Marcus Hill
@drmarcushill.bsky.social
Mathematician, educator and geek. He/him.
Reposted by Marcus Hill
Gary Lineker: "This is the mistake the BBC makes. The BBC tries to appease the people that hate the BBC, rather than worrying about the people that love the BBC."
April 22, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Gary Lineker: "This is the mistake the BBC makes. The BBC tries to appease the people that hate the BBC, rather than worrying about the people that love the BBC."
My reaction exactly!
November 8, 2025 at 8:10 PM
My reaction exactly!
There is only one acceptable backstory:
"I come from the North bearing my father's sword seeking vengeance after Orcs [or setting equivalent] massacred my village."
I will not be taking questions at this time.
"I come from the North bearing my father's sword seeking vengeance after Orcs [or setting equivalent] massacred my village."
I will not be taking questions at this time.
How much backstory is too much for a TTRPG player?
Too much backstory in D&D?
YouTube video by Dice Company
youtube.com
November 2, 2025 at 12:13 PM
There is only one acceptable backstory:
"I come from the North bearing my father's sword seeking vengeance after Orcs [or setting equivalent] massacred my village."
I will not be taking questions at this time.
"I come from the North bearing my father's sword seeking vengeance after Orcs [or setting equivalent] massacred my village."
I will not be taking questions at this time.
She claims to be "on the side of children" whilst saying she will battle the unions who know better than she does that testing will do nothing in itself, and teachers can monitor the impact of the real changes that are needed (which cost more than tests)
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Bridget Phillipson ‘ready to take on unions’ over year 8 reading tests
Education secretary says mandatory test needed to tackle ‘shocking outcomes’ for many working-class children
www.theguardian.com
November 2, 2025 at 11:56 AM
She claims to be "on the side of children" whilst saying she will battle the unions who know better than she does that testing will do nothing in itself, and teachers can monitor the impact of the real changes that are needed (which cost more than tests)
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Marcus Hill
If you're a National Trust member, it's that time of year again: Midnight tonight is the deadline. It's a shame people have to keep doing this to keep a toehold on historical truth in this country, but here we are. Voting link: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/who-we-are/a...
![[Scene is the entrance cabin to a NATIONAL TRUST PROPERTY AND GARDENS]
1
NATIONAL TRUST EMPLOYEE [inside cabin]:
Hello there
2
[A young family - two parents two kids - have arrived at the front desk].
DAD:
Hi - do you have an activity trail, for the kids?
3
NT EMPLOYEE:
Of course – you’re just in time for the Autumn Gammon Trail!
4
MUM:
That sounds fun, doesn’t it kids?
5
NT EMPLOYEE [handing an activity sheet and pencils to the kids]:
Every autumn, the Reform Trust gammons flock back to the National Trust for the AGM. Just follow the trail round the grounds, and see how many you can spot!
6
NT EMPLOYEE [hearing something in the gardens]:
Listen - that's their call
[Calls emanating from the landscape]:
tut-tut
woke-woke
7
NT EMPLOYEE [showing the family an apparently empty fenced enclosure with some bushes in]:
They are extremely sensitive and fragile...
But you can bring them out of hiding if you put a little sign down mentioning slavery.
8
KIDS [pointing]:
There they are!
[Some little red faced PEOPLE wearing Barbour jackets and gilets emerge cautiously from the bushes. They are creeping towards a TINY SIGN in the middle of the enclosure].
[Little people noises]:
woke-woke
tut-tut
woke-woke
9
[Close-up of the TINY SIGN - we can read that it says]:
Slavery had a bit to do with building this massive house.
[Noises from the little people again as they inspect the tiny sign]:
tut-tut
woke-woke
10
MUM [pointing]:
What's that one doing there?
NT EMPLOYEE:
Oh, that's so sweet…
11
[We see that one of the people is sat on a rock, with a little laptop open on a tree stump, and they are furiously typing away].
NT EMPLOYEE:
I think he's writing a column for the Daily Telegraph…
12
[We see close up to the little person’s screen, it is a word document reading]:
Are National Trust scones secretly WOKE?
[ends]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4m3we4apbjayclzcnhwe3pfp/bafkreib7lt736b6rmzinml5s7kxjdaapo2a36xp4d4lssypimx3taqicdm@jpeg)
October 31, 2025 at 9:02 AM
If you're a National Trust member, it's that time of year again: Midnight tonight is the deadline. It's a shame people have to keep doing this to keep a toehold on historical truth in this country, but here we are. Voting link: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/who-we-are/a...
