Thomas Rushton
@thomasrushton.bsky.social
Classical double bassist - lots of chamber music, orchestral, and operatic experience - always looking for more musical fun; occasional oboist & cellist ditto.
SQL Server DBA, working for Coeo.com supporting many clients and the team.
Leeds, UK
SQL Server DBA, working for Coeo.com supporting many clients and the team.
Leeds, UK
I've written another thing for the corporate blog - www.coeo.com/2026/01/azur...
It's not quite what I originally submitted. You can read that on my personal blog at thelonedba.wordpress.com/2026/01/27/a... and play spot the difference...
#Azure #CostManagement #GeoPolitics #InterestingTimes
It's not quite what I originally submitted. You can read that on my personal blog at thelonedba.wordpress.com/2026/01/27/a... and play spot the difference...
#Azure #CostManagement #GeoPolitics #InterestingTimes
Azure Pricing in Interesting Times - Coeo
We are currently living in “Interesting Times”. While this may be good news for journalists and the 24x7 rolling news cycle, it’s not necessarily good news for those of us who use Azure.
www.coeo.com
January 27, 2026 at 9:26 AM
I've written another thing for the corporate blog - www.coeo.com/2026/01/azur...
It's not quite what I originally submitted. You can read that on my personal blog at thelonedba.wordpress.com/2026/01/27/a... and play spot the difference...
#Azure #CostManagement #GeoPolitics #InterestingTimes
It's not quite what I originally submitted. You can read that on my personal blog at thelonedba.wordpress.com/2026/01/27/a... and play spot the difference...
#Azure #CostManagement #GeoPolitics #InterestingTimes
Murder on the Leyton Orient Team Bus?
On Her Majesty’s Rail Replacement Bus Service.
Road transport replaces trains between ##Liskeard and ##Looe: disruption expected until at least the end of the day Monday 26 January
January 24, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Murder on the Leyton Orient Team Bus?
In other news, I have had to uninstall two apps as they're no longer supported on my phone - which isn't even ten years old.
@theguardian.com and LinkedIn - shame on you both. OK, I can cope happily without the latter, but to not have the grauniad is a bore. No more khazi crosswords.
@theguardian.com and LinkedIn - shame on you both. OK, I can cope happily without the latter, but to not have the grauniad is a bore. No more khazi crosswords.
January 23, 2026 at 10:50 PM
In other news, I have had to uninstall two apps as they're no longer supported on my phone - which isn't even ten years old.
@theguardian.com and LinkedIn - shame on you both. OK, I can cope happily without the latter, but to not have the grauniad is a bore. No more khazi crosswords.
@theguardian.com and LinkedIn - shame on you both. OK, I can cope happily without the latter, but to not have the grauniad is a bore. No more khazi crosswords.
over 9 hours driving, over 400 miles driven, over 15 hours out of the house.
I'm tired, broken, and have found another irritation with The Tank - it dares to beep at me if I drive more than 4h15 in one hit. Grr. HOW DARE IT! *ahem*
And I've left my slippers downstairs and don't want to move.
I'm tired, broken, and have found another irritation with The Tank - it dares to beep at me if I drive more than 4h15 in one hit. Grr. HOW DARE IT! *ahem*
And I've left my slippers downstairs and don't want to move.
January 23, 2026 at 10:47 PM
over 9 hours driving, over 400 miles driven, over 15 hours out of the house.
I'm tired, broken, and have found another irritation with The Tank - it dares to beep at me if I drive more than 4h15 in one hit. Grr. HOW DARE IT! *ahem*
And I've left my slippers downstairs and don't want to move.
I'm tired, broken, and have found another irritation with The Tank - it dares to beep at me if I drive more than 4h15 in one hit. Grr. HOW DARE IT! *ahem*
And I've left my slippers downstairs and don't want to move.
A reproduction of some of this evening's agenda.
Just one question - where do I breathe?
#Oboe #CorAnglais #MustLearnCircularBreathing
Just one question - where do I breathe?
