Bill Thompson
@billt.bsky.social
Hack and pundit. BBC Research & Development. Formerly Digital Planet.
Reposted by Bill Thompson
OH FOR GOD'S SAKE www.gov.uk/government/n... *as little as 20 minutes*
January 28, 2026 at 7:27 AM
OH FOR GOD'S SAKE www.gov.uk/government/n... *as little as 20 minutes*
Reposted by Bill Thompson
Big AI day for ministers www.gov.uk/government/p... Expect big media splashes on this.
AI Skills for Life and Work: Summary report
One of 11 reports produced for the AI Skills for Life and Work R&D project. This gives a high level overview of the project findings as a whole.
www.gov.uk
January 28, 2026 at 6:13 AM
Big AI day for ministers www.gov.uk/government/p... Expect big media splashes on this.
Reposted by Bill Thompson
The UK version of “Project 2025” by the Reform party includes a British ICE, a concentration camp for 24,000 people, mass surveillance and withdrawing from refugee, anti-torture and anti-trafficking conventions.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
January 26, 2026 at 1:22 PM
The UK version of “Project 2025” by the Reform party includes a British ICE, a concentration camp for 24,000 people, mass surveillance and withdrawing from refugee, anti-torture and anti-trafficking conventions.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
Reposted by Bill Thompson
Every time someone tells me that interoperable protocols are too complicated for the average person, I point out that they use email and the web.
The goal needs to be to get atproto to the point that it is just "how the internet works" and the details fade into the background like https & smtp.
The goal needs to be to get atproto to the point that it is just "how the internet works" and the details fade into the background like https & smtp.
Today, your most-used interoperable protocols are probably smtp, delivering your email, and https, loading web pages
Interoperability means you can use Gmail and Outlook, or Chrome and Firefox, to access the data that's moving over the same agreed-upon (protocol) rails
ATProto does that for social
Interoperability means you can use Gmail and Outlook, or Chrome and Firefox, to access the data that's moving over the same agreed-upon (protocol) rails
ATProto does that for social
Correct. We refer to that as "interoperability". It works because Blacksky and Bluesky operate on the same protocol which is a social contract on how data should be shared so that all of our apps can work the same or similarly and users have familiar experiences while benefiting from more choice.
January 26, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Every time someone tells me that interoperable protocols are too complicated for the average person, I point out that they use email and the web.
The goal needs to be to get atproto to the point that it is just "how the internet works" and the details fade into the background like https & smtp.
The goal needs to be to get atproto to the point that it is just "how the internet works" and the details fade into the background like https & smtp.
Reposted by Bill Thompson
'Now, my love, you've got the trouser press, the set of allen keys and the kiddies' deep fat fryer, as well as £34. Do you want to keep that, or gamble against what's behind Bully's Prize Board?'
January 26, 2026 at 4:24 PM
'Now, my love, you've got the trouser press, the set of allen keys and the kiddies' deep fat fryer, as well as £34. Do you want to keep that, or gamble against what's behind Bully's Prize Board?'
TV is 100! On Jan 26 1926 John Logie Baird gave the first public demo of a working television system in rooms above what is now Bar Italia on Frith St, London. Read John Wyver's book for more: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/magic-ray... / cc @illuminations.bsky.social
Magic Rays of Light
On the evening of 26 January 1926, inventor John Logie Baird held a public demonstration in his workspace on London's Frith Street of a 'seeing by wireless' app…
www.bloomsbury.com
January 26, 2026 at 7:03 AM
TV is 100! On Jan 26 1926 John Logie Baird gave the first public demo of a working television system in rooms above what is now Bar Italia on Frith St, London. Read John Wyver's book for more: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/magic-ray... / cc @illuminations.bsky.social
Reposted by Bill Thompson
Remember the other day when I was saluting my friend Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis’ DreamHaven Books? This is him the following day. Greg will never say this, so I will — now is a great time to buy books from DreamHaven. Support Americans who stand up vs. 🧊. dreamhavenbooks.com
January 25, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Remember the other day when I was saluting my friend Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis’ DreamHaven Books? This is him the following day. Greg will never say this, so I will — now is a great time to buy books from DreamHaven. Support Americans who stand up vs. 🧊. dreamhavenbooks.com
Reposted by Bill Thompson
Do thou, too, remain warm among ice.
January 25, 2026 at 3:47 AM
Do thou, too, remain warm among ice.
