Britt Lundgren

Britt Lundgren

@brittlundgren.bsky.social

quasar gazer | science & education policy wonk | prof. of physics & astronomy at a public liberal arts college | Illinoisan

3.1K followers1.3K following2K posts

Pinned

Britt Lundgren
@brittlundgren.bsky.social

My article on the likely influence of the experiments of polymath Thomas Young on the early abstract art of Hilma af Klint is now published & open access at Leonardo / MIT Press 🎉 direct.mit.edu/leon/article...

direct.mit.eduAction at a Distance: Did Physicist Thomas Young’s 1807 Lectures Inspire Some of the Earliest Examples of Abstract Art?Abstract. Swedish artist Hilma af Klint is known to have been influenced by scientific developments at the turn of the twentieth century. However, many of her paintings from 1914 to 1916 exhibit simil...
Britt Lundgren@brittlundgren.bsky.social

Since we’re all desperate for a positive distraction today, I guess I’ll share some exciting news I’ve been sitting on for a few months… I made an accidental discovery in art history & after four years of researching and reworking, it’s finally getting published! direct.mit.edu/leon/article...

Britt Lundgren reposted

Eric Michael Garcia
@ericmgarcia.bsky.social

Something that stood out to me when speaking to young Black women in Greensboro who went to vote: They are fully aware of what their ancestors and grandparents did to win them the right to vote and they don't take that for granted. #NCPol #NCSen thepoliticalspectrum.substack.com/p/theyre-att...

thepoliticalspectrum.substack.com‘They're attempting to disenfranchise us, and that's not right’In Greensboro, N.C., students from North Carolina A&T State University make the trek to turn out
Britt Lundgren
@brittlundgren.bsky.social

I had to buy a 12oz gatorade at the movies last night (because movies are too long now, and I didn't come prepared). It rang up at $7.48.. more than the NC minimum wage 👀

Britt Lundgren reposted

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy

Would you like to take a break from whatever you are rage-screaming about to rage-scream about a different topic? Now published, by me: https://theconversation.com/corporate-orbital-data-centre-proposals-are-dangerous-for-humanity-293085

theconversation.comCorporate ‘orbital data centre’ proposals are dangerous for humanityOrbital data centre proposals involve thousands of satellites, each one twice the size of the International Space Station.
Britt Lundgren
@brittlundgren.bsky.social

Can't help but wonder what they actually teach at Yale Law School.

Scott Horton@robertscotthorton.bsky.social

A quick check of court records establishes that all of the claims made by Amy Acton's estranged mother and aired by Ramaswamy are false. But then it appears she was simply reading a script that a Ramaswamy campaign staffer wrote for her. www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...

nbcnews.comRamaswamy ad puts Acton’s estranged mother in spotlight as records reveal family’s troubled pastVivek Ramaswamy faces bipartisan backlash over an ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother, whose rocky history emerges in court records and interviews.

Britt Lundgren reposted

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. * * *
Britt Lundgren
@brittlundgren.bsky.social

Dear LinkedIn "education thought leaders" with substack accounts: the disclaimer of "I used Anthropic's Claude as a writing partner" is not the big reveal you think it is. Please just stop everything you're doing. Thanks.

Britt Lundgren reposted

Charlie Warzel
@cwarzel.bsky.social

70 percent of the internet was vulnerable yesterday to very bad security flaws inside a coding language. Turns out, *one volunteer* is mostly responsible for maintaining that code & helping push updates. Yesterday Ondřej Surý saved the internet. So I called him up www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...

theatlantic.comThe Man Who Saved the Internet YesterdayOndřej Surý was a relatively anonymous volunteer working on PHP security. Then the internet exploded.

Britt Lundgren reposted

Karen James
@kejames.bsky.social

Please enjoy this rare Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud formation, photographed at dusk in Acadia NP, Penobscot and Passamaquoddy territory.

Britt Lundgren
@brittlundgren.bsky.social

"Compared to the same date in 2022, the overall total early votes cast so far is running 38% ahead of the last mid-term election"

Michael Bitzer@bowtiepolitics.bsky.social

Today's analysis of NC's early votes: just under 1M (probably exceed that with today's ballots cast), and where NC may head towards with the final modeled numbers: #ncpol

Britt Lundgren reposted

Chris Cooper
@chriscooperwcu.bsky.social

Big news day in #nc11: 1) The Trump Super Pac with the unfortunate (and now ironic) name No Going Back Pac, is pulling out of #nc11 (from Punchbowl via CJ Warnke) 2) Sabato's Crystal Ball has moved #nc11 to Lean Democrat

Britt Lundgren reposted

Dan Garisto
@dangaristo.bsky.social

BREAKING: Major shakeup in NSF leadership. Brian Stone, who has been performing the duties of NSF director since April 2025, is retiring on Dec. 31. Rebecca Keiser, who has been acting chief of staff, is also retiring, Oct. 31. Unclear who will replace Stone, since O'Neill's nom hasn't moved.

Britt Lundgren reposted

Mark Peifer (He, him)
@peiferlabunc.bsky.social

We planned on early voting today. However, Alamance Co NC, where we live, chose to eliminate several early voting days, unlike Orange. We thus rushed over and voted last evening. MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE TODAY--when, where and how!

Britt Lundgren reposted

Anderson Clayton ☀️
@abreezeclayton.bsky.social

UNCG, A&T, Bennett and Greensboro College students walked to the polls yesterday. Here’s just UNCG students leaving campus to walk the 40 minutes to their new polling location. You’ll recognize a familiar face with them — Judge Toby Hampson! ⬇️ #SpartansVote

Britt Lundgren reposted

Phil Lewis
@phillewis.bsky.social

Students from North Carolina A&T can be seen marching back to their HBCU after voting on the first day of early voting in the state. The Guilford County Board of Elections voted to remove the school’s on-campus polling site. (video via Todd Simmons) greensboro.com/news/local/g...

