Alex
@stsquad.bsky.social
Code poet and real ale aficionado. Actually on mastodon (@stsquad@mastodon.org.uk) which you can see here via @stsquad.mastodon.org.uk.ap.brid.gy thanks to fed.brid.gy.
Reposted by Alex
Nigel Farage has spent £1m taking out adverts in the papers to distract from the Nathan Gill Russian bribe scandal.
We can't let him buy himself out of this. We need an investigation into Russian influence in our politics.
We can't let him buy himself out of this. We need an investigation into Russian influence in our politics.
November 27, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Nigel Farage has spent £1m taking out adverts in the papers to distract from the Nathan Gill Russian bribe scandal.
We can't let him buy himself out of this. We need an investigation into Russian influence in our politics.
We can't let him buy himself out of this. We need an investigation into Russian influence in our politics.
Reposted by Alex
Oh how does this keep happening to #reform? They really must be very unlucky to have so many wrong-uns in their ranks. Gill was the party leader in #wales : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c891403eddet
#politics #cymru
#politics #cymru
November 21, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Oh how does this keep happening to #reform? They really must be very unlucky to have so many wrong-uns in their ranks. Gill was the party leader in #wales : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c891403eddet
#politics #cymru
#politics #cymru
Reposted by Alex
It may be cold 🥶 but it is very bright 😎.
November 21, 2025 at 9:51 AM
It may be cold 🥶 but it is very bright 😎.
Reposted by Alex
The HPV vaccine is so good that opportunities to teach colposcopy and LEEP are decreasing because there is far less need.
Yay!
Yay!
I never tire of seeing the amazing success of HPV vaccination. We are seeing the elimination of a leading oncogenic virus pathogen in real time
(Source: GAVI)
www.gavi.org/vaccineswork...
(Source: GAVI)
www.gavi.org/vaccineswork...
November 18, 2025 at 3:05 PM
The HPV vaccine is so good that opportunities to teach colposcopy and LEEP are decreasing because there is far less need.
Yay!
Yay!
Reposted by Alex
Ok @hankgreen.bsky.social is my anger translator regarding stupid controversies about Jimmy Wales and @wikipedia.org. I was going to say something, but Hank says everything I would have said here.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zi0...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zi0...
Wikipedia and the Destruction of Trust
YouTube video by Hank Green
www.youtube.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Ok @hankgreen.bsky.social is my anger translator regarding stupid controversies about Jimmy Wales and @wikipedia.org. I was going to say something, but Hank says everything I would have said here.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zi0...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zi0...
Reposted by Alex
This a big deal: "China’s carbon dioxide emissions have been flat or falling for 18 months"
China's economy has grown by ~5% in the last year, so this comprehensively debunks the idea (again) that emissions are tied to growth. So yes, faster progress needed, but this is how you turn the corner.
China's economy has grown by ~5% in the last year, so this comprehensively debunks the idea (again) that emissions are tied to growth. So yes, faster progress needed, but this is how you turn the corner.
China’s CO2 emissions have been flat or falling for past 18 months, analysis finds
World’s biggest polluter on track to hit peak emissions target early but miss goal for cutting carbon intensity
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:20 AM
This a big deal: "China’s carbon dioxide emissions have been flat or falling for 18 months"
China's economy has grown by ~5% in the last year, so this comprehensively debunks the idea (again) that emissions are tied to growth. So yes, faster progress needed, but this is how you turn the corner.
China's economy has grown by ~5% in the last year, so this comprehensively debunks the idea (again) that emissions are tied to growth. So yes, faster progress needed, but this is how you turn the corner.
Reposted by Alex
I wasn't expecting #qemu to get name checked in a @hossenfelder.bsky.social #video but there you go. Despite spending quite a lot of time experimenting with #ai tools I too get irritated by the defaults as big tech tries to enable it everywhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICjubxfeICo
November 8, 2025 at 6:25 PM
I wasn't expecting #qemu to get name checked in a @hossenfelder.bsky.social #video but there you go. Despite spending quite a lot of time experimenting with #ai tools I too get irritated by the defaults as big tech tries to enable it everywhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICjubxfeICo
Reposted by Alex
Dear #lazyweb,
It turns out I'm one of only a few people who are using the #znc #irc bouncer at work. As a result I'm looking for hosted bouncers. So far I've found #irccloud and #irctoday. Are there any other hosted options I should look at? I'm tempted by irccloud if the #slack integration […]
It turns out I'm one of only a few people who are using the #znc #irc bouncer at work. As a result I'm looking for hosted bouncers. So far I've found #irccloud and #irctoday. Are there any other hosted options I should look at? I'm tempted by irccloud if the #slack integration […]
Original post on mastodon.org.uk
mastodon.org.uk
October 28, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Reposted by Alex
I wonder if Amazon have tried turning it off and on again?
