Reader in Phys & Astro @ Univ St Andrews – Fellow of the International Science Council – Alumnus of the Global Young Academy (GYA) – Past President of NoRCEL
Joined April 2012
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Martin Dominik retweeted
Large universities have become real estate funds with classrooms as an alibi.
The University of California’s investment arm has purchased the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Half Moon Bay for $193 million, but university officials have not publicly discussed their plans or management strategy. Read the full story by Royal Calkins at coastsidenews.com/news/unive…
ALT 📸 Coastside News file photo
Martin Dominik retweeted
Liz Truss could actually end up spending more days visiting the cenotaph than she spent in No 10 😆
Martin Dominik retweeted
Jodrell Bank. Far from an unusual position.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech…
Martin Dominik retweeted
A U Sydney exchange student touted the superiority of “chalk and talk” with no lecture recordings at Penn.
Here’s an open secret in academia: chalk and talk is better because it requires a lot of effort on the part of the lecturer, slows instruction to an appropriate rate and forces the lecturer to organise and express their material properly. Simply put, better teaching is sometimes avoided because requires more effort.
“What differed was the delivery. My professors wrote everything by hand on a blackboard, working through each problem in real time. At home, lecturers often display pre-typed solutions and narrate over them, which is efficient but, I find, ultimately detrimental to the learning experience. Penn’s lectures weren’t compulsory, but they weren’t recorded either.”
smh.com.au/national/i-ve-bee…
Martin Dominik retweeted
Good. They can get back to books and libraries.
Google is now threatening America's schools, saying they will turn off their core search functions if schools choose to entirely block AI.
nytimes.com/2026/11/03/us/go…
Martin Dominik retweeted
The University of Oxford has tightened its collaboration with OpenAI and signed a deal allowing OpenAI to train its models on digitised material in the Bodleian Library. This exemplifies what is wrong with academia’s capitulation to corporate interests. oxfordstudent.com/2026/11/01…
Martin Dominik retweeted
Okay:
- Attached bottlecap
- Schengen, expanded to Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria
- The euro joined by Croatia and Bulgaria
- Air passenger rights (older, 2004, newly updated 2025)
- Galileo satellite navigation
- EU-Canada trade deal (CETA)
- EU-Mercosur trade deal
- EU-Japan trade deal
- EU-Singapore trade deal
- EU-Vietnam trade deal
- EU-Indonesia trade deal
- End of roaming charges, extended to 2032
- Price cap on calls and texts to other EU countries
- USB-C common charger
- Geo-blocking ban for online shopping
- Streaming subscriptions that work abroad
- Payment Services Directive (PSD2), no card surcharges and open banking
- Instant payments regulation
- EU Digital Identity Wallet
- eCall automatic crash alert in new cars
- Automatic emergency braking in new cars
- EU-Alert emergency warnings on phones
- Single Digital Gateway for cross-border admin
- No more apostille stamps between member states
- WiFi4EU free public wifi
- DiscoverEU free Interrail passes for 18-year-olds
- Erasmus+ (older, 2014), budget nearly doubled
- European Universities alliances
- European Solidarity Corps
- EU Digital COVID Certificate
- Joint COVID vaccine procurement
- Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA)
- EU4Health
- Europe's Beating Cancer Plan
- European Health Data Space
- NextGenerationEU joint borrowing
- SURE short-time work loans
- 15% global minimum corporate tax
- European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR 3), euro clearing back in the EU
- Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA)
- European Green Bond Standard
- Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) on defence
- European Defence Fund
- European Peace Facility arms for Ukraine
- EU military training mission for Ukrainian troops
- Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP)
- Strategic Compass and the 5,000-strong rapid deployment capacity
- European Defence Industrial Strategy
- Security Action for Europe (SAFE), €150bn joint defence loans
- ReArm Europe / Readiness 2030
- First ever Commissioner for Defence and Space
- Military mobility funding
- IRIS² sovereign satellite constellation
- EU Space Programme and the EU Agency for the Space Programme
- rescEU shared firefighting fleet
- 5G security toolbox
- Foreign investment screening
- Foreign Subsidies Regulation
- International Procurement Instrument
- Anti-Coercion Instrument
- Dual-use export control regulation
- Temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees
- Candidate status and accession talks for Ukraine and Moldova
- Ukraine Facility
- €90bn joint-borrowing loan to Ukraine
- Sanctions on Russia (older, 2014), big packages from 2022
- Russian banks cut from SWIFT
- Russian oil embargo and oil price cap
- Russian gas import phase-out
- Western Balkans Growth Plan
- Global Gateway
- REPowerEU
- Gas storage regulation
- Joint gas buying through AggregateEU
- Coordinated gas demand cut