Does this mean we will now need to start calling him "the Andrew formerly known as Prince"?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...
Andrew stripped of Prince title and will move out of Royal Lodge
He will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor - Buckingham Palace says
www.bbc.co.uk
October 30, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Does this mean we will now need to start calling him "the Andrew formerly known as Prince"?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...
This article fails to address the questions many of us will have: what are these documents, can we get copies, and where can we put them so they will be ingested by anyone training their LLM without explicit permission from people whose data they use?
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/ai/2025...
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/ai/2025...
You can poison AI with just 250 dodgy documents
Anthropic’s new research shows how easy it could be to poison AI models—proof that even small manipulations can have big effects.
www.malwarebytes.com
October 27, 2025 at 11:47 PM
This article fails to address the questions many of us will have: what are these documents, can we get copies, and where can we put them so they will be ingested by anyone training their LLM without explicit permission from people whose data they use?
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/ai/2025...
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/ai/2025...
Reposted by Marcus Hill
you don't understand. as someone who isn't inherently good at art, stealing paintings from the museum is the *only* way i'm able to express myself creatively. i wouldn't be able to paint beautiful portraits. but by breaking into a museum and stealing the paintings, now i am
August 3, 2025 at 7:24 PM
you don't understand. as someone who isn't inherently good at art, stealing paintings from the museum is the *only* way i'm able to express myself creatively. i wouldn't be able to paint beautiful portraits. but by breaking into a museum and stealing the paintings, now i am
Reposted by Marcus Hill
I've noticed the opposing team's fans only cheer when the opponents score on us. To win those fans over, I recommend we score on ourselves repeatedly; that will surely make them so happy they'll start supporting us. And I'm sure all our fans will keep cheering for us—who else is there to cheer for?
October 10, 2025 at 12:19 PM
I've noticed the opposing team's fans only cheer when the opponents score on us. To win those fans over, I recommend we score on ourselves repeatedly; that will surely make them so happy they'll start supporting us. And I'm sure all our fans will keep cheering for us—who else is there to cheer for?
Absolutely this. I am completely done with Starmer now, he's throwing away everything Labour should stand for, and for nothing. He will lose far more progressive votes than he will gain by courting the Fail readers who will never vote Labour.
... electoral threat presented by an unapologetically progressive party, with broadly ethical positions, led by a terrific communicator who doesn't seem to care if he pisses off the Daily Mail.
Progressives SHOULD piss off the Daily Mail.
That's their job.
But Labour forgot.
Progressives SHOULD piss off the Daily Mail.
That's their job.
But Labour forgot.
October 4, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Absolutely this. I am completely done with Starmer now, he's throwing away everything Labour should stand for, and for nothing. He will lose far more progressive votes than he will gain by courting the Fail readers who will never vote Labour.
Reposted by Marcus Hill
Anyone who is up in the #LakeDistrict today and can tell me the weather isn't actually that bad, I would be really grateful
October 3, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Anyone who is up in the #LakeDistrict today and can tell me the weather isn't actually that bad, I would be really grateful
www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/it-tim...
The best illustration of Betteridge's Law I have seen in some time.
The best illustration of Betteridge's Law I have seen in some time.
Is it time for universities to engage seriously with Reform UK?
A sector described by a leading party figure as a ‘conveyor belt for communism’ is understandably wary of Nigel Farage’s latest right-wing populist project. But Reform UK persistently tops opinion pol...
www.timeshighereducation.com
September 11, 2025 at 10:42 AM
www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/it-tim...
The best illustration of Betteridge's Law I have seen in some time.
The best illustration of Betteridge's Law I have seen in some time.
Do it. Give the gammon an aneurysm.
Imagine the message it would send if Gary Lineker won 'Presenter of the Year' at this year's National Television Awards
Standing up for compassion & the right to speak out
And, the feathers it would ruffle
My lovely followers, you know what to do:
nationaltvawards.com/vote
🗓️ Deadline: 12th Sep
Standing up for compassion & the right to speak out
And, the feathers it would ruffle
My lovely followers, you know what to do:
nationaltvawards.com/vote
🗓️ Deadline: 12th Sep
Vote | National Television Awards
Choose your winners in this year’s National Television Awards
nationaltvawards.com
September 1, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Do it. Give the gammon an aneurysm.
Academic friends, I found a paper of mine in the database which is the basis of the lawsuit being brought against the owners of the plagiarism engines. Apparently, if all the authors seek damages, it could spell the end for gen AI. Let's make that dream a reality!