October 20, 2025 at 8:38 AM
I wonder if Amazon have tried turning it off and on again?
Reposted by Alex
We’ve spotted several videos on social media claiming that the government is introducing a £10 charge for NHS GP appointments from next month.
This is false.
This is false.
The government isn’t introducing a £10 charge for GP appointments – Full Fact
Videos circulating on social media claim that from November it will cost £10 to see an NHS GP, with a £30 fine for missing an appointment.
fullfact.org
October 17, 2025 at 1:01 PM
We’ve spotted several videos on social media claiming that the government is introducing a £10 charge for NHS GP appointments from next month.
This is false.
This is false.
Reposted by Alex
This is a lie.
There are many criticisms you might sensibly and truthfully make of the Sentencing Council and the Sentencing Guidelines. I’ve been making them for years.
But this is an outright lie. Pure fabrication. A fraud on the public.
There are many criticisms you might sensibly and truthfully make of the Sentencing Council and the Sentencing Guidelines. I’ve been making them for years.
But this is an outright lie. Pure fabrication. A fraud on the public.
October 7, 2025 at 8:03 AM
This is a lie.
There are many criticisms you might sensibly and truthfully make of the Sentencing Council and the Sentencing Guidelines. I’ve been making them for years.
But this is an outright lie. Pure fabrication. A fraud on the public.
There are many criticisms you might sensibly and truthfully make of the Sentencing Council and the Sentencing Guidelines. I’ve been making them for years.
But this is an outright lie. Pure fabrication. A fraud on the public.
Reposted by Alex
as a girl with a PhD in natural language processing and machine learning it's actually offensive to me when you say "we don't know how LLMs work so they might be conscious"
I didn't spend 10 years in mines of academia to be told ignorance is morally equal knowledge.
We know exactly how LLMs work.
I didn't spend 10 years in mines of academia to be told ignorance is morally equal knowledge.
We know exactly how LLMs work.
October 4, 2025 at 10:23 PM
as a girl with a PhD in natural language processing and machine learning it's actually offensive to me when you say "we don't know how LLMs work so they might be conscious"
I didn't spend 10 years in mines of academia to be told ignorance is morally equal knowledge.
We know exactly how LLMs work.
I didn't spend 10 years in mines of academia to be told ignorance is morally equal knowledge.
We know exactly how LLMs work.
Reposted by Alex
Anyone who thinks promoting a vicious racist conspiracist like Robinson is good for Jews has lost any grip on reality
October 3, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Anyone who thinks promoting a vicious racist conspiracist like Robinson is good for Jews has lost any grip on reality
Reposted by Alex
This captures much of the frustration of today.
September 27, 2025 at 9:15 PM
This captures much of the frustration of today.
Reposted by Alex
After a deep dive down a cooking rabbit hole I've decided the instructions "combine the butter and brown sugar in a pan and heat until bubbling. Set aside to cool" is far too imprecise for recipes involving boiling sugar.
September 28, 2025 at 2:53 PM
After a deep dive down a cooking rabbit hole I've decided the instructions "combine the butter and brown sugar in a pan and heat until bubbling. Set aside to cool" is far too imprecise for recipes involving boiling sugar.
Reposted by Alex
I would hope most of my followers are already pretty skeptical of #rfkjr's autism claims. The internet's #hankgreen has done a deep dive into one of the bogus claims if you want to see how the lie was constructed:
Lying About Autism is a Full Time Job - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdpSfrD3Nzs
Lying About Autism is a Full Time Job - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdpSfrD3Nzs
September 27, 2025 at 2:23 PM
I would hope most of my followers are already pretty skeptical of #rfkjr's autism claims. The internet's #hankgreen has done a deep dive into one of the bogus claims if you want to see how the lie was constructed:
Lying About Autism is a Full Time Job - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdpSfrD3Nzs
Lying About Autism is a Full Time Job - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdpSfrD3Nzs
Reposted by Alex
In discussion with a computer scientist from the University of Cambridge last night:
Me: "you've described some of the things that AI is good at. How would you describe the category of things it's not good at?
