Ally Green
@allygreen.bsky.social
Climber, cyclist, critical materials specialist. Likes gardening. Big fan of night trains. May very occasionally write about metals and the energy transition. Based near Toulouse, France.
Pinned
Ally Green
@allygreen.bsky.social
· Nov 19
I’m on a starter pack! Many thanks to @sostheneung.bsky.social and to any new followers interested in critical minerals. I specialise in platinum group metals w/ a particular interest in mining (& hence some crossover interest in nickel and copper).
Kinda surprised no one just picked it up and put it on the road, where an autonomous vehicle should be.
Just as you thought food delivery companies couldn't inflict any more misery on society:
Instead of using lowly-paid gig economy contractors to deliver groceries, they're replacing humans with robots, who, in turn, force humans off the pavement into road traffic.
Instead of using lowly-paid gig economy contractors to deliver groceries, they're replacing humans with robots, who, in turn, force humans off the pavement into road traffic.
November 28, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Kinda surprised no one just picked it up and put it on the road, where an autonomous vehicle should be.
Reposted by Ally Green
"How Do You Avoid Hitting People with your Car" mini guide.
Now in French! 🇫🇷
Now in French! 🇫🇷
November 25, 2025 at 10:43 PM
"How Do You Avoid Hitting People with your Car" mini guide.
Now in French! 🇫🇷
Now in French! 🇫🇷
Guy who claimed he could make boobs grow with the power of his mind says he can also perform magic with the economy.
This is completely unsurprising, why are people acting shocked.
This is completely unsurprising, why are people acting shocked.
I have read Zack Polanski's interview with Laura K. Good grief docs.google.com/document/d/1...
November 23, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Guy who claimed he could make boobs grow with the power of his mind says he can also perform magic with the economy.
This is completely unsurprising, why are people acting shocked.
This is completely unsurprising, why are people acting shocked.
Reposted by Ally Green
I came to this country as a child refugee. No English, no certainty, no idea what my life could become. Britain gave me refuge.
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK set to limit refugees to temporary stays
Shabana Mahmood is expected to say the era of permanent protection for refugees is over, in major changes to the UK's asylum and immigration system.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 10:29 AM
I came to this country as a child refugee. No English, no certainty, no idea what my life could become. Britain gave me refuge.
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Ally Green
Tax policy on the British left is pure "anti-bedtime left". Bizarre idea that you can have a big social democratic welfare state without everyone contributing properly www.economist.com/britain/2025...
November 6, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Tax policy on the British left is pure "anti-bedtime left". Bizarre idea that you can have a big social democratic welfare state without everyone contributing properly www.economist.com/britain/2025...
Reposted by Ally Green
I’ve just discovered that: “The term captcha—Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart—was coined by researchers in 2003.”
From @charlesarthur.bsky.social’s morning newsletter.
From @charlesarthur.bsky.social’s morning newsletter.
November 4, 2025 at 7:51 AM
I’ve just discovered that: “The term captcha—Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart—was coined by researchers in 2003.”
From @charlesarthur.bsky.social’s morning newsletter.
From @charlesarthur.bsky.social’s morning newsletter.
Actually lol-ed at this. Entirely consistent with my personal experience of AI! Is this what we are burning our planet for? We deserve go extinct.
November 2, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Actually lol-ed at this. Entirely consistent with my personal experience of AI! Is this what we are burning our planet for? We deserve go extinct.
Garden strawberries in November 😲
November 2, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Garden strawberries in November 😲
It's 1€ train weekend in Occitanie. Heading into Toulouse, just because. Platform was rammed - good to see lots of other people taking advantage of cheap fares rather than driving!
*will take the opportunity to go bouldering and see my son
*will take the opportunity to go bouldering and see my son
November 1, 2025 at 10:44 AM
It's 1€ train weekend in Occitanie. Heading into Toulouse, just because. Platform was rammed - good to see lots of other people taking advantage of cheap fares rather than driving!
*will take the opportunity to go bouldering and see my son
*will take the opportunity to go bouldering and see my son
I’ve experimented with using an LLM for the bits of my job I like least (writing press releases that will get through the corporate comms review process) and the result was garbage. And I tried using one for the part of my job I like (the research) and it just made shit up!
October 28, 2025 at 9:20 PM
I’ve experimented with using an LLM for the bits of my job I like least (writing press releases that will get through the corporate comms review process) and the result was garbage. And I tried using one for the part of my job I like (the research) and it just made shit up!
This might be what finally puts the nail in my own Labour support. I accept that left-wing voters can’t afford purity tests, but if Labour can’t commit to defending very basic rights, wtf is the point of them? But not sure where else my vote could go (certainly not to magic-boob-expanding man).
To be absolutely clear, it is impossible to vote for a party that cannot bring itself to unequivocally defend the rights of people living and working legally in this country. Because arbitrary removal of legal rights, or sudden varying of terms, for some is ultimately a threat to everyone.
October 21, 2025 at 10:41 AM
This might be what finally puts the nail in my own Labour support. I accept that left-wing voters can’t afford purity tests, but if Labour can’t commit to defending very basic rights, wtf is the point of them? But not sure where else my vote could go (certainly not to magic-boob-expanding man).
So much wrong in the NHS that is not just about money. Sam’s account chimes with my chaotic NHS A&E experience last year, when I felt the least safe I have *ever* felt (if I ever fall ill in the UK again I will be on the first Flixbus to Paris before it has a chance to get more serious).
