Benjamin Pope

Benjamin Pope

@benjaminpope.bsky.social

Australian astronomer he/him Sydney/Gadi

4.6K followers1.1K following2.7K posts

Benjamin Pope
@benjaminpope.bsky.social

imo if we want to fix social cohesion in Australia we should start by cracking down on pokies & wellness/crypto scams and fund local arts & sport

jamelle@jamellebouie.net

i don't think anyone should run explicitly on banning online gambling but i do think that a democratic-led government should just quietly take steps to undermine the industry and create an inhospitable regulatory environment

Benjamin Pope
@benjaminpope.bsky.social

convinced that the campaign to save bondi junction is a YIMBY false flag. nobody real could think that a freeway + westfield + train station combo is a quaint heritage village under threat from greedy developers

Benjamin Pope reposted

Rebecca Fernandez O'Shea
@rebeccafernandez.bsky.social

Replying to @rebeccafernandez.bsky.social

We've been out campaigning on some planned changes with the Greens, and yeah, these are incredibly popular reforms. It's honestly quite shocking how bad NSW still is compared to the improvements I saw in Europe while I was there. It doesn't have to be this way. www.kobishetty.org.au/gambling-ref...

kobishetty.org.auPut People Before Gambling ProfitsGambling harm in NSW is out of control. We need the government to act now to reform gambling laws and protect our communities. Sign our petition: Put People Before Gambling Profits

Benjamin Pope reposted

Rebecca Fernandez O'Shea
@rebeccafernandez.bsky.social

I learned recently that $24 million is lost to the gambling industry per day in NSW alone. That's $1 million per hour taken from vulnerable people who can't afford to lose that.

Mezentine@mezentine.bsky.social

I think we underestimate the appeal of antigambling politics because every problem gambler is surrounded by 3-10 people who are absolutely sick of their shit.

Benjamin Pope reposted

McLean
@mcccclean.bsky.social
Guardian Australia@australia.theguardian.com

‘Extremely disappointed’: WA government seeks reimbursement from Deloitte over flawed university report

theguardian.com‘Extremely disappointed’: WA government seeks reimbursement from Deloitte over flawed university reportWA paid Deloitte $166,000 for flawed feasibility study on merging the University of Western Australia, Curtin university and Murdoch university * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The Western Australian government has said it is “extremely disappointed” and is seeking an “expedited” cost recovery from Deloitte after errors were discovered in a report on a potential university merger, including AI-hallucinated references and hundreds of millions of dollars in cost discrepancies. The WA government paid Deloitte $166,000 for a feasibility study on merging the University of Western Australia, Curtin university and Murdoch university. Continue reading...
Benjamin Pope
@benjaminpope.bsky.social

no joke I love Melbourne but I just do not understand any Victorian discourse and I’ve lived in both Brisbane and Sydney. Why is it like this

This post is unavailable.

Benjamin Pope reposted

Gilles Louppe
@glouppe.bsky.social

And here they come, ads sold and served in your conversations 🤮

OpenAI {bot}@openai.xmirror.bot

We built ChatGPT’s ad stack to respond to an evolving conversation, while ensuring answers stay independent. Here’s how the LLM orchestrator, retrieval, ranking and auction tools work together.

Benjamin Pope reposted

Tim Lyons
@picketer.bsky.social

Can’t help but think about speeches at The Big Occasions of life and death where people say *lame* things about what someone means to them in a halting voice without the vocabulary they want to have but it’s moving and lovely and human and it’s awesome. Then there is this.

David Gura@davidgura.bsky.social

cool, cool

Benjamin Pope reposted

Possum
@pollytics.bsky.social

Replying to @pollytics.bsky.social

Most of the rest of the world would die in a ditch to have our problems. Now look around - out your window, in your street, on your socials. Look at that bullshit *WE* as a nation produce as our political discourse. It is truly pathetic whenever you have to deal with something that matters. /n

Benjamin Pope reposted

Rachel Pope
@prehistorian.bsky.social

That’s the common theme in what I’m writing I think. White mid-upper class academic men are allowed to have flaws, allowed to do (actually terrible) things, and have them forgiven/forgotten. But for w-class men (Bill Varley), women (Maud Cunnington), MOC (Arday) one mistake or flaw is unforgivable.

Benjamin Pope reposted

Michael Brown
@mjibrown.bsky.social

A lot of politicians talk a lot about social cohesion and a very simple thing would be to put a little more money into local volunteer organisations (sport clubs, SES, community groups). Get people to do good things and meet their community. Log off and meet all the people.

Ben Eltham@beneltham.bsky.social

Do something, anything in your community. Cook a community meal. Volunteer with a local org. Plant a tree. Join your union

Benjamin Pope reposted

Ben Eltham
@beneltham.bsky.social

Replying to @brionykidd.bsky.social

Do something, anything in your community. Cook a community meal. Volunteer with a local org. Plant a tree. Join your union

Benjamin Pope
@benjaminpope.bsky.social

Solidarity to the Leicester team and shame on the BBC.