Reposted by Bill Thompson
I mean, the law in Minnesota literally says you can
Kash Patel: "You cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It's that simple. You don't have a right to break the law." (Pretti was carrying a gun legally.)
January 25, 2026 at 4:32 PM
I mean, the law in Minnesota literally says you can
Ye gods, I'm in the Grokipedia grokipedia.com/page/bill_th... - with some egregious errors. The bit about my 'father' is actually from a Guardian obituary of another BillT www.theguardian.com/news/2006/ma... and the style is painful to read. It's a prime example of what I propose we term "Grockage"
Bill Thompson (technology writer)
Bill Thompson (born 6 October 1960) is a British technology writer, journalist, and digital pioneer renowned for his early involvement in the UK's internet landscape, his foundational work in new medi...
grokipedia.com
January 25, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Ye gods, I'm in the Grokipedia grokipedia.com/page/bill_th... - with some egregious errors. The bit about my 'father' is actually from a Guardian obituary of another BillT www.theguardian.com/news/2006/ma... and the style is painful to read. It's a prime example of what I propose we term "Grockage"
Reposted by Bill Thompson
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
January 25, 2026 at 12:28 PM
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
Reposted by Bill Thompson
Esther Ghey is facilitating the rewriting of history. The circumstances of Brianna’s death are being rewritten to obscure the fact that she was murdered for being trans. It is mentioned not once in this article.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Bereaved parents fear delays to social media ban could harm children
The mothers of Brianna Ghey and Jools Roome say Ofcom needs to do more to protect young people.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 25, 2026 at 10:16 AM
Esther Ghey is facilitating the rewriting of history. The circumstances of Brianna’s death are being rewritten to obscure the fact that she was murdered for being trans. It is mentioned not once in this article.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Bill Thompson
A dystopian new addition I unfortunately felt it prudent to implement on TechConf.Directory.
January 25, 2026 at 8:33 AM
A dystopian new addition I unfortunately felt it prudent to implement on TechConf.Directory.
Reposted by Bill Thompson
I said to my boss last week that I can’t commit to going to the company’s next offsite for these reasons, and I’m a white cis male British citizen. The USA scares me, and it doesn’t feel like the UK is that far behind its descent into absurd far-right authoritarianism built on a foundation of lies.
A dystopian new addition I unfortunately felt it prudent to implement on TechConf.Directory.
January 25, 2026 at 8:44 AM
I said to my boss last week that I can’t commit to going to the company’s next offsite for these reasons, and I’m a white cis male British citizen. The USA scares me, and it doesn’t feel like the UK is that far behind its descent into absurd far-right authoritarianism built on a foundation of lies.
Reposted by Bill Thompson
In legal settings, how evidence is gathered and processed often matters more than what it shows. Poor process can render strong evidence useless.
If people like Tim Walz ask citizens to document events, they inherit responsibility for defining where that material goes and how it is governed.
If people like Tim Walz ask citizens to document events, they inherit responsibility for defining where that material goes and how it is governed.
January 18, 2026 at 7:37 PM
In legal settings, how evidence is gathered and processed often matters more than what it shows. Poor process can render strong evidence useless.
If people like Tim Walz ask citizens to document events, they inherit responsibility for defining where that material goes and how it is governed.
If people like Tim Walz ask citizens to document events, they inherit responsibility for defining where that material goes and how it is governed.
Reposted by Bill Thompson
For those interested in the processes we use, take a look at this piece. Documenting war crimes in Ukraine isn't substantially different from documenting ICE activity in terms of process
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/how-bel...
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/how-bel...
How Bellingcat collects, verifies and archives digital evidence of war crimes in Ukraine
Nick Waters, who documents civilian harm caused by Russia’s invasion, explains how his team ensures their findings will stand up in court.
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk
January 18, 2026 at 8:35 PM
For those interested in the processes we use, take a look at this piece. Documenting war crimes in Ukraine isn't substantially different from documenting ICE activity in terms of process
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/how-bel...
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/how-bel...
Reposted by Bill Thompson
*looks at volatile mix of general-purpose chatbot, overly persuasive natural language interface, vulnerable user base, weak guardrails, growing headlines of harms to people*
*pours heavily targeted advertising into mix*
openai.com/index/our-ap...
*pours heavily targeted advertising into mix*
openai.com/index/our-ap...
