Kirsty
@kirstynicol.bsky.social
I still love patchwork, I still hate custard and I still make a mean toffee apple. History, sleep support and who knows what else besides, all in beautiful East Lothian.
I know some parts of the internet would like to think Edinburgh in the autumn is all romantic and 'dark academia'.
Honestly.
It's chucking it down, people are coughing and it's only romantic if you have a thing for those see-through ponchos.....
Honestly.
It's chucking it down, people are coughing and it's only romantic if you have a thing for those see-through ponchos.....
November 18, 2025 at 4:48 PM
I know some parts of the internet would like to think Edinburgh in the autumn is all romantic and 'dark academia'.
Honestly.
It's chucking it down, people are coughing and it's only romantic if you have a thing for those see-through ponchos.....
Honestly.
It's chucking it down, people are coughing and it's only romantic if you have a thing for those see-through ponchos.....
Reposted by Kirsty
To paraphrase: they know they shouldn’t have included AI answers at the top of search and that it is rapidly devaluing the whole brand, and that other AI tools are better at that job too, but they can’t just remove it because it would be an admission of failure?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Don't blindly trust what AI tells you, Google boss tells BBC
Sundar Pichai candidly acknowledged concerns about inaccurate answers generated by Google's models.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 18, 2025 at 8:11 AM
To paraphrase: they know they shouldn’t have included AI answers at the top of search and that it is rapidly devaluing the whole brand, and that other AI tools are better at that job too, but they can’t just remove it because it would be an admission of failure?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Kirsty
As a vision impaired person, I cannot access my local news page due to this (illustratedon post below - a page covered by pop ups and fast moving ads that obscure text and cannot be closed unless you chase the X). If I do get past the pop ups, the page doesn’t have dynamic text or high contrast
This has become the normal ‘local news website’ reading experience.
November 17, 2025 at 9:32 PM
As a vision impaired person, I cannot access my local news page due to this (illustratedon post below - a page covered by pop ups and fast moving ads that obscure text and cannot be closed unless you chase the X). If I do get past the pop ups, the page doesn’t have dynamic text or high contrast
Reposted by Kirsty
Without asylum:
Marks and Spencer wouldn't exist
Queen would have been without a front man
The other queen wouldn't have had a husband
Judith Kerr would never have written The Tiger Who Came to Tea
And thousands of less famous people wouldn't have been teachers, politicians, neighbours, etc
Marks and Spencer wouldn't exist
Queen would have been without a front man
The other queen wouldn't have had a husband
Judith Kerr would never have written The Tiger Who Came to Tea
And thousands of less famous people wouldn't have been teachers, politicians, neighbours, etc
November 15, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Without asylum:
Marks and Spencer wouldn't exist
Queen would have been without a front man
The other queen wouldn't have had a husband
Judith Kerr would never have written The Tiger Who Came to Tea
And thousands of less famous people wouldn't have been teachers, politicians, neighbours, etc
Marks and Spencer wouldn't exist
Queen would have been without a front man
The other queen wouldn't have had a husband
Judith Kerr would never have written The Tiger Who Came to Tea
And thousands of less famous people wouldn't have been teachers, politicians, neighbours, etc
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
GF's name is a hissing in the darkness and the two decades I worked to undo her damage were well spent.
GF's name is a hissing in the darkness and the two decades I worked to undo her damage were well spent.
Who to prioritise, my partner or my baby? It’s a no-brainer | Polly Hudson
Parenting guru Gina Ford believes bending over backwards to please your children puts your marriage at risk. Sorry, Gina, but I’m not on board, writes Polly Hudson
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:02 AM
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
GF's name is a hissing in the darkness and the two decades I worked to undo her damage were well spent.
GF's name is a hissing in the darkness and the two decades I worked to undo her damage were well spent.
Reposted by Kirsty
Okay, I can't let this one go. I live in Ireland, not the UK, but the use of this image by a supposedly socialist party is so stupid and offensive, I'm going to get stuck in.
Let me explain to you why any experienced illustrator/designer could have stopped you making so many miserable mistakes. 1/
Let me explain to you why any experienced illustrator/designer could have stopped you making so many miserable mistakes. 1/
November 15, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Okay, I can't let this one go. I live in Ireland, not the UK, but the use of this image by a supposedly socialist party is so stupid and offensive, I'm going to get stuck in.
Let me explain to you why any experienced illustrator/designer could have stopped you making so many miserable mistakes. 1/
Let me explain to you why any experienced illustrator/designer could have stopped you making so many miserable mistakes. 1/
www.bbc.co.uk/writers/blog...
Not as insightful as it could be. Imo, cosy minimises the horror and maximises the restoration of order (which is explored here).