#Oboe #CorAnglais #MustLearnCircularBreathing
January 22, 2026 at 10:53 PM
A reproduction of some of this evening's agenda.
Just one question - where do I breathe?
#Oboe #CorAnglais #MustLearnCircularBreathing
Just one question - where do I breathe?
#Oboe #CorAnglais #MustLearnCircularBreathing
Reposted by Thomas Rushton
This was posted by @mambarlife.bsky.social in the Other Place and it’s too good not to share it.
January 21, 2026 at 3:03 PM
This was posted by @mambarlife.bsky.social in the Other Place and it’s too good not to share it.
Refreshing my work-type blog. Well, attempting to explain why it's been so quiet there. Still gets traffic, though.
thelonedba.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/i...
#SQLServer #Coeo #ExcusesExcuses #Blogging
thelonedba.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/i...
#SQLServer #Coeo #ExcusesExcuses #Blogging
Is this thing still on? Unexplained absence of a long-time blogger
Erm, yeah. It’s been a while. Sorry for being a bit quiet of late – almost all of my work-related blogging energy has been directed at both the official Coeo blog, and our internal wiki…
thelonedba.wordpress.com
January 21, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Refreshing my work-type blog. Well, attempting to explain why it's been so quiet there. Still gets traffic, though.
thelonedba.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/i...
#SQLServer #Coeo #ExcusesExcuses #Blogging
thelonedba.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/i...
#SQLServer #Coeo #ExcusesExcuses #Blogging
Reposted by Thomas Rushton
Oh, I get it now! It's the 250th anniversary of US independence, so yer man's doing a tribute act to George III!
January 19, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Oh, I get it now! It's the 250th anniversary of US independence, so yer man's doing a tribute act to George III!
Reposted by Thomas Rushton
LLMs are spam generators. That is all.
They're designed to generate plausibly human-like text well enough to pass a generic Turing Test. That's why people believe they're "intelligent".
But really, all they are is spam generators.
We have hit the spamularity.
They're designed to generate plausibly human-like text well enough to pass a generic Turing Test. That's why people believe they're "intelligent".
But really, all they are is spam generators.
We have hit the spamularity.
January 16, 2026 at 7:23 PM
LLMs are spam generators. That is all.
They're designed to generate plausibly human-like text well enough to pass a generic Turing Test. That's why people believe they're "intelligent".
But really, all they are is spam generators.
We have hit the spamularity.
They're designed to generate plausibly human-like text well enough to pass a generic Turing Test. That's why people believe they're "intelligent".
But really, all they are is spam generators.
We have hit the spamularity.
Reposted by Thomas Rushton
Can’t believe he said this, seems somewhat disrespectful
January 13, 2026 at 7:14 PM
Can’t believe he said this, seems somewhat disrespectful
Reposted by Thomas Rushton
Simon Tatham’s Portable Puzzle Collection. “This page contains a collection of small computer programs which implement one-player puzzle games.” [chiark.greenend.org.uk]
Simon Tatham’s Portable Puzzle Collection
This page contains a collection of small computer programs which
implement one-player puzzle games. All of them run natively on Unix
(GTK) and on Windows. They can also be played on the web, as Java or
Javascript applets.
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk
January 12, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Simon Tatham’s Portable Puzzle Collection. “This page contains a collection of small computer programs which implement one-player puzzle games.” [chiark.greenend.org.uk]
Reposted by Thomas Rushton
🚨FLASH : on a retrouvé une manette de l'âge de pierre, indiquant que nos ancêtres jouaient déjà aux jeux vidéos.
January 10, 2026 at 1:22 PM
🚨FLASH : on a retrouvé une manette de l'âge de pierre, indiquant que nos ancêtres jouaient déjà aux jeux vidéos.
4th rehearsal of the week was cut short due to fear of impending snow, which has so far failed to materialise.
The room, while still not as warm as hoped, was the warmest of the week - so far.
I'm on oboe & cor anglais, and I'm going to have to practice both for this gig.
The room, while still not as warm as hoped, was the warmest of the week - so far.
I'm on oboe & cor anglais, and I'm going to have to practice both for this gig.
