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annadent.bsky.social
Anna Dent
@annadent.bsky.social
5.9K followers 2.1K following 3.3K posts
Research and policy adviser www.abdconsultancy.co.uk
Futures of work, digital welfare state, tech ethics, public sector innovation

Also cats, telly, general silliness

Now with added newsletter! https://www.abdconsultancy.co.uk/digital-welfare-state
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annadent.bsky.social
Anna Dent @annadent.bsky.social · May 20
I've done a NEW page on my website 🖥️

And I'm starting NEWSLETTER ✉️

If you are interested in the use of AI and other tech in how govts the world over administer the welfare state you should sign up!

Monthly-ish insights, analysis, gossip, thrills and more ⤵️
Digital welfare state: origins, controversies, research — ABD Consultancy
How are governments worldwise using AI and other tech to administer the welfare state? Find out about research, policy and investigations into the digital welfare state, including digital surveillance...
www.abdconsultancy.co.uk
annadent.bsky.social
Am I missing a whole load of news about some kind of response in the US to this? From the UK it seems like
February 8, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Reposted by Anna Dent
implausibleblog.bsky.social
Jeffrey Epstein survivors speak out
#SuperBowl #SuperBowl2026 #SuperBowlXL

"I was 14"
"I was 16"
"I was 16"
"17"
"14"

"There are about a thousand of us"

"It's time to bring the secrets out of the shadows"

"It's time to shine a light into the darkness"

"Release all of the Epstein files"
February 8, 2026 at 6:24 PM
annadent.bsky.social
I'd have been up on that roof like a shot giving the kitten a leg-up
cats.bsky.social cat 😊 @cats.bsky.social · 20h
The kitten gave us a valuable lesson: Persistence and determination are the key to success.
February 8, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Reposted by Anna Dent
stephenkb.bsky.social
Morgan McSweeney resigns as Downing Street chief of staff
Exit of Mandelson protégé comes as Sir Keir Starmer seeks to stave off leadership speculation
www.ft.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:30 PM
annadent.bsky.social
If you love cats, or are wondering if you could, have a read of this thread.

Little furry tyrants who are also extremely cuddly and sweet
February 8, 2026 at 2:41 PM
annadent.bsky.social
Worth reading the whole article.

Some have cut back on screen time, some have not. Those who have got round the ban (unsurprisingly easy) are now seeing entirely unfiltered content.
February 8, 2026 at 9:29 AM
Reposted by Anna Dent
peterkwells.com
If anyone who follows me knows of any decent support groups near Manchester for

+ people with early onset Alzheimers
+ *and* the youngish adult children that care for them

then LMK
February 8, 2026 at 8:39 AM
annadent.bsky.social
Mariah's thousand yard stare explained 😆😆

@scottygb.bsky.social have you seen this?

www.reddit.com/r/popculture...
From the popculturechat community on Reddit: Mariah Carey's prompter for her Italian rendition of "Volare" at the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
Explore this post and more from the popculturechat community
www.reddit.com
February 7, 2026 at 10:22 AM
annadent.bsky.social
My outfit for the Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony
Carrie Bradshaw in And Just Like That wearing an absolutely enormous padded coat. Seriously, it's like a tent
February 6, 2026 at 8:48 PM
annadent.bsky.social
Mariah at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony - could not have given any less energy if she tried. Like someone told her if she moved a muscle she'd be shot.
February 6, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Reposted by Anna Dent
direthoughts.com
Exclusive: Cabinet Office minister Josh Simons was provided with intelligence files gathered on journalists (including me) who had reported on Labour Together, the thinktank he chaired at the time (before he became an MP), sources say.

Know more about this story? Contact me, Signal: henrydyer.01
Labour minister was provided with intelligence files on journalists
Exclusive: Material gathered was personally given to Josh Simons when chair of pro-Starmer thinktank, say sources
www.theguardian.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:46 PM
annadent.bsky.social
Oh look, another seemingly automated thing that's actually propped up by poorly paid human beings
restofworld.org Rest of World @restofworld.org · 2d
For the first time, Waymo has disclosed that it employs workers in the Philippines to monitor and support its driverless rides, which are marketed as fully autonomous.

The revelation pulls back the curtain on the manual labor still underpinning the technology www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐨’𝐬 “𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬” 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 For the first time, Waymo has disclosed that it employs workers… | Rest of World
𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐨’𝐬 “𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬” 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 For the first time, Waymo has disclosed that it employs workers in the Philippines to monitor and support its autonomous driv...
www.linkedin.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by Anna Dent
hansmollman.bsky.social
I don’t want to laugh at a small business but also VERY funny
February 6, 2026 at 1:40 PM
annadent.bsky.social
I do love the little ancient guys that appear on a regular basis on here
alisonfisk.bsky.social Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 3d
A little bear figurine carved out of amber some 6,000 years ago 🐻❤️

A hole runs through the bear’s torso suggesting it was threaded on a cord, perhaps worn or carried as a protective charm.

Found in a peat bog near Słupsk, Poland, in 1887.

