuban dance instructor living in Russia recruits random people to carry out acts of arson and terror in Europe, on behalf of the Russian state
www.dw.com/en/cuban-dan...
www.dw.com/en/cuban-dan...
Cuban dance teacher ordered EU sabotage attacks from Russia
In 2024, a Cuban man coordinated a series of arson attacks in four EU countries while operating on behalf of Russian intelligence services. DW Investigations tracked him back to a Latin dance studio i...
www.dw.com
September 15, 2026 at 4:59 PM
These are acts of war