Dan Cooper
@danielwcooper.bsky.social
Journalist, Broadcaster, Goof.
All flowers, in time, bend toward the sun.
All flowers, in time, bend toward the sun.
Well, this is terrifying because
a) I did that route a fortnight ago.
b) We haven't yet invented remote elevator cars. Or a Thunderbird big enough to ferry them to London Airport.
a) I did that route a fortnight ago.
b) We haven't yet invented remote elevator cars. Or a Thunderbird big enough to ferry them to London Airport.
January 28, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Well, this is terrifying because
a) I did that route a fortnight ago.
b) We haven't yet invented remote elevator cars. Or a Thunderbird big enough to ferry them to London Airport.
a) I did that route a fortnight ago.
b) We haven't yet invented remote elevator cars. Or a Thunderbird big enough to ferry them to London Airport.
Reposted by Dan Cooper
News from 1636: the Netherlands government offers free training in the storage and care of tulip bulbs. "We have a goal of upskilling the workforce", says the Stadtholder
BREAKING: Free AI training will be offered to every adult in the UK, with short courses to teach people how to use simple AI tools effectively in the workplace.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
January 28, 2026 at 12:18 PM
News from 1636: the Netherlands government offers free training in the storage and care of tulip bulbs. "We have a goal of upskilling the workforce", says the Stadtholder
I was in France, test-driving a new electric Lexus and thought to myself 'man, EVs really are too big for these narrow, rural roads.' Seconds later, a fuck-off massive Ford Ranger swung around a blind corner and nearly ran me off the road because it wanted all of its own lane and half of mine.
Dangerous, grotesque and unnecessary. Get them out of our cities and towns. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Number of US-style ‘battering ram’ pickup trucks on UK roads has nearly doubled in a decade
Exclusive: Campaigners say ‘menacing vehicles’ are putting children at risk owing to their large front blind zones
www.theguardian.com
January 27, 2026 at 9:42 AM
I was in France, test-driving a new electric Lexus and thought to myself 'man, EVs really are too big for these narrow, rural roads.' Seconds later, a fuck-off massive Ford Ranger swung around a blind corner and nearly ran me off the road because it wanted all of its own lane and half of mine.
Reposted by Dan Cooper
Lo, as the Great Seer hath foretold:
January 26, 2026 at 6:00 AM
Lo, as the Great Seer hath foretold:
I've just thought of a valuable use of AI.
You take this clip of Hugh Dennis shouting, incredulously, "You poured it on a fish!?" and you change the wording to "You gave F1 a Best Picture nomination?"
You take this clip of Hugh Dennis shouting, incredulously, "You poured it on a fish!?" and you change the wording to "You gave F1 a Best Picture nomination?"
You poured it on a fish!
YouTube video by TheTowerOfTheHand
www.youtube.com
January 22, 2026 at 2:29 PM
I've just thought of a valuable use of AI.
You take this clip of Hugh Dennis shouting, incredulously, "You poured it on a fish!?" and you change the wording to "You gave F1 a Best Picture nomination?"
You take this clip of Hugh Dennis shouting, incredulously, "You poured it on a fish!?" and you change the wording to "You gave F1 a Best Picture nomination?"
The news that the BBC has signed a deal to produce exclusive content for YouTube reminds me that the BBC could and should have done a lot more to anticipate YouTube's rise in the UK and steal its talent.
A decade or more ago, it was clear that the BBC's lunch was being eaten by YouTube. Think about the sort of educational / entertainment stuff that was CBBC's bread and butter. The fact it didn't try to give shows to Tom Scott, Jay Foreman, Colin Furze and the like when they were starting out is mad.
January 22, 2026 at 9:42 AM
The news that the BBC has signed a deal to produce exclusive content for YouTube reminds me that the BBC could and should have done a lot more to anticipate YouTube's rise in the UK and steal its talent.
I'm equally fascinated by the people who think the world will pay a monthly subscription (in numbers 10x greater than Netflix or Spotify) for an AI product.
I suspect Gmail is the scaffolding underpinning a lot of people's lives and if Google started charging, we'd all just move somewhere else.
I suspect Gmail is the scaffolding underpinning a lot of people's lives and if Google started charging, we'd all just move somewhere else.
January 22, 2026 at 9:34 AM
I'm equally fascinated by the people who think the world will pay a monthly subscription (in numbers 10x greater than Netflix or Spotify) for an AI product.
I suspect Gmail is the scaffolding underpinning a lot of people's lives and if Google started charging, we'd all just move somewhere else.
I suspect Gmail is the scaffolding underpinning a lot of people's lives and if Google started charging, we'd all just move somewhere else.
AI 👏 is 👏 a 👏 feature 👏 not 👏 a 👏 product.
Why would I want an AI doodad, especially a wearable AI doodad, if I already have a smartphone, smart watch (, smart ring!) and earphones that enable that connection?
Why would I want an AI doodad, especially a wearable AI doodad, if I already have a smartphone, smart watch (, smart ring!) and earphones that enable that connection?
January 22, 2026 at 9:30 AM
AI 👏 is 👏 a 👏 feature 👏 not 👏 a 👏 product.
Why would I want an AI doodad, especially a wearable AI doodad, if I already have a smartphone, smart watch (, smart ring!) and earphones that enable that connection?
Why would I want an AI doodad, especially a wearable AI doodad, if I already have a smartphone, smart watch (, smart ring!) and earphones that enable that connection?
One day, I'm sure, there will be an autopsy around the Met Office's app redesign. And I'm curious if any of the beta testers pointed out how fucking awful the new UI is, or if they were just as on-board with the changes as the developers were.
