Doug Clow
@dougclow.bsky.social
I help people understand things and change them, with data. Views here my own.
"I can't quite work out whether you're a tremendously silly man, a tremendously serious man or, as I suspect, a rather unholy combination of both."
dougclow.org/contact
"I can't quite work out whether you're a tremendously silly man, a tremendously serious man or, as I suspect, a rather unholy combination of both."
dougclow.org/contact
Pinned
Doug Clow
@dougclow.bsky.social
· Feb 5
Also I am loving this site at the moment because the Discover feed has clearly worked out that I love daffodils and keeps showing me them. Apologies if I have freaked you out by randomly liking yours: I genuinely just love daffodils.
Oh fantastic. This Open University free online course about antibiotic resistance can give you a microbe credential!
www.open.edu/openlearn/sc...
(Actually only a cert of participation not a microcredential but the joke is too good to miss.)
www.open.edu/openlearn/sc...
(Actually only a cert of participation not a microcredential but the joke is too good to miss.)
January 22, 2026 at 11:26 AM
Oh fantastic. This Open University free online course about antibiotic resistance can give you a microbe credential!
www.open.edu/openlearn/sc...
(Actually only a cert of participation not a microcredential but the joke is too good to miss.)
www.open.edu/openlearn/sc...
(Actually only a cert of participation not a microcredential but the joke is too good to miss.)
After curling in Stirling the Prince and Princess of Wales could try:
-Walking in Dorking
-Shooting in Tooting
-Squash near the Wash
-Chess in Skegness
-Painting in Paignton
-Lettering in Kettering
-Parking in Barking
-Bickering in Pickering
What else?
-Walking in Dorking
-Shooting in Tooting
-Squash near the Wash
-Chess in Skegness
-Painting in Paignton
-Lettering in Kettering
-Parking in Barking
-Bickering in Pickering
What else?
Catherine and William try curling in Stirling
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c620lvz95pvo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c620lvz95pvo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
January 20, 2026 at 11:00 PM
After curling in Stirling the Prince and Princess of Wales could try:
-Walking in Dorking
-Shooting in Tooting
-Squash near the Wash
-Chess in Skegness
-Painting in Paignton
-Lettering in Kettering
-Parking in Barking
-Bickering in Pickering
What else?
-Walking in Dorking
-Shooting in Tooting
-Squash near the Wash
-Chess in Skegness
-Painting in Paignton
-Lettering in Kettering
-Parking in Barking
-Bickering in Pickering
What else?
Well done everyone, you've all done really well this week! It's been quite a week. And yet again you have been quite extraordinarily brilliant in tough circumstances. Well done on making it through, and all the best for the weekend.
January 16, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Well done everyone, you've all done really well this week! It's been quite a week. And yet again you have been quite extraordinarily brilliant in tough circumstances. Well done on making it through, and all the best for the weekend.
Alarmed by the news that the UK is to send a single British officer to Greenland, potentially to act as a tripwire force and die in an American invasion. Even more alarmed to find myself chased around the internet by an ad inviting me to join the British Army, as if it's for that specific role.
January 15, 2026 at 1:47 PM
Alarmed by the news that the UK is to send a single British officer to Greenland, potentially to act as a tripwire force and die in an American invasion. Even more alarmed to find myself chased around the internet by an ad inviting me to join the British Army, as if it's for that specific role.
On a Teams call with a mild cold. I mute myself before blowing my nose. Teams detects the sonic blast and pops up helpfully telling me my microphone is muted. Yeah that was on purpose, nobody needs to hear that.
January 14, 2026 at 10:43 AM
On a Teams call with a mild cold. I mute myself before blowing my nose. Teams detects the sonic blast and pops up helpfully telling me my microphone is muted. Yeah that was on purpose, nobody needs to hear that.
Congratulations to whoever is responsible for the subsampling here but this is unwise. It’s getting harder, not easier, to produce reliable core statistics and our complex world means wider-ranging and more detailed figures are needed. The UK’s ONS should be a cautionary tale, not a model.
Show the statisticians some bloody respect, it's 11.69% of the executive team.
