Dr Naomi Jacobs

I might have lost funding but at least I can do what I want. :) And I want to teach people about AI ethics in 90 second increments! bit.ly/ai-ethics-sy...

If more academics started thinking like this, the world would be so much better off. This is what academia *should* be!

Even though academia has too many hot dog stand merchants, we can still choose to operate as a borderless, free-sharing, collaborative social ecosystem.

A bowl of bright green ice cream

Just for the record, this came out *really* well...

Note: these rules do not protect academic freedom, likely harm academic freedom, and damage the integrity of institutions.

If you want to protect academic freedom…fund universities properly, improve research funding and allocation process, and don’t demonize ordinary academic processes.

I generally hate spoilers (or specifically, being told about rather than experiencing media as intended) and I am one of those anomolies who really liked the BSG ending, but despite that this does actually sound like a perfect way to experience that show.

🏳️‍⚧️ Can anyone help my MA dissertation student? He wants to interview trans (especially non-binary and gender non-conforming) people aged 18+ who are seeking or have sought transition-related medical care in the south of England. Has gone through ethics review. Please DM me for his contact info 🏳️‍⚧️

Lecturer in English Literature (Part Time) - Grade 7 at University of Liverpool Searching for an academic job? Explore this Lecturer in English Literature (Part Time) - Grade 7 opening on jobs.ac.uk! Click to view more details and browse other academic jobs.

Job opportunity teaching science fiction in Liverpool. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOC313/l...

Scientists mourn Tom Lehrer — nerdiest of singer-songwriters The mathematician's memorable satires were beloved by generations of researchers.

Many thanks to @philipcball.bsky.social for doing this beautiful piece for us
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

When I think about the stupid mistakes LLMs make with words sometimes, (cf. the strawberry problem, fabricating quotations, or mixing up terms etc.), there's a well-known Old English riddle that comes to mind.

It's more than 1,000 years old but I think it has something to tell us about AI...

🧵

We may have the chance to hire an outstanding researcher 3+ years post PhD to join Tarleton Gillespie, Mary Gray and me in Cambridge MA bringing critical sociotechnical perspectives to bear on new technologies.

jobs.careers.microsoft.com/global/en/jo...

The Heist of Hollow London by Eddie Robson | Waterstones Buy The Heist of Hollow London by Eddie Robson from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.

Waterstones are running a pre-order promotion this week which covers my next novel, The Heist Of Hollow London, out in September. Order before 31st July and get 25% off: www.waterstones.com/book/the-hei...

Tom Lehrer made all of his music 100% public domain so if seeing people sad about his death makes you want to check them out… it’s free. he wanted you to share them.

tomlehrersongs.com

“I no longer retain any rights to any of my songs. So help yourselves, and don’t send me any money.”

Callout: Storying the Future: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Queer Storytelling Storying the Future: Queer Storytelling and Unsettling TImes Date: Wednesday 10th September, 2025 Location: University of Sheffield, UK Organisers: Dr Ames Clark and Dr Eleanor Wilkinson, School of...

CfP for an exciting workshop I'm co-organising at the Uni of Sheffield - Storying the Future: Queer Storytelling and Unsettling Times.

(More info below but workshop 10th sept, deadline for EOI 6th aug)

tinyurl.com/qstorytelling

Photo of a tv. Onscreen a woman holds an axe with a periodic table visible behind.

Buffy is so old there were only 103 named elements, we’re at 118 now.

(Yes I pause every show that has a periodic table to see if its period accurate)

I think the point I was agreeing with in reposting was that large swathes of the internet used to be outside of the economic model and based on enthusiastic sharing. That's mostly been crowded out except for sites that have made a specific effort to preserve it, like wikipedia. Or Archive of Our Own

The things that Buffy did with it's musical ep that I've never seen any other one understand is that a) it was full *tragedy*, even while being funny b) the music genre hopped but each was an excellent example of its genre c) it followed the structure of a stage musical, not just 'had some songs'

Most of the internet used to be like this. This is actually the default, it took companies enclosing the internet and adding weird, soul-killing incentives to make people behave the way they do now. In a way, there is truly nothing special about Wikipedia except that it survived longer.

A stack of books, from top to bottom: The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison Nemesis by Lindsey Davis (actually standing in for the whole Didius Falco series) Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells Prince Ivan by Peter Morwood (#GNUPeterMorwood) The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley Far From the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson Agrippina by Emma Southon City of All Seasons by Oliver Langmead and Aliya Whiteley Perilous Times by Thomas D Lee The Martian Contingency by Mary Robinette Kowal

I'm not conscientious enough to post/review every book I read, but here are some I've particularly enjoyed over the past few months (as I clear out my 'recently read' shelf to the main bookcases).

(Deleted and reposted because I made a typo *and* missed one of the books in the alt text)

And Then There Were (N-One) - Uncanny Magazine I considered declining the invitation. It was too weird, too expensive, too far, too dangerous, too weird. Way too weird. An invitation like that would never come again. I’d regret it if I didn’t go. ...

I've worked (briefly) as an events organiser, volunteered for 8 years running fan conventions, and been to (and helped organise) some really innovative conferences, so I have many thoughts... but reading the comments reminded me of this great short story www.uncannymagazine.com/article/and-...

A group of handdrawn fish.

Why I 🧡 the web.

drawafish.com

Just draw the fish. Trust me. 🐟

Last week we got the terrible news that Distinguished Professor Lady Rachel Cooper OBE has passed away. Or as we at Imagination Lancaster knew her, just Rachel. I'm going to try to say a little bit about the amazing person she was and the impact she had on me personally. (1/10)

Uh, not to self-promote, but would this count? journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/tw...

I've just verified my age by dialling 0181 811 8181

There must be thousands of people whose lives she directly impacted. And yet she always valued her family, her children and grandchildren, above all. Her memory will indeed be a blessing to all who knew her. Thanks, Rachel. We'll miss you a lot. (10/10)
imagination.lancaster.ac.uk/update/obitu...

This was because she always got right to the heart of the matter immediately and offered some crucial insight to help people figure out what they actually needed to do. She did it in workshops, too. What would have taken anyone else hours to sum up, she did in 10 minutes. (9/10)

During that first research project I told our PhD cohort that 10 minutes of advice from Rachel (often all she had time for, as she was so busy) was equivalent to an hour's supervision from anyone else. I believe having experienced it, they agreed with me. (8/10)

She cut through bullshit to find what actually needed to be done to solve problems, and if needed, did it herself whether it was delivering a keynote or scrubbing a desk. Or, in many cases, moving chairs around to rearrange a space... (7/10)

But above that, Rachel taught me what good leadership looked like, by demonstrating it. She supported people to find their potential, she was always making connections to help people help each other, and raising up the work of others. (6/10)

In 2020 I applied to one of a set of lectureship jobs, to return to Lancaster. I got an offer; not the one I applied for. Rachel said, 'you should come work on design for policy with me instead'. I protested I didn't know anything about policy, but she was right to believe it would suit me. (5/10)