**pause**
Him: "Anything where it has to be right".
Me: "you've described some of the things that AI is good at. How would you describe the category of things it's not good at?
**pause**
Him: "Anything where it has to be right".
September 26, 2025 at 5:14 PM
In discussion with a computer scientist from the University of Cambridge last night:
Me: "you've described some of the things that AI is good at. How would you describe the category of things it's not good at?
**pause**
Him: "Anything where it has to be right".
Me: "you've described some of the things that AI is good at. How would you describe the category of things it's not good at?
**pause**
Him: "Anything where it has to be right".
Reposted by Alex
This week’s main story is about ABC’s move to pull Jimmy Kimmel off the air, what it has to do with Brendan Carr and the FCC, what it means for free speech in the United States, and why it’s all giving Donald Trump such sweet dreams you could break his bedsheets.
September 22, 2025 at 5:01 PM
This week’s main story is about ABC’s move to pull Jimmy Kimmel off the air, what it has to do with Brendan Carr and the FCC, what it means for free speech in the United States, and why it’s all giving Donald Trump such sweet dreams you could break his bedsheets.
Reposted by Alex
So, given all that, what do general purpose VPNs add? What am I missing? Are they just security theater marketing? Or do they bundle other security features like anti-malware etc, and the term "VPN" now means a bundle of miscellaneous endpoint security features, like (shudder) anti-virus used to?
September 16, 2025 at 4:09 AM
So, given all that, what do general purpose VPNs add? What am I missing? Are they just security theater marketing? Or do they bundle other security features like anti-malware etc, and the term "VPN" now means a bundle of miscellaneous endpoint security features, like (shudder) anti-virus used to?
Reposted by Alex
This may explain why there’s an aggressive response to people who merely post Kirk’s own words. It threatens the existence of the alternate Kirk - the motivational speaker that had been marketed to young kids and white Christian groups through selective quotation & clips.
September 14, 2025 at 12:55 PM
This may explain why there’s an aggressive response to people who merely post Kirk’s own words. It threatens the existence of the alternate Kirk - the motivational speaker that had been marketed to young kids and white Christian groups through selective quotation & clips.
Reposted by Alex
Adjusted for inflation Spirited Away cost $22 million to make. The Triplets of Belleville cost $16.5 million, Cartoon Saloon's Wolfwalkers cost $14.28 million, and Oscar winner Flow cost only $4 million. These critically acclaimed, made by real people films, cost less than this pile of actual vomit.
OpenAI confirms they're helping make an AI-generated movie called 'Critterz'
• Goal is to finish production in 9 months
• Budget is ~$30M
• Plan is to debut the film at Canne
• 'Paddington 3' writers penned the script
• Art will be fed into Chat GPT 5 and other image models
(via WSJ)
• Goal is to finish production in 9 months
• Budget is ~$30M
• Plan is to debut the film at Canne
• 'Paddington 3' writers penned the script
• Art will be fed into Chat GPT 5 and other image models
(via WSJ)
September 9, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Adjusted for inflation Spirited Away cost $22 million to make. The Triplets of Belleville cost $16.5 million, Cartoon Saloon's Wolfwalkers cost $14.28 million, and Oscar winner Flow cost only $4 million. These critically acclaimed, made by real people films, cost less than this pile of actual vomit.
Reposted by Alex
🎉 Home Assistant 2025.9 is here... and it's MASSIVE!
www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/09...
A sidebar for the automation editor 🤖, tons of new tile card features 📈, a brand new Home dashboard ✨, analog clocks 🕘, storage insights 💾, and much more!
#HomeAssistant
www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/09...
A sidebar for the automation editor 🤖, tons of new tile card features 📈, a brand new Home dashboard ✨, analog clocks 🕘, storage insights 💾, and much more!
#HomeAssistant
September 3, 2025 at 6:33 PM
🎉 Home Assistant 2025.9 is here... and it's MASSIVE!
www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/09...
A sidebar for the automation editor 🤖, tons of new tile card features 📈, a brand new Home dashboard ✨, analog clocks 🕘, storage insights 💾, and much more!
#HomeAssistant
www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/09...
A sidebar for the automation editor 🤖, tons of new tile card features 📈, a brand new Home dashboard ✨, analog clocks 🕘, storage insights 💾, and much more!
#HomeAssistant