ben
@eskola.uk
Software engineer, socialist. London, but from up north. Learning Finnish.
Anti-AI, pro-human.
mostly cross posted from mastodon for now
https://eskola.uk
https://hachyderm.io/@benjamineskola
Anti-AI, pro-human.
mostly cross posted from mastodon for now
https://eskola.uk
https://hachyderm.io/@benjamineskola
Reposted by ben
do other terrorist groups get their accounts verified? just curious
✅ @icegov.bsky.social has been verified by @bsky.app.
January 17, 2026 at 12:40 AM
do other terrorist groups get their accounts verified? just curious
And foreign secretary in particular? Because there are no controversies in Blair's foreign policy.
January 17, 2026 at 9:35 AM
And foreign secretary in particular? Because there are no controversies in Blair's foreign policy.
I think this also applies to water/gas/electricity and the railways. Absolutely bizarre commitment to ‘markets’ at all costs even when it makes no sense and transparently doesn’t work.
January 16, 2026 at 9:24 PM
I think this also applies to water/gas/electricity and the railways. Absolutely bizarre commitment to ‘markets’ at all costs even when it makes no sense and transparently doesn’t work.
(unless the conclusion is that those people also aren’t good at programming. i couldn’t possibly comment.)
January 16, 2026 at 9:41 AM
(unless the conclusion is that those people also aren’t good at programming. i couldn’t possibly comment.)
Gell-Mann amnesia explanation is persuasive but doesn’t explain programmers who think ‘AI’ is good at programming
January 16, 2026 at 9:41 AM
Gell-Mann amnesia explanation is persuasive but doesn’t explain programmers who think ‘AI’ is good at programming
minor plus side is that while last year I had a bunch of issues using my Linux laptop for video calls, it’s all working smoothly this time around.
maybe Linux just didn’t want me learning Swedish
maybe Linux just didn’t want me learning Swedish
January 15, 2026 at 8:47 PM
minor plus side is that while last year I had a bunch of issues using my Linux laptop for video calls, it’s all working smoothly this time around.
maybe Linux just didn’t want me learning Swedish
maybe Linux just didn’t want me learning Swedish
Starting up #Finnish classes for the new term
Not helped by them being on the same day as I have to be in the office now, but never mind!
Not helped by them being on the same day as I have to be in the office now, but never mind!
January 15, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Starting up #Finnish classes for the new term
Not helped by them being on the same day as I have to be in the office now, but never mind!
Not helped by them being on the same day as I have to be in the office now, but never mind!
Reposted by ben
As always, 2 things can be true at once:
1. Any police force using AI to generate reports & evidence for their decisions should be disciplined & heads should roll
2. The ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was likely justified due to real risk of racist, violent hooliganism #r4today
1. Any police force using AI to generate reports & evidence for their decisions should be disciplined & heads should roll
2. The ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was likely justified due to real risk of racist, violent hooliganism #r4today
January 15, 2026 at 8:29 AM
As always, 2 things can be true at once:
1. Any police force using AI to generate reports & evidence for their decisions should be disciplined & heads should roll
2. The ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was likely justified due to real risk of racist, violent hooliganism #r4today
1. Any police force using AI to generate reports & evidence for their decisions should be disciplined & heads should roll
2. The ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was likely justified due to real risk of racist, violent hooliganism #r4today
It looks like £100/month is approximately $140 which is approximately 20,000 subscribers, apparently (1 email a day)
January 14, 2026 at 5:55 PM
It looks like £100/month is approximately $140 which is approximately 20,000 subscribers, apparently (1 email a day)
Buttondown gets a lot of praise but I don’t know how it compares price-wise.
January 14, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Buttondown gets a lot of praise but I don’t know how it compares price-wise.
Reposted by ben
'It found that using AI in education can "undermine children's foundational development" and that "the damages it has already caused are daunting," though "fixable."'
I hope @rweingarten.bsky.social and the AFT are paying attention. AI in education does NOT serve students.
I hope @rweingarten.bsky.social and the AFT are paying attention. AI in education does NOT serve students.
An invaluable new report. A "premortem" is exactly what we need.
The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits, report says
A new report warns that AI poses a serious threat to children's cognitive development and emotional well-being.
www.npr.org
January 14, 2026 at 1:38 PM
'It found that using AI in education can "undermine children's foundational development" and that "the damages it has already caused are daunting," though "fixable."'
I hope @rweingarten.bsky.social and the AFT are paying attention. AI in education does NOT serve students.
I hope @rweingarten.bsky.social and the AFT are paying attention. AI in education does NOT serve students.
And that's assuming the bus had even come on time, which I'd never rely on. (My usual bus journeys would be to/from east greenwich, and every route is usually so busy that I'd rather walk if at all possible.)
Cannot comprehend how reducing the number of buses would improve this situation.
Cannot comprehend how reducing the number of buses would improve this situation.
January 14, 2026 at 11:12 AM
And that's assuming the bus had even come on time, which I'd never rely on. (My usual bus journeys would be to/from east greenwich, and every route is usually so busy that I'd rather walk if at all possible.)
Cannot comprehend how reducing the number of buses would improve this situation.
Cannot comprehend how reducing the number of buses would improve this situation.
