Dr Keith Walker @SteelFolk@qoto.org

"Scientific discovery consists in the interpretation for our own convenience of a system of existence which has been made with no eye to our convenience at all.
One of the chief duties of a mathematician in acting as an advisor to scientists is to discourage them from expecting too much of mathematicians."

As quoted in Comic Sections (1993) by D MacHale

#science #mathematics

"I believe in Spinoza's God, Who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind."

Albert Einstein (4 March 1879 – 18 April 1955)

‘Geometry & Experience’ speech, Prussian Academy of Sciences
Berlin, Jan 27 1921

#books

For over 70 years, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) has enshrined our fundamental rights in international law.

It’s been in the background, always there, helping to prevent human rights abuses. The essential rights we are familiar with – like the right to life, the right not to be tortured, the right to privacy – all come from the ECHR.

Now, the ECHR is under attack.

One thing you can (easily) do today is sign Liberty's pledge on the ECHR

https://action.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/page/133001/petition/1?ea.url.id=6699994&forwarded=true

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. There is no excuse for violence against women.

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Just the fact that we need such day is a sad evidence of the dire state of our society.
At the dawn of another murder of a young woman in Italy, my head has been reflecting a lot about ‘monsters’ and ‘patriarchy’. I’ll be posting it during the weekend. For a little glimpse on what to expect, here my yesterday’s thread
https://mastodon.design/@alx/111464704564936230

#25novembre #25n23 #women #NiUnaMenos #feminism #patriarchy

Some thoughts to brighten your outlook on next year’s presidential election. Today’s piece expands upon my earlier piece on why I remain cautiously optimistic over Joe Biden’s chances. https://open.substack.com/pub/statuskuo/p/some-bright-thoughts-on-black-friday?r=1zr8b&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

First evidence of radioactivity with Becquerel's notes.

Becquerel, Henri, 1852-1908

From AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, William G. Myers Collection

Held by: Niels Bohr Library & Archives.

via American Institute of Physics

@science #physics #radioactivity

GDPR trainings for researchers in the post-AI world: 'uploading research data to an AI system is part of processing and they become part of the training dataset, becoming then a permanent record. Therefore do not upload personal data to public AI systems such as ChatGPT"

#AI #research #AIHype #AcademicFedi #AcademicMastodon

Clear warning by health professionals in the leading medical journal The Lancet:
Further delays in tackling greenhouse gas emissions at COP28 will be an act of negligence.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)02584-9/fulltext#%20

Reminder that only having your stuff in one place online is not a backup.

Dutch theoretical physicist & thermodynamicist Johannes Diderik van der Waals was born #OTD in 1837.

His name is primarily associated with the Van der Waals equation of state that describes the behavior of gases & their condensation to the liquid phase. His name is also associated with Van der Waals forces, with Van der Waals molecules, & with Van der Waals radii. He won the 1910 Nobel Prize in physics for his work on the equation of state for gases & liquids. via @wikipedia

#science #physics

Confirmed by Sir Patrick Vallance at the
https://nitter.cz/search?q=%23CovidInquiry
today - Rishi Sunak's grossly irresponsible Eat Out To Help Out scheme drove a second wave of Covid. He is to blame for the damage caused. He needs to be held accountable.
<p>
https://nitter.cz/janemerrick23/status/1726595772232429860#m
</p>

🐦🔗: https://nitter.cz/CarolineLucas/status/1726636392854548961#m

[2023-11-20 16:19 UTC]

Over the weekend, Nazis were marching in the streets of Madison, Wisconsin. They felt emboldened by an increase in antisemitism and the poisonous words of Donald Trump. This is in America in 2023. We must stand up to hate, to fascism, and to political violence of all forms. No less than the future of our country and what we leave to our children and grandchildren is on the line.

“Man the Hunter has dominated the study of human evolution for nearly half a century & pervaded popular culture. [But] it was the arrival of agriculture that led to rigid gendered roles & economic inequality. Hunting belonged to everyone.”

The Theory That Men Evolved to Hunt & Women Evolved to Gather Is Wrong https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-theory-that-men-evolved-to-hunt-and-women-evolved-to-gather-is-wrong1/ #science #history

First ever drawings of the moon made by Galileo Galilei after observing it through his telescope in 1609.

Galileo produced this extremely famous set of six watercolours of the Moon in its various phases "from life", as he observed the Earth's satellite through a telescope in the autumn of 1609. They represent the first realistic depiction of the Moon in history.

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
Drawings of the Moon, November-December 1609
Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale

#science #astronomy

German mathematician and theoretical astronomer was born #OTD in 1790.

He is best known for his discovery of the Möbius strip, a non-orientable two-dimensional surface with only one side when embedded in three-dimensional Euclidean space. The Möbius configuration, formed by two mutually inscribed tetrahedra, is named after him. He was the first to introduce homogeneous coordinates into projective geometry. He is recognized for the introduction of the Barycentric coordinate system.

#mathematics

Important reading. Several commentators say same thing re timing:
https://iandunt.substack.com/p/rwanda-this-is-what-happens-next?utm_source=substack&publication_id=1833442&post_id=138938628&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&action=share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4NjExMTYsInBvc3RfaWQiOjEzODkzODYyOCwiaWF0IjoxNzAwMjEzNTYxLCJleHAiOjE3MDI4MDU1NjEsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0xODMzNDQyIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.pCM10ebKqBYEj881oEFbaZ_UOvWWXxw0bbKA-euVevA&r=igfw

This article from @davidallengreen on yesterday's Supreme Court judgement also links to a 15-minute video, where Lord Reed, the President of the court, delivers a top-class clear explanation of what the whole thing was about. If you want the gist of it, and you like your info in audio form, I highly recommend it!

The article adds further analysis, inc some of what the govt could've done instead.

https://emptycity.substack.com/p/on-yesterdays-supreme-court-judgment

#refugees #Rwanda #UKLaw

Joe Biden gave a press conference after his meeting with China’s Xi Jinping. He was knowledgeable, calm, articulate, and presidential. That’s what we need in the White House. Not a bloviating miscreant, not a malignant narcissist, not a would-be despot who wants to round up his political enemies and destroy our democracy.