Neil Young
@elderpegasus.bsky.social
Games coder, input in particular. Have opinions on UX and hype bubbles. (Also politics, planes, parenting, accessibility, musical theatre from all aspects. Several of those overlap!)
Why stop with russian ones? The herd of elephants in the room want a word.
EU seeks ban on Russian crypto assets to curb sanctions evasion ft.trib.al/Xn3IkMf
EU seeks ban on Russian crypto assets to curb sanctions evasion
Brussels also wants to prohibit some trade with Kyrgyzstan, in first use of new powers against sanctions circumvention
ft.trib.al
February 10, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Why stop with russian ones? The herd of elephants in the room want a word.
Disappointed to see Ofsted head is another child hating luddite. And also a complete fecking eejit.
"Of course, we should teach them [children] how to use technology safely, but they don’t need a screen to do it. It’s absolutely ludicrous"
www.ft.com/content/f5cb...
"Of course, we should teach them [children] how to use technology safely, but they don’t need a screen to do it. It’s absolutely ludicrous"
www.ft.com/content/f5cb...
Timing of England’s school holidays is ‘pretty bizarre’, says Ofsted head
Martyn Oliver calls for debate on long summer break and whether it is sensible to sit exams during hotter months
www.ft.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Disappointed to see Ofsted head is another child hating luddite. And also a complete fecking eejit.
"Of course, we should teach them [children] how to use technology safely, but they don’t need a screen to do it. It’s absolutely ludicrous"
www.ft.com/content/f5cb...
"Of course, we should teach them [children] how to use technology safely, but they don’t need a screen to do it. It’s absolutely ludicrous"
www.ft.com/content/f5cb...
Reposted by Neil Young
Getting really tired of "this is all a media concoction"...
Starmer has the lowest approval rating of any PM in history bar Truss. Senior ministers are openly and unsubtly positioning. His Chief of Staff, Director of Comms and Cab Sec have all resigned on the same day.
I mean come on...
Starmer has the lowest approval rating of any PM in history bar Truss. Senior ministers are openly and unsubtly positioning. His Chief of Staff, Director of Comms and Cab Sec have all resigned on the same day.
I mean come on...
February 9, 2026 at 10:32 PM
Getting really tired of "this is all a media concoction"...
Starmer has the lowest approval rating of any PM in history bar Truss. Senior ministers are openly and unsubtly positioning. His Chief of Staff, Director of Comms and Cab Sec have all resigned on the same day.
I mean come on...
Starmer has the lowest approval rating of any PM in history bar Truss. Senior ministers are openly and unsubtly positioning. His Chief of Staff, Director of Comms and Cab Sec have all resigned on the same day.
I mean come on...
Reposted by Neil Young
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but: You can make chocolate chip cookie dough, portion it out onto baking sheets, freeze it, and transfer the raw cookies to a container. Then bake them a few at a time, from frozen — warm homemade cookies in twenty minutes or so, whenever you want.
February 9, 2026 at 10:12 PM
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but: You can make chocolate chip cookie dough, portion it out onto baking sheets, freeze it, and transfer the raw cookies to a container. Then bake them a few at a time, from frozen — warm homemade cookies in twenty minutes or so, whenever you want.
Reposted by Neil Young
I think, in an ideal world, Starmer would be the one who had to make the actually Hard Choices about unpicking the mad budget that he, Morgan and Reeves all co-authored, and can see why none of the serious candidates for leadership are keen to push it before then.
Starmer probably shouldn't lead Labour into the next election, but it feels a bit too early to make a change.
February 9, 2026 at 1:56 PM
I think, in an ideal world, Starmer would be the one who had to make the actually Hard Choices about unpicking the mad budget that he, Morgan and Reeves all co-authored, and can see why none of the serious candidates for leadership are keen to push it before then.
Captain, it's *still* only Monday.
Scottish Labour leader to call for Starmer to step down ft.trib.al/ng2CP3a
Scottish Labour leader to call for Starmer to step down
Anas Sarwar’s intervention deepens crisis facing UK prime minister
ft.trib.al
February 9, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Captain, it's *still* only Monday.
This could be an... interesting... week.
Tim Allan quits as Downing Street communications chief ft.trib.al/NSAZvON
Tim Allan quits as Downing Street communications chief
Blair-era media adviser resigns as Lord Peter Mandelson scandal intensifies
ft.trib.al
February 9, 2026 at 11:15 AM
This could be an... interesting... week.
"It may be that, with a new chief of staff, Starmer can find a seriousness that has thus far eluded him, but I’m not going to hold my breath."
CaptainItsMonday.gif
CaptainItsMonday.gif
Today's newsletter: on the case for, and the case against Keir Starmer and his now-former chief of staff:
What went wrong with the Starmer-McSweeney approach?
