Brian Hughes

The rise and fall of peer review Why the greatest scientific experiment in history failed, and why that's a great thing

"Only one of Einstein’s papers was ever peer-reviewed, by the way, and he was so surprised and upset that he published his paper in a different journal instead..."

A great article on peer-review. #scientificpublishing

“By Hegseth’s standard, any country having any advanced defensive weaponry of any kind can be labeled an imminent threat.”

trib.al/7Q6ZGAX

1908: the Lancet, one of the most respected scientific journals, calls for 18 age limit on reading in bed amidst a moral panic surrounding children becoming "addicted" to novels, which were "designed to keep kids hooked" and destroy their attention/mental health

Rainwater now coming straight through onto the floor -- stand back ⚡

I am very proud of my meticulously curated door content!

Some electrical wiring, added into the mix, for an extra bonus.🔌

My workspace this Monday morning.

I guess this is what "connecting up our distinctive strengths in new and transformational ways" looks like (when it rains)

I don't think we should host the World Cup, tbh

At least 40 killed in Israeli strike on girls' school in Iran, state media reports The reported deaths are the latest in the region after the United States and Israeli begun its attack on Iran this morning.

At least 40 people were killed in a strike on a girls' school in southern Iran, Iranian state media has reported.

A provincial official said Israeli strikes hit the school, according to state media jrnl.ie/6970531

A judge just tossed out Columbia University's disciplinary actions against 22 students over the 2024 Hamilton Hall occupation, finding the school relied on sealed arrest records and held individuals responsible for group actions, violating its own rules.

iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/Documen...

Netanyahu Calls Iran Strikes Necessary To Prevent War He Just Started

Netanyahu Calls Iran Strikes Necessary To Prevent War He Just Started

Reform: Stop the boats! Deport people!
Starmer: OMG we have to beat the Reform Party! STOP MORE BOATS! DEPORT MORE PEOPLE! ISLAND OF STRANGERS!
Hannah Spencer: Everybody deserves a nice life.
Starmer: Hannah Spencer is more interested in dividing people than uniting them.

"We are also concerned about the increasing marketisation of #HigherEd, where programmes are evaluated primarily through recruitment metrics and short-term labour market alignment...Reducing HE to a narrow economic instrument risks diminishing its broader social & democratic role"

👏Join👏A👏Union!!!

I always think Ryanair would be a good fit

Don't forget the tech/science/engineering "innovation hubs" and suchlike that make all that (imaginary) moolah

University of Galway plans to end and replace arts course amid fall-off in interest ‘Urgent’ reform aims to meet changing needs of students as they seek ‘direct routes to employment’

It is difficult to know quite which elephant in the room to start with. Years of wilful austerity and brain-dead resource cuts undermining programme quality might be one

Evaluating the arts using neoliberal terms like “perceived lower occupational return” might be another

Capitalism hates the arts

oops. White nationalism is a helluva drug.

Dennis nedry jurrasic park "see nobody cares" meme reads Hey everybody, this guy still posts on X! See? Everyone is horrified and disappointed. They feel it speaks directly to your values.

In order to find yourself you must first lose the crowd🔥

“Invisible Illness” could have been transgressive. Instead, it minimizes Long COVID. - The Sick Times The book fails to convey the severity of infection-associated chronic conditions, demands for treatment, or importance of infection prevention.

Today @thesicktimes.org: Shielding Cournoyer reviews the book "Invisible Illness."

"Though Mendenhall accurately acknowledges the harm of psychologizing illness, her thesis does exactly that." thesicktimes.org/2026/02/13/i...

Screenshot of a CNN segment shared by Acyn. A split-screen shows commentator Lydia Moynihan on the left and Kevin O’Leary on the right during a heated exchange. The chyron reads, “Obama: Dems need to avoid scolding and ‘virtue-signaling.’” The post quotes O’Leary referencing China and concentration camps, and McGowan responding about West Virginia.

I spent my childhood inside of American concentration camps. I know one when I see one. And that is what ICE is building.

Briton shot by father in Texas after row about Trump was unlawfully killed, coroner rules Lucy Harrison died after being shot in chest by alcoholic Kris Harrison while staying at his home in US last year

It takes a while into this article to find that Lucy's father told her he wouldn't have been upset if Donald Trump had sexually assaulted her.

And then he shot her.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

The Hilarious Decline of MAGA’s Brief Cultural Relevance A year ago, everyone was doing the “Trump dance.” Now the president is too scared to show his face at the Super Bowl, and the right’s “alternative” halftime show features the cringey, washed-up Kid Ro...

The Hilarious Decline of MAGA's Brief Cultural Relevance

The BMJ' @bmj_latest X.com A series of medical royal colleges are stepping back from Elon Musk's social media platform X after issues of abuse and hatred. Three have left, and two more are reviewing their activity. @stokel reports Then a link to an article.

Oh the replies to this one… long essays on why X should continue to be validated as a legitimate place to share information.

It’s a tool of an authoritarian regime that manipulates information reach. People are starting to realise.

For some with mental illness, it’s not always good to talk

Reading this, you'd swear that feral cars with no humans inside them - no responsible person, no driver - were roaming the countryside and that small children are randomly colliding to death with them. Was there a driver? Any other person involved? Who knows, @news.rte.ie certainly won't tell us.