There are tons of graphic novels, academic papers, film and TV scripts, & prose novels/nonfiction on the LibGen list Anthropic used.
As settlement approaches, make it easy for the class action lawyers to contact you! Here’s how
Part 1: is your work in Libgen?
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
As settlement approaches, make it easy for the class action lawyers to contact you! Here’s how
Part 1: is your work in Libgen?
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI
Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.
www.theatlantic.com
August 28, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Academic friends, I found a paper of mine in the database which is the basis of the lawsuit being brought against the owners of the plagiarism engines. Apparently, if all the authors seek damages, it could spell the end for gen AI. Let's make that dream a reality!
Reposted by Marcus Hill
Reposted by Marcus Hill
Wrote this about flags and patriotism in 2021 (in The Decade In Tory). Stand by every word now.
August 25, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Wrote this about flags and patriotism in 2021 (in The Decade In Tory). Stand by every word now.
Possibly relevant to many of my followers.
Dunno if, via the ways of these things, any friends of friends etc were running a maths camp in Bradford this week, but if you happen to know anybody who was please tell them my eldest will not now shut the fuck up about it (and, y'know, pass on my heartfelt thanks)
August 1, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Possibly relevant to many of my followers.
Reposted by Marcus Hill
starting to think we should give "strange women lying in ponds distributing swords" a chance as a basis for our system of government
August 1, 2025 at 12:07 AM
starting to think we should give "strange women lying in ponds distributing swords" a chance as a basis for our system of government
Reposted by Marcus Hill
The women's team shouldn't be paid as much as the men.
The men should be paid as much as the women.
The men should be paid as much as the women.
July 28, 2025 at 11:24 AM
The women's team shouldn't be paid as much as the men.
The men should be paid as much as the women.
The men should be paid as much as the women.
Getting my Entry Level Dungeon Master Certificate so I can run D&D in an empty shipping container with some mismatched garden furniture and a dangerously rusty paraffin lamp.
Getting my Dungeon Master (level III) so I can run DnD in a terrapin that has been a temporary classroom for a decade and a half.
Getting my Dungeon Master NVQ so I can go to DnD in a Maisonette
July 23, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Getting my Entry Level Dungeon Master Certificate so I can run D&D in an empty shipping container with some mismatched garden furniture and a dangerously rusty paraffin lamp.
Reposted by Marcus Hill
So here's a #ttrpg that I want to talk about while I wait for some drugs to kick in. OUR BRILLIANT RUIN from Studio Hermitage. It's an intriguing wee game that I'm a little surprised didn't make more of an impact.
It's a horror-adjacent game that takes place in a fantasy world facing oblivion 🧵
It's a horror-adjacent game that takes place in a fantasy world facing oblivion 🧵
Our Brilliant Ruin Roleplaying Game - Studio Hermitage | DriveThruRPG
Your story of decadence and doom awaits in a world of rust and ruin. Discover your faction. Confront the Ruin. What will you do with the time you have left?
Our Brilliant Ruin explores human drama and...
www.drivethrurpg.com
July 21, 2025 at 10:35 AM
So here's a #ttrpg that I want to talk about while I wait for some drugs to kick in. OUR BRILLIANT RUIN from Studio Hermitage. It's an intriguing wee game that I'm a little surprised didn't make more of an impact.
It's a horror-adjacent game that takes place in a fantasy world facing oblivion 🧵
It's a horror-adjacent game that takes place in a fantasy world facing oblivion 🧵
Hold on, were they not interviewing everyone before? Everyone who starts a teacher training programme gets interviewed.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Teach First job applicants will get in-person interviews after more apply using AI
Graduate recruiter says much use of AI goes undetected as specialist says half of candidates are now using it
www.theguardian.com
July 13, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Hold on, were they not interviewing everyone before? Everyone who starts a teacher training programme gets interviewed.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Peeking back in at X (man, I feel dirty), it looks like @mathsnot.bsky.social (who knows much more about these things than I) reached a similar conclusion. I am still puzzled by the continued claim that all is as intended - "we did the best we could when we suspected a leak" looks better than that!
I am still struggling to think why Pearson would put out two different papers, knowing what a fuss it would cause. One bit of conjecture seems reasonable. Maybe there was a suspected leak of the original P2 so close to the date they didn't have the adapted papers ready or have time to produce them.
June 21, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Peeking back in at X (man, I feel dirty), it looks like @mathsnot.bsky.social (who knows much more about these things than I) reached a similar conclusion. I am still puzzled by the continued claim that all is as intended - "we did the best we could when we suspected a leak" looks better than that!