Martin
@martindor.bsky.social
Martin - art, music, building, environment, science and politics
Reposted by Martin
I've now republished my piece examining Katie Lam's claims about spoken English proficiency in the capital's schools on my personal Substack: davehillonlondon.substack.com/p/katie-lam-... #london #truelondon #conservatives
Katie Lam should learn London’s language
Recent comments about the capital's school children's English skills suggest the Tory MP from Kent must try harder
davehillonlondon.substack.com
November 2, 2025 at 10:28 AM
I've now republished my piece examining Katie Lam's claims about spoken English proficiency in the capital's schools on my personal Substack: davehillonlondon.substack.com/p/katie-lam-... #london #truelondon #conservatives
Reposted by Martin
How bowhead whales live for centuries—and how we might borrow some of their biology to extend our healthy lifespan. Gift link to my new column: nyti.ms/4hyD9ry
October 29, 2025 at 4:33 PM
How bowhead whales live for centuries—and how we might borrow some of their biology to extend our healthy lifespan. Gift link to my new column: nyti.ms/4hyD9ry
Reposted by Martin
With 6 other orgs, we have written to the Chancellor ahead of next month's Budget urging her to reclaim £4.2 billion a year in lost revenue by allowing the "temporary" 5p fuel duty cut to come to an end and ending the 14-year fuel duty freeze.
October 31, 2025 at 4:12 PM
With 6 other orgs, we have written to the Chancellor ahead of next month's Budget urging her to reclaim £4.2 billion a year in lost revenue by allowing the "temporary" 5p fuel duty cut to come to an end and ending the 14-year fuel duty freeze.
Reposted by Martin
The Reform leader is unveiling legislation to leave the ECHR.
His arguments are wrong – and that move would be a disaster. Here are the facts:
https://goodlaw.social/ngjm
His arguments are wrong – and that move would be a disaster. Here are the facts:
https://goodlaw.social/ngjm
Nigel Farage is wrong about the European Convention on Human Rights | Good Law Project
The Reform leader is unveiling legislation to leave the ECHR. His arguments are wrong – and that move would be a disaster.
goodlaw.social
October 29, 2025 at 12:58 PM
The Reform leader is unveiling legislation to leave the ECHR.
His arguments are wrong – and that move would be a disaster. Here are the facts:
https://goodlaw.social/ngjm
His arguments are wrong – and that move would be a disaster. Here are the facts:
https://goodlaw.social/ngjm
Reposted by Martin
![Comic. Confusion matrix showing renditions of different combinations, colored yellow, tan, or gray. [Air: gamma rays Y, neutrons Y, alpha particles G, light Y, sound Y, heat Y, swords Y, toxic dust Y, radio Y, sharks G] [Lead: gamma rays G, neutrons T, alpha particles G, light G, Sound Y, heat Y, swords G, toxic dust T, radio G, sharks G] [Water: gamma rays T, neutrons G, alpha particles G, light T, sound Y, heat Y, swords Y, toxic dust Y, radio G, sharks Y] [Vacuum: gamma rays Y, neutrons Y, alpha particles Y, light Y, sound G, heat T, swords Y, toxic dust Y, radio Y, sharks G] [Oven mitts: gamma rays Y, neutrons Y, alpha particles G, light G, sound T, heat G, swords Y, toxic dust Y, radio Y, sharks Y] [Armor: gamma rays Y, neutrons Y, alpha particles G, light G, sound Y, heat Y, swords G, toxic dust Y, radio G, sharks T] [Biohazard suit: gamma rays Y, neutrons Y, alpha particles G, light G, sound Y, heat Y, swords Y, toxic dust G, radio Y, sharks Y] [Faraday cage: gamma rays Y, neutrons Y, alpha particles Y, light Y, sound Y, heat Y, swords Y, toxic dust Y, radio G, sharks Y] [Shark cage: gamma rays Y, neutrons Y, alpha particles Y, light Y, sound Y, heat Y, swords Y, toxic dust Y, radio Y, sharks G]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreib7rzofmrqb5cvnyccnb7ftj6qroxtp55i4dqqnbp2ozun6gaxbkm@jpeg)
October 23, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Reposted by Martin
Cardiff will be the first UK city to introduce a surcharge for oversized SUVs and trucks, "while very large vehicles – those over 3,500kg – will be excluded from residential permits entirely."
Cardiff set to tackle SUV 'carspreading' in UK first
Cardiff Council is set to become the first local authority in the UK to introduce higher parking charges for SUVs and other heavy vehicles, in a move campaigners say will make city streets safer and f...
nation.cymru
October 16, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Cardiff will be the first UK city to introduce a surcharge for oversized SUVs and trucks, "while very large vehicles – those over 3,500kg – will be excluded from residential permits entirely."
