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Alister Burt

@alisterburt

Computational Cryo-EM/ET at Genentech Love people, the outdoors and building stuff Complexity is the enemy All opinions my own

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08.10.2023
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Latest posts by Alister Burt @alisterburt

Low resolution cryo-EM map that looks like Cuban's skull

Low resolution cryo-EM map that looks like Cuban's skull

When you still haven't solved the orientation bias of your protein sample #CryoEM

04.03.2026 15:51 πŸ‘ 70 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The one science reform we can all agree on, but we're too cowardly to do OR: the long overdue forest fire

Wonderful (and fun!) read from @mastroianni.bsky.social which finishes with a clear answer on how to solve the collective action problem of dismantling scientific publishing

03.03.2026 18:40 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 8 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Go Lucien!! Love to see it

03.03.2026 17:36 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

looks good, have added to the list! Thanks for the rec :-)

27.02.2026 20:51 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

fascinating, looks similar!

27.02.2026 19:12 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I’ve been going through a rough patch and have taken solace in music. This book by William Mathieu is wonderful and illuminating, it builds up harmonic theory from physical principles in a satisfying way - worth spending some time with if intervalic reasoning has always felt a bit opaque/arbitrary

27.02.2026 18:54 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0
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Greece’s Varoufakis Indicted Over Ecstasy Use 36 Years Ago Greece’s former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has been indicted after admitting on a podcast that he took an ecstasy pill at a rave in Australia in his twenties.

β€œPutting a party leader on trial for talking about his experiences with substances many decades ago is not an accidental, innocent gaffe. It is a message from a judiciary that closes its eyes to those in power and goes after whoever refuses to bend the knee.”

novaramedia.com/2026/02/27/g...

27.02.2026 17:11 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

my pet peeve is the (presumably intentional) incompatibility which leaves the whole email chain present and not collapsible in every message unless you also use outlook… such chaos

27.02.2026 16:44 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Digital products and services are getting worse – but the trend can be reversed A new report from the Norwegian Consumer Council shows how enshittification affects both consumers and society at large. Luckily, itβ€˜s possible to turn the tide.

What a great report by the Norwegian Consumer Council on how digital products and services are getting worse (enshittification)!

Lots of good explanations and examples, but also very actionable with policy recommendations.

27.02.2026 11:13 πŸ‘ 41 πŸ” 28 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

reporting back: the answer is quadzilla until further notice. Took a few laps this evening, it’s brutal but manageable. I found a street that replaces the 20+% section with longer at 13%ish πŸ™ƒ

27.02.2026 02:04 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

As of tonight, licenses of trans people across Kansas are being invalidated en masse, enabling the overnight criminalization of an entire group of people for going about our lives. It’s often said you never know when you’re living through history, so let me assure you: that’s what’s happening now.

26.02.2026 01:30 πŸ‘ 10823 πŸ” 5231 πŸ’¬ 86 πŸ“Œ 338

bundled with office which they already pay for ☹️ agree it’s sad

26.02.2026 14:30 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
The Lego Movie: Communist Propaganda
The Lego Movie: Communist Propaganda YouTube video by maxmunich

truly delightful review

youtu.be/GfaP9y5eOxU?...

26.02.2026 05:43 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

1/6
Living with ALS also means this: learning to count your privileges. A thread.

25.02.2026 11:24 πŸ‘ 23 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 8 πŸ“Œ 0

really glad you enjoyed :-)

25.02.2026 16:29 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Glad you enjoyed!!

24.02.2026 19:33 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

the human side of things is usually the most interesting! At least to me πŸ™ƒ

24.02.2026 19:33 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Wheel Talk - Red Bull Bay Climb 2019
Wheel Talk - Red Bull Bay Climb 2019 YouTube video by Matt Reyes

signed a lease on a new place at the top of a big hill

21% max grade: will I become quadzilla or will I buy an e-bike?

youtu.be/VgZw-TfYDqs?...

24.02.2026 01:07 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Interesting thread on PI attitudes toward LLM-assisted grant writing. Comments on uniformity of style reminds me of why electronic music composers rapidly felt the need to "humanize" the output of machines physicstoday.aip.org/quick-study/...

23.02.2026 13:08 πŸ‘ 24 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1

have scientific publishers always been mouthpieces for capital alongside publishing research or is this a relatively newer phenomenon?

22.02.2026 23:47 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Since last year, I've been making a RELION GUI that supports viewing, navigating and running jobs in a way completely compatible with the original RELION pipeline. Now it's working nicely for both SPA and tomography! Please try it out - github.com/hanjinliu/hi...

22.02.2026 20:10 πŸ‘ 84 πŸ” 28 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 0
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Child’s Play, by Sam Kriss Tech’s new generation and the end of thinking

friend shared this with me, long but a very fun read

Agency, but to what end?

harpers.org/archive/2026...

22.02.2026 19:11 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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The Whispering Earring (Scott Alexander) Cleaner, easier-to-reference repo of Scott Alexander’s The Whispering Earring (that’s the Schelling title, real title below). Original from livejournal is ba...

After you die, the priests preparing your body for burial usually find that your brain has almost entirely rotted away, except for the parts associated with reflexive action

croissanthology.com/earring

22.02.2026 18:46 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Oaks at Sunrise, Sonoma County , CA
Golden hour light on the hills, Alexander Valley 2000’ below still in the shadows.

#photography #blackandwhite
#sonomacounty #landscape #bluesky #monochrome
#landscapephotography #naturephotography #blueskyartshow #two

21.02.2026 20:28 πŸ‘ 2125 πŸ” 170 πŸ’¬ 55 πŸ“Œ 12

Hell yeah - excited to hear about it!
Glad you have a creative outlet, necessity is the mother of invention and all that :-)

21.02.2026 18:22 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Bikepacking Marin County, California | A Quiet Reset
Bikepacking Marin County, California | A Quiet Reset YouTube video by Leigh Foster

beautiful film about a bikepacking trip in Marin

Our local loops here are truly world class, hugely thankful πŸ™

youtu.be/Rnbe4KZMZjY?...

21.02.2026 17:19 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Doing things the "right" way, burning out and then realizing there is another option, coming back and winning it all with no fucks given? Yes please tell me that story forever.

21.02.2026 04:12 πŸ‘ 3209 πŸ” 508 πŸ’¬ 17 πŸ“Œ 13

Are you still able to work/finding joy in this?
I’m intrigued about your computing setup, is it something you chose/cooked up yourself or something provided as part of your care? Any points that are particularly friction-ful?

21.02.2026 16:37 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Fuck, Thorsten this is devastating, I’m so sorry. Love to you and your family. You’re a shining light :-) look forward to hearing how you’re coping and I’m always here if you need an ear

21.02.2026 16:29 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

In September 2024, I was diagnosed with ALS. Today, I can no longer speak, I am confined to a wheelchair, and I can no longer move my arms. It's really shitty. I will write here soon about how I am coping with this and how I am trying to stay cheerful. #ALS

19.02.2026 11:00 πŸ‘ 20 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 6 πŸ“Œ 2