Marianne O'Doherty
@marianneodoherty.bsky.social
Medievalist. Likes maps, birds, nature, cycling, cider and primates. She/her.
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
Is AI making job recruitment less meritocratic? We're getting some v interesting research studies on this question now, and the news is... not good. @jburnmurdoch.ft.com & I dive in, in the latest edition of our newsletter The AI Shift www.ft.com/content/e5b7...
November 14, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Is AI making job recruitment less meritocratic? We're getting some v interesting research studies on this question now, and the news is... not good. @jburnmurdoch.ft.com & I dive in, in the latest edition of our newsletter The AI Shift www.ft.com/content/e5b7...
The capacity of this government to bollox things up is genuinely staggering. I am getting really strong 'made it up in desperation in the back of a taxi' vibes off this (hat tip to @aiannucci.bsky.social).
This truly is madder than Mad Jack McMad ...
November 13, 2025 at 6:19 PM
The capacity of this government to bollox things up is genuinely staggering. I am getting really strong 'made it up in desperation in the back of a taxi' vibes off this (hat tip to @aiannucci.bsky.social).
This is so completely awful. We're at risk of disappearing into our own insularity.
In the same week, both the University of Nottingham and the University of Leicester announced closing their Modern Languages departments. Disastrous for the sector as a whole and for the ML landscape in the Midlands: c.org/4X7VMy9MPD
Sign the Petition
Save Modern Languages courses at the University of Leicester
c.org
November 13, 2025 at 2:01 PM
This is so completely awful. We're at risk of disappearing into our own insularity.
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
If you think that “the slow vanishing of employee benefits” is a better trade politically than “the other lot saying you broke your promise on income tax”, you are out of your tree: www.ft.com/content/1160...
November 11, 2025 at 12:16 AM
If you think that “the slow vanishing of employee benefits” is a better trade politically than “the other lot saying you broke your promise on income tax”, you are out of your tree: www.ft.com/content/1160...
Oh good. A sensible intervention onto the madness with graphs in. I love a good graph.
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
November 10, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Oh good. A sensible intervention onto the madness with graphs in. I love a good graph.
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
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 5:00 PM
Crisis at the Critic Sketchcasting Corporation!
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
Incredible that Robbie Gibb - most influential person on BBC board by many accounts and from journalists I speak in BBC - was involved in setting up GB News.
GB News of course has breached Ofcom rules on *multiple* occasions - no sign of resignations though
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
GB News of course has breached Ofcom rules on *multiple* occasions - no sign of resignations though
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Enforced veganism’: Ofcom lets GB News flout accuracy rules, say climate campaigners
Exclusive: Regulator has received 1,221 complaints about UK broadcasters since 2020 but found no breaches of its code
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Incredible that Robbie Gibb - most influential person on BBC board by many accounts and from journalists I speak in BBC - was involved in setting up GB News.
GB News of course has breached Ofcom rules on *multiple* occasions - no sign of resignations though
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
GB News of course has breached Ofcom rules on *multiple* occasions - no sign of resignations though
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Listening to the news on today's BBC scalps is like listening to a parallel universe. Trump's speeches at the moment are unhinged, rambling. Newscasters are constantly editing them to make them make sense. If we're going to go to reporting what Trump actually says now, then great. Ppl will see...
November 10, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Listening to the news on today's BBC scalps is like listening to a parallel universe. Trump's speeches at the moment are unhinged, rambling. Newscasters are constantly editing them to make them make sense. If we're going to go to reporting what Trump actually says now, then great. Ppl will see...
Gen AI is a parasite that in the end will kill its host. The techbros know this, so there are two possibilities: they want to kill the host, or they don't care if it dies.
wikipedia's data shows that AI is siphoning traffic away from the site, which is a danger to its sustainability. ironically Wikipedia is more important than ever to users who want reliable information instead of slop, and to AI companies that need it for training data www.404media.co/wikipedia-sa...
