Tom Blackburn
@tomblackburn88.bsky.social
Solicitor Advocate. I specialise in criminal law. Also player of games and baker of goods, when time allows.
Reposted by Tom Blackburn
Here is a list of reasons why some of my hearings and trials this year have been delayed and kicked off into the long grass, stuck in our record court backlog. Serious allegations which will now be tried *years* after the event. 🧵👇
November 27, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Here is a list of reasons why some of my hearings and trials this year have been delayed and kicked off into the long grass, stuck in our record court backlog. Serious allegations which will now be tried *years* after the event. 🧵👇
Reposted by Tom Blackburn
white house has joined bluesky
click here to block all official us government accounts instantly
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click here to block all official us government accounts instantly
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October 17, 2025 at 10:08 PM
white house has joined bluesky
click here to block all official us government accounts instantly
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Slightly diminish a band
Quite Hot Chili Peppers
Quite Hot Chili Peppers
Slightly diminish a band
Pewter Zeppelin
Pewter Zeppelin
Slightly diminish a band
The Arctic Monks
The Arctic Monks
August 13, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Slightly diminish a band
Quite Hot Chili Peppers
Quite Hot Chili Peppers
Reposted by Tom Blackburn
This tracks with my gut feeling that AI is the new 3D movies - a fad that the industry is trying to force onto consumers because they’ve already spent vast amounts of money on the underlying tech. There are a few genuinely good/memorable uses (ala Avatar/Gravity) and the rest is forgettable dreck.
Newsletter: There is no AI Revolution. Consumer adoption of generative AI outside of ChatGPT is barely 100 million people, every single company in generative AI is deeply unprofitable, Microsoft is pulling capex, and OpenAI spent $9bn in 2024 to lose $5bn.
www.wheresyoured.at/wheres-the-m...
www.wheresyoured.at/wheres-the-m...
There Is No AI Revolution
Soundtrack: Mack Glocky - Chasing Cars
Last week, I spent a great deal of time and words framing the generative AI industry as a cynical con where OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei hav...
www.wheresyoured.at
February 25, 2025 at 10:47 AM
This tracks with my gut feeling that AI is the new 3D movies - a fad that the industry is trying to force onto consumers because they’ve already spent vast amounts of money on the underlying tech. There are a few genuinely good/memorable uses (ala Avatar/Gravity) and the rest is forgettable dreck.
Reposted by Tom Blackburn
We have a copy of this book to give away. To be in with a chance to win, repost this message
Sentencing Principles, Procedure and Practice 2025
Winner, randomly chosen, will be announced on 17th January
Sentencing Principles, Procedure and Practice 2025
Winner, randomly chosen, will be announced on 17th January
January 16, 2025 at 9:37 AM
We have a copy of this book to give away. To be in with a chance to win, repost this message
Sentencing Principles, Procedure and Practice 2025
Winner, randomly chosen, will be announced on 17th January
Sentencing Principles, Procedure and Practice 2025
Winner, randomly chosen, will be announced on 17th January
Reposted by Tom Blackburn
So... Remember that guy who took Newport Council to court for £600m because he accidentally threw out the hard drive with his bitcoin private key on it?
Judge just summarily dismissed his case.
And even if you're not a lawyer, the judgement is a pretty fun read... /1
Judge just summarily dismissed his case.
And even if you're not a lawyer, the judgement is a pretty fun read... /1
January 10, 2025 at 12:19 PM
So... Remember that guy who took Newport Council to court for £600m because he accidentally threw out the hard drive with his bitcoin private key on it?
Judge just summarily dismissed his case.
And even if you're not a lawyer, the judgement is a pretty fun read... /1
Judge just summarily dismissed his case.
And even if you're not a lawyer, the judgement is a pretty fun read... /1
Well, now I have a word for this, at least! 😅
Word of the Day is ‘uhtcearu’ [ucht-kay-aru, with the 'ch' as in the Scottish ‘loch']:
Old English for ‘the sorrow before dawn', when you lie awake in the darkness and worries crowd your mind.
Old English for ‘the sorrow before dawn', when you lie awake in the darkness and worries crowd your mind.
January 10, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Well, now I have a word for this, at least! 😅
Reposted by Tom Blackburn
No wonder Musk wants to keep the reasons for the crashes secret despite hundreds of crashes. TESLA suggests the data is proprietary… but this YouTube report suggests that it over relying on cameras rather than eg radar …LIDAR (which is very expensive …but used by other car manufacturers)
January 6, 2025 at 10:38 AM
No wonder Musk wants to keep the reasons for the crashes secret despite hundreds of crashes. TESLA suggests the data is proprietary… but this YouTube report suggests that it over relying on cameras rather than eg radar …LIDAR (which is very expensive …but used by other car manufacturers)
Reposted by Tom Blackburn
In 1582, a papal bull introduced the Gregorian calendar, still used today by most of the world. Because it’s 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar, countries introducing it simply skipped a third of October, and if you scroll back far enough in the iPhone calendar app you can see it change
December 31, 2024 at 2:41 PM
In 1582, a papal bull introduced the Gregorian calendar, still used today by most of the world. Because it’s 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar, countries introducing it simply skipped a third of October, and if you scroll back far enough in the iPhone calendar app you can see it change
The Hawk Tuah Memecoin Rug Pull Is The Apotheosis Of Bag Culture - defector.com/the-hawk-tua...