And Wimsey as cosy? Debatable. That's kinda the point of the early Wimseys especially. Don't get me started on Gaudy Night....
Not as insightful as it could be. Imo, cosy minimises the horror and maximises the restoration of order (which is explored here).
And Wimsey as cosy? Debatable. That's kinda the point of the early Wimseys especially. Don't get me started on Gaudy Night....
Writing the Detectives: What Makes Crime Cosy?
What puts the cosy into crime? And why do we love it so much?
www.bbc.co.uk
November 9, 2025 at 11:18 AM
www.bbc.co.uk/writers/blog...
Not as insightful as it could be. Imo, cosy minimises the horror and maximises the restoration of order (which is explored here).
And Wimsey as cosy? Debatable. That's kinda the point of the early Wimseys especially. Don't get me started on Gaudy Night....
Not as insightful as it could be. Imo, cosy minimises the horror and maximises the restoration of order (which is explored here).
And Wimsey as cosy? Debatable. That's kinda the point of the early Wimseys especially. Don't get me started on Gaudy Night....
Reposted by Kirsty
The old proxies for trustworthiness no longer work.
Some thoughts on information in the Information Age
My dad called me yesterday. He received an invoice in an email for $899 for something he didn't remember ever ordering, and it upset him pretty badly. Fortunately, I've worked very hard over the years to educate him about scams, so he calls me before he does anything like call a number or click a…
tacit.livejournal.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:45 PM
The old proxies for trustworthiness no longer work.
Reposted by Kirsty
Some brave souls choose to face the feare of failure and the terror of a blanke page. Thrugh harde worke and luck thei come back wyth storyes that bringe us mirthe, or horror, or thrilles, or beautye, or wisdom, or delighteful surreal confusioun. Gen A.I. ys nothinge lyke that. Long live artists.
November 8, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Some brave souls choose to face the feare of failure and the terror of a blanke page. Thrugh harde worke and luck thei come back wyth storyes that bringe us mirthe, or horror, or thrilles, or beautye, or wisdom, or delighteful surreal confusioun. Gen A.I. ys nothinge lyke that. Long live artists.
It's all very well talking about the first Christmas trees, but it's not the festive season until I have reached for the switch on radio or tv because a celebrity is being interviewed about the publication of their new children's book.
November 7, 2025 at 9:02 AM
It's all very well talking about the first Christmas trees, but it's not the festive season until I have reached for the switch on radio or tv because a celebrity is being interviewed about the publication of their new children's book.
Reposted by Kirsty
Sharing this again. It's from four years ago, and censorship continues to rear its ugly head. Thank you, Meg, for stating this so well.
November 6, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Sharing this again. It's from four years ago, and censorship continues to rear its ugly head. Thank you, Meg, for stating this so well.
Gotta say: too many knitting patterns expect you to add crochet to the mix....
The shocking knitting scandal rocking Shetland deserves more attention. It's got everything - Fair Isle tank tops, cutting, "peeries", needle lengths, yarn thickness, and most controversially, crochet. 🐑 🐑
I don't know what Tom Daley is looking so smug about.
I don't know what Tom Daley is looking so smug about.
Shetland knitting group ‘shocked and saddened’ by representation in Channel 4 show
A GROUP protecting Shetland’s knitting heritage has criticised a new Channel 4 show for spreading “negative misconceptions about Fair Isle knitting...
www.shetnews.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Gotta say: too many knitting patterns expect you to add crochet to the mix....
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
One person isn't a 'dump culture'. One person is someone with a small car doing a house clearance. Someone bereaved. An older person or a woman of the 'sandwich generation'. Someone who needs support and compassion, not pillorying.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
One person isn't a 'dump culture'. One person is someone with a small car doing a house clearance. Someone bereaved. An older person or a woman of the 'sandwich generation'. Someone who needs support and compassion, not pillorying.
Customer booked 247 Dumfries and Galloway recycling centre visits
Dumfries and Galloway Council is now considering imposing a limit on the number of visits.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 11:19 AM
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
One person isn't a 'dump culture'. One person is someone with a small car doing a house clearance. Someone bereaved. An older person or a woman of the 'sandwich generation'. Someone who needs support and compassion, not pillorying.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
One person isn't a 'dump culture'. One person is someone with a small car doing a house clearance. Someone bereaved. An older person or a woman of the 'sandwich generation'. Someone who needs support and compassion, not pillorying.
Reposted by Kirsty
Such a mystery, what MASS DISABLING EVENT could have happened after 2019 to cause this?
The number of people aged between 16 and 34 who are out of work due to long-term sickness increased by 76% between 2019 and 2024
UK ‘sliding into avoidable crisis’, major review into workplace sickness warns
The number of people aged between 16 and 34 who are out of work due to long-term sickness increased by 76% between 2019 and 2024
www.independent.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Such a mystery, what MASS DISABLING EVENT could have happened after 2019 to cause this?
