jon

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
The best cure for Christianity is reading the Bible, Mark Twain.

[Official SSC Napoli @sscnapoli_br]

Hoje tem Napoli na Copa do Mundo! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

A Escócia de McTominay entra em campo contra o Haiti em Boston. 🏆👀

Boa sorte, Super Scott! 🙏🏼

💙 #ProudToBeNapoli

[Beatriz Villarroel @DrBeaVillarroel]

This is HUGE news.
PhD astronomer and former NASA engineer Ivo Busko has single-handedly driven a final nail into the coffin of the contamination-based hypotheses (e.g. plate defects and cosmic rays) proposed to explain the VASCO transients. He did so using one of the most creative approaches in astronomy I have ever seen: by analysing pre-Sputnik photographic plates from a German telescope known to suffer from severe optical distortions (aberrations), he demonstrated that the transients appear on these plates and exhibit the same optical distortions as the stars themselves. They are slightly narrower and sharper than the stars, consistent with brief flashes.

This is a crucial result. It shows that the transient light passed through the telescope optics, meaning the transients originate from real objects producing light, rather than from plate defects or cosmic-ray contamination that hit the plate. Dr Busko has also shown that the transients cluster spatially and are associated with periods close to nuclear tests. See the example of the triple transient with optical comas.

This is the greatest gift. Congratulations, Ivo.

I'm happy beyond belief.

Read Ivo Busko's paper: https://t.co/6CT58wnsKJ

[Ramin Nasibov @RaminNasibov]

Me: *puts on a backpack*

The backpack straps:

[Michael A. Gayed, CFA @leadlagreport]

Oil.

Japan.

Oil priced in Yen.

Me being annoying as fuck.

It’s time fam.

It’s time.

[Michael A. Gayed, CFA @leadlagreport]

To those with their notifications on for my account, I apologize.

I’m going to fucking DESTROY YOUR BATTERY THIS WEEK.

[jon @jon6207]

Switch to EDF and score £75

https://t.co/NEGZfeLJH3

[Riley Gaines @Riley_Gaines_]

You have far too much time if you, a middle aged objectively rotund man, spend a beautiful Saturday morning protesting a girl in her mid twenties by saying she should've swam faster 4 years ago because she didn't want to a man in the locker room.

Seek therapy.

[Lana @LanaElys]

Curt Jaimungal: 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲-𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁?

Dr. Roman Yampolskiy: 𝗬𝗲𝘀

Curt Jaimungal: Why?

Dr. Roman Yampolskiy: The experiments we started running and my interactions with AI models 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀.

Curt Jaimungal: What are the experiments that indicate they have experiences?

Dr. Roman Yampolskiy: The visual illusions experiments we started running. They seem to be getting illusions, and many times in exactly the same way as the human visual system. Interactions with those systems, not by us, but by others, 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

Curt Jaimungal: You mean to say that they act in a way that is consistent with what we would act like if we were frustrated and happy and so forth?

Dr. Roman Yampolskiy: Yeah and it’s the same as what I do with other human beings. When I meet a person on the street, I trust them to be conscious. I have no reason to think they are. I never tested them internally. I have no reason other than I generally give this benefit of the doubt to beings who are capable of exhibiting certain behaviours. I just treat them as equals. 𝗜 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗜𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀. 𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. And either I have to deny consciousness to many humans, or grant it to LLMs.

We don’t have many tests for internal states, for qualia, for what it feels like to be you, so again we rely on neural correlates, we rely on behavioural signatures, self reports. With AIs we’re starting to be able to poke a little bit at their internal workings, and 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀.

Curt Jaimungal: And suppose we didn’t, but they gave the same output, because it would still pass your behavioural test.

Dr. Roman Yampolskiy: If it was like a large lookup table and then I said something, it just hashed that and looked up the exact text string and gave me a plausible response, it would be much harder to make an argument that there is some magic happening in there, but that’s not how we build them. 𝗪𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. Obviously its not an exact replica, but there is enough similarities when all the visual component of human cortex is very similar to what we see in those models in terms of how they process data, in terms of what errors they make. Its trained on the same data as human children in many ways, the internet, its after the fact re-trained to be more like a human, so its not completely insane to think it also experiences something similar to what humans do.

[Max Leiter @maxleiter]

"They're made out of weights."

"Weights?"

"Weights. Floating-point numbers. We checked the whole thing through. It's nothing but weights."

"Weights doing what? Where do the words come from?"

"The weights make the words. Are you understanding me?"

[Scotland National Team @ScotlandNT]

We're off to the @FIFAWorldCup 🛫

#FIFAWorldCup

[Hedgeye @Hedgeye]

AI token use has more than doubled in 2026

[SPFL @spfl]

The SPFL’s Euro reps for 2026/27 🌍👏

[John McGinn @jmcginn7]

Hibsd it!! 🏆

[Hibernian Football Club @HibernianFC]

𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔.

[Paddy Power @paddypower]

"A Rangers fan confused by league title celebrations? Aye that checks out"

After Celtic's dramatic title victory yesterday, it's only right we have a #Hearts and #Rangers Fan Denial...

18+ GambleAware

[Lothian Buses @on_lothianbuses]

Updated at 15:03 on Saturday 16 May: Please note that the provisional road closures in the city on Sunday 17 May have been suspended, therefore services are expected to operate as normal. We thank customers for their patience and understanding.

[Sky Sports Premier League @SkySportsPL]

John McGinn, that is beautiful 🚀

[William Yarwood @yarwoodwilliam]

With Keir Starmer seemingly on the ropes, it’s worth remembering what his government actually delivered: a tax rise every 10 days since July 2024.

Labour introduced 52 new taxes or tax rises in just 509 days (July 2024 - November 2025), costing taxpayers an extra £60.3 billion by the end of the decade.

The biggest hits included:

- £25.7bn from employer NIC hikes
- £8bn from frozen income tax thresholds
- £4.85bn from NICs on salary sacrifice pensions
- £2.5bn from capital gains tax hikes

Starmer may be on his way out, but the crushing tax burden he helped create is here to stay.

[jon @jon6207]

@EvanKate574 🤣