Asher Jacobsberg
@brimfulof.bsky.social
Interested in education, politics, citizenship, democracy, community and solidarity. From the UK, but spent a few years in Malawi. Enjoy playing ultimate.
I like this about the usefulness of face to face democratic meetings.
September 25, 2025 at 7:50 AM
I like this about the usefulness of face to face democratic meetings.
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
Here's something I post from time to time. My answer to a reader who asked me: what could journalists do NOW to break with some of their more corrosive habits.
June 12, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Here's something I post from time to time. My answer to a reader who asked me: what could journalists do NOW to break with some of their more corrosive habits.
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
📣 We're delighted to now be offering the Kryptonite Mini 7 D lock as one of our membership welcome gifts!
🔏 With its compact design and Solid Secure Gold rating, join LCC today and claim the lock today: bit.ly/3R38Pcd
🔏 With its compact design and Solid Secure Gold rating, join LCC today and claim the lock today: bit.ly/3R38Pcd
August 26, 2025 at 5:45 PM
📣 We're delighted to now be offering the Kryptonite Mini 7 D lock as one of our membership welcome gifts!
🔏 With its compact design and Solid Secure Gold rating, join LCC today and claim the lock today: bit.ly/3R38Pcd
🔏 With its compact design and Solid Secure Gold rating, join LCC today and claim the lock today: bit.ly/3R38Pcd
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
Nostalgia is a toxic impulse but also I miss the time when tech trends were things like "let's put everything in a translucent colored plastic case" instead of "let's add software to everything that lies and also accelerates climate change"
August 19, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Nostalgia is a toxic impulse but also I miss the time when tech trends were things like "let's put everything in a translucent colored plastic case" instead of "let's add software to everything that lies and also accelerates climate change"
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
The Cameron-Osborne years offer an important reminder that it is possible to excel at the theatre of politics - to "look prime ministerial", to dominate the "media narrative", to project "competence" and to communicate a clear political "story" - while being strikingly inept at governing.
Yet another retrospective triumph for Cameron and Osborne.
Scrapping of audit watchdog for English councils ‘led to soaring costs and chaos’
High critical report finds that instead of promised annual saving of £100m, fees have rocketed amid financial crisis
www.theguardian.com
August 19, 2025 at 8:57 PM
The Cameron-Osborne years offer an important reminder that it is possible to excel at the theatre of politics - to "look prime ministerial", to dominate the "media narrative", to project "competence" and to communicate a clear political "story" - while being strikingly inept at governing.
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
Jesus Christ. It’s like we’re heading back to the 1970s but with social media to help the racists www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
Family in fear after Tommy Robinson shares video of black man with white granddaughters
Exclusive: Olajuwon Ayeni racially abused and falsely labelled a paedophile as far right weaponises clip of family in park
www.theguardian.com
August 20, 2025 at 7:31 AM
Jesus Christ. It’s like we’re heading back to the 1970s but with social media to help the racists www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
Buy the Eye
The Arse of the Deal
The new Private Eye is out now.
The new Private Eye is out now.
August 20, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Buy the Eye
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
August 16, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
A key difference here is that while either can be incorrect, the structure of Wikipedia *creates context* and the structure of LLMs *destroys context*
Wikipedia has linked sources and an edit history showing where information came from and who added it when
An LLM just generates text
Wikipedia has linked sources and an edit history showing where information came from and who added it when
An LLM just generates text
Some of the anti-AI stuff feels a bit like when people would say "don't use Wikipedia as a source." It's just like anything else, a piece of information that you weigh against multiple sources and your own understanding of its likely failure modes
April 26, 2025 at 6:39 PM
A key difference here is that while either can be incorrect, the structure of Wikipedia *creates context* and the structure of LLMs *destroys context*
Wikipedia has linked sources and an edit history showing where information came from and who added it when
An LLM just generates text
Wikipedia has linked sources and an edit history showing where information came from and who added it when
An LLM just generates text
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
The NYT has a heavy house style that prevents me from using more, shall we say, colorful, language to describe Hulk Hogan but I think I still got my central point across here www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/o...
Opinion | What Hulk Hogan Left Behind
www.nytimes.com
July 26, 2025 at 4:51 PM
The NYT has a heavy house style that prevents me from using more, shall we say, colorful, language to describe Hulk Hogan but I think I still got my central point across here www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/o...
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
"To say that the president is making drastic policy changes to cure a problem that only exists in his imagination…that sounds like you’re shilling for Dems when it’s just reporting the flat truth."
Check out this exchange w/ @pkrugman.bsky.social on media failure:
newrepublic.com/article/1985...
Check out this exchange w/ @pkrugman.bsky.social on media failure:
newrepublic.com/article/1985...
July 30, 2025 at 1:08 PM
"To say that the president is making drastic policy changes to cure a problem that only exists in his imagination…that sounds like you’re shilling for Dems when it’s just reporting the flat truth."
Check out this exchange w/ @pkrugman.bsky.social on media failure:
newrepublic.com/article/1985...
Check out this exchange w/ @pkrugman.bsky.social on media failure:
newrepublic.com/article/1985...
