@sellathechemist@mastodon.social cover
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sellathechemist

@sellathechemist@mastodon.social

🇺🇦🇺🇦 Born at 318 ppm CO2, UCL Prof, chemistry, climate change, chemical weapons, #ClassicKit, bicycles, Lab_14, #UCLChemAirPoll, neurodivergent. Ask about my heat pump. Girl's name but he/him. Tired. Formerly @sellathechemist. The background pic is a cartoon from Morten Morland showing successive Conservative Prime Ministers tiptoeing away from a green tree, carrying hand- and chain-saws, in an ironic homage to the vandals who cut down the Sycamore tree felled at Hadrian's Wall.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Nooo. 😭

Donald Sutherland, whose acting career spanned six decades including highly acclaimed films such as Don’t Look Now, MAS*H and The Hunger Games, has died aged 88.

He died in Miami after a long illness, confirmed by his representatives.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/jun/20/actor-donald-sutherland-dies-hunger-games-dont-look-now?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff Don’t forget “1900” (Novecento) where he was terrifying!

sellathechemist , to random
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

Just been sent a copy of The Sixth Element - How Carbon Shapes our World to review. Flipped through it casually and found this superb graphic which is worth the price of the book alone.

If you can't work out why I'm so impressed read the ALT text.

GottaLaff , (edited ) to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

💥🔥

TO REPEAT,

GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS!!!!!!!!

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@chrisgerhard @GottaLaff Indeed. I want to echo your thanks. Or my thanks. Whatever. Thankyou.

Nonilex , to random
@Nonilex@masto.ai avatar

Thurs 30 May 2024 🧵 continue

Justice says he believes that the wants him to repeat a significant portion of the .

He will read pages 6-35.

Each page yesterday took him just a little more than a minute, so this will take >30 mins.

Between that & the testimony readbacks, also expected to take >30 mins, there will likely be >1 hour this morning w/the jury in the courtroom, not actively deliberating.

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

Thank you @Nonilex for all the effort you've put into this.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Huge kudos to @emptywheel for this tweet to Johnson:

Hey,
@SpeakerJohnson
: Does the Jesus in your Bible count fundraising off payments for fucking a porn star as akin to money changers in the cathedral? Because I find it gross that you waggle your Bible at all of us and then cheer 6-digit payments for easy fucks.

Molly Jong-Fast:

Here’s the speaker of the house fundraising off his visit to the presumptive presidential nominees criminal trial

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff @emptywheel https://mastodon.social/@sellathechemist/112441125366523603 (correct toot this time)

sellathechemist , to random
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

Superb commentary from Edward Luce in today's FT. It's not teh students who are the problem with protests in America. It's the adults who are completely unable to understand that underlying the whole thing is humanitarian concern and not violence, hatred or anything (even if those things pop up from time to time). And making a mess of things isn't going to solve the problem. https://www.ft.com/content/19890269-fe64-429d-994a-e2002bac3443

GottaLaff , (edited ) to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Via Kyle Griffin:

NEW: AG Kris Mayes just announced five of the officials charged in the Arizona fake electors scheme whose name were redacted in the original indictment:

• John Eastman
• Boris Epshteyn
• Christina Bobb
• Jenna Ellis
• Mike Roman

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff Sheer coincidence. Chance. Stochastic. Nothing but monkeys and typewriters producing a plot.

GottaLaff , (edited ) to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

1/... Klasfeld:

News

In 's NY criminal case, prosecutors file so-called "Sandoval" notice—disclosing unchged prior bad acts they intend to use at trial to impeach his credibility.

The list rattles off NYAG civil fraud case, case, & more.
"If the defendant chooses to testify, the People intend to inquire regarding the following"

Full list of litigation prosecutors intend to confront Trump w, if given the green light by judge: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24554324-peoples-sandoval-notice-filed

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff Hardball.

lowqualityfacts , to random
@lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar

I'm surprised that so many people don't know this.
https://patreon.com/lowqualityfacts

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@lowqualityfacts Are you sure they weren't first cousins twice removed?

randahl , to random
@randahl@mastodon.social avatar

Some European politicians claim, we are not at war with Russia. But clearly, Russia is at war with us.

https://www.ft.com/content/f8207823-f5e1-4caf-934d-67c648f807bf

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@randahl Our daily reminder of the unremitting hostility of the bear next door.

dillyd , to random
@dillyd@allies.social avatar

This snow is a doozy to shovel but everywhere the moved snow forms crevices, it seems to emit its own blue light.

Another deep crevice of snow with blue light. The parts of the crevice that are closer to the top surface are a pale blue, while the ones that are deeper down are a darker blue.

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@dillyd The appearance of emission of light is a lovely illusion. But the blue colour is absolutely real and has a bizarre origin in the vibrations of the water mol's. Because they vibrate in a slightly asymmetrical potential, it is possible for visible light, which is 5 times as energetic as the basic vibration, to be absorbed very very weakly by the snow. You can see it with water: get a piece of straight pipe >2 m long, cap it with clingfilm, fill it and look at white paper down the bore.

