Gideon MW Jones
@gideonjon.es
Software engineer & person on a bike. Reverse-engineering my own decisions since 1992.
Good thread. I understand the innate human fascination with fire, but it doesn't take much thought to come to the conclusion that there are way better ways to heat our homes these days.
A BBC news story yesterday about the discovery of the earliest creation/use of fire set me thinking.
"It provided warmth at will and enabled our ancestors to cook and eat meat".
www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...
"It provided warmth at will and enabled our ancestors to cook and eat meat".
www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...
The moment the earliest known human-made fire was uncovered - BBC News
Archaeologists in the UK have discovered the world's oldest evidence of humans lighting fires
www.bbc.co.uk
December 11, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Good thread. I understand the innate human fascination with fire, but it doesn't take much thought to come to the conclusion that there are way better ways to heat our homes these days.
Reposted by Gideon MW Jones
Despite losing an appeal at a public inquiry earlier this year over night flights, Leeds Bradford Airport appears to have come out on top, at least for now
By Nick Hodgkinson
By Nick Hodgkinson
The People v Leeds Bradford Airport – the conflict continues
Despite losing an appeal at a public inquiry earlier this year over night flights, Leeds Bradford Airport appears to have come out on top, at least for now
yorkshirebylines.co.uk
October 1, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Despite losing an appeal at a public inquiry earlier this year over night flights, Leeds Bradford Airport appears to have come out on top, at least for now
By Nick Hodgkinson
By Nick Hodgkinson
Reposted by Gideon MW Jones
Reposted by Gideon MW Jones
I don’t think British political commentary/chatter has ever got over the adrenaline rush of 2016-19.
It just straightforwardly *insane* how much political chatter in the United Kingdom is about the next general election, an event that is a long way in the future, and how basically none of it is about 'uh, this policy agenda doesn't look adequate to the scale of the inherited problem'.
September 22, 2025 at 4:47 PM
I don’t think British political commentary/chatter has ever got over the adrenaline rush of 2016-19.
Reposted by Gideon MW Jones
The fact that the thing we're calling artificial intelligence *can't do math* and yet we're jamming it into programs that successfully *have done math* for decades, then warning people against using the AI to do math, seems like an excellent summary of where we are.
Good thing no one uses Microsoft Excel for anything related to legal, regulatory or compliance business functions
www.theverge.com/news/761338/...
www.theverge.com/news/761338/...
August 19, 2025 at 6:09 PM
The fact that the thing we're calling artificial intelligence *can't do math* and yet we're jamming it into programs that successfully *have done math* for decades, then warning people against using the AI to do math, seems like an excellent summary of where we are.
Reposted by Gideon MW Jones
This is absolutely the key point about. When I was a programmer, I used to absolutely hate end users, because they would take my lovely software, use it in ways I hadn't thought of, and break it completely. The function of software is what users do with it, not what its creators intended.
it does worry me a bit that, every time someone posts something like this, engineers will pop up to explain that AI doesn't work like this and it's a bad use of the tech, without apparently considering the fact it's not the end users who decided to use the tech that way
*deep, heavy sigh*
August 7, 2025 at 9:33 AM
This is absolutely the key point about. When I was a programmer, I used to absolutely hate end users, because they would take my lovely software, use it in ways I hadn't thought of, and break it completely. The function of software is what users do with it, not what its creators intended.
Struggling to to see any problems this solves. Being an MP is a job of representation & responsibility, how can AI do any of that?
MP Mark Sewards launches AI version of himself ⤵️
westleedsdispatch.com/mp-mark-sewa...
westleedsdispatch.com/mp-mark-sewa...
MP Mark Sewards launches AI version of himself - West Leeds Dispatch
Mark Sewards has become the first British MP to launch AI version of himself. The MP for Leeds South West and Morley has worked with a local constituent’s AI start-up […]
westleedsdispatch.com
August 5, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Struggling to to see any problems this solves. Being an MP is a job of representation & responsibility, how can AI do any of that?
Reposted by Gideon MW Jones
Yorkshire’s inglorious moors and the lies of the land
Yorkshire’s uplands are ecological deserts, drained and burned by big landowners – it’s time to demand restoration over destruction
By David Robson
@yorkshirebylines.co.uk
Yorkshire’s uplands are ecological deserts, drained and burned by big landowners – it’s time to demand restoration over destruction
By David Robson
@yorkshirebylines.co.uk
Yorkshire’s inglorious moors and the lies of the land
Yorkshire’s uplands are ecological deserts, drained and burned by big landowners – it’s time to demand restoration over destruction
yorkshirebylines.co.uk
August 2, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Yorkshire’s inglorious moors and the lies of the land
Yorkshire’s uplands are ecological deserts, drained and burned by big landowners – it’s time to demand restoration over destruction
By David Robson
@yorkshirebylines.co.uk
Yorkshire’s uplands are ecological deserts, drained and burned by big landowners – it’s time to demand restoration over destruction
By David Robson
@yorkshirebylines.co.uk
Reposted by Gideon MW Jones
your crazy ass stupid post just fucked up the whole world . hope it was worth the likes. hope youre enjoying the clicks
July 9, 2025 at 3:30 AM
your crazy ass stupid post just fucked up the whole world . hope it was worth the likes. hope youre enjoying the clicks
All the AI-generated suggested reels on IG are such a turn off.