Leicester Gazette@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *

Benjamin Pope reposted

flyingrodent
@flyingrodent.bsky.social

Again, it’s important to understand that the transgender terror did not arise organically from the public. It was imposed from above, by the world’s most hateful and poisonous media class.

Leicester Gazette@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *

Benjamin Pope reposted

ClimateBook
@climatebook.bsky.social

Andy Burnham in his Guardian article says "We will make the net-zero transition work for Britain – approving the Jackdaw gasfield is part of the plan" Could be straight out of Orwell. War is peace. Emissions are netZero.

Benjamin Pope reposted

Charlotte Lydia Riley
@lottelydia.bsky.social

University of Nottingham, right now, is cutting 560 jobs. Do we need to rebrand universities as very large, very clean, land-based oil rigs to get government support?

Leo Hickman@leohickman.carbonbrief.org

From the govt's press release: "The developer estimates that Jackdaw will create 27 new direct jobs and safeguard 273 existing jobs that would otherwise be lost." Odd that so much is made about this being good for jobs. Your nearest out-of-town supermarket likely generates more jobs.

Benjamin Pope reposted

Ben Eltham
@beneltham.bsky.social

We’re in a really bad place

Chronicle of Higher Education@chronicle.com

Opinion: If AI is now part of academic writing, what should institutions actually evaluate? This essay argues that analytical writing should be judged by evidence, structure, argument, and accountability not by guesses about how each sentence was produced. https://chroni.cl/4eDRdjg

chroni.clOpinion | Who Cares Whether Academics Use AI to Write?We should judge analytical writing by its quality, not its source.

Benjamin Pope reposted

💀Adina Feinstein PhD 💀
@afeinstein20.bsky.social

interestingggg.... paper on the arXiv tonight of a new planet candidate found with and written up entirely by AI, including the caveat, "The author has not independently checked the analyses and does not have the expertise to verify every technical detail." arxiv.org/abs/2610.28575

arxiv.orgA sub-Earth-sized TESS planet candidate in the nearby M-dwarf binary GJ 774, most likely orbiting GJ 774 A (TIC 351339274)Small planets transiting the nearest M dwarfs are the terrestrial planets most accessible to detailed characterisation. We report a sub-Earth-sized transiting planet candidate in the wide (17.6") M-dw...
Benjamin Pope
@benjaminpope.bsky.social

For education, afaict there’s no safe use until well after undergraduate level

Baldur Bjarnason@baldurbjarnason.com

Every time there's a new study on the negative impact of LLM tools on education, work, communications, and media, at least half the commentariat will always go "but you shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater, 'AI' has constructive uses!" even as they pretend to be 'critics'.

Benjamin Pope
@benjaminpope.bsky.social

pet peeve is I really hate the way people use Gen(erative)AI as if it's a term of art with an important ethical or technological distinction to be drawn with something else, as if you can't bolt on generation straightforwardly once you have representation

Benjamin Pope reposted

William B. Fuckley
@opinionhaver.bsky.social

Making myself angry for no reason at all remembering the American transit planner that went to Amsterdam and was appalled at how little stakeholder engagement they did in favor of actually building shit.

Benjamin Pope reposted

Julia M. Rohrer
@dingdingpeng.the100.ci

We have moved rather quickly from “LLMs can’t count the Rs in strawberry” to “LLMs don’t proactively flag this particular concern when summarizing the literature”, haven’t we

Benjamin Pope reposted

"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux
@bretdevereaux.bsky.social

Replying to @bretdevereaux.bsky.social

Anyway, if voters are going to maintain large public university systems, they should insist those systems be run by people who actually believe in their core public mission, rather than people who believe the entire thing is a system of taxpayer funded corporate welfare via job training.

Benjamin Pope reposted

"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux
@bretdevereaux.bsky.social

Replying to @bretdevereaux.bsky.social

It really brings home how *actively hostile* to its own mission most universities have become. They have internalized their role as career-preparation and credentialing and largely rejected any higher goals of learning - well rounded people, better citizens, any of it. So none of that happens.

Benjamin Pope
@benjaminpope.bsky.social

I feel like it needs to be pointed out that if someone isn't commenting on a highly salient issue it might be because defamation law exists, and if you're commenting on a highly salient issue you should consider whether you can afford to buy someone a new apartment!

Benjamin Pope
@benjaminpope.bsky.social

true in politics, true in academia

Tom Studans@maximumwelfare.bsky.social

No advocate is irreplaceable. No-one is more important than their movement. No-one is so valuable to a community that what they do cannot be replicated or improved by others. Real leaders reject the cult of personality and empower their replacements. Real movements make sure they do.

Benjamin Pope reposted

Tom Studans
@maximumwelfare.bsky.social

No advocate is irreplaceable. No-one is more important than their movement. No-one is so valuable to a community that what they do cannot be replicated or improved by others. Real leaders reject the cult of personality and empower their replacements. Real movements make sure they do.