Our approach to advertising and expanding access to ChatGPT
OpenAI plans to test advertising in the U.S. for ChatGPT’s free and Go tiers to expand affordable access to AI worldwide, while protecting privacy, trust, and answer quality.
openai.com
January 17, 2026 at 8:36 AM
*looks at volatile mix of general-purpose chatbot, overly persuasive natural language interface, vulnerable user base, weak guardrails, growing headlines of harms to people*
*pours heavily targeted advertising into mix*
openai.com/index/our-ap...
*pours heavily targeted advertising into mix*
openai.com/index/our-ap...
Reposted by Bill Thompson
If there’s a better obituary for an evil cartoonist than an A.I. generated version of his character that fucks up the defining detail of its design, I can’t think of it. No notes. 👨🏻🍳 💋
January 13, 2026 at 6:47 PM
If there’s a better obituary for an evil cartoonist than an A.I. generated version of his character that fucks up the defining detail of its design, I can’t think of it. No notes. 👨🏻🍳 💋
Reposted by Bill Thompson
When the interior ministry declares its militia to be above the law in terms that equate dissent with treason there really isn’t any question of whether or not we are looking at an authoritarian regime.
January 14, 2026 at 4:05 PM
When the interior ministry declares its militia to be above the law in terms that equate dissent with treason there really isn’t any question of whether or not we are looking at an authoritarian regime.
Reposted by Bill Thompson
Zero percent chance this is true.
January 14, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Zero percent chance this is true.
Reposted by Bill Thompson
Once more for the American crowd.
Moving organisations along is hard. I did a talk on it last year and now it's here in blog form.
public.digital/pd-insights/...
public.digital/pd-insights/...
Six levers for creating change in the face of resistance — Public Digital
public.digital
January 14, 2026 at 10:29 PM
Once more for the American crowd.
Reposted by Bill Thompson
If you don’t pay attention to UK politics, “what is their policy on civil servants wearing fetish clothing in the workplace” sounds absurd because noone wears gimp masks to their office job.
If you do, you immediately know she wants a policy prohibiting trans women from wearing skirts or dresses.
If you do, you immediately know she wants a policy prohibiting trans women from wearing skirts or dresses.
January 14, 2026 at 6:40 PM
If you don’t pay attention to UK politics, “what is their policy on civil servants wearing fetish clothing in the workplace” sounds absurd because noone wears gimp masks to their office job.
If you do, you immediately know she wants a policy prohibiting trans women from wearing skirts or dresses.
If you do, you immediately know she wants a policy prohibiting trans women from wearing skirts or dresses.
Reposted by Bill Thompson
So... I've created a starter pack of UK government organisations currently on Bluesky: go.bsky.app/JHsY1Wz
(Currently includes all those listed under ministerial and non-ministerial departments here www.gov.uk/government/o... - let me know any I've missed, or got wrong)
(Currently includes all those listed under ministerial and non-ministerial departments here www.gov.uk/government/o... - let me know any I've missed, or got wrong)
January 11, 2026 at 7:09 PM
So... I've created a starter pack of UK government organisations currently on Bluesky: go.bsky.app/JHsY1Wz
(Currently includes all those listed under ministerial and non-ministerial departments here www.gov.uk/government/o... - let me know any I've missed, or got wrong)
(Currently includes all those listed under ministerial and non-ministerial departments here www.gov.uk/government/o... - let me know any I've missed, or got wrong)
Reposted by Bill Thompson
This is the route. The piece reckons most people take 12 - 16 days to cover it
January 11, 2026 at 5:53 PM
This is the route. The piece reckons most people take 12 - 16 days to cover it
Reposted by Bill Thompson
I'm still patronizing Hannibal Lector's restaurant. Of course I am! If he loses all the money from his normal customers then he also loses the incentive to serve beef and chicken and salmon. I think it's better for normies to keep patronizing Lector's House of Chianti. Otherwise the cannibals win.
If women quit X because of Grok’s deepfake nudes, the predators win – so I’m staying
If women quit X because of Grok’s deepfake nudes, the predators win – so I’m staying
If women quit X because of Grok’s deepfake nudes, the predators win – so I’m staying
www.independent.co.uk
January 10, 2026 at 12:57 PM
I'm still patronizing Hannibal Lector's restaurant. Of course I am! If he loses all the money from his normal customers then he also loses the incentive to serve beef and chicken and salmon. I think it's better for normies to keep patronizing Lector's House of Chianti. Otherwise the cannibals win.