Statistics Canada to cut 850 jobs, 12 per cent of executive team
January 14, 2026 at 8:05 AM
Congratulations to whoever is responsible for the subsampling here but this is unwise. It’s getting harder, not easier, to produce reliable core statistics and our complex world means wider-ranging and more detailed figures are needed. The UK’s ONS should be a cautionary tale, not a model.
I don't doubt this chart as a baseline but the problem is that British people can deploy sarcasm at the drop of a hat, and are sparing with superlatives. You should be very concerned if a Brit says "Well that's bloody brilliant, that is. Outstanding. Perfect. Incredible."
Rubbish? Fine? Brilliant? British superlatives graded and ranked.
yougov.co.uk/society/arti...
US version here ('quite' interesting comparison)
today.yougov.com/society/arti...
yougov.co.uk/society/arti...
US version here ('quite' interesting comparison)
today.yougov.com/society/arti...
January 13, 2026 at 1:05 PM
I don't doubt this chart as a baseline but the problem is that British people can deploy sarcasm at the drop of a hat, and are sparing with superlatives. You should be very concerned if a Brit says "Well that's bloody brilliant, that is. Outstanding. Perfect. Incredible."
Just look at these beautiful yellow daffodils. Just look at them.
January 12, 2026 at 9:33 AM
Just look at these beautiful yellow daffodils. Just look at them.
In “state capacity is not totally awful in all regards” news, I took a 320-mile round trip yesterday on public transport because it was the cheapest, fastest & easiest way to make the journey. The West Coast Main Line and Manchester Metrolink systems are actually good. We should have more like that.
January 11, 2026 at 10:07 AM
In “state capacity is not totally awful in all regards” news, I took a 320-mile round trip yesterday on public transport because it was the cheapest, fastest & easiest way to make the journey. The West Coast Main Line and Manchester Metrolink systems are actually good. We should have more like that.
This has not been a bad winter in terms of demand on A&E. For all the talk of super flu, it was just a little early, not particularly bad. And yet our urgent care system is floundering. This really could and should be improved.
As I've said before the lack of focus on A&E in govt plans is bewildering even just from a political perspective. For many people it's their most viseral and memorable interaction with the state.
This week an elderly woman died alone on a trolley in a hospital corridor, with desperate, exhausted staff unable to tend to her
This is the reality in our NHS right now and for those on the front line, it’s horrifying
This is the reality in our NHS right now and for those on the front line, it’s horrifying
January 11, 2026 at 10:04 AM
This has not been a bad winter in terms of demand on A&E. For all the talk of super flu, it was just a little early, not particularly bad. And yet our urgent care system is floundering. This really could and should be improved.
Well done everyone, you've all done very well this week! First working week of the year, and you have made it through ... everything ... and got to another weekend. Well done, and hope you have a good one.
January 9, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Well done everyone, you've all done very well this week! First working week of the year, and you have made it through ... everything ... and got to another weekend. Well done, and hope you have a good one.
This is the end of an interesting and slightly sad story. Huge gift left a century ago to pay off the national debt from WW1 has finally been cashed in and gilts have been retired … achieving maybe 0.02% of its goal.
The government is set to benefit from a gift of more than £600m after a charity set up nearly 100 years ago to pay off the national debt was made to transfer its assets and now plans to close
100-year-old charity to close after transferring £600m to help pay off national debt
www.civilsociety.co.uk
January 9, 2026 at 1:50 PM
This is the end of an interesting and slightly sad story. Huge gift left a century ago to pay off the national debt from WW1 has finally been cashed in and gilts have been retired … achieving maybe 0.02% of its goal.
I don,t think this problem,s fixed yet, but I,m hopefull it,ll be fairly soon.
If you,re reading this, it,s because you,ve noticed that your apostrophes have suddenly become much heavier. Please don,t worry. It,s expected to pass any time now.
January 9, 2026 at 11:53 AM
I don,t think this problem,s fixed yet, but I,m hopefull it,ll be fairly soon.