📷 National Museum in Szczecin

#FindsFriday
#Archaeology
Photo by G. Solecki/A. Piętak of a small figurine of a bear carved out of amber between 9600 and 4100 BC. The amber is a deep translucent orange. The display lighting makes it glow in places. The bear's head is carved to show ears, mouth, nostrils and eyes. A hole runs through the bear’s torso, suggesting it was threaded onto a cord. Dimensions: Length 10.2 cm, Height 4.2 It was discovered in Słupsk during peat mining in 1887. According to the museum catalogue ‘’Shortly after its discovery, the figure underwent conservation work to restore its original appearance as it was covered with a layer of dull patina from the exposure to the minerals contained in the peat. Already at that time, at the end of the 19th century, it was assumed the restoration had gone too far. The figure was stripped entirely of patina, the anatomical features of the animal were emphasised, the eyes and nostrils were sharply drawn, and the amber was carefully polished”. In 2013, a competition was organised by the Education Department of the National Museum in Szczecin, for children to choose a name for the bear. The winning name was ‘Słupcio’,
February 6, 2026 at 10:29 AM
annadent.bsky.social
Could things stand still for 5 minutes please 😥
DWP chief predicts work-coach chatbot and pushes for frontline digital skills
Appearing before MPs, perm sec suggests that, in time, Universal Credit claimants could sometimes interact with technology, rather than officials, while also citing the need to boost staff tech creden...
www.publictechnology.net
February 4, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Reposted by Anna Dent
nothoodlum.bsky.social
Happy Anniversary to those who celebrate cat attorneys.
February 4, 2026 at 1:49 AM
annadent.bsky.social
A bookshop with only the finest books, called Maslow's Hierarchy of Reads
katebevan.com Kate Bevan @katebevan.com · 4d
A list of the finest honey-based drinks, called Maslow's Hierarchy of Meads
rkemb.bsky.social Richard K @rkemb.bsky.social · 4d
The library of medieval histories called Maslow's Hierarchy of Bedes
February 4, 2026 at 10:01 AM
Reposted by Anna Dent
annahirschfeld.bsky.social
"They all sell out women in the end". Brutal and excellent piece as always!
February 3, 2026 at 5:18 PM
annadent.bsky.social
Should Mandelson account for and face consequences for his behaviour? Absolutely.

Is it also maddening that there is no similar level of outcry or action regarding the years of abuse against women and girls? Also yes.
February 3, 2026 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by Anna Dent
shannonmattern.bsky.social
For our Search & Discovery class I'm 👀 for a pithy piece (article or podcast) that comprehensively + critically chronicles the decline of web search — SEO, link rot, AI summaries + ☠️ of click-through, AI slop, etc — but of course, thanks to search's brokenness, I can't find what I'm 👀 for! 😫
February 1, 2026 at 3:19 PM
annadent.bsky.social
A guy spent $20 to get AI to remind him to get milk?

Has he not heard of writing yourself a post-it note
rusty.todayintabs.com Rusty Foster @rusty.todayintabs.com · 8d
I’m starting to think the people who are excited about “AI agents” have literally never used a computer in their lives
Benjamin De Kraker O @BenjaminDEKR Follow OpenClaw is interesting, but will also drain your wallet if you aren't careful. Last night around midnight I loaded my Anthropic API account with $20, then went to bed. When I woke up, my Anthropic balance was $O. Opus was checking "is it daytime yet?" every 30 minutes, paying $0.75 each time to conclude "no, it's still night." Doing literally nothing, OpenClaw spent the entire balance. How? The "Heartbeat" cron job, even though literally the only thing I had going was one silly reminder, ("remind me tomorrow to get milk") 1. Sent ~120,000 tokens of context to Opus 4.5 2. Opus read HEARTBEAT md, thought about reminders 3. Replied "HEARTBEAT_OK" 4. Cost: ~$0.75 per heartbeat (cache writes) The damage: - Overnight = ~25+ heartbeats - 25 × $0.75 = ~$18.75 just from heartbeats alone - Plus regular conversation = ~$20 total The absurdity: Opus was essentially checking "is it daytime yet?" every 30 minutes, paying $0.75 each time to conclude "no, it's still night."
February 1, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Reposted by Anna Dent
merriam-webster.com
❤️
January 30, 2026 at 7:57 PM
annadent.bsky.social
Oh no
a woman in a black dress is smiling with #schitts creek written in the corner
ALT: a woman in a black dress is smiling with #schitts creek written in the corner
media.tenor.com
January 30, 2026 at 6:53 PM
annadent.bsky.social
I've seen a lot of out-there claims by herbal teas, but this one is really going for it
Some Spanish herbal tea. The box features a woman in a leotard and leg warmers doing the splits, with a smile on her face. She's painted in a very 80s style
January 30, 2026 at 6:00 PM
annadent.bsky.social
Characters from a 70s sitcom in which everyone was a racist

(Check the alt text)
nightmaremodego.bsky.social THE NORMAL VICTIM @nightmaremodego.bsky.social · 9d
I cannae breathe. Look at this cunt.
Photo of a street stand for the National Rebirth Party. Four men stand behind a desk. A crop of the first photo but focused on the man on the far right (haha). He's dressed in yer wee brother's idea of cool clothes. He's dressed like a Temu Nazi. He's dressed like the idea of a hateful wee bastard who thinks he's genetically superior.
January 30, 2026 at 4:11 PM