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Stubsack: weekly thread for sneers not worth an entire post, week ending Sunday 6 October 2025

Need to let loose a primal scream without collecting footnotes first? Have a sneer percolating in your system but not enough time/energy to make a whole post about it? Go forth and be mid: Welcome to the Stubsack, your first port of call for learning fresh Awful you’ll near-instantly regret.

Any awful.systems sub may be subsneered in this subthread, techtakes or no.

If your sneer seems higher quality than you thought, feel free to cut’n’paste it into its own post — there’s no quota for posting and the bar really isn’t that high.

The post Xitter web has spawned soo many “esoteric” right wing freaks, but there’s no appropriate sneer-space for them. I’m talking redscare-ish, reality challenged “culture critics” who write about everything but understand nothing. I’m talking about reply-guys who make the same 6 tweets about the same 3 subjects. They’re inescapable at this point, yet I don’t see them mocked (as much as they should be)

Like, there was one dude a while back who insisted that women couldn’t be surgeons because they didn’t believe in the moon or in stars? I think each and every one of these guys is uniquely fucked up and if I can’t escape them, I would love to sneer at them.

Last week's thread

(Semi-obligatory thanks to @dgerard for starting this)

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  • I got this AMAZING OPPORTUNITY in my inbox, because once your email appears on a single published paper you're forever doomed to garbage like this (transcript at the end):

    Highlights:

    • Addresses me as Dr. I'm not a doctor. I checked, and apparently Dr. Muhhamad Imran Qureshi indeed has a PhD and is a lecturer at Teesside University International Business School (link to profile). His recent papers include a bunch of blockchain bullshit. Tesside University appears to be a legit UK university, although I'm not sure how legit the Business School is (or how legit any Business School can be, really).
    • Tells us their research is so shit that using wisdom woodchippers actually increases their accuracy.
    • One of the features is "publication support", so this might be one of those scams where you pay an exorbitant fee to get "published" in some sketchy non-peer-reviewed journal.
    • One of the covered AI tools is Microsoft Excel. If you were wondering if "AI" had any meaning.
    • Also, by god, are there so many different ChatGPT clones now? I haven't heard most of those names. I kinda hope they're as AI as Excel is.

    I'm not sure which would be worse, this being a scam, or them legit thinking this brings value to the world and believing they're helping anyone.

    transcript

    Email titled Revolutionize Your Research: AI-Powered Systematic Literature Review Master Class

    Online course on writing AI-Powered Systematic Literature Review

    Register Now:

    Dear Dr. [REDACTED],

    we're reaching out because we believe our AI-Powered Systematic Review Masterclass could be a game-changer for your research. As someone who's passionate about research writing, we know the challenges of conducting thorough and efficient systematic reviews.

    Key takeaways:

    • AI-powered prompt engineering for targeted literature searches
    • Crafting optimal research questions for AI analysis Intelligent data curation to streamline your workflow
    • Leveraging AI for literature synthesis and theory development

    Join our Batch 4 and discover how AI can help you:

    • Save time by automating repetitive tasks
    • Improve accuracy with AI-driven analysis
    • Gain a competitive edge with innovative research methods

    Enrollment is now open! Don't miss this opportunity to take your systematic review skills to the next level.

    Key Course Details: Course Title: AI-Powered Systematic Literature Reviews Master Class Live interaction + recording = Learning that fits your life Dates: October 13, 2024, to November 3, 2024 Live Session Schedule: Every Sunday at 2 PM UK time (session recordings will be accessible). Duration: Four Weeks Platform: Zoom Course Fee: GBP 100 Certification: Yes Trainer: Dr. Muhammad Imran Qureshi

    Key features

    • Asynchronous learning
    • Video tutorials
    • Live sessions with access to recordings
    • Research paper Templates
    • Premade Prompts for Systematic Literature Review
    • Exercise Files
    • Publication support

    The teaching methodology will offer a dynamic learning experience, featuring live sessions every Saturday via Zoom for a duration of four weeks. These sessions will provide an interactive platform for engaging discussions, personalised feedback, and the opportunity to connect with both the course instructor and fellow participants. Moreover, our diverse instructional approach encompasses video tutorials, interactive engagements, and comprehensive feedback loops, ensuring a well-rounded and immersive learning experience.

    Certification

    Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive certification from the Association of Professional Researchers and Academicians UK, validating their mastery of AI-enabled methodologies for conducting comprehensive and insightful literature reviews.

    AI tools included

    • Microsoft Excel
    • ChatGPT
    • Elicit
    • Powerdrill
    • Sciespace
    • Jenni
    • Gemni
    • Copilot
    • SCOPUS
    • Scholarcy and many more Register Now
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