Derek McAuley
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drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley
@drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
6 followers 0 following 49 posts

I do interdisciplinary research to understand the opportunities and challenges in personal data use: the technical, the social, and the policy and regulatory […]

[bridged from https://mastodon.me.uk/@drdrmc on the fediverse by https://fed.brid.gy/ ] .. more

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Derek Robert McAuley FREng is a British academic who is Professor of Digital Economy in the School of Computer Science at the University of Nottingham and director of Horizon Digital Economy Research, an interdisciplinary research institute funded through the RCUK Digital Economy programme. He acted as a Specialist Advisor to the House of Lords European Union Committee into online platforms, and Chief Innovation Officer during the founding of the Digital Catapult. He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society and member of the UKCRC, a computing research expert panel of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and BCS. .. more

Computer science 60%
Engineering 27%
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drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · 3d
I don’t think my DNA is as robust https://www.lemonde.fr/disparitions/article/2025/11/07/james-watson-codecouvreur-de-la-structure-en-double-helice-de-l-adn-est-mort-a-l-age-de-97-ans_6652655_3382.html
James Watson, codécouvreur de la structure en double hélice de l’ADN, est mort à l’âge de 97 ans
Colauréat du Nobel 1962 pour une découverte qui a donné le coup d’envoi de la révolution génétique, l’Américain avait terni son image en minimisant le travail de la cristallographe Rosalind Franklin et par ses sorties racistes, sexistes et eugénistes. Le généticien et biochimiste américain est mort jeudi à East Northport, dans l’Etat de New York.
www.lemonde.fr

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · 3d
I dunno, but I think we on track for the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation which we know defines a robot as "Your Plastic Pal Who's Fun to Be With." https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/11/being-too-nice-online-is-a-dead-giveaway-for-ai-bots-study-suggests/
arstechnica.com

Reposted by Derek McAuley

tante.tldr.nettime.org.ap.brid.gy
tante @tante.tldr.nettime.org.ap.brid.gy · 8d
The translation of "just use our docker image" into human language is "we don't have good docs and we don't give a shit".

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · 11d
@greg_harvey In a rare case of UK regulatory sanity contactless payment became mandatory here from 24th November 2024. Still outrageous per kWh though. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/1168/pdfs/uksiod_20231168_en_001.pdf

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · 19d
“Eight Sleep users will be relieved to hear that the company is making their products usable during Internet outages. But many are also questioning why Eight Sleep didn’t implement local control sooner. “ because a combination of a) idiots b) driven by ship date c) features over resilience. Like […]
Original post on mastodon.me.uk
mastodon.me.uk

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · 24d
Pope calls out for Responsible AI. (Apostrophe apologies). https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/10/17/vatican_seminar_calls_for_global/
Screencap from the movie: Blues Brothers in their cop car. WERE ON A MISSION FROM GOD

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · 25d
First dog on the moon knocks it out of the park! “AI pie chart makers” 💯% Full comic strip https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2025/oct/17/ai-you-cannot-escape-it-and-now-the-internet-claims-many-people-dont-even-care-what-is-going-on
A panel from a “First dog on the moon” comic strip. Title: So how and who is using Al (if at all) Pie chart showing: Using Al and don't care 50% Using Al but pretending they don't 36% Internet sex perverts 25% Don't use Al but have to be smug about it 40% Al pie chart makers 100%

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · 25d
Smeg! Apple Password app just delivered me 111 "compromised password" alerts. Offered to help me change the password, but so far, mostly they are dead websites. I am starting to wonder if maybe the alert should have been " you're too old, those sites have […]

[Original post on mastodon.me.uk]
An Vivaldi (browser) error screes that says: This site can't be reached [Blanked out DNS name] IP address could not be found. Try: e Checking the connection » Checking the proxy, firewall, and DNS configuration ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED Details

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · 29d
Much deserved recognition of a computing pioneer that few people have heard of… https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/12/move-over-alan-turing-meet-the-working-class-hero-of-bletchley-park-you-didnt-see-in-the-movies

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Oct 9
“… and there is no backup.“ Holy fudge Batman! How’s that going for you then guys? https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/10/08/155239/858tb-of-government-data-may-be-lost-for-good-after-south-korea-data-center-fire?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
858TB of Government Data May Be Lost For Good After South Korea Data Center Fire
South Korea's government may have permanently lost 858TB of information after a fire at a data center in Daejeon. From a report: As reported by DCD, a battery fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) data center, located in the city of Daejeon, on September 26, has caused havoc for government services in Korea. Work to restore the data center is ongoing, but officials fear data stored on the government's G-Drive may be gone for good. G-Drive, which stands for Government Drive and is not a Google product, was used by government staff to keep documents and other files. Each worker was allocated 30GB of space. According to a report from The Chosun, the drive was one of 96 systems completely destroyed in the fire, and there is no backup. "The G-Drive couldn't have a backup system due to its large capacity," an unnamed official told The Chosun. "The remaining 95 systems have backup data in online or offline forms." While some departmers do not rely on G-Drive, those that do have been badly impacted in the aftermath of the fire. A source from the Ministry of Personnel Management said: "Employees stored all work materials on the G-Drive and used them as needed, but operations are now practically at a standstill." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
hardware.slashdot.org

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Oct 8
The rarest of Monopoly Community Chest cards “Bank error in your favour, receive £3billion”
The Independent Headline “Data error gives Rachel Reeves an extra £3bn for Budget - but she still has to find up to £40bn Today at 18:19 Rachel Reeves has been handed a rare boost ahead of next month's Budget after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that government borrowing had been overstated by a cumulative £3bn after mistakes in recent public finances data.:.. StarHub 4G < 84 19:14 94% O The Independent UK - Millie Cooke Data error gives Rachel Reeves an extra £3bn for Budget - but she still has to find up to £40bn Today at 18:19 Rachel Reeves has been handed a rare boost ahead of next month's Budget after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that government borrowing had been overstated by a cumulative £3bn after mistakes in recent public finances data.