July 1, 2025 at 8:57 AM
All the AI-generated suggested reels on IG are such a turn off.
Having some work done on the roof of the house while I WFH, & it feels like that scene in The Matrix where the robots are trying to break into the Nebuchadnezzar.
June 25, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Having some work done on the roof of the house while I WFH, & it feels like that scene in The Matrix where the robots are trying to break into the Nebuchadnezzar.
Reposted by Gideon MW Jones
NEW | Just 3% of population cause quarter of aviation emissions.
Our new report with @neweconomics.bsky.social calls for tax reform so ultra-frequent flyers taking six or more flights a year pay for their pollution.
Read more 👉 www.wearepossible.org/our-reports/...
Our new report with @neweconomics.bsky.social calls for tax reform so ultra-frequent flyers taking six or more flights a year pay for their pollution.
Read more 👉 www.wearepossible.org/our-reports/...
June 18, 2025 at 9:50 AM
NEW | Just 3% of population cause quarter of aviation emissions.
Our new report with @neweconomics.bsky.social calls for tax reform so ultra-frequent flyers taking six or more flights a year pay for their pollution.
Read more 👉 www.wearepossible.org/our-reports/...
Our new report with @neweconomics.bsky.social calls for tax reform so ultra-frequent flyers taking six or more flights a year pay for their pollution.
Read more 👉 www.wearepossible.org/our-reports/...
Reposted by Gideon MW Jones
This is my specific worry about the current trajectory.
"Why learn any of the cool human talents when a computer can just do that for you?" is a completely rational statement when the importance of the humanities have been overshadowed by the need for credentials and status.
"Why learn any of the cool human talents when a computer can just do that for you?" is a completely rational statement when the importance of the humanities have been overshadowed by the need for credentials and status.
June 2, 2025 at 4:02 PM
This is my specific worry about the current trajectory.
"Why learn any of the cool human talents when a computer can just do that for you?" is a completely rational statement when the importance of the humanities have been overshadowed by the need for credentials and status.
"Why learn any of the cool human talents when a computer can just do that for you?" is a completely rational statement when the importance of the humanities have been overshadowed by the need for credentials and status.
Had to review a few changes associated with tickets on the iDOTS project, which I unfortunately keep parsing as IDIOTS.
April 16, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Had to review a few changes associated with tickets on the iDOTS project, which I unfortunately keep parsing as IDIOTS.
Little productivity hack - I've started asking people to describe their issues before accepting 'a quick call', & it has saved me so much time. Often they don't both writing & then no call, or in writing out the issue the problem becomes clear to them.
April 9, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Little productivity hack - I've started asking people to describe their issues before accepting 'a quick call', & it has saved me so much time. Often they don't both writing & then no call, or in writing out the issue the problem becomes clear to them.
Low-stake conspiracy theory but those kids ride on toys which are scaled down versions of existing car models are a motor-normativity psy-op.
April 2, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Low-stake conspiracy theory but those kids ride on toys which are scaled down versions of existing car models are a motor-normativity psy-op.
Reposted by Gideon MW Jones
Surprising to hear that a government formed exclusively of a country’s most stupid people isn’t really working out.
March 24, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Surprising to hear that a government formed exclusively of a country’s most stupid people isn’t really working out.
I'd rather we didn't get TV adverts for train companies, & instead their money was spent on making fares lower - they wouldn't have to try & convince people that it's a desirable way to travel if it made better economic sense.
March 22, 2025 at 9:53 PM
I'd rather we didn't get TV adverts for train companies, & instead their money was spent on making fares lower - they wouldn't have to try & convince people that it's a desirable way to travel if it made better economic sense.
I don't write the documentation for the good of my health.
March 19, 2025 at 8:36 AM
I don't write the documentation for the good of my health.
Reposted by Gideon MW Jones
Noise, particularly at night, is a huge issue for residents near airports (and don’t say “don’t live near an airport!” - the noise field has expanded hugely over the last few decades, affecting people over a wide area).
“You might think you adapt to noise. I thought I did when I lived in a rental near an airport. But the biology tells a different story.” Noise is causing heart attacks, type 2 diabetes and studies now even link it to dementia.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Noise: The invisible killer in all our lives
The BBC's James Gallagher investigates the invisible killer all around us.
www.bbc.com
March 17, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Noise, particularly at night, is a huge issue for residents near airports (and don’t say “don’t live near an airport!” - the noise field has expanded hugely over the last few decades, affecting people over a wide area).