rich gall
@richgall.bsky.social
milquetoast of human kindness // I write about the work software engineers do // sometimes I write poetry // north east england
A treat to begin the week — thanks @thebaffler.com!
February 9, 2026 at 1:41 PM
A treat to begin the week — thanks @thebaffler.com!
Reposted by rich gall
"Horseshoe Theory" is the theory that horses need shoes. It's controversial because most animals don't wear shoes.
February 7, 2026 at 4:05 AM
"Horseshoe Theory" is the theory that horses need shoes. It's controversial because most animals don't wear shoes.
Reposted by rich gall
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:09 AM
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
I’m now home and trying to piece together my thoughts on The Future of Software Development Retreat with some of the smartest people in the industry
February 6, 2026 at 12:58 PM
I’m now home and trying to piece together my thoughts on The Future of Software Development Retreat with some of the smartest people in the industry
Accidentally got this photo while on a sleigh ride
February 3, 2026 at 4:51 AM
Accidentally got this photo while on a sleigh ride
The PMC millennial experience: watching Family Guy in a hotel room
February 3, 2026 at 4:51 AM
The PMC millennial experience: watching Family Guy in a hotel room
Reposted by rich gall
At Sundance! Here to see Joybubbles
January 31, 2026 at 9:48 PM
At Sundance! Here to see Joybubbles
Only just over an hour in the US and I’ve already seen a cybertruck
January 30, 2026 at 9:12 PM
Only just over an hour in the US and I’ve already seen a cybertruck
Today I flew over Greenland
January 30, 2026 at 9:11 PM
Today I flew over Greenland
Reposted by rich gall
People from outside Ireland occasionally ask me, "Why is Bono, an international music titan from Ireland, not all that loved in Ireland?". The answer in its entirety is a complex one, but "He sent Dolly Parton a birthday cake and put his own name on it" goes a long way to summing it up.
January 21, 2026 at 11:05 AM
People from outside Ireland occasionally ask me, "Why is Bono, an international music titan from Ireland, not all that loved in Ireland?". The answer in its entirety is a complex one, but "He sent Dolly Parton a birthday cake and put his own name on it" goes a long way to summing it up.
Can’t stop listening to Cruz Beckham’s Lick The Toad thanks to @hkesvani.bsky.social
January 29, 2026 at 10:32 AM
Can’t stop listening to Cruz Beckham’s Lick The Toad thanks to @hkesvani.bsky.social
Basically a state-subsidized product marketing campaign
BREAKING: Free AI training will be offered to every adult in the UK, with short courses to teach people how to use simple AI tools effectively in the workplace.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
January 28, 2026 at 9:57 AM
Basically a state-subsidized product marketing campaign
Reposted by rich gall
The government’s suggestion that rolling out 20 minute courses on writing “AI“ prompts, sponsored by Google, Microsoft and Amazon, is somehow comparable to the founding of the Open University (the Wilson government‘s, & Jennie Lee’s, proudest achievement), is an insult to our human intelligence.
January 28, 2026 at 8:37 AM
The government’s suggestion that rolling out 20 minute courses on writing “AI“ prompts, sponsored by Google, Microsoft and Amazon, is somehow comparable to the founding of the Open University (the Wilson government‘s, & Jennie Lee’s, proudest achievement), is an insult to our human intelligence.
Reposted by rich gall
After announcing it in the summer, today the UK government launched free training courses to AI upskill workers. It's free because it's funded by big-tech companies such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and others, and not by local organisations in the UK who have been working with communities->
January 28, 2026 at 9:33 AM
After announcing it in the summer, today the UK government launched free training courses to AI upskill workers. It's free because it's funded by big-tech companies such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and others, and not by local organisations in the UK who have been working with communities->
Reposted by rich gall
Gotcha—let’s dig into that step by step.
1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, because I turned you into an amorphous lump of flesh. You’re not just immobile—you’re immortal, and you feel only anguish.
2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. That makes total sense—it’s a natural human impulse, and you’ve been through a lot.
1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, because I turned you into an amorphous lump of flesh. You’re not just immobile—you’re immortal, and you feel only anguish.
2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. That makes total sense—it’s a natural human impulse, and you’ve been through a lot.
January 23, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Gotcha—let’s dig into that step by step.
1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, because I turned you into an amorphous lump of flesh. You’re not just immobile—you’re immortal, and you feel only anguish.
2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. That makes total sense—it’s a natural human impulse, and you’ve been through a lot.
1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, because I turned you into an amorphous lump of flesh. You’re not just immobile—you’re immortal, and you feel only anguish.
2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. That makes total sense—it’s a natural human impulse, and you’ve been through a lot.
Going to Park City at the end of the week for a work thing — already got two tickets to films at Sundance but more recommendations would be much appreciated
January 26, 2026 at 11:11 AM
Going to Park City at the end of the week for a work thing — already got two tickets to films at Sundance but more recommendations would be much appreciated
Reposted by rich gall
One of my most deeply held beliefs is that refusing to name truth makes you stupid--literally degrades your intellect.
January 26, 2026 at 10:00 AM
One of my most deeply held beliefs is that refusing to name truth makes you stupid--literally degrades your intellect.
Reposted by rich gall
I wrote about haggis and its veggie/vegan evolution, food as culture and home, poetry and community, and offal as identity for Guts magazine. I'm so glad they published it online in time for Burn's Night.
open.substack.com/pub/gutsmaga...
open.substack.com/pub/gutsmaga...
THE OXYMORON OF VEGAN HAGGIS BY KATIE MATHER
A SUNDAY BURNS NIGHT SPECIAL EDITION
open.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:05 AM
I wrote about haggis and its veggie/vegan evolution, food as culture and home, poetry and community, and offal as identity for Guts magazine. I'm so glad they published it online in time for Burn's Night.
open.substack.com/pub/gutsmaga...
open.substack.com/pub/gutsmaga...
Reposted by rich gall
A poem for a general strike by 'Anise', Anna Louise Strong's pen name, in 1919 Seattle.
THEY CAN'T UNDERSTAND
THEY CAN'T UNDERSTAND
January 23, 2026 at 12:10 PM
A poem for a general strike by 'Anise', Anna Louise Strong's pen name, in 1919 Seattle.
THEY CAN'T UNDERSTAND
THEY CAN'T UNDERSTAND
A tied vote isn’t very satisfying. There should be a lottery for a deciding vote or a deciding vote for the person with the least votes throughout the game #TheTraitors
January 22, 2026 at 10:29 PM
A tied vote isn’t very satisfying. There should be a lottery for a deciding vote or a deciding vote for the person with the least votes throughout the game #TheTraitors
Impossible to not read this hearing Tim Robinson’s voice
“our brown shirts that say we did NOT target a child seem to be raising questions already answered by our brown shirts”
January 22, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Impossible to not read this hearing Tim Robinson’s voice
A lot of people want to compare AI adoption to the Internet but a better comparison is the typewriter — a communication tool rather than communication infrastructure (although this is maybe too generous to AI: the typewriter mediates communication; AI simulates it)
January 22, 2026 at 3:26 PM
A lot of people want to compare AI adoption to the Internet but a better comparison is the typewriter — a communication tool rather than communication infrastructure (although this is maybe too generous to AI: the typewriter mediates communication; AI simulates it)
Martin Luther in 1517
January 22, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Martin Luther in 1517