Alister Burt

👀

Low resolution cryo-EM map that looks like Cuban's skull

When you still haven't solved the orientation bias of your protein sample #CryoEM

The one science reform we can all agree on, but we're too cowardly to do OR: the long overdue forest fire

Wonderful (and fun!) read from @mastroianni.bsky.social which finishes with a clear answer on how to solve the collective action problem of dismantling scientific publishing

Go Lucien!! Love to see it

looks good, have added to the list! Thanks for the rec :-)

fascinating, looks similar!

I’ve been going through a rough patch and have taken solace in music. This book by William Mathieu is wonderful and illuminating, it builds up harmonic theory from physical principles in a satisfying way - worth spending some time with if intervalic reasoning has always felt a bit opaque/arbitrary

Greece’s Varoufakis Indicted Over Ecstasy Use 36 Years Ago Greece’s former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has been indicted after admitting on a podcast that he took an ecstasy pill at a rave in Australia in his twenties.

“Putting a party leader on trial for talking about his experiences with substances many decades ago is not an accidental, innocent gaffe. It is a message from a judiciary that closes its eyes to those in power and goes after whoever refuses to bend the knee.”

novaramedia.com/2026/02/27/g...

my pet peeve is the (presumably intentional) incompatibility which leaves the whole email chain present and not collapsible in every message unless you also use outlook… such chaos

Digital products and services are getting worse – but the trend can be reversed A new report from the Norwegian Consumer Council shows how enshittification affects both consumers and society at large. Luckily, it‘s possible to turn the tide.

What a great report by the Norwegian Consumer Council on how digital products and services are getting worse (enshittification)!

Lots of good explanations and examples, but also very actionable with policy recommendations.

reporting back: the answer is quadzilla until further notice. Took a few laps this evening, it’s brutal but manageable. I found a street that replaces the 20+% section with longer at 13%ish 🙃

As of tonight, licenses of trans people across Kansas are being invalidated en masse, enabling the overnight criminalization of an entire group of people for going about our lives. It’s often said you never know when you’re living through history, so let me assure you: that’s what’s happening now.

bundled with office which they already pay for ☹️ agree it’s sad

YouTube video by maxmunich The Lego Movie: Communist Propaganda

truly delightful review

youtu.be/GfaP9y5eOxU?...

1/6
Living with ALS also means this: learning to count your privileges. A thread.

really glad you enjoyed :-)

Glad you enjoyed!!

the human side of things is usually the most interesting! At least to me 🙃

YouTube video by Matt Reyes Wheel Talk - Red Bull Bay Climb 2019

signed a lease on a new place at the top of a big hill

21% max grade: will I become quadzilla or will I buy an e-bike?

youtu.be/VgZw-TfYDqs?...

Interesting thread on PI attitudes toward LLM-assisted grant writing. Comments on uniformity of style reminds me of why electronic music composers rapidly felt the need to "humanize" the output of machines physicstoday.aip.org/quick-study/...

have scientific publishers always been mouthpieces for capital alongside publishing research or is this a relatively newer phenomenon?

Since last year, I've been making a RELION GUI that supports viewing, navigating and running jobs in a way completely compatible with the original RELION pipeline. Now it's working nicely for both SPA and tomography! Please try it out - github.com/hanjinliu/hi...

Child’s Play, by Sam Kriss Tech’s new generation and the end of thinking

friend shared this with me, long but a very fun read

Agency, but to what end?

harpers.org/archive/2026...

The Whispering Earring (Scott Alexander) Cleaner, easier-to-reference repo of Scott Alexander’s The Whispering Earring (that’s the Schelling title, real title below). Original from livejournal is ba...

After you die, the priests preparing your body for burial usually find that your brain has almost entirely rotted away, except for the parts associated with reflexive action

croissanthology.com/earring

Oaks at Sunrise, Sonoma County , CA
Golden hour light on the hills, Alexander Valley 2000’ below still in the shadows.

#photography #blackandwhite
#sonomacounty #landscape #bluesky #monochrome
#landscapephotography #naturephotography #blueskyartshow #two

Hell yeah - excited to hear about it!
Glad you have a creative outlet, necessity is the mother of invention and all that :-)

YouTube video by Leigh Foster Bikepacking Marin County, California | A Quiet Reset

beautiful film about a bikepacking trip in Marin

Our local loops here are truly world class, hugely thankful 🙏

youtu.be/Rnbe4KZMZjY?...

Doing things the "right" way, burning out and then realizing there is another option, coming back and winning it all with no fucks given? Yes please tell me that story forever.

Are you still able to work/finding joy in this?
I’m intrigued about your computing setup, is it something you chose/cooked up yourself or something provided as part of your care? Any points that are particularly friction-ful?

Fuck, Thorsten this is devastating, I’m so sorry. Love to you and your family. You’re a shining light :-) look forward to hearing how you’re coping and I’m always here if you need an ear