They were only ever superficially interested in policies that convinced voters, rather than in governing seriously
www.ft.com
February 9, 2026 at 10:21 AM
"It may be that, with a new chief of staff, Starmer can find a seriousness that has thus far eluded him, but I’m not going to hold my breath."
CaptainItsMonday.gif
CaptainItsMonday.gif
They need a project manager, or, depending on sector, a producer - someone who's goal is getting the damn thing out the door. They don't make the thing, they plan, liaise, coordinate, beg, and, when necessary, prod buttock.
This is dead on. The Chief of Staff is there to get government doing stuff.
Maybe this time they can get someone who has experience doing that sort of thing rather than a political strategist or an HR director.
Maybe this time they can get someone who has experience doing that sort of thing rather than a political strategist or an HR director.
I will stop going on about this soon, but it is striking how so many of the McSweeney people's lines to take a) describe things that aren't, in fact, the chief of staff's *job* and b) have no relation, good or bad, to what the government is actually *doing*.
February 8, 2026 at 9:03 PM
They need a project manager, or, depending on sector, a producer - someone who's goal is getting the damn thing out the door. They don't make the thing, they plan, liaise, coordinate, beg, and, when necessary, prod buttock.
The drone footage of the slalom at the winter Olympics makes it look like a next gen Horace goes skiing...
February 8, 2026 at 8:56 PM
The drone footage of the slalom at the winter Olympics makes it look like a next gen Horace goes skiing...
Books were strike with slop even before AI ( youtu.be/biYciU1uiUw ), so not surprised grifters have "embraced" AI.
February 8, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Books were strike with slop even before AI ( youtu.be/biYciU1uiUw ), so not surprised grifters have "embraced" AI.
Reposted by Neil Young
Right that the prime minister has resigned. His successor, Keir Starmer, has a very difficult inheritance.
Morgan McSweeney resigns as Downing Street chief of staff
Exit of Mandelson protégé comes as Sir Keir Starmer seeks to stave off leadership speculation
www.ft.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Right that the prime minister has resigned. His successor, Keir Starmer, has a very difficult inheritance.
YES!!!!!
Morgan McSweeney resigns as Downing Street chief of staff ft.trib.al/cPjBd1p
Morgan McSweeney resigns as Downing Street chief of staff
Exit of Mandelson protégé comes as Sir Keir Starmer seeks to stave off leadership speculation
ft.trib.al
February 8, 2026 at 2:29 PM
YES!!!!!
The problem with this argument is they don't *just* want to ditch him for that, but because he's a useless drip with no vision who's wasting a majority hiding under his desk from Reform.
Don't drop PM over Mandelson scandal, minister urges Labour MPs
Don't drop PM over Mandelson scandal, minister urges Labour MPs
Pat McFadden says Sir Keir Starmer made a mistake - but ditching him would destabilise the country.
www.bbc.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:18 PM
The problem with this argument is they don't *just* want to ditch him for that, but because he's a useless drip with no vision who's wasting a majority hiding under his desk from Reform.
I was moaning about sci fi getting orbital manoeuvring wrong the other day, as this is a good example of how it actually works: you leave a spacecraft in orbit, you are still in orbit, and in essentially the same orbit unless you significantly change velocity.
When I say "in orbit," I mean it literally.
McCandless spent one hour and 55 minutes untethered during this EVA. The orbital period of the shuttle was just over 90 minutes.
So Bruce McCandless completed more than a full orbit of Earth while outside of and disconnected from the space shuttle. (3/n)
McCandless spent one hour and 55 minutes untethered during this EVA. The orbital period of the shuttle was just over 90 minutes.
So Bruce McCandless completed more than a full orbit of Earth while outside of and disconnected from the space shuttle. (3/n)
February 7, 2026 at 10:58 PM
I was moaning about sci fi getting orbital manoeuvring wrong the other day, as this is a good example of how it actually works: you leave a spacecraft in orbit, you are still in orbit, and in essentially the same orbit unless you significantly change velocity.
I am just *furious* about this, and other countries wanting to follow suit. They ignore platforms, twitter is allowed to stay online, but they pick on kids because they're Dickensian luddites who think children should be seen and not heard, and anything more advanced than an abacus is Satan's work.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
‘I’ve lost my friends’: advocacy groups warn Australia’s social media ban risks isolating kids with disabilities
Despite the ban’s aim to protect young people, experts are concerned that those in marginalised communities or living with disabilities could lose vital support networks
www.theguardian.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:34 PM
I am just *furious* about this, and other countries wanting to follow suit. They ignore platforms, twitter is allowed to stay online, but they pick on kids because they're Dickensian luddites who think children should be seen and not heard, and anything more advanced than an abacus is Satan's work.
Now he's accusing his opponent of being a risk of chaos. CallMeDave is the *weirdest* roll model for him.
