Sean Carroll

Interior of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, showing historic wooden bookcases and a decorated ceiling. In the foreground, a sign displays the traditional Bodleian Oath, which readers must read aloud before being admitted to use the library. The oath reads: 'I hereby undertake not to remove from the Library, or to mark, deface, or injure in any way, any volume, document, or other object belonging to it or in its custody; not to bring into the Library or kindle therein any fire or flame, and not to smoke in the Library; and I promise to obey all rules of the Library'

The traditional Bodleian Oath, which every reader is required to read aloud on seeking admission to the Bodleian Libraries 📚

#WorldBookDay

📷 | @bodleian.ox.ac.uk

1. A short thread on a Bluesky phenomenon that might be described as "They are a dead-eyed cultist who must be cast out lest the heresy take root!" OP has blocked me for mocking them - I'd usually obscure their name but since they themselves were quote-dunking to demand someone else be blocked ...

Excellent idea.

We will be pluralistic about ratios and about shaking/stirring. Very forgiving, honestly.

Not sure about the Martinez. Maybe there will be a dessert menu.

No science allowed until one has had at least two martinis.

Sometimes a solo piano, sometimes accompanied by a sultry-voiced chanteuse. (Or chanteur, we don’t play favorites.)

If anyone asks or a vodka martini, they will be given the option of a Vesper or they can be escorted out.

Smoky martinis, woody martinis, citrusy martinis, so many more. Just by varying the gin, the vermouth, the garnish, and maybe a dash of bitters here and there.

Mineral water available for the teetotalers, but only served in a martini glass. 🍸

Thinking of opening a martini bar after I retire. Various nibbles will be served, but all of the drinks will be martinis. Real martinis: gin, vermouth, garnish. But there will be dozens of different versions available.

A gray shorthair cat at the moment of release upside down, with its tongue out looking derpy

A new paper on falling cat science came out and I just have to draw people's attention to this image

Congrats!

Yay!

DAY TWO of an experiment where I wake up and do a take/video without paying “the woman tax” of doing my hair and make-up. Like/follow/comment/subscribe if you’re into normalizing women looking unkept while doing political commentary.

It's okay!

uhhh, this is a thing people have proposed??

Will try to fix it!

What platform were you using?

Baltimore is here for you, artistic exiles!

Title card for Mindscape AMA podcast episode.

Mindscape Ask Me Anything | March 2026. We talk about quantum gravity and the early universe, the Umwelt of a cat, junky AI-written papers, and whether public debates serve a useful purpose. #MindscapePodcast

www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2026...

Laws of Nature and Chances: What Breathes Fire into the Equations This book’s subtitle is based on a question the physicist Stephen Hawking once asked: “What breathes fire into the equations…?”...

Craig Callender, the unreformable Humean, reviews Loewer’s book with lots of cooking and home improvement metaphors. Both delightful and informative #philsci #philsky

That's right. Worse than Pointless
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/o...

Back in the 1980s-2000s, there was an organization called
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility that worked to oppose irresponsible and dangerous uses of computers in warfare. Maybe it needs a reboot, in our new age of AI.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compute...

I like it when a math professor is shown with shelves of sumptuously leather-bound volumes.

I am!

Ariel: “I am not pleased.”

Ariel: “Life is a journey and we must adapt to circumstances.”

Ariel: “I am cute and you should pet me now.”

Ariel should open an acting studio. Three emotional states, each one second after the other. #Caturday

Well, it wasn't only that the administration was demanding that they be able to use the AI models to autonomously kill people; they also want to use AI to assemble and deploy a comprehensive surveillance database on the behavior of all Americans. What's to worry about?

A real black eye to the FIFA peace prize selection committee

Reminiscent of the many times someone has asked an LLM “did our government really just do this?” and the LLM replied “haha, of course not, there’s no way,” only to come back after prodding with “oh, apparently they did.”

Hyperion author Dan Simmons dies from stroke at 77 I went into Hyperion blind, decades ago, knowing almost nothing about it. I was never the same.

rip dan simmons arstechnica.com/culture/2026...

Really good talk by Doug, who thinks like a physicist but gives valuable insight into how people in the AI world are thinking.