Reposted by Derek McAuley, Debora Weber-Wulff

echo-pbreyer.digitalcourage.social.ap.brid.gy
Patrick Breyer @echo-pbreyer.digitalcourage.social.ap.brid.gy · Oct 8
🇪🇺Germany's Minister of Justice today: "Suspicionless #chatcontrol must be taboo in a state governed by the rule of law." Private communication cannot be placed under general suspicion. "Germany will not agree to such proposals at the EU level." […]
Original post on digitalcourage.social
digitalcourage.social

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Oct 7
Probably an earthing problem with the PA.

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Oct 6
@Floppy OK, based on this will give it another try…

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Oct 6
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/spectaclesintheromanworldsourcebook/chapter/case-study-i-nero/
Case Study I: Nero
pressbooks.bccampus.ca

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Oct 6
In best Private Eye style “are they related”? (See followup!) https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2025/10/6/trump-says-ufc-fight-at-white-house-to-be-staged-on-his-80th-birthday?traffic_source=rss
Trump says UFC fight at White House to be staged on his 80th birthday
US President Donald Trump announces the 'big UFC fight' on the White House grounds will now take place on June 14.
www.aljazeera.com

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Sep 22
Well this can only end well… https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/09/22/1924228/tiktok-algorithm-to-be-retrained-on-us-user-data-under-trump-deal?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
TikTok Algorithm To Be Retrained On US User Data Under Trump Deal - Slashdot
The Trump administration has struck a deal requiring TikTok's algorithm to be copied, retrained, and operated in the U.S. using only U.S. user data, with Oracle auditing the system and U.S. investors forming a joint venture to oversee it. The BBC reports: It comes after President Donald Trump said ...
news.slashdot.org

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Sep 22
Well that’s it; already fraking useless and now this shite. https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/09/22/2118229/linkedin-set-to-start-to-train-its-ai-on-member-profiles?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
LinkedIn Set To Start To Train Its AI on Member Profiles - Slashdot
LinkedIn has said it will start using some member profiles, posts, resumes and public activity to train its AI models from November 3, 2025. From a report: Users are rightly frustrated with the change, with the biggest concern isn't the business networking platform will do so, but that it's set to b...
tech.slashdot.org

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Sep 7
The irony is palpable… “Trump to punish countries that unjustly detain US citizens”

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yq9d1ykdqo
Trump to punish countries that unjustly detain US citizens
The executive order creates a "state sponsor of wrongful detention" designation, which could be used to impose US sanctions on foreign states.
www.bbc.com

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Sep 2
So because AI companies are currently blatantly ignoring (C) issues we have a secondary market in ransomware. Good grief. https://www.404media.co/hackers-threaten-to-submit-artists-data-to-ai-models-if-art-site-doesnt-pay-up/

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Aug 3
Me: “Chat J’ai pété, define ‘witch-hunt’ ” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1levr1l07go
US officials investigate former special counsel Jack Smith
Smith had led two federal criminal cases against Donald Trump before resigning from his post earlier this year.
www.bbc.co.uk

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Aug 3
@sellathechemist Various of my postdocs felt the same way and wanted to store research data places other than the university approved one (the PoS known as Sharepoint). Our solution was use it, ensuring the university held the legal liabilities, but encrypt data before upload…

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Jul 24
@1br0wn Seems like a policy of “let the EU take the Orange Turnip’s wrath”…

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Jul 24
@1br0wn Is this not just an example of “The CMA should consider the actions being taken by competition and/or consumer protection agencies in other jurisdictions internationally, and, where appropriate, seek to ensure parallel regulatory action is timely, coherent and avoids duplication”, of […]
Original post on mastodon.me.uk
mastodon.me.uk

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Jul 18
@1br0wn To me, the issue is what was the security classification applied to this information (stored in whatever form)…either it was misclassified as merely OFFSENS or if marked higher, there was a major security fuck up. Neither scenario paints the MoD in a good light.

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Jul 11
@hailey @1br0wn Who knew? Oh yeah, the whole of psychology.

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Jul 8
@ianbrown.tech Caveat, they are poorly constructed statistical machines: no valid sampling methodology; no hypothesis to test; no confidence intervals. You’d fail GCSE statistics with this approach. For those who wish to go further try https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6785265/
Ten common statistical mistakes to watch out for when writing or reviewing a manuscript - PMC
Inspired by broader efforts to make the conclusions of scientific research more robust, we have compiled a list of some of the most common statistical mistakes that appear in the scientific literature. The mistakes have their origins in ineffective ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Jul 6
Watching live TV for the first time in who knows how long. I see topical ad “I have Telecare and I’m telling my provider” - so what’s that? 5 years after the ripping out copper shit hit the fan? Now we get a program to deal with it. Frak you OFCOM and BT.

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Jun 30
@1br0wn And they let you in!?

drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy
Derek McAuley @drdrmc.mastodon.me.uk.ap.brid.gy · Jun 30
@cstross My wife, a children’s author, got a 1* as the first review of her first book because “this book is for children”. No shit Sherlock.