We had a 20 minute wait for a bus the other day — on the middle of a Saturday afternoon, which seems to me like it should be peak service time. Along Woolwich Road / Trafalgar Road, Charlton retail park etc so not exactly an out of the way area.
Back-to-back traffic in that time, too, of course.
Back-to-back traffic in that time, too, of course.
January 14, 2026 at 11:10 AM
We had a 20 minute wait for a bus the other day — on the middle of a Saturday afternoon, which seems to me like it should be peak service time. Along Woolwich Road / Trafalgar Road, Charlton retail park etc so not exactly an out of the way area.
Back-to-back traffic in that time, too, of course.
Back-to-back traffic in that time, too, of course.
cool, docker has chosen to enable brand new ai bullshit features on my work laptop after i specifically disabled all the existing ai bullshit features
January 14, 2026 at 10:34 AM
cool, docker has chosen to enable brand new ai bullshit features on my work laptop after i specifically disabled all the existing ai bullshit features
(It's possible that there are many times that it's adjusting it correctly, too, but obviously I don't notice those. But given that I don't seem to need much adjustment on the thinkpad, I can't believe that this is so complicated tha macos can't get it right.)
January 13, 2026 at 3:48 PM
(It's possible that there are many times that it's adjusting it correctly, too, but obviously I don't notice those. But given that I don't seem to need much adjustment on the thinkpad, I can't believe that this is so complicated tha macos can't get it right.)
They arrested someone and had a dog out, I think.
Can’t find anything on their website but it seems like only a tiny minority of incidents get publicised, unless I’m looking in the wrong place.
Can’t find anything on their website but it seems like only a tiny minority of incidents get publicised, unless I’m looking in the wrong place.
January 13, 2026 at 1:46 PM
They arrested someone and had a dog out, I think.
Can’t find anything on their website but it seems like only a tiny minority of incidents get publicised, unless I’m looking in the wrong place.
Can’t find anything on their website but it seems like only a tiny minority of incidents get publicised, unless I’m looking in the wrong place.
@murkydepths.bsky.social don’t suppose you know anything about armed police out in east Greenwich last night? Right outside our living room window.
January 13, 2026 at 11:36 AM
@murkydepths.bsky.social don’t suppose you know anything about armed police out in east Greenwich last night? Right outside our living room window.
only the royal society, i think
January 13, 2026 at 10:58 AM
only the royal society, i think
I can’t quite decide if Serkis is intentionally doing impressions of the actors from the film versions but his Bilbo sounds distinctly Ian Holm-ish.
January 13, 2026 at 9:10 AM
I can’t quite decide if Serkis is intentionally doing impressions of the actors from the film versions but his Bilbo sounds distinctly Ian Holm-ish.
incidentally audible is really heavily pushing its new Harry Potter versions, but fuck transphobes
January 13, 2026 at 8:04 AM
incidentally audible is really heavily pushing its new Harry Potter versions, but fuck transphobes
Anyway, I decided to give the Lord of the Rings a go and it’s been pretty enjoyable. It’s narrated by Andy Serkis, who’s pretty good at it: nice speaking voice, different voices for different characters, etc.
January 12, 2026 at 10:47 PM
Anyway, I decided to give the Lord of the Rings a go and it’s been pretty enjoyable. It’s narrated by Andy Serkis, who’s pretty good at it: nice speaking voice, different voices for different characters, etc.
There have already been a couple of different copies of it going around Mastodon
January 12, 2026 at 7:42 PM
There have already been a couple of different copies of it going around Mastodon
Even when we’d literally mentioned her name a minute or two before.
And just now I wanted to find a post by a particular person but had to just scroll back to find it because I couldn’t remember their name until I saw it written down.
And just now I wanted to find a post by a particular person but had to just scroll back to find it because I couldn’t remember their name until I saw it written down.
January 12, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Even when we’d literally mentioned her name a minute or two before.
And just now I wanted to find a post by a particular person but had to just scroll back to find it because I couldn’t remember their name until I saw it written down.
And just now I wanted to find a post by a particular person but had to just scroll back to find it because I couldn’t remember their name until I saw it written down.
A conversation about actors/directors earlier, and constantly having to say “… and she was married to that guy, you know the one, who directed all the films with her and that other guy in — oh and didn’t she go out with what’s his name at some point, you know…”.
January 12, 2026 at 5:28 PM
A conversation about actors/directors earlier, and constantly having to say “… and she was married to that guy, you know the one, who directed all the films with her and that other guy in — oh and didn’t she go out with what’s his name at some point, you know…”.
RE: https://hachyderm.io/@mitsuhiko/115881388398646100
honestly surprised that even 15% of people on mastodon will admit that LLMs generate most of their code
the llm shaming hasn’t gone far enough, clearly
honestly surprised that even 15% of people on mastodon will admit that LLMs generate most of their code
the llm shaming hasn’t gone far enough, clearly
Armin Ronacher (@mitsuhiko@hachyderm.io)
Attached: 2 images
The future is unevenly distributed.
hachyderm.io
January 12, 2026 at 3:34 PM
RE: https://hachyderm.io/@mitsuhiko/115881388398646100
honestly surprised that even 15% of people on mastodon will admit that LLMs generate most of their code
the llm shaming hasn’t gone far enough, clearly
honestly surprised that even 15% of people on mastodon will admit that LLMs generate most of their code
the llm shaming hasn’t gone far enough, clearly