January 8, 2026 at 9:51 PM
4th rehearsal of the week was cut short due to fear of impending snow, which has so far failed to materialise.
The room, while still not as warm as hoped, was the warmest of the week - so far.
I'm on oboe & cor anglais, and I'm going to have to practice both for this gig.
The room, while still not as warm as hoped, was the warmest of the week - so far.
I'm on oboe & cor anglais, and I'm going to have to practice both for this gig.
Third rehearsal of the week done. Major feature - something new to me. Sightreading an opera - great fun. Zanetto, by Mascagni. Unfortunately, no voices tonight, but they'll be there by the gig, and we know who they are, so it'll be a good one.
@wyso-leeds.bsky.social #opera #ClassicalMusic
@wyso-leeds.bsky.social #opera #ClassicalMusic
January 7, 2026 at 10:57 PM
Third rehearsal of the week done. Major feature - something new to me. Sightreading an opera - great fun. Zanetto, by Mascagni. Unfortunately, no voices tonight, but they'll be there by the gig, and we know who they are, so it'll be a good one.
@wyso-leeds.bsky.social #opera #ClassicalMusic
@wyso-leeds.bsky.social #opera #ClassicalMusic
Second rehearsal venue for the week - a room in a social club - is, somehow, even colder than yesterday's church...
... And this rehearsal isn't even going to be a full rehearsal. For the first half, we have to do AGM things.
... And this rehearsal isn't even going to be a full rehearsal. For the first half, we have to do AGM things.
January 6, 2026 at 7:24 PM
Second rehearsal venue for the week - a room in a social club - is, somehow, even colder than yesterday's church...
... And this rehearsal isn't even going to be a full rehearsal. For the first half, we have to do AGM things.
... And this rehearsal isn't even going to be a full rehearsal. For the first half, we have to do AGM things.
Home after the first rehearsal of the year - first time playing bass in three weeks. I'm broken. This does not bode well for the rest of the week - I've got another three rehearsals this week (luckily, two on oboe), and a full day of playing at the weekend.
#Mahler6 #OriginalLSO #ClassicalMusic
#Mahler6 #OriginalLSO #ClassicalMusic
January 5, 2026 at 10:49 PM
Home after the first rehearsal of the year - first time playing bass in three weeks. I'm broken. This does not bode well for the rest of the week - I've got another three rehearsals this week (luckily, two on oboe), and a full day of playing at the weekend.
#Mahler6 #OriginalLSO #ClassicalMusic
#Mahler6 #OriginalLSO #ClassicalMusic
Reposted by Thomas Rushton
Ex-Meta chief AI scientist Yann LeCun has Lunch with the FT and in one of those instances so rare that you know he didn't sign an NDA, says exactly why as.ft.com/r/e503690d-8...
January 2, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Ex-Meta chief AI scientist Yann LeCun has Lunch with the FT and in one of those instances so rare that you know he didn't sign an NDA, says exactly why as.ft.com/r/e503690d-8...
Reposted by Thomas Rushton
Require ALL the LLM vendors to apply for medical device certification with the relevant medical regulatory authorities, ie. the FDA in the USA.
It takes years, requires a mountain of paperwork, PROOF of no risk of harm, and costs fractional-to-integer billions. Penalty of jail time for evaders.
It takes years, requires a mountain of paperwork, PROOF of no risk of harm, and costs fractional-to-integer billions. Penalty of jail time for evaders.
This stupid broken tech is killing people and is going to continue to kill and injure people until we finally have the courage to shut it down and throw it away.
Not in the sea, I like the sea.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Not in the sea, I like the sea.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Google AI Overviews put people at risk of harm with misleading health advice
Exclusive: Inaccurate information presented in summaries, Guardian investigation finds
www.theguardian.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Require ALL the LLM vendors to apply for medical device certification with the relevant medical regulatory authorities, ie. the FDA in the USA.
It takes years, requires a mountain of paperwork, PROOF of no risk of harm, and costs fractional-to-integer billions. Penalty of jail time for evaders.