New post just out:
"On the edge"
On my unexpected week in hospital and five things I learnt about the state of the NHS.
(Free to read)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/o...
"On the edge"
On my unexpected week in hospital and five things I learnt about the state of the NHS.
(Free to read)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/o...
On the edge
My week in the NHS
open.substack.com
October 19, 2025 at 9:03 AM
So much wrong in the NHS that is not just about money. Sam’s account chimes with my chaotic NHS A&E experience last year, when I felt the least safe I have *ever* felt (if I ever fall ill in the UK again I will be on the first Flixbus to Paris before it has a chance to get more serious).
Pretty much sums up why I would never cast a vote for the Greens (despite being green both in name and in political leanings).
October 17, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Pretty much sums up why I would never cast a vote for the Greens (despite being green both in name and in political leanings).
Reposted by Ally Green
Reposted by Ally Green
My kid took an amazing photo and gave me permission to share it. Love this. ♥️
October 6, 2025 at 7:20 PM
My kid took an amazing photo and gave me permission to share it. Love this. ♥️
Garden still producing almost all the veg we need in late September.
September 26, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Garden still producing almost all the veg we need in late September.
Why is the U.K. - with its poor track record of large govt IT projects - so obsessed with making everything digital? What’s wrong with a physical card like the credit-card-sized ones we carry in France?
September 26, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Why is the U.K. - with its poor track record of large govt IT projects - so obsessed with making everything digital? What’s wrong with a physical card like the credit-card-sized ones we carry in France?
Wonder if this guy thinks of *himself* as an ‘immigrant’, an ’economic migrant’ or an ‘expat’? 🤔
By ‘the Military’ I assume the RN. They could usefully tow back into French waters the myriad of small inflatables that get into the Channel past the Picardy 12 mile limit. It would then be up to the French Navy to deal with them. I have no idea of the logistics but it needs to be done.
Another datapoint for the hypothesis that your average UK voter overestimates the size of the UK military as much as the number of migrants in the UK
September 21, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Wonder if this guy thinks of *himself* as an ‘immigrant’, an ’economic migrant’ or an ‘expat’? 🤔
Reposted by Ally Green
timeline cleanse: franky watches the garbage truck pick up the trash this morning
September 17, 2025 at 7:04 PM
timeline cleanse: franky watches the garbage truck pick up the trash this morning
Reposted by Ally Green
Written by a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital, London after the Tommy Robinson march on 13/9.
September 15, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Written by a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital, London after the Tommy Robinson march on 13/9.
(l) what foreigners think England is going to be like
(r) what England actually is like
(r) what England actually is like
September 13, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Love this idea. My son took up UBEG (actually, his big sister’s strat) at 14 and has never looked back. Hugely beneficial socially and personally.
September 12, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Love this idea. My son took up UBEG (actually, his big sister’s strat) at 14 and has never looked back. Hugely beneficial socially and personally.
It *looks* amazing but my attempts to use AI for work tasks mostly fail:
- summarise a report for a press release: superficially OK but unusable
- extract data from a report: just made up the numbers
- scour public domain docs for info on electrode materials in a device: it ‘lied‘ repeatedly
- summarise a report for a press release: superficially OK but unusable
- extract data from a report: just made up the numbers
- scour public domain docs for info on electrode materials in a device: it ‘lied‘ repeatedly
My trajectory is:
1. Wow this is amazing
2. How does it do that: read maths about how it does that,. don't really understand.
3. But what can I use it for? Nothing really.
1. Wow this is amazing
2. How does it do that: read maths about how it does that,. don't really understand.
3. But what can I use it for? Nothing really.
Perfect summary of my trajectory with every LLM
September 11, 2025 at 6:40 AM
It *looks* amazing but my attempts to use AI for work tasks mostly fail:
- summarise a report for a press release: superficially OK but unusable
- extract data from a report: just made up the numbers
- scour public domain docs for info on electrode materials in a device: it ‘lied‘ repeatedly
- summarise a report for a press release: superficially OK but unusable
- extract data from a report: just made up the numbers
- scour public domain docs for info on electrode materials in a device: it ‘lied‘ repeatedly
Reposted by Ally Green
This gets progressively funnier with every use of the term "floppy".
![One of Britain’s most senior police officers has launched an angry tirade against Extinction Rebellion protesters going “all floppy” when they get arrested.
Sir Stephen House, the deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan police, said the tactic of going limp was a “flipping nuisance” as it required extra officers to drag protesters away.
House told a London assembly police and crime committee hearing: “We have asked them to stop being floppy. And that might seem like a silly thing to say, but when we arrest them and pick them up, they go all floppy, which is why you see four or five officers carrying them away. It’s a complete waste of officers’ time, and a complete pain in the neck.”
Extinction Rebellion: how successful were the latest protests?
Read more
House also expressed annoyance at how the tactic made the police look heavy-handed. He said: “The problem with them going floppy and four offices carrying them away [is that it] looks to the general public like police are overreacting here. We’re not making them go floppy. They’re just sort of being a nuisance.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7uvcqt45oqlutlrtgx7bpodq/bafkreie7yqxb4cj2t4gxftiqsno5wgk2kczb5vbtj7wh2b2u5sjtqtdrku@jpeg)
September 5, 2025 at 8:27 PM
This gets progressively funnier with every use of the term "floppy".