I worry my pride at having got the bins right for three out of the four collections on the Christmas/New Year altered schedule means I’ll be overconfident next week and mess up my streak.
January 9, 2026 at 8:40 AM
I worry my pride at having got the bins right for three out of the four collections on the Christmas/New Year altered schedule means I’ll be overconfident next week and mess up my streak.
Struck by the profundity of my own mathematical intuition. On hearing “worst snow for a decade in the Midlands” I found myself thinking “Yeah, that’s going to be disruptive, but I’d guess that’s the sort of thing you’d expect to crop up in the ordinary run of things maybe every ten years or so.”
January 9, 2026 at 8:18 AM
Struck by the profundity of my own mathematical intuition. On hearing “worst snow for a decade in the Midlands” I found myself thinking “Yeah, that’s going to be disruptive, but I’d guess that’s the sort of thing you’d expect to crop up in the ordinary run of things maybe every ten years or so.”
I am lurking behind Richard here being a spaceship engineer and confirm @bridgecommand.bsky.social is the some of the best fun you can have with your (futuristic space uniform) clothes on.
Not pictured: magic smoke escaping from the panels under my station when the ship couldnae take any more.
Not pictured: magic smoke escaping from the panels under my station when the ship couldnae take any more.
@bridgecommand.bsky.social remains an amazing experience. Here's me at my science station worrying about morally grey areas in space. Not pictured, minefield, explosions, futuristic night club and space Lord Flashheart. If you're in London and sci fi is your thing this game is absolutely amazing.
January 7, 2026 at 7:55 PM
I am lurking behind Richard here being a spaceship engineer and confirm @bridgecommand.bsky.social is the some of the best fun you can have with your (futuristic space uniform) clothes on.
Not pictured: magic smoke escaping from the panels under my station when the ship couldnae take any more.
Not pictured: magic smoke escaping from the panels under my station when the ship couldnae take any more.
I have a vivid memory from the 90s of a post on Usenet from someone seeking help with a technical problem with one of these which included the memorable line "I drul in the webtv's box."
Microsoft’s WebTV is Being Revived by Fans
Microsoft’s WebTV is Being Revived by Fans
Hackaday Article
hackaday.com
December 30, 2025 at 1:23 PM
I have a vivid memory from the 90s of a post on Usenet from someone seeking help with a technical problem with one of these which included the memorable line "I drul in the webtv's box."
I was walking down the shops one day and saw a guy I vaguely knew coming the other way. I made eye contact, gave an eyebrow flash, nodded, and said “Alright?” and he did the same back and said “Alright.”
Please quote this with stories of your minor interactions with non-celebrities, e.g. “I once accidentally bumped into a man in the Wellingborough branch of Holland & Barrett”
December 30, 2025 at 1:00 PM
I was walking down the shops one day and saw a guy I vaguely knew coming the other way. I made eye contact, gave an eyebrow flash, nodded, and said “Alright?” and he did the same back and said “Alright.”
Nooooooo! The amazing, the one and only Internet’s favourite flammable festive feature, the GOAT of goats, the Gävlebocken @gavlebocken.bsky.social has fallen! Apparently blown down in a storm. Which I think is yet another new way to go. Incredible.
December 27, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Nooooooo! The amazing, the one and only Internet’s favourite flammable festive feature, the GOAT of goats, the Gävlebocken @gavlebocken.bsky.social has fallen! Apparently blown down in a storm. Which I think is yet another new way to go. Incredible.
Welcome to Britain, where “New” College, Oxford is just short of 650 years old. And the “New” Forest was designated as such 300 years before that, in 1079.
Here's a #HigherEducationPostcard of @newcollegeoxf.bsky.social
Founded in 1379 it is no longer one of the newer colleges at Oxford University
If you like this image, please repost it - remember, BlueSky has #NoAlgorithm
Founded in 1379 it is no longer one of the newer colleges at Oxford University
If you like this image, please repost it - remember, BlueSky has #NoAlgorithm
December 26, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Welcome to Britain, where “New” College, Oxford is just short of 650 years old. And the “New” Forest was designated as such 300 years before that, in 1079.