The Hawk Tuah Memecoin Rug Pull Is The Apotheosis Of Bag Culture | Defector
I can’t ease you into this one, so: Haliey Welch, colloquially known as the “Hawk Tuah girl,” launched a bespoke cryptocurrency token called HAWK last Wednesday, the same day she told Fortune it was “...
defector.com
January 2, 2025 at 11:56 AM
The Hawk Tuah Memecoin Rug Pull Is The Apotheosis Of Bag Culture - defector.com/the-hawk-tua...
Reposted by Tom Blackburn
Outliving the people whose bylines are on your obituary is an absolutely titanic flex
They wrote obituaries about Jimmy Carter — but died before him www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/...
They wrote obituaries about Jimmy Carter — but died before him
When Jimmy Carter died on Sunday at 100, newspapers around the world quickly published obituaries, some written decades ago by reporters who have moved on.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 1, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Outliving the people whose bylines are on your obituary is an absolutely titanic flex
Reposted by Tom Blackburn
this is funny as-is but imo way funnier when you see his lawyer
December 23, 2024 at 6:49 PM
this is funny as-is but imo way funnier when you see his lawyer
There still ain’t no high like a trial win high. 😁
December 18, 2024 at 8:41 PM
There still ain’t no high like a trial win high. 😁
As if to illustrate the point, I've just had another trial listing for June 2027. Both the weather, and my spirits, are quite gloomy today... 😔
New criminal court stats just published ...not looking great
December 12, 2024 at 10:35 AM
As if to illustrate the point, I've just had another trial listing for June 2027. Both the weather, and my spirits, are quite gloomy today... 😔
Reposted by Tom Blackburn
A rare piece and interview from @legalhackette.bsky.social with a well-liked, hugely-respected judge who recently retired. Unrivalled insight into the system as it slowly, but surely, breaks.
“If ever the list got to a point where we were listing over a year in advance, we would regard that as a real failure,” Chris Kinch KC, former senior crown court judge tells @thetimes.com, criticising “unconscionable” delays to trials due to cap on court sitting days www.thetimes.com/uk/law/artic...
Chris Kinch KC: Court underfunding made the past few years a struggle
The former senior judge at Woolwich tells Catherine Baksi that, despite retiring, he is keeping track of the chaos in the system and says trial delays are ‘unconscionable’
www.thetimes.com
December 6, 2024 at 11:37 AM
A rare piece and interview from @legalhackette.bsky.social with a well-liked, hugely-respected judge who recently retired. Unrivalled insight into the system as it slowly, but surely, breaks.
Reposted by Tom Blackburn
Where’s the second dog that says “you should be doing it every day”
November 27, 2024 at 2:12 AM
Where’s the second dog that says “you should be doing it every day”
Webcam not working today for my prison conference. Fine, just add it to the long, long list of broken things.
Same issue later with my CVP hearing. Managed to get through it ok on mic alone, then finished & realised I’d done the whole thing still wearing my wig and robe. To an audience of none. 🤦♂️
Same issue later with my CVP hearing. Managed to get through it ok on mic alone, then finished & realised I’d done the whole thing still wearing my wig and robe. To an audience of none. 🤦♂️
November 22, 2024 at 1:20 PM
Webcam not working today for my prison conference. Fine, just add it to the long, long list of broken things.
Same issue later with my CVP hearing. Managed to get through it ok on mic alone, then finished & realised I’d done the whole thing still wearing my wig and robe. To an audience of none. 🤦♂️
Same issue later with my CVP hearing. Managed to get through it ok on mic alone, then finished & realised I’d done the whole thing still wearing my wig and robe. To an audience of none. 🤦♂️
Reposted by Tom Blackburn
“From three friends in high places to essentially zero is quite the feat of statecraft.”
Ouch. Janah Ganesh in FT today:
How Britain squandered the best hand in the world on.ft.com/3AP6eOO
Ouch. Janah Ganesh in FT today:
How Britain squandered the best hand in the world on.ft.com/3AP6eOO
November 20, 2024 at 10:35 PM
“From three friends in high places to essentially zero is quite the feat of statecraft.”
Ouch. Janah Ganesh in FT today:
How Britain squandered the best hand in the world on.ft.com/3AP6eOO
Ouch. Janah Ganesh in FT today:
How Britain squandered the best hand in the world on.ft.com/3AP6eOO
Reposted by Tom Blackburn
🧵SALT🧵
It's been snowing in the UK and the road gritters are out in force, begging the question:
Have you ever wondered where that grit actually COMES from?
The answer is more magical, beautiful and fascinating than you probably realised.
1/14
It's been snowing in the UK and the road gritters are out in force, begging the question:
Have you ever wondered where that grit actually COMES from?
The answer is more magical, beautiful and fascinating than you probably realised.
1/14
November 19, 2024 at 3:03 PM
🧵SALT🧵
It's been snowing in the UK and the road gritters are out in force, begging the question:
Have you ever wondered where that grit actually COMES from?
The answer is more magical, beautiful and fascinating than you probably realised.
1/14
It's been snowing in the UK and the road gritters are out in force, begging the question:
Have you ever wondered where that grit actually COMES from?
The answer is more magical, beautiful and fascinating than you probably realised.
1/14
So, uh, unexpected snow day anyone? (In November?!)
November 19, 2024 at 8:20 AM
So, uh, unexpected snow day anyone? (In November?!)
Wow, this is so hardcore!
Māori MPs briefly suspended the Aotearoa parliament’s attempts to reinterpret their founding treaty in the most bad ass use of the Haka I’ve ever seen.
November 15, 2024 at 11:12 AM
Wow, this is so hardcore!