Britt Lundgren reposted

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans
@astroroyalscot.bsky.social

Replying to @astroroyalscot.bsky.social

V excited to learn all about the "First Light" conservation & transformation project for the 350yo site. They'll be protecting UK astronomy heritage and developing new galleries to showcase the latest space research. 🥳 The site will be closing on the 2nd Nov for 2 yrs. 🔭 📷: Jamie Fobert Architects

Britt Lundgren reposted

Ted McCormick
@tedmccormick.bsky.social

I’m sorry to have to be the bad guy here but we need to recognize that we live in a compressed air thrusters world now. If you’re not finding ways to teach the critical use of compressed air thrusters in your classroom, you’re setting your students up to fail when you could be setting them up to fly

Yahoo Finance@yahoofinance.com

Tesla stock pops after unveiling Roadster with compressed air thrusters for limited flight

yhoo.itTesla stock pops after unveiling Roadster with compressed air thrusters for limited flightTesla finally unveiled the long-awaited Roadster on Thursday night.
Britt Lundgren
@brittlundgren.bsky.social

While walking to my local polling place this morning I saw a bluebird (surely a good sign?!) and then my ballot jammed in the machine (bad??). The stakes are so high, and I'm optimistic but still unsure how the midterms are going to turn out. Desperately hoping everyone votes & we make some change!

Britt Lundgren
@brittlundgren.bsky.social

GOTV, NC!

Common Cause North Carolina@commoncausenc.bsky.social

As early voting kicks off today in North Carolina, our Sailor Jones of Common Cause NC shares how people across the state are working to protect the vote. ☎️ Questions about voting? Call the nonpartisan voter hotline at 888-OUR-VOTE (888-687-8683). 🔎 Find info on voting at NCVoterGuide.org

Britt Lundgren reposted

Pauline Barmby
@pbarmby.bsky.social

The title says it all: arxiv.org/abs/2610.10834 Still in the peer review process but we* felt it Important to get this out there. Satellite companies are not complying with visual brightness limits. Our estimates are that it will get worse, especially at twilight. *I’m a minor part of “we” here

arxiv.orgSystematic non-compliance of satellite megaconstellations with IAU brightness limitsSatellite megaconstellations in low Earth orbit interfere with ground-based optical astronomy, but the scale of that interference has been hard to measure. Here we report an uncued photometric survey ...
Britt Lundgren
@brittlundgren.bsky.social

"The school with the highest athletic fee is UNC Asheville, where students pay $906 per year to fund the public liberal arts school’s athletic budget. Despite the high number, student fees in Asheville generate the second-lowest amount of revenue in the System." www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

newsobserver.comHow much do UNC System students pay to subsidize college sports?Here’s a look at how much students pay to support athletic departments at each school in the UNC System.
Britt Lundgren
@brittlundgren.bsky.social

"At just 2,600 students, “we don’t have the economies of scale that the larger schools have,” UNC Asheville spokesperson Eden Bloss told The News & Observer. .. Yes, UNCA is far too small to support DI athletics & our students cant afford it. I am glad to see this finally getting attention.

Britt Lundgren
@brittlundgren.bsky.social

The idea that AI will just replace every intellectually challenging job ignores the cost.. which for these math breakthroughs were in the millions of dollars. When you pay people to solve those problems, there are countless downstream benefits. Who/what do we value? www.science.org/content/arti...

science.orgHow an AI math breakthrough ignited a controversyOpenAI spent millions to solve the Navier-Stokes problem, but who should get credit?
Joseph Rezek@rezekjoe.bsky.social

“Perhaps the most relevant issue is that by releasing this trove of material in this manner, the companies are in the process of destroying the ecosystem that made it possible for this work” On the recent trove of math proofs released by the evil robots

nytimes.com‘Breathtaking,’ ‘Devastating’: Mathematics Reels After New OpenAI Release (Gift Article)Hundreds of new A.I.-generated findings moved the frontiers of higher math in a single day — dispelling any doubt that the field is forever changed.
Britt Lundgren
@brittlundgren.bsky.social

Altman didn't find it worth his time to finish a degree at Stanford, a university with 22 living Nobel laureates, & dropped out to go make money. Fine. But this all feels like a campaign to validate his decision & convince others that academic research has been an inefficiency in the system.

Britt Lundgren reposted

Joseph Rezek
@rezekjoe.bsky.social

Replying to @rezekjoe.bsky.social

“Perhaps the most relevant issue is that by releasing this trove of material in this manner, the companies are in the process of destroying the ecosystem that made it possible for this work” On the recent trove of math proofs released by the evil robots

nytimes.com‘Breathtaking,’ ‘Devastating’: Mathematics Reels After New OpenAI Release (Gift Article)Hundreds of new A.I.-generated findings moved the frontiers of higher math in a single day — dispelling any doubt that the field is forever changed.
Britt Lundgren
@brittlundgren.bsky.social

"NSF is establishing an Office of Metascience to serve as a testbed for studying how scientific communities respond to novel review and funding mechanisms... The office will operate with full transparency..." www.nsf.gov/news/nsf-lay...

nsf.govNSF lays the foundation for the next generation of technologies and support for American talentThe U.S. National Science Foundation today announced plans to launch a series of programs and initiatives to support the ambitious vision articulated in the White House report Science: A New Golden…