Doug Clow
@dougclow
I help people understand things and change them, with data. Views here my own. "I can't quite work out whether you're a tremendously silly man, a tremendously serious man or, as I suspect, a rather unholy combination of both." dougclow.org/contact
I saw the total eclipse! Fulfilment of a childhood dream. When I learned about the 1999 eclipse as a kid I realised I would be a grownup in that far future and could go to France for it. I did, but it was cloudy for totality. Careful planning for a clear skies location paid off this time. Woohoo!
It is with immense sadness that I report the death of my cat, known on my socials as the Manager, Enhancement Of Wellbeing. He really did enhance wellbeing and was much loved. He was the best cat.
Pick a Bond from photos you already have in your phone (Attractive, elegant, stealthy, capable of being a ruthless killer. And has the tuxedo/dinner jacket.)
Apologies for the crazed expression but I had just realised I could get a photo of #DougsAtPollingStations and #DogsAtPollingStations in the same shot, and had to duck down to get all in frame. I could’ve asked the dog’s owner to help but by British social rules that would’ve been weirder than this.
Humans are bad at randomness. Actual randomness creates a lot more 'clumps' than we expect. The blocks on the left were generated randomly (well, pseudorandomly) - there are lots of visible groupings. On the right is after any clumps have been removed - it appears much more random and disordered.
A two-axis quadrant chart for AI danger vs capability. Placings are often debatable, there's a bit of a positive correlation (more capable = more dangerous) but obvs disputed. You'd get clearer separation with a third axis that's something like "do it/don't do it" but a less clear chart.
There are plenty of things to dislike about this but the one that's stuck with me is that the ship is called Orient Express Corinthian but the pillars look like they're Ionic, not Corinthian. (Until you look closely and see they are a weird thing that is not a proper classical order at all.)
This amazing photo was taken by the Artemis II crew as the crescent Earth set behind the Moon as they passed behind it. It shows Earthset, a contrast to the iconic Earthrise photo taken by the Apollo 8 crew nearly 60 years ago. Let us hope it's not a dark counterpart. images.nasa.gov/details/art0...
Was nearby and thought I’d pop in to see Jeremy Bentham. Last time I saw him, he was in the old wooden case with heavy doors. I think, on balance, a modern glass enclosure is an improvement over the traditional setting. He probably would have liked a context more open to public scrutiny.
We are living in surreal times; hyperreality abounds. We beleaguered existentialists, clinging to materialism despite it all, sometimes strike the table to assert its existence, as Johnson refuted Berkeley ... and appropriately a table is one of the many incongruities in this photo.
Great that NHS waiting lists are falling, but I note that if this rate of progress can be sustained (374k in 18 months), to clear the 7.25m waiting list it will take nearly 30 years. The big picture puts it in context: www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-s...
Daffodils! So lovely and so absurdly cheap. One English pound! They’ve been grown and tended, picked from the field, distributed chilled around the country, and then sold at local retail. All for less than five minutes’ work at minimum wage.
I'm pleased there's a lot less plastic in these snacks but to be honest I'd prefer to eat no plastic.
Hello! My week’s started very similarly - have just had a quick and very muddy/wet walk in a brief sunny interval, back to my desk with some cheery daffodils to brighten things up.
That would be more plausible as an explanation if there was a surge in vaccines delivered in November/December following the panic. There was not. Possibly a slight bump in 3 Nov 2025 but it's hard to believe that made a meaningful difference.
In the daylight you can see the Gävlebocken has faceplanted forward, like he’s perhaps overindulged in the festive Glögg. Rest well, big guy, time to sleep it all off. Thanks for the entertainment. See you next year, tall and strong again!
Nooooooo! The amazing, the one and only Internet’s favourite flammable festive feature, the GOAT of goats, the Gävlebocken @gavlebocken.bsky.social has fallen! Apparently blown down in a storm. Which I think is yet another new way to go. Incredible.