Starmer camp warns leadership challenge risks economic chaos ft.trib.al/3qxQM3t
Starmer camp warns leadership challenge risks economic chaos
Investors also signal concern at prospect of a more leftwing government
ft.trib.al
February 6, 2026 at 9:37 PM
Now he's accusing his opponent of being a risk of chaos. CallMeDave is the *weirdest* roll model for him.
Whole article worth a read (if a little "stop, he's already dead!"), but the bit that hits for me is "you outsource... the AI policy to Blair".
There are quite a few things I would see Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair as valued council on. Hype laden tech is not one of them, not ever.
There are quite a few things I would see Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair as valued council on. Hype laden tech is not one of them, not ever.
February 6, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Whole article worth a read (if a little "stop, he's already dead!"), but the bit that hits for me is "you outsource... the AI policy to Blair".
There are quite a few things I would see Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair as valued council on. Hype laden tech is not one of them, not ever.
There are quite a few things I would see Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair as valued council on. Hype laden tech is not one of them, not ever.
What about second coffee?
(That's not just for me, I'm making a pot, before anyone fears for my sleep patterns)
(That's not just for me, I'm making a pot, before anyone fears for my sleep patterns)
February 6, 2026 at 3:46 PM
What about second coffee?
(That's not just for me, I'm making a pot, before anyone fears for my sleep patterns)
(That's not just for me, I'm making a pot, before anyone fears for my sleep patterns)
Quite. It's absolutely essential in any democracy for the top 2 or 3 parties to be competent and viable in government, because realistically they're going to get in sooner or later.
👇 It's stunning the amount that this lesson has not yet sunk in. No, it is never 'good news' or 'not worth worrying about' if your opponent moves further away from you or becomes more extreme.
I think the problem with this approach is the power of US money rapidly makes them the only ideological show in town on the right, and then regardless of domestic opposition to MAGA, you are one bad economic run from them getting power.
February 6, 2026 at 2:22 PM
Quite. It's absolutely essential in any democracy for the top 2 or 3 parties to be competent and viable in government, because realistically they're going to get in sooner or later.
Reposted by Neil Young
And whoever comes after Starmer-Reeves is going to inherit two years of complete failure to grasp the nettle and do anything of a scale to fix the mess, because that might be unpopular (while ironically becoming increasingly unpopular).
February 6, 2026 at 1:42 PM
And whoever comes after Starmer-Reeves is going to inherit two years of complete failure to grasp the nettle and do anything of a scale to fix the mess, because that might be unpopular (while ironically becoming increasingly unpopular).
Reposted by Neil Young
How long does it take for a barista to earn enough money to buy a cappuccino in their own coffee shop? What does that tell us about different economies and coffee cultures around the world?
Work in a coffee shop? We'd love your input!
forms.gle/DZFThBdjWi1g...
Work in a coffee shop? We'd love your input!
forms.gle/DZFThBdjWi1g...
The Cappuccino Index Survey
Have you ever wondered how long you need to work to be able to buy one cappuccino from the café you work at? We did!
We are running this short survey to look at how barista wages compare to actual pr...
forms.gle
February 6, 2026 at 12:38 PM
How long does it take for a barista to earn enough money to buy a cappuccino in their own coffee shop? What does that tell us about different economies and coffee cultures around the world?
Work in a coffee shop? We'd love your input!
forms.gle/DZFThBdjWi1g...
Work in a coffee shop? We'd love your input!
forms.gle/DZFThBdjWi1g...
What the actual? This is the sort of driving that should just get you a lifetime ban.
While the protest was underway, Thames Valley Police issued several tickets to offenders – including one motorist who, when seeing the children wave their signs at him while he was parking on double yellows, mounted the pavement and drove towards them.
February 6, 2026 at 10:54 AM
What the actual? This is the sort of driving that should just get you a lifetime ban.
Reposted by Neil Young
(The unspoken extra defence is “that’s part of why we thought he’d get on with Trump” and for obvious reasons that doesn’t really help them either)
February 6, 2026 at 10:26 AM
(The unspoken extra defence is “that’s part of why we thought he’d get on with Trump” and for obvious reasons that doesn’t really help them either)
Reposted by Neil Young
At first I thought this table was a joke. But no, the proposals to restore the Houses of Parliament really are costed at a min of £8.4b and to take 19 yrs; max, £19.4b and 84 yrs. A normal country would go: that's absurd. Let's build a new one for a billion.
committees.parliament.uk/publications...
committees.parliament.uk/publications...
February 6, 2026 at 9:15 AM
At first I thought this table was a joke. But no, the proposals to restore the Houses of Parliament really are costed at a min of £8.4b and to take 19 yrs; max, £19.4b and 84 yrs. A normal country would go: that's absurd. Let's build a new one for a billion.
committees.parliament.uk/publications...
committees.parliament.uk/publications...