January 19, 2026 at 10:04 AM
One day, I'm sure, there will be an autopsy around the Met Office's app redesign. And I'm curious if any of the beta testers pointed out how fucking awful the new UI is, or if they were just as on-board with the changes as the developers were.
Reposted by Dan Cooper
WHERE WERE YOU when you heard the full song? Me and everyone else on my floor of the halls of residence, watching Top of the Pops. The RAGE. People stood up. Dropped plates. Carnage
January 15, 2026 at 12:40 PM
WHERE WERE YOU when you heard the full song? Me and everyone else on my floor of the halls of residence, watching Top of the Pops. The RAGE. People stood up. Dropped plates. Carnage
I will probably, eventually, write something about that new show I've been conspicuously silent on. I'm still deeply surprised at how many people have given it a free pass on the basis it's targeted at "young adults." I think we should all expect better from all of our media, kids included.
January 15, 2026 at 2:29 PM
I will probably, eventually, write something about that new show I've been conspicuously silent on. I'm still deeply surprised at how many people have given it a free pass on the basis it's targeted at "young adults." I think we should all expect better from all of our media, kids included.
Reposted by Dan Cooper
Reposted by Dan Cooper
There's accountability with Wikipedia
it's worth noting that the shift from Wikipedia to AI for factual summaries also removes our ability to audit the information trail and reveal systematic manipulation like this. AI can offer sources, but nothing like the timestamped/IP address-linked edit history of wikis
bsky.app/profile/timb...
bsky.app/profile/timb...
Shocking but not surprising.
January 15, 2026 at 10:50 AM
There's accountability with Wikipedia
Reposted by Dan Cooper
The FT got is architecture critic Edwin Heathcote to write about data centres and it's wonderful. www.ft.com/content/7692...
January 14, 2026 at 7:09 AM
The FT got is architecture critic Edwin Heathcote to write about data centres and it's wonderful. www.ft.com/content/7692...
That 'I Curate For Cash On Vinted' app rather gives the game away, doesn't it? That it'll go the same way as eBay and Etsy and become a vector for professional sellers at the expense of its user base.
January 15, 2026 at 10:55 AM
That 'I Curate For Cash On Vinted' app rather gives the game away, doesn't it? That it'll go the same way as eBay and Etsy and become a vector for professional sellers at the expense of its user base.
Reposted by Dan Cooper
I am once again reminding you all that the UK government introduced an Online Safety Act that is effectively a porn ban on most adult porn websites, but is dithering over banning a website that is actually creating child porn.
January 13, 2026 at 11:03 AM
I am once again reminding you all that the UK government introduced an Online Safety Act that is effectively a porn ban on most adult porn websites, but is dithering over banning a website that is actually creating child porn.
Who’ll give me odds that one xAI developer will leak the entire Pentagon database to the War Thunder forums before March.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the integration of Elon Musk's xAI platform, Grok, into military networks as part of a new "AI acceleration strategy" during a visit to SpaceX.
January 13, 2026 at 8:23 AM
Who’ll give me odds that one xAI developer will leak the entire Pentagon database to the War Thunder forums before March.
d... d'ya think anyone else noticed the sonic boom?
January 12, 2026 at 4:41 PM
d... d'ya think anyone else noticed the sonic boom?
When I am king, the people who bring hard shell cases as carry-on luggage will be, I dunno, fifth or sixth against the wall.
January 12, 2026 at 2:25 PM
When I am king, the people who bring hard shell cases as carry-on luggage will be, I dunno, fifth or sixth against the wall.
I'd put money on wearable EEGs being the next big thing in wearables. Especially now you can make the sensors small enough to fit on the tip of a true wireless earbud. Bear in mind, however, that the experts aren't so sure you'll get any benefit from it.
January 12, 2026 at 10:32 AM
I'd put money on wearable EEGs being the next big thing in wearables. Especially now you can make the sensors small enough to fit on the tip of a true wireless earbud. Bear in mind, however, that the experts aren't so sure you'll get any benefit from it.
Sometimes, I feel like I fell asleep and woke up in a world where nobody has any media literacy whatsoever.
January 8, 2026 at 10:50 PM
Sometimes, I feel like I fell asleep and woke up in a world where nobody has any media literacy whatsoever.
Reposted by Dan Cooper
Here's a special CES edition of the @engadget.com podcast: I sat down with @danielwcooper.bsky.social to chat about Intel, AMD and the sad state of the PC industry in 2026 www.engadget.com/computing/en...
Engadget Podcast: CES 2026 and the rocky year ahead for the PC industry
We're halfway through CES 2026, and it’s clear that it's going to be a rough year for the PC industry.
www.engadget.com
January 7, 2026 at 11:52 PM
Here's a special CES edition of the @engadget.com podcast: I sat down with @danielwcooper.bsky.social to chat about Intel, AMD and the sad state of the PC industry in 2026 www.engadget.com/computing/en...
Reposted by Dan Cooper
I know there are very obvious reasons for it - this is what happens when you fire your culture desks - but I really did feel a dearth of great pop culture writing this year across various outlets.
It does feel like we had no idea how good we had it in the late 2010s.
It does feel like we had no idea how good we had it in the late 2010s.
a cartoon woman is holding a pen in her right hand .
ALT: a cartoon woman is holding a pen in her right hand .
media.tenor.com
January 2, 2026 at 2:03 PM
I know there are very obvious reasons for it - this is what happens when you fire your culture desks - but I really did feel a dearth of great pop culture writing this year across various outlets.
It does feel like we had no idea how good we had it in the late 2010s.
It does feel like we had no idea how good we had it in the late 2010s.