It takes years, requires a mountain of paperwork, PROOF of no risk of harm, and costs fractional-to-integer billions. Penalty of jail time for evaders.
December 28, 2025 at 1:39 PM
The great 2025 Bylines Christmas Quiz centralbylines.co.uk/lifestyle/fu...
22/30. Which is depressingly high. Oh well.
22/30. Which is depressingly high. Oh well.
The great 2025 Bylines Christmas Quiz
Take the quiz, check your results, and cheat to your heart's content
centralbylines.co.uk
December 27, 2025 at 9:35 PM
The great 2025 Bylines Christmas Quiz centralbylines.co.uk/lifestyle/fu...
22/30. Which is depressingly high. Oh well.
22/30. Which is depressingly high. Oh well.
Reposted by Thomas Rushton
Christmas time is here, by golly
Disapproval would be folly
Deck the halls with hunks of holly
Fill the cup and don’t say “when”
Kill the turkeys, ducks and chickens
Mix the punch, drag out the Dickens
Even though the prospect sickens
Brother, here we go again
Disapproval would be folly
Deck the halls with hunks of holly
Fill the cup and don’t say “when”
Kill the turkeys, ducks and chickens
Mix the punch, drag out the Dickens
Even though the prospect sickens
Brother, here we go again
December 25, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Christmas time is here, by golly
Disapproval would be folly
Deck the halls with hunks of holly
Fill the cup and don’t say “when”
Kill the turkeys, ducks and chickens
Mix the punch, drag out the Dickens
Even though the prospect sickens
Brother, here we go again
Disapproval would be folly
Deck the halls with hunks of holly
Fill the cup and don’t say “when”
Kill the turkeys, ducks and chickens
Mix the punch, drag out the Dickens
Even though the prospect sickens
Brother, here we go again
Now this could be useful... not thinking of any clients in particular, goodness me, no...
Working with clients who disallow copy/pasting on RDP sessions? Use ClickPaste: github.com/Collective-S...
Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!
Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!
GitHub - Collective-Software/ClickPaste: Windows 10 notification area app in C# that can paste clipboard contents as keystrokes to whatever location you click.
Windows 10 notification area app in C# that can paste clipboard contents as keystrokes to whatever location you click. - Collective-Software/ClickPaste
github.com
December 24, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Now this could be useful... not thinking of any clients in particular, goodness me, no...
Reposted by Thomas Rushton
Twas the night before Christmas, and throughout the land
The sleeping arrangements were carefully planned
Down in the kitchen, a picturesque scene
A mattress, a pillow, a washing machine
The sleeping arrangements were carefully planned
Down in the kitchen, a picturesque scene
A mattress, a pillow, a washing machine
December 24, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Twas the night before Christmas, and throughout the land
The sleeping arrangements were carefully planned
Down in the kitchen, a picturesque scene
A mattress, a pillow, a washing machine
The sleeping arrangements were carefully planned
Down in the kitchen, a picturesque scene
A mattress, a pillow, a washing machine
Reposted by Thomas Rushton
This is the 15th year of #DuvetKnowItsChristmas, which is preposterous. Rules: if you find yourself dealing with unusual / claustrophobic / gaudy sleeping arrangements this Christmas Eve, share a picture with the world. Use the hashtag (with capitalisation) and cc me if you can be bothered.
December 24, 2025 at 7:35 PM
This is the 15th year of #DuvetKnowItsChristmas, which is preposterous. Rules: if you find yourself dealing with unusual / claustrophobic / gaudy sleeping arrangements this Christmas Eve, share a picture with the world. Use the hashtag (with capitalisation) and cc me if you can be bothered.
Reposted by Thomas Rushton
Tomorrow evening it’ll be my annual duty to vaguely shepherd the activity on the #duvetknowitschristmas hashtag and urge people to give small sums to charity. 7.30pm? Something like that?
December 23, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Tomorrow evening it’ll be my annual duty to vaguely shepherd the activity on the #duvetknowitschristmas hashtag and urge people to give small sums to charity. 7.30pm? Something like that?