First rule of the butcher’s shop and of the operating theatre: Never catch a falling knife.
This has metaphorical application of variable utility but in the literal sense it is sound advice.
This has metaphorical application of variable utility but in the literal sense it is sound advice.
As many of us begin Christmas meal prep, allow me to share the advice that my ER nurse sister puts in the chat every year:
A dropped knife has no handle. Jump away. Let it fall. You can pick it up and wash it.
A dropped knife has no handle. Jump away. Let it fall. You can pick it up and wash it.
December 25, 2025 at 9:01 AM
First rule of the butcher’s shop and of the operating theatre: Never catch a falling knife.
This has metaphorical application of variable utility but in the literal sense it is sound advice.
This has metaphorical application of variable utility but in the literal sense it is sound advice.
The Gävlebocken is still standing! Surely a good omen.
"God jul vänner, tacksam för er alla ✨
Merry Christmas my friends ✨"
Merry Christmas my friends ✨"
December 24, 2025 at 2:48 PM
The Gävlebocken is still standing! Surely a good omen.
So perhaps we can grant a sort of Ontological Argument that a university is infinitely better with a philosophy department than with none. But we need to be careful with this inductive argument that we would be better with infinitely many philosophy depts. /
Surely two philosophy departments are a priori always better than one?
We can expand this argument.
A university with a philosophy department is better than one without
A university with two philosophy departments is better than one with just one
🧵
We can expand this argument.
A university with a philosophy department is better than one without
A university with two philosophy departments is better than one with just one
🧵
Sydney Uni could have saved itself a lot of trouble with this method of dispute resolution, instead of running dual philosophy departments for a couple of decades.
web.maths.unsw.edu.au/~jim/corrupt...
web.maths.unsw.edu.au/~jim/corrupt...
December 24, 2025 at 11:31 AM
So perhaps we can grant a sort of Ontological Argument that a university is infinitely better with a philosophy department than with none. But we need to be careful with this inductive argument that we would be better with infinitely many philosophy depts. /
Today's final Eel Fact on my awesome Eel Facts Advent calendar featured Freud's quest to find eel testicles. Interestingly, sources differ as to whether he succeeded. Freud's work was in March and September of 1876, in Trieste, where he'd been sent - appropriately for today - by Professor Claus.
Have you been having trouble finding eel testicles? Worried you're doing it wrong? Don't fret...it's not just you!
Folks from Aristotle on tried & failed to sex eels. Young Sigmund Freud spent a summer in Italy dissecting 400 eels looking for their testes, without success. 1/6
🗃️🧪
Folks from Aristotle on tried & failed to sex eels. Young Sigmund Freud spent a summer in Italy dissecting 400 eels looking for their testes, without success. 1/6
🗃️🧪
December 24, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Today's final Eel Fact on my awesome Eel Facts Advent calendar featured Freud's quest to find eel testicles. Interestingly, sources differ as to whether he succeeded. Freud's work was in March and September of 1876, in Trieste, where he'd been sent - appropriately for today - by Professor Claus.
Reposted by Doug Clow
Here's a #HigherEducationPostcard of @orieloxford.bsky.social
Founded in 1326, it may take its name from a manor house - La Oriole - granted to the college in 1329. Or maybe from an oriel window which is on the front
If you like this image, please repost it - remember, BlueSky has #NoAlgorithm
Founded in 1326, it may take its name from a manor house - La Oriole - granted to the college in 1329. Or maybe from an oriel window which is on the front
If you like this image, please repost it - remember, BlueSky has #NoAlgorithm
December 24, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Here's a #HigherEducationPostcard of @orieloxford.bsky.social
Founded in 1326, it may take its name from a manor house - La Oriole - granted to the college in 1329. Or maybe from an oriel window which is on the front
If you like this image, please repost it - remember, BlueSky has #NoAlgorithm
Founded in 1326, it may take its name from a manor house - La Oriole - granted to the college in 1329. Or maybe from an oriel window which is on the front
If you like this image, please repost it - remember, BlueSky has #NoAlgorithm