Wikipedia Says AI Is Causing a Dangerous Decline in Human Visitors
“With fewer visits to Wikipedia, fewer volunteers may grow and enrich the content, and fewer individual donors may support this work.”
www.404media.co
November 7, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Gen AI is a parasite that in the end will kill its host. The techbros know this, so there are two possibilities: they want to kill the host, or they don't care if it dies.
This sounds a lot like industrial scale blackmail.
'A post-92 university will freeze staff pay if they choose to remain in a more expensive pension scheme as institutions continue to find new ways to grapple with rising cost.' 1/3
Northumbria to freeze pay if staff refuse TPS-USS pension switch
University says moving employees from more expensive scheme will save it up to £11 million a year
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:04 AM
This sounds a lot like industrial scale blackmail.
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
Note the ‘British soil’ bit. My uni has plans to open a campus in China. The VC scoffed at me when I expressed concern that staff and students wouldn’t be able to speak freely, and that - as he said - the curriculum would be censored. It’s the price of doing business.
November 6, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Note the ‘British soil’ bit. My uni has plans to open a campus in China. The VC scoffed at me when I expressed concern that staff and students wouldn’t be able to speak freely, and that - as he said - the curriculum would be censored. It’s the price of doing business.
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
Vital piece of investigative reporting from Sky. They've uncovered the X algorithm which feeds users extremist right wing material from the moment they join the site. It is a far-right radicalisation engine, by design.
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
news.sky.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Vital piece of investigative reporting from Sky. They've uncovered the X algorithm which feeds users extremist right wing material from the moment they join the site. It is a far-right radicalisation engine, by design.
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
Pretty extraordinary story here
www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....
www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....
China intimidated UK university to ditch human rights research, documents show - BBC News
Sheffield Hallam University apologises to Professor Laura Murphy for restricting her academic freedom.
www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org
November 3, 2025 at 6:20 AM
Pretty extraordinary story here
www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....
www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
Let's just take a moment to reflect on the self-sacrifice and hope this person embodies - not the evil, hateful monsters thirsting for violence.
November 2, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Let's just take a moment to reflect on the self-sacrifice and hope this person embodies - not the evil, hateful monsters thirsting for violence.
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
I've been getting back into the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series after many years, and the most relatable part is how everyday objects like doors and elevators have been imbued with artificial intelligence and it just makes them obnoxious and frustrating to use and everyone hates it.
November 1, 2025 at 8:55 PM
I've been getting back into the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series after many years, and the most relatable part is how everyday objects like doors and elevators have been imbued with artificial intelligence and it just makes them obnoxious and frustrating to use and everyone hates it.
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
'Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are worse at retrieving accurate information and reasoning when trained on large amounts of low-quality content, particularly if the content is popular on social media1, finds a preprint posted on arXiv on 15 October.' 1/2
Too much social media gives AI chatbots ‘brain rot’
Large language models fed low-quality data skip steps in their reasoning process.
www.nature.com
November 2, 2025 at 9:43 AM
'Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are worse at retrieving accurate information and reasoning when trained on large amounts of low-quality content, particularly if the content is popular on social media1, finds a preprint posted on arXiv on 15 October.' 1/2
All this endless testing does is make kids hate education. A friend told me recently that her daughter came home distressed because the teacher shouted at the class that they were one of the worst she'd taught and were going to screw up their sats. How does this help anyone?
'In response to the curriculum and assessment review published next week, there will be a new mandatory reading test for year 8 pupils in an attempt to tackle underachievement by working-class children. Schools will also be expected to informally assess writing and maths.' 1/2
Bridget Phillipson ‘ready to take on unions’ over year 8 reading tests
November 1, 2025 at 9:26 AM
All this endless testing does is make kids hate education. A friend told me recently that her daughter came home distressed because the teacher shouted at the class that they were one of the worst she'd taught and were going to screw up their sats. How does this help anyone?
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
Final reminder for National Trust Members to vote
October 31, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Final reminder for National Trust Members to vote
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
Happy #Halloween!