Reposted by Martin
I made an infographic map. Oxford's Congestion Charge scheme (from 29th Oct) is not like most congestion charge schemes, because you can get to most streets in the city without being charged. My impression is a lot of people haven't realised this.
October 12, 2025 at 12:36 PM
I made an infographic map. Oxford's Congestion Charge scheme (from 29th Oct) is not like most congestion charge schemes, because you can get to most streets in the city without being charged. My impression is a lot of people haven't realised this.
Reposted by Martin
Severndroog Castle, a tall folly in southeast London that offers clear views across the city, is going to trial an evening opening of its rooftop viewing platform.
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/tic...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/tic...
Tickets Alert: Evening opening of Severndroog Castle
Severndroog Castle, a tall folly in southeast London that offers clear views across the city, is going to trial an evening opening of its rooftop viewing platform.
www.ianvisits.co.uk
October 13, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Severndroog Castle, a tall folly in southeast London that offers clear views across the city, is going to trial an evening opening of its rooftop viewing platform.
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/tic...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/tic...
Reposted by Martin
‘None of this is being done in secret – the judgments are public – but the changes have barely registered. Judges, whether serving or retired, tend not to speak out. Barristers know on which side their bread is buttered.’
Conor Gearty on the Human Rights Act: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Conor Gearty on the Human Rights Act: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Conor Gearty · Unwelcome Remnant: Erasing the Human Rights Act
The Supreme Court is quietly editing the Human Rights Act out of existence. None of this is being done in secret – the...
www.lrb.co.uk
October 13, 2025 at 8:16 AM
‘None of this is being done in secret – the judgments are public – but the changes have barely registered. Judges, whether serving or retired, tend not to speak out. Barristers know on which side their bread is buttered.’
Conor Gearty on the Human Rights Act: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Conor Gearty on the Human Rights Act: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Martin
The inflatables have made it to Broadview.
October 12, 2025 at 4:34 PM
The inflatables have made it to Broadview.
Reposted by Martin
For #WorldOctopusDay 🐙 here's a smiley octopus on a terracotta plate from Getty Museum 😀
Detail from Paestan Red-Figure Fish Plate, 4th c. BCE, attributed to the Binningen Painter
getty.edu/art/collecti...
#CephalopodAwarenessDays
Detail from Paestan Red-Figure Fish Plate, 4th c. BCE, attributed to the Binningen Painter
getty.edu/art/collecti...
#CephalopodAwarenessDays
October 8, 2025 at 11:25 PM
For #WorldOctopusDay 🐙 here's a smiley octopus on a terracotta plate from Getty Museum 😀
Detail from Paestan Red-Figure Fish Plate, 4th c. BCE, attributed to the Binningen Painter
getty.edu/art/collecti...
#CephalopodAwarenessDays
Detail from Paestan Red-Figure Fish Plate, 4th c. BCE, attributed to the Binningen Painter
getty.edu/art/collecti...
#CephalopodAwarenessDays
Reposted by Martin
ME: Now Mom, just remember, there's a lot of disinformation and AI in your social feed and your friends' Facebook.
MOM: I know! My friend sent me this crazy post where someone used AI to make an image of a giant frog fighting Army troops!
ME: ... okay, no, that one's ... goddamit, Portland.
MOM: I know! My friend sent me this crazy post where someone used AI to make an image of a giant frog fighting Army troops!
ME: ... okay, no, that one's ... goddamit, Portland.
October 9, 2025 at 5:29 PM
ME: Now Mom, just remember, there's a lot of disinformation and AI in your social feed and your friends' Facebook.
MOM: I know! My friend sent me this crazy post where someone used AI to make an image of a giant frog fighting Army troops!
ME: ... okay, no, that one's ... goddamit, Portland.
MOM: I know! My friend sent me this crazy post where someone used AI to make an image of a giant frog fighting Army troops!
ME: ... okay, no, that one's ... goddamit, Portland.
Reposted by Martin
This new residential tower in Lyon is made from wood.
In many ways, this is quite an incredible building. Here's why:
In many ways, this is quite an incredible building. Here's why:
October 9, 2025 at 11:50 AM
This new residential tower in Lyon is made from wood.
In many ways, this is quite an incredible building. Here's why:
In many ways, this is quite an incredible building. Here's why:
Reposted by Martin
This is the first party political broadcast in a very long time that understands the trouble we’re in.
Great job @zackpolanski.bsky.social 💚
youtu.be/qxt4HCjd7VA
Great job @zackpolanski.bsky.social 💚
youtu.be/qxt4HCjd7VA
Let's Make Hope Normal Again - Green Party Political Broadcast
YouTube video by Green Party of England & Wales
youtu.be
October 6, 2025 at 7:16 PM
This is the first party political broadcast in a very long time that understands the trouble we’re in.