- Windfall levy on fossil energy profits
- Electricity market reform
- European Climate Law, net zero by 2050
- Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
- Emissions Trading System reform and the Social Climate Fund
- Renewable Energy Directive, 42.5% by 2030
- European Wind Power Package
- European Hydrogen Bank
- Methane regulation
- Nature Restoration Law
- Ambient air quality directive
- Drinking water directive
- Urban wastewater directive, polluter pays
- Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA)
- Conflict minerals regulation
- European Chips Act
- Net-Zero Industry Act
- Batteries Regulation with battery passport
- European Battery Alliance
- Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) on batteries and hydrogen
- EuroHPC supercomputers, including JUPITER
- InvestAI and the AI gigafactories
- Horizon Europe and the European Innovation Council
- Ecodesign regulation, no destroying unsold clothes
- Right to repair
- Ban on products made with forced labour
- Ban on vague greenwashing claims
- General Product Safety Regulation
- Common Agricultural Policy (older, 1962), current version 2023 to 2027
- Unfair trading practices directive protecting farmers
- Geographical indications reform for food, wine and spirits
- EU-China agreement protecting European regional products
- Geographical indications for crafts, like Murano glass and Delft Blue
- Creative Europe (older, 2014), current programme 2021
- Culture Moves Europe grants for artists
- Music Moves Europe
- European Year of Cultural Heritage
- European Capitals of Culture (older, 1985)
- New European Bauhaus
- European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage
- Ban on importing looted cultural goods
- 30% European content on streaming platforms
- Culture Compass for Europe
- European Media Freedom Act
- Anti-SLAPP directive protecting journalists
- European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO)
- Rule of law conditionality on EU funds
- Annual Rule of Law Report
- Article 7 against Hungary
- Whistleblower protection directive
- European Labour Authority
- Work-life balance directive, paternity leave
- Adequate minimum wages directive
- Pay transparency directive
- Women on boards directive
- Violence against women directive
- European Child Guarantee
- European Accessibility Act
- European Disability Card
- Rail passenger rights (older, 2007), recast 2021
- Trans-European Transport Network (older), revised 2024
- Single Market Emergency Instrument
- EU Inc (proposed)
- Digital euro (in negotiation)
- Next EU budget at close to €2 trillion (proposed)
- European Competitiveness Fund (proposed)
- AgoraEU culture and media programme (proposed)
- Savings and Investments Union (proposed)
- European supervision of big stock exchanges and crypto firms (proposed)
- Scaleup Europe Fund (launching)
- Startup and Scaleup Strategy
- Digital Omnibus simplification (proposed)
- European Business Wallet (proposed)
- European Innovation Act (expected)
- Quantum Act (expected)
- Cloud and AI Development Act (expected)
- Chips Act 2.0 (expected)
- Biotech Act (proposed)
- Advanced Materials Act (expected)
- Industrial Accelerator Act (expected)
- Circular Economy Act (expected)
- Critical Medicines Act (proposed)
- EU Space Act (proposed)
- European Grids Package (proposed)
- 2040 climate target of 90% (in negotiation)
- European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP)
- Defence Readiness Omnibus (proposed)
- Military mobility package (proposed)
- European Drone Defence Initiative and Eastern Flank Watch
- High-speed rail linking European capitals (plan)
- Single cross-border train ticketing (expected)
- EU Customs Authority (in negotiation)
- European Affordable Housing Plan
- Union of Skills and cross-border recognition of qualifications
- EU-India trade deal (in negotiation)
- Montenegro and Albania accession
- Qualified majority voting in foreign policy (under discussion)
Martin Dominik retweeted
A kisik pa lahko dihamo ali tudi tega moramo šparati za podatkovne centre? 🤢
Sam Altman says its bad that everyone's personal computers are using the world's limited supply of memory chips.
"It’s quite terrible to have everybody have a bunch of the world’s limited supply of DRAMs sitting in their own computer, and being used 5% of the time. Like, you want maximum utilization."
Martin Dominik retweeted
A crazy Israeli coalition story to amuse and inspire you. Israel's 25th government started its life in 1992 with 62 seats: 44 Labour and 12 Meretz (both democratic socialists) and 6 from Shas (Sephardic Haredim). It was supported from outside by 5 Arab MKs. Next year, Shas resigned from the government after its leader was charged with corruption, leaving the government with only 56 seats. However, it could still function due to the 5 MK Arab safety net, which prevented a no confidence vote by the opposition. After another year, Prime minister Rabin managed to partially stabilize the precarious coalition by recruiting three rebels from the right-wing Tsomet party, one of whom later become a degenerate drug dealer and a spy for Iran, but that's a different story. With the aid of these fine folks, the government managed to push through the Oslo accords and the peace treaty with Jordan.