A wonderful 2nd century AD Roman mosaic found near Antioch, Turkey showing a skeleton, cup of wine in hand, reclining on the floor of a dining room in a house reminding guests to enjoy life: ‘ευφρόσυνος’
A wonderful 2nd century AD Roman mosaic found near Antioch, Turkey showing a skeleton, cup of wine in hand, reclining on the floor of a dining room in a house reminding guests to enjoy life: ‘ευφρόσυνος’
October 31, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Happy #Halloween!
A wonderful 2nd century AD Roman mosaic found near Antioch, Turkey showing a skeleton, cup of wine in hand, reclining on the floor of a dining room in a house reminding guests to enjoy life: ‘ευφρόσυνος’
A wonderful 2nd century AD Roman mosaic found near Antioch, Turkey showing a skeleton, cup of wine in hand, reclining on the floor of a dining room in a house reminding guests to enjoy life: ‘ευφρόσυνος’
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
There is a legal case for King Charles III to resume his status as monarch of the Americas—but it is strewn with obstacles
There is a legal case for a third term—but it is strewn with obstacles
Trump 2028
There is a legal case for a third term—but it is strewn with obstacles
econ.st
October 30, 2025 at 5:15 PM
There is a legal case for King Charles III to resume his status as monarch of the Americas—but it is strewn with obstacles
Ministry of Wolves sadly overlooked here as a scary soundtrack - music from a Brothers Grimm production by Alexander Hacke, Mick Harvey, Daniella Di Picciotto and Paul Wallfish. When we saw them in Bristol a woman yelled out 'you're scary, and I've seen shit!'
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/o...
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/o...
‘The nuns were convinced they were possessed by demons’: goth and metal stars select the scariest music ever made
Forget the Monster Mash. For the ultimate Halloween playlist, reach for horror soundtracks, 1940s kids’ music and Russian darkwave – all chosen by Sunn O))), Creeper, Diamanda Galás and more
www.theguardian.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Ministry of Wolves sadly overlooked here as a scary soundtrack - music from a Brothers Grimm production by Alexander Hacke, Mick Harvey, Daniella Di Picciotto and Paul Wallfish. When we saw them in Bristol a woman yelled out 'you're scary, and I've seen shit!'
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/o...
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/o...
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
Please join us on 22 November to discuss Women and Knowledge. We cannot wait to listen to and engage with all presentations 😁
This event is free to attend, but prior registration is required through this link: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Thank you! We look forward to seeing you there!
This event is free to attend, but prior registration is required through this link: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Thank you! We look forward to seeing you there!
October 30, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Please join us on 22 November to discuss Women and Knowledge. We cannot wait to listen to and engage with all presentations 😁
This event is free to attend, but prior registration is required through this link: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Thank you! We look forward to seeing you there!
This event is free to attend, but prior registration is required through this link: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Thank you! We look forward to seeing you there!
This is actually a hell of a kick in the arse in royalspeak. Can't help but think, though, about how this sits with the allegations about Charles' favourite uncle widely reported and discussed in Ireland that somehow never quite land in the UK.
Someone - if not the principal then presumably a professional advisor on law or PR - must have looked at the sentence "these censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations" and said "hang on, that makes it look like you don't believe him" And yet.
October 30, 2025 at 8:46 PM
This is actually a hell of a kick in the arse in royalspeak. Can't help but think, though, about how this sits with the allegations about Charles' favourite uncle widely reported and discussed in Ireland that somehow never quite land in the UK.
Indeed...
Probably wouldn’t have gone with Mountbatten as a name if I was trying to distance myself from the paedophile allegations tbh
October 30, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Indeed...
Reposted by Marianne O'Doherty
These terrifying bats are looking forward to #Halloween 🦇🦇🦇😱
Bodl. Library MS. Ashmole 304; 13th century; England, St. Albans; f.47v @bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Bodl. Library MS. Ashmole 304; 13th century; England, St. Albans; f.47v @bodleian.ox.ac.uk
October 29, 2025 at 10:06 PM
These terrifying bats are looking forward to #Halloween 🦇🦇🦇😱
Bodl. Library MS. Ashmole 304; 13th century; England, St. Albans; f.47v @bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Bodl. Library MS. Ashmole 304; 13th century; England, St. Albans; f.47v @bodleian.ox.ac.uk