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
98%
That's the decrease in the annual number of single-use plastic bags in the UK since a 5p charge started 10 years ago (it's now 10p)
Not all environmental problems are that easy to tackle, but change is possible
Resharing the Mail's 2015 splash, which has aged well
www.gov.uk/government/p...
That's the decrease in the annual number of single-use plastic bags in the UK since a 5p charge started 10 years ago (it's now 10p)
Not all environmental problems are that easy to tackle, but change is possible
Resharing the Mail's 2015 splash, which has aged well
www.gov.uk/government/p...
July 31, 2025 at 8:58 AM
98%
That's the decrease in the annual number of single-use plastic bags in the UK since a 5p charge started 10 years ago (it's now 10p)
Not all environmental problems are that easy to tackle, but change is possible
Resharing the Mail's 2015 splash, which has aged well
www.gov.uk/government/p...
That's the decrease in the annual number of single-use plastic bags in the UK since a 5p charge started 10 years ago (it's now 10p)
Not all environmental problems are that easy to tackle, but change is possible
Resharing the Mail's 2015 splash, which has aged well
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
For every pound that was invested in Sure Start, £2 pounds was returned. Early interventions, reduced pressure on GPs, allowing parents to go back to work etc. Don't talk about how much it's relaunch will cost, talk about how much it's relaunch will save
May 27, 2025 at 3:09 PM
For every pound that was invested in Sure Start, £2 pounds was returned. Early interventions, reduced pressure on GPs, allowing parents to go back to work etc. Don't talk about how much it's relaunch will cost, talk about how much it's relaunch will save
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
We’ve know this for ages but it’s good that this kind of analysis in now on mainstream TV in the UK
April 25, 2025 at 4:52 PM
We’ve know this for ages but it’s good that this kind of analysis in now on mainstream TV in the UK
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
Happy World Parkinson's Day. I'm realistic, and despite that, cheerful. Happy to help raise awareness.
April 11, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Happy World Parkinson's Day. I'm realistic, and despite that, cheerful. Happy to help raise awareness.
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
Funding cuts mean essential and lifesaving healthcare services and vaccinations, among other critical health issues, have shut down, leaving thousands without treatment worldwide.
This isn’t just a policy change - it’s a death sentence.
www.msf.org.za/news-and-res...
This isn’t just a policy change - it’s a death sentence.
www.msf.org.za/news-and-res...
March 21, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Funding cuts mean essential and lifesaving healthcare services and vaccinations, among other critical health issues, have shut down, leaving thousands without treatment worldwide.
This isn’t just a policy change - it’s a death sentence.
www.msf.org.za/news-and-res...
This isn’t just a policy change - it’s a death sentence.
www.msf.org.za/news-and-res...
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
I would expect all my fellow scientists to be able to spot a dishonest chart from 10 miles away, but it is still good to get a quick refresher from time to time.
Also a good resource to give to students, who are often very naive on these things.
Also a good resource to give to students, who are often very naive on these things.
Dishonest charts are coming from all directions, and they're only going to hit harder. Unless we push back. So, an interactive guide: Defense Against Dishonest Charts flowingdata.com/projects/dis...
Defense Against Dishonest Charts
This is a guide to protect ourselves and to preserve what is good about turning data into visual things.
flowingdata.com
February 27, 2025 at 9:27 AM
I would expect all my fellow scientists to be able to spot a dishonest chart from 10 miles away, but it is still good to get a quick refresher from time to time.
Also a good resource to give to students, who are often very naive on these things.
Also a good resource to give to students, who are often very naive on these things.
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
Demand prison time for Musk, only Congress has the legal mandate to get rid or cut USAID. Cutting off the aid will cause thousands of deaths, especially among women and children around the world. That’s called mass murder.
February 4, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Demand prison time for Musk, only Congress has the legal mandate to get rid or cut USAID. Cutting off the aid will cause thousands of deaths, especially among women and children around the world. That’s called mass murder.
Reposted by Asher Jacobsberg
I'd forgotten the disconnect. The odd mental juggling act where you are at once witnessing the behaviours of the most inane, childish collection of adults on the planet, while also having to remember how incredibly dangerous it all is.
January 21, 2025 at 9:54 PM
I'd forgotten the disconnect. The odd mental juggling act where you are at once witnessing the behaviours of the most inane, childish collection of adults on the planet, while also having to remember how incredibly dangerous it all is.
UK secondary schools with established partnerships with French schools are invited to apply for a one-off grant of up to £5,000 to support international travel for young people. Applications are open until 31 January 2025.
Lefèvre Trust | British Council
www.britishcouncil.org/lef%C3%A8vre...
Lefèvre Trust | British Council
www.britishcouncil.org/lef%C3%A8vre...
www.britishcouncil.org
January 17, 2025 at 2:46 PM
UK secondary schools with established partnerships with French schools are invited to apply for a one-off grant of up to £5,000 to support international travel for young people. Applications are open until 31 January 2025.
Lefèvre Trust | British Council
www.britishcouncil.org/lef%C3%A8vre...
Lefèvre Trust | British Council
www.britishcouncil.org/lef%C3%A8vre...