Reposted by Kirsty
Britain is not in the grip of mass violence.
The Cambridgeshire train stabbings were horrific - and incredibly rare.
Your odds of being attacked by a stranger are much lower than they were.
Here's the facts! 👇
www.owenjones.news/p/britain-is...
The Cambridgeshire train stabbings were horrific - and incredibly rare.
Your odds of being attacked by a stranger are much lower than they were.
Here's the facts! 👇
www.owenjones.news/p/britain-is...
Britain isn't in the grip of mass violence
The far right are trying to whip up fear and panic with lies
www.owenjones.news
November 3, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Britain is not in the grip of mass violence.
The Cambridgeshire train stabbings were horrific - and incredibly rare.
Your odds of being attacked by a stranger are much lower than they were.
Here's the facts! 👇
www.owenjones.news/p/britain-is...
The Cambridgeshire train stabbings were horrific - and incredibly rare.
Your odds of being attacked by a stranger are much lower than they were.
Here's the facts! 👇
www.owenjones.news/p/britain-is...
Reposted by Kirsty
As a biologist, It really is a great analogy. Also trees. It's like saying, "There are trees and grass, you have to be one or the other." Ok... where is the line that defines "is a tree?" what about bush-like grasses? Palm trees? NON-tree palms? What about horsetails and their tree-like ancestors?
November 2, 2025 at 6:19 PM
As a biologist, It really is a great analogy. Also trees. It's like saying, "There are trees and grass, you have to be one or the other." Ok... where is the line that defines "is a tree?" what about bush-like grasses? Palm trees? NON-tree palms? What about horsetails and their tree-like ancestors?
Reposted by Kirsty
Under threat: Musselburgh’s Brunton Halls — a modern Scottish architectural landmark — faces demolition after dangerous RAAC was found in its roof.
But this material issue shouldn’t erase an architectural masterpiece.
Read why we think it must be saved buff.ly/Mydkqqw
But this material issue shouldn’t erase an architectural masterpiece.
Read why we think it must be saved buff.ly/Mydkqqw
October 23, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Under threat: Musselburgh’s Brunton Halls — a modern Scottish architectural landmark — faces demolition after dangerous RAAC was found in its roof.
But this material issue shouldn’t erase an architectural masterpiece.
Read why we think it must be saved buff.ly/Mydkqqw
But this material issue shouldn’t erase an architectural masterpiece.
Read why we think it must be saved buff.ly/Mydkqqw
Somewhere in East Lothian, a bit north of Pencaitland..
November 2, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Somewhere in East Lothian, a bit north of Pencaitland..
Too many things to hate about this....
October 29, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Too many things to hate about this....
Reposted by Kirsty
Sexist headline of the week.
A work by Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh has been sold at auction and a Scottish newspaper decided to report this by referring to her as ‘wife of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’.
A work by Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh has been sold at auction and a Scottish newspaper decided to report this by referring to her as ‘wife of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’.
October 20, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Sexist headline of the week.
A work by Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh has been sold at auction and a Scottish newspaper decided to report this by referring to her as ‘wife of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’.
A work by Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh has been sold at auction and a Scottish newspaper decided to report this by referring to her as ‘wife of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’.
Reposted by Kirsty
Public service announcement: The purpose of adverts isn't to accurately reflect society, it's to sell things.
October 26, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Public service announcement: The purpose of adverts isn't to accurately reflect society, it's to sell things.
Dunbar and North Berwick are towns that enjoy both train stations and multiple bus routes. I hope there will be options for towns and villages that are less well-served?
www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/2555796...
www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/2555796...
Council launches scheme to provide free loans of electric cargo bikes
A new scheme has been introduced to provide free loans of electric cargo bikes to families across East Lothian.
www.eastlothiancourier.com
October 26, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Dunbar and North Berwick are towns that enjoy both train stations and multiple bus routes. I hope there will be options for towns and villages that are less well-served?
www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/2555796...
www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/2555796...
And I always said that chemistry was my least useful O level....
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
October 25, 2025 at 8:07 PM
And I always said that chemistry was my least useful O level....
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Reposted by Kirsty
Yay. Priceless. The right column at the right time. And a gleefully English two fingers to the haters.
October 25, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Yay. Priceless. The right column at the right time. And a gleefully English two fingers to the haters.
Every.Single.Word.Of.This.
I considered writing a long carefully constructed argument laying out the harms and limitations of AI, but instead I wrote about being a hater. Only humans can be haters.
I Am An AI Hater
I am an AI hater. This is considered rude, but I do not care, because I am a hater.
anthonymoser.github.io
October 25, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Every.Single.Word.Of.This.