The government's term nevertheless ended prematurely, but not due to a vote of no confidence, but because an Orthodox guy shot the prime minister and that was that.
Martin Dominik retweeted
Jetzt werde ich als Deutsche mal emotional. Ich bin mit Hass auf Polen aufgewachsen weil meine Großmutter Minna Ripinski die selbst Polin war nach dem II Weltkrieg aus Napierken jetzt Napierki/Woiwodschaft Ermland-Masuren vertrieben wurde weil sie drei Kinder von Deutschen zur Welt brachte. Eines von diesen Kindern war meine Mutter,in meinem langen Leben lernte ich viele Polnische Leute kennen und änderte so langsam meine Meinung über Polen. Aber erst durch Politiker wie @donaldtusk und @sikorskiradek lernte ich Polen zu lieben weil ich ja auch Polnisches Blut in meinen Adern habe. Jarosław Kaczyński und seine Spießgesellen hingegen sind Leute die voller Hass stecken und durch ihren Moskautreuen Nationalismus alles kaputt machen was uns Europäer verbindet. Lasst es nicht zu dass das jemals geschieht und PiS sowie Konfederacja Wolność i Niepodległość wieder neuen Hass und Zwietracht zwischen den Europäischen Völkern sähen!
Martin Dominik retweeted
Finding the unknown unknowns:
arxiv.org/abs/2610.40167
Martin Dominik retweeted
Have you noticed it gets cold in winter when people start putting warm clothes on?
Have you noticed that flu season starts after the vaccines are given out?
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Flu shots are given before flu season on purpose. The CDC advises getting vaccinated in September or October, ideally by the end of October, because it takes about two weeks after vaccination for protective antibodies to develop. cdc.gov/flu/vaccines/v…
Martin Dominik retweeted
Benjamin Netanyahu "needs a war" to stay in power, argues Ami Ayalon, former director of Israeli intelligence service Shin Bet. He tells me why he thinks the Israeli prime minister may be "sacrificing the future of Israel" in his pursuit of eternal war.
Martin Dominik retweeted
Very enjoyable evening in Warwick with an audience clearly supporting the idea that Brexit was a disaster and net zero is the only way to go. Nice of @libdemdaisy to be there on her birthday! We all drank to her health afterwards apart from @ZiaYusufUK who legged it with his status symbol bodyguard. Fascinating to see how he did not make a single positive argument for Brexit. They never do. He has lovely shoes though, but a very weak handshake which is never a good sign in anyone.
Tonight, Question Time is in Warwick
Joining Fiona on the panel are Emma Reynolds, James Cartlidge, Daisy Cooper, Zia Yusuf, and Alastair Campbell
Watch at 9pm on @BBCiPlayer, @BBCSounds & the @BBCNews channel, 10.40pm on @BBCOne
#bbcqt
Martin Dominik retweeted
Alastair Campbell, "I will say to Zia Yusuf and his friend Nigel Farage"
"Brexit has taken 6-8% out of economy"
"If we had not left, the Chancellor today would have had £90 billion more to spend"
"He could have doubled the defence budget"
Fiona Bruce, "That is a projection Alastair, no one can be sure about that"
Alastair Campbell, "And added 50% to the health budget as well"
"The people who gave us Brexit now want to give you another set of false promises"
"Do not fall for them because they are a bunch of conmen. They're being found out. And its one reason why Nigel Farage will never be Prime Minister of this country"
My view:
Fiona Bruce was quick to dismiss Campbell’s figures as “a projection”. But that shouldn’t be a way to shut down the argument.
Campbell was making a point about what Brexit has cost the country: on his figures, a 6–8% hit to the economy means around £90 billion less for the Chancellor to spend—enough, he said, to double the defence budget or increase health spending by 50%.
And remember what Nigel Farage was saying in 2016: that even without a trade deal, Britain would be better off than it was then. The evidence points the other way.
The OBR estimates that Brexit will leave UK productivity around 4% lower than it would have been inside the EU; other studies put the economic hit higher. That means we’re poorer than we would have been had we stayed.
So yes, these are estimates—but the claims made by Brexit’s champions were projections too. Bruce’s caveat shouldn’t obscure the central question Campbell raised: how much has Brexit cost us, and what could that money have done for the country?
Martin Dominik retweeted
Around 300 people have gathered to protest in Jerusalem's Paris Square, Tel Aviv's Mesila Park and UNESCO Square in Haifa, calling for the formation of a Jewish-Arab government.
Protesters carried signs with slogans including "Freedom for all, from the river to the sea" and "Yes to a Jewish-Arab government."
Filmed by Shira Shechter
Follow Haaretz's election coverage here: haaretz.com/israel-news/elec…