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@dillyd Just as with the snow, if the light passes through enough material, the red light is attenuated just enough to give you that beautiful blue colour. It's a gorgeous effect and when I go skiing I always look for it if the snow is deep enough to plunge a ski pole into it - and lo! the blue is there. No one else notices it. It's mine. Just like those sundogs that few others ever see.

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@dillyd sorry. Word limit. And a chemist’s blind assumption of meaning! <blush>

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

will destroy data on millions of users’ browsing histories, part of a settlement of a suit that alleged it tracked users in "incognito" browsers -WSJ

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff Firefox, innit.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Happy Easter.

Via Ron Filipkowski:

On Easter morning, posted an article in two separate publications that said he is “The Chosen One” and “a miracle” who was “sent by God” to save America.

Via Aaron Rupar:

Trump on Truth Social this Easter morning again posted a photo of Judge Merchan’s daughter and followed that up by comparing himself to Christ. https://www.threads.net/@aaron.rupar/post/C5L4NsXra1K

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff Maybe Mr Putin will wish him voskresenye (resurrection) not just a happy Paskha.

ElleGray , to random
@ElleGray@mstdn.social avatar

tesla owners finally complaining about some of the cars' features bc apparently your spouse can watch your car's progress on the app at home and see where you stop. you can even see which seats are being used so "both backseats" suddenly registering on the "heat map" is giving away the cheating lol

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@ElleGray Tesla owners cheat????

lolgop , to random
@lolgop@journa.host avatar

Why would a guy who hasn’t had to work a day in his life want to retire? https://www.mediamatters.org/ben-shapiro/ben-shapiro-no-one-united-states-should-be-retiring-65-years-old

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@lolgop He also doesn't know anyone who does manual labour.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

GOP Fascist Party 2024, ladies and gentlemen:

NEW:

Newly unearthed video of N.C. GOP gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson in 2020: "I absolutely want to go back to the America where women couldn’t vote."

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/north-carolina-gop-mark-robinson-women-vote_n_65e7d899e4b0f9d26cacc002?hlo

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff Ah! Nostalgia!

GottaLaff , (edited ) to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Via Klasfeld:

Judge says #Smirnov's counsel sought emerg hearing seeking his release — "likely to facilitate his absconding from US.

Wild 2 pg order #legal

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cacd.915062/gov.uscourts.cacd.915062.27.0_2.pdf

UPDATE via Joyce Vance:

Last night we learned DOJ re-arrested Smirnov after his release. Now we know why. A California judge seems to be suggesting his lawyers are complicit in his efforts to flee, in a remarkable line ordering detention for the FBI source whose lies propelled Biden impeachment efforts

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff @JaneDoeTheFirst What’s the emoji for schadenfreude?

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

GOP Fascist Party once again proves their desperation, unfitness:

Via Jennifer Bendery:

This hearing went on for ~15 HOURS.

What on earth did they talk about?

Dems laid out why there is no legal basis for impeaching the DHS secretary.

GOPers quoted Supreme Court justices from the 1800s, tied Alanis Morissette to John Adams + criticized policies they don't like.

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff Alanis Morisette was not on my bingo card.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

✔️ Yup.

Via Angry Staffer:

The GOP doesn’t actually want to impeach Mayorkas — or Joe Biden — they just want to reduce the sting of multiple impeachments for their orange messiah.

If everyone gets impeached, they think his won’t look so bad by comparison.

Aaron Rupar:

Jonathan Turley on Fox & Friends dumps on the GOP push to impeach Mayorkas: "I just don't believe they have a cognizable basis here for impeachment."

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff Another version of the firehose of falsehood.

fabiocosta0305 , to random Portuguese
@fabiocosta0305@ursal.zone avatar

"But markets have a problem: they are prone to "reward hacking." This is a term from AI research: tell your AI that you want it to do something, and it will find the fastest and most efficient way of doing it, even if that method is one that actually destroys the reason you were pursuing the goal in the first place."

As always... @pluralistic showing the problem...

If youv Gamify everything, everything becomes cheatable

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@fabiocosta0305 @pluralistic Cory. I think of it in terms of Goodhart's Law and its corollary: Every indicator used as an instrument of policy ceases to be a useful indicator. And once you start chasing indicators you lose sight of your morals, ethics and long term purpose. However well-meaning, indicators risk hollowing you out unless you have robust controls and whistleblowers in place.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Exclusive: brain implant company violated US hazardous material transport rules -documents

“They also found improper packaging of hazardous waste, including the flammable liquid Xylene. Xylene can cause headaches, dizziness, confusion, loss of muscle coordination and even death”
https://www.reuters.com/technology/musk-brain-implant-company-violated-us-hazardous-material-transport-rules-2024-01-26/

sellathechemist ,
@sellathechemist@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff The xylene is almost a technicality when you consider the risks to patients if the company goes belly up after the implants are in place and there’s no one to look after the hardware and software. This is a a well-founded concern from previous such companies. You have to trust Mr M and his investors a lot to be confident that you won’t be left with a bunch of useless wire in your head and your original neurological problem….

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