Great job @zackpolanski.bsky.social 💚
youtu.be/qxt4HCjd7VA
Great job @zackpolanski.bsky.social 💚
youtu.be/qxt4HCjd7VA
Reposted by Martin
When I was a teenager there was a bus direct from my hometown in Germany to London - we had a British army base, and this direct bus connection was one of the benefits of that. One summer I went on that bus to go volunteer in an old people's home in Southend-on-Sea. I had just turned 18 and was... 🧵
September 29, 2025 at 12:32 PM
When I was a teenager there was a bus direct from my hometown in Germany to London - we had a British army base, and this direct bus connection was one of the benefits of that. One summer I went on that bus to go volunteer in an old people's home in Southend-on-Sea. I had just turned 18 and was... 🧵
Reposted by Martin
Brexit wasn’t abstract, writes The Bear.
It stripped out the NHS’s stabilisers – staff, medicines, safety nets – and left us running on fumes.
The cost isn’t just GDP points. It’s lives.
It stripped out the NHS’s stabilisers – staff, medicines, safety nets – and left us running on fumes.
The cost isn’t just GDP points. It’s lives.
From promises to collapse: The measurable damage Brexit caused the NHS
Staffing gaps, medicine shortages and avoidable harm – the everyday reality of a broken Brexit promise
eastangliabylines.co.uk
September 15, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Brexit wasn’t abstract, writes The Bear.
It stripped out the NHS’s stabilisers – staff, medicines, safety nets – and left us running on fumes.
The cost isn’t just GDP points. It’s lives.
It stripped out the NHS’s stabilisers – staff, medicines, safety nets – and left us running on fumes.
The cost isn’t just GDP points. It’s lives.
Reposted by Martin
This is an excellent piece by @berryadrianc.bsky.social. cosmopolismigration.com/2025/09/11/t...
The ECHR and United Kingdom international relations
The suggestion that the United Kingdom might withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights for immigration purposes is misconceived. To contend that ECHR withdrawal is a simple act without …
cosmopolismigration.com
September 14, 2025 at 10:07 PM
This is an excellent piece by @berryadrianc.bsky.social. cosmopolismigration.com/2025/09/11/t...
Reposted by Martin
I have created a guide to help you or others obtain CCTV footage from TfL’s #London Buses through a Subject Access Request. You will need to identify which company operates the route, as each company has its own process and retention period (usually 10–14 days).
September 14, 2025 at 4:06 PM
I have created a guide to help you or others obtain CCTV footage from TfL’s #London Buses through a Subject Access Request. You will need to identify which company operates the route, as each company has its own process and retention period (usually 10–14 days).
Reposted by Martin
Monopoly much? Also, that's pretty substantial legal AI training library.
A *partial* list of the libraries a merged Warner Bros-Paramount would own. #FilmSky
September 12, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Monopoly much? Also, that's pretty substantial legal AI training library.
Reposted by Martin
The "impassable turd" - why a Ukrainian defense strategy borne of desperation is inspiring countries along NATO's eastern flanks to reinstate long-lost bogs and marshland.
From Kyiv to the Suwałki Gap, bogs return as Europe’s defensive shield
Restoring the EU’s drained bogs would stop both Russian tanks and planet-warming pollution.
www.politico.eu
August 30, 2025 at 8:14 AM
The "impassable turd" - why a Ukrainian defense strategy borne of desperation is inspiring countries along NATO's eastern flanks to reinstate long-lost bogs and marshland.
Reposted by Martin
Hello. I wrote a nice long essay about AI and this very strange moment where we're constantly told we're living in the dawn of a strange new future but the only thing that's actually clear is that everyone feels pretty unmoored and uncertain. I hope you'll read it
AI Is a Mass-Delusion Event
Three years in, one of AI’s enduring impacts is to make people feel like they’re losing it.
www.theatlantic.com
August 18, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Hello. I wrote a nice long essay about AI and this very strange moment where we're constantly told we're living in the dawn of a strange new future but the only thing that's actually clear is that everyone feels pretty unmoored and uncertain. I hope you'll read it
Reposted by Martin
Scientists are discovering more microbes with the natural ability to break down plastic.
How microbes could help solve the world’s plastic pollution crisis
Scientists are discovering more microbes with the natural ability to break down plastic.
tcnv.link
August 11, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Scientists are discovering more microbes with the natural ability to break down plastic.
Reposted by Martin
Mexit, not Brexit, is the new priority for the UK
Mexit, not Brexit, is the new priority for the UK
A Microsoft Exit strategy isn’t just a good idea, it’s vital. It must go a long way beyond a farewell to Redmond
Opinion One of the dangers of stories based on big cash numbers is distraction. The numbers get all the attention, the bigger story behind them gets missed.…
dlvr.it
August 8, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Mexit, not Brexit, is the new priority for the UK
Reposted by Martin
Tokenised trading creates structural risks
When code is law, accountability goes missing
on.ft.com
August 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM