Conn MacEvilly
@conmachiavel.bsky.social
Woodkern by inclination, kern by trade. Iraq and Afg vet. 40 years ago, aspired to be neutral good half-elf ranger: getting closer to that by the day, I think.
Interested in law and public policy, defence, information security and the climate emergency.
Interested in law and public policy, defence, information security and the climate emergency.
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
a few months ago I said "having generative AI handle absolutely anything with regards to healthcare is a nightmare and should be banned" and a bunch of people made fun of me and called me stupid. anyways,
November 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
a few months ago I said "having generative AI handle absolutely anything with regards to healthcare is a nightmare and should be banned" and a bunch of people made fun of me and called me stupid. anyways,
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
November 10, 2025 at 6:40 PM
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
this is brilliant satire:
“Given what I took to be the anti-Trump nature of the Sketch, I of course assumed there would be a similar, balancing Sketch discussing the possibility that the Capitol building had attacked the rioters....."
“Given what I took to be the anti-Trump nature of the Sketch, I of course assumed there would be a similar, balancing Sketch discussing the possibility that the Capitol building had attacked the rioters....."
Crisis at the Critic Sketchcasting Corporation!
Crisis at the CSC | Robert Hutton | The Critic Magazine
From the desk of Lord Kronsteen, founder and proprietor of the Critic Sketchcasting Corporation. To all staff, It is with a heavy heart that I take pen in hand to inform you of the resignation of both…
thecritic.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 5:54 PM
this is brilliant satire:
“Given what I took to be the anti-Trump nature of the Sketch, I of course assumed there would be a similar, balancing Sketch discussing the possibility that the Capitol building had attacked the rioters....."
“Given what I took to be the anti-Trump nature of the Sketch, I of course assumed there would be a similar, balancing Sketch discussing the possibility that the Capitol building had attacked the rioters....."
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
![Cartoon by Stephen Collins for The Guardian. Script as follows:
[scene is Winston Churchill in a bbc studio, giving his 'finest hour' speech]
1
CHURCHILL:
The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us.
2
CHURCHILL:
Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war.
3
CHURCHILL:
If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free
and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sun-
BBC PRESENTER:
Thank you prime minister
4
BBC PRESENTER:
Mr hitler, your response?
5
HITLER [in the studio]:
Vell zis is hysterical woke nonsense as usual from mr Churchill
6
HITLER:
What we are proposing -
CHURCHILL:
Hang on
7
HITLER:
Let me finish - what we are proposing eez a simple power-sharing arrangement -
8
CHURCHILL:
What's he doing here
BBC PRESENTER:
It's important we hear both sides of the debate
9
CHURCHILL:
This isn't a debate
You don't debate fascists
10
HITLER:
Oh here we go with ze Godwins law!
11
HITLER:
Why must you people always compare ze things you don't like to 'fascists, Nazis, Hitler'...
CHURCHILL:
Because you are a fascist Nazi Hit-
12
HITLER [standing up, saluting]:
RAUSS!
BBC PRESENTER:
*Please* Mr Churchill let him speak
[ends]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4m3we4apbjayclzcnhwe3pfp/bafkreibw4ldc3fhslbvxgy2oqrof2oys5kpgh7zu6a5f3usmx3lf4547qm@jpeg)
What a thread.
Explains why the Black soldiers concerned warrant special recognition.
Explains why the Black soldiers concerned warrant special recognition.
1/ The US Government has quietly removed a memorial to Black soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg. The move follows a complaint from the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission. ⬇️
November 9, 2025 at 12:44 PM
What a thread.
Explains why the Black soldiers concerned warrant special recognition.
Explains why the Black soldiers concerned warrant special recognition.
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
I’m old enough to remember when I got scolded on this here website by people who claimed a 3% false positive rate was good actually and well now it turns out to be an order of magnitude bigger! Still good guys?
HMRC trial of child benefit crackdown wrongly suspected fraud in 46% of cases
Exclusive: Almost half of families flagged as emigrants based on Home Office travel data were still living in UK
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:29 PM
I’m old enough to remember when I got scolded on this here website by people who claimed a 3% false positive rate was good actually and well now it turns out to be an order of magnitude bigger! Still good guys?
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
This podcast ep, on freedom of speech, is excellent. And concludes with my dear pal and cricket buddy of 34 years, the Prof - Anshuman Mondal - actually giving some sage advice on how to deal with the weaponisation of free speech by people pushing racist (etc) agendas.
www.npr.org/podcasts/510...
www.npr.org/podcasts/510...
Code Switch
What's CODE SWITCH? It's the fearless conversations about race that you've been waiting for. Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race with empathy and humor. We explore ...
www.npr.org
November 8, 2025 at 10:59 AM
This podcast ep, on freedom of speech, is excellent. And concludes with my dear pal and cricket buddy of 34 years, the Prof - Anshuman Mondal - actually giving some sage advice on how to deal with the weaponisation of free speech by people pushing racist (etc) agendas.
www.npr.org/podcasts/510...
www.npr.org/podcasts/510...
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
Such a key point about cutting back on language provision - it’s not good for science and it’s not good for growth
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
November 8, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Such a key point about cutting back on language provision - it’s not good for science and it’s not good for growth
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
‘Al could end scarcity, end humanity - or boost trend growth by 0.2
percentage points’
Well that’s the best chart of the year in this @johnthornhill.bsky.social column and basically sums up where we are
on.ft.com/4qMMkJd
percentage points’
Well that’s the best chart of the year in this @johnthornhill.bsky.social column and basically sums up where we are
on.ft.com/4qMMkJd
November 7, 2025 at 9:08 PM
‘Al could end scarcity, end humanity - or boost trend growth by 0.2
percentage points’
Well that’s the best chart of the year in this @johnthornhill.bsky.social column and basically sums up where we are
on.ft.com/4qMMkJd
percentage points’
Well that’s the best chart of the year in this @johnthornhill.bsky.social column and basically sums up where we are
on.ft.com/4qMMkJd
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
Agree.
Is there a prominent Brexiter left who hasn’t torn off their mask to reveal the rancid racism beneath? Boris Johnson’s chief fluffer accusing anyone else of being over-promoted is peak process. The bitterness of insanely privileged men with empty souls knows no bounds.
For anyone still tempted to take Dominic Cummings at all seriously, he's now an advocate of Donald Trump-style open racism.
November 6, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Agree.
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
This really the cracking of speeches: a banger.
Worth reading in full.
Worth reading in full.
The full transcript of Zohran Mamdani's acceptance speech is very much worth reading in full. Even if you don't agree with your politics, it's very beautifully put together.
archive.is/8VqQJ
[this is a useable link to the NYT transcript]
archive.is/8VqQJ
[this is a useable link to the NYT transcript]
November 5, 2025 at 11:58 AM
This really the cracking of speeches: a banger.
Worth reading in full.
Worth reading in full.
A strong, integrated military. Robust support for the Atlantic Alliance. Bloodless, flannel suit wearing killers in the IC.
Aggressive civil rights reforms and national health insurance at home, the Marshall Plan abroad.
And a 91% marginal tax rate.
Aggressive civil rights reforms and national health insurance at home, the Marshall Plan abroad.
And a 91% marginal tax rate.
November 5, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Dear Lord - the kerning!
November 5, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Dear Lord - the kerning!
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
Dan is right. This is extremely good from @geoffmulgan.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/geoffmul...
A lot of very important points in a short post
A lot of very important points in a short post
Hollowed out: can the centre hold?
Can the centre hold and resist the far right?
open.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Dan is right. This is extremely good from @geoffmulgan.bsky.social
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
What happens when you distill 2025 into a single social media post?
This.
This is what you get.
This.
This is what you get.
November 4, 2025 at 8:05 PM
What happens when you distill 2025 into a single social media post?
This.
This is what you get.
This.
This is what you get.
Enshittification, again. Although BJ makes a very valid point in parentheses.
Imagine if you paid "$1,899 to $3,499" for a new refrigerator and the manufacturer decided after you bought it to download a software update that would start showing ads on the fridge's screen.
(Quite why you bought a fridge with a screen in the first place is another question.)
(Quite why you bought a fridge with a screen in the first place is another question.)
Samsung makes ads on $3,499 smart fridges official with upcoming software update
Update introduces two ways for the fridges to show ads.
arstechnica.com
November 4, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Enshittification, again. Although BJ makes a very valid point in parentheses.
Mind-boggling.
London's Ringways are a whole network of unbuilt urban motorways threaded through the capital. There's never been a complete map of them,not even one made by their designers, until now. Today we're publishing the Ringways Map from @roads.org.uk to let you see in the city that London nearly became.
November 3, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Mind-boggling.
One of the best threads I’ve ever read. Such a smart, thorough debunking that the bunkers should just admit defeat, go home and never bunk again.
Let’s take a look at the whole “there are too many black people on TV” thing, shall we?
After Pochin claimed Black people in TV adverts “made her mad”, all her supporters tried to use 👇🏼 as their excuse for why she was somehow justified in her overt racism.
Spoiler - she isn’t! 🤨
🧵
1/22
After Pochin claimed Black people in TV adverts “made her mad”, all her supporters tried to use 👇🏼 as their excuse for why she was somehow justified in her overt racism.
Spoiler - she isn’t! 🤨
🧵
1/22
November 3, 2025 at 7:23 PM
One of the best threads I’ve ever read. Such a smart, thorough debunking that the bunkers should just admit defeat, go home and never bunk again.
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
Outstanding, no notes
November 3, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Outstanding, no notes
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
Der dänische Außenminister überreicht seinem ägyptischen Amtskollegen zur Eröffnung des Grand Egyptian Museum in Kairo ein Lego-Pyramiden-Set, und der freut sich wie ein Kind darüber, und alles daran ist schön.
November 3, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Der dänische Außenminister überreicht seinem ägyptischen Amtskollegen zur Eröffnung des Grand Egyptian Museum in Kairo ein Lego-Pyramiden-Set, und der freut sich wie ein Kind darüber, und alles daran ist schön.
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
🕯️ 26-year-old Kyiv native Serhii “Afrika” Matiyasevych was killed by Russian occupiers near Predtechyne, Donetsk region. A combat medic and scientist, he worked at the Institute of Gerontology, held a patent, and once climbed Kilimanjaro in a day.
🇺🇦 Eternal memory to the Hero
🇺🇦 Eternal memory to the Hero
November 2, 2025 at 10:02 PM
🕯️ 26-year-old Kyiv native Serhii “Afrika” Matiyasevych was killed by Russian occupiers near Predtechyne, Donetsk region. A combat medic and scientist, he worked at the Institute of Gerontology, held a patent, and once climbed Kilimanjaro in a day.
🇺🇦 Eternal memory to the Hero
🇺🇦 Eternal memory to the Hero
Reposted by Conn MacEvilly
The HPV vaccine has been a public health triumph. Very depressing to see this potentially unravel while we're on the verge of essentially eradicating cervical cancer.
As the article says, the problem is as much about the service as it is about parental attitudes.
As the article says, the problem is as much about the service as it is about parental attitudes.
This is terrible
Vaccinations to prevent cervical cancer have plummeted in Britain
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
Vaccinations to prevent cervical cancer have plummeted in Britain
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
Vaccinations to prevent cervical cancer have plummeted in Britain
Blame declining confidence, a lack of convenience and rising complacency
www.economist.com
November 1, 2025 at 3:00 PM
The HPV vaccine has been a public health triumph. Very depressing to see this potentially unravel while we're on the verge of essentially eradicating cervical cancer.
As the article says, the problem is as much about the service as it is about parental attitudes.
As the article says, the problem is as much about the service as it is about parental attitudes.
Awesome show
BBCFOUR tonight (and onwards) is showing the original series Edge of Darkness - please book your seat now.. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
Edge of Darkness - Series 1: 1. Compassionate Leave
Thriller set in a world of obsessive state security. Ronald Craven is haunted by the murder of his daughter and begins his own investigation into her death.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 1, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Awesome show