Reposted by Matt Locke
New @carefultrouble.bsky.social paper out today with a whole bevy of academic partners, on the impacts of AI in urban environments. As the plan for AI Growth Zones starts to roll out, we find innovation policy is disconnected from the real impacts of AI on people and places
November 19, 2025 at 8:43 AM
New @carefultrouble.bsky.social paper out today with a whole bevy of academic partners, on the impacts of AI in urban environments. As the plan for AI Growth Zones starts to roll out, we find innovation policy is disconnected from the real impacts of AI on people and places
Reposted by Matt Locke
The Careful Consequence Checker,
a free, self-directed tool for understanding the impacts of building, buying or adopting an AI-powered product or service www.careful.industries/consequences Thank you @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social
a free, self-directed tool for understanding the impacts of building, buying or adopting an AI-powered product or service www.careful.industries/consequences Thank you @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social
Consequences — Careful Industries
A free tool to help you rapidly assess potential risks and issues with AI-powered products, tools and services.
www.careful.industries
November 14, 2025 at 4:10 AM
The Careful Consequence Checker,
a free, self-directed tool for understanding the impacts of building, buying or adopting an AI-powered product or service www.careful.industries/consequences Thank you @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social
a free, self-directed tool for understanding the impacts of building, buying or adopting an AI-powered product or service www.careful.industries/consequences Thank you @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social
Reposted by Matt Locke
NEW on our website
@rasmuskleis.bsky.social chaired a commission tasked by the Danish gov to design a system of direct media subsidies. In this piece he explains how they conceived their proposal and what other countries could learn from it
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/taxes-n...
@rasmuskleis.bsky.social chaired a commission tasked by the Danish gov to design a system of direct media subsidies. In this piece he explains how they conceived their proposal and what other countries could learn from it
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/taxes-n...
From taxes to news: How Denmark is rethinking public funding for private publishers
The Nordic country is creating a model to decide which outlets should receive subsidies, how and on what basis. Rasmus Nielsen explains how it could work.
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk
November 12, 2025 at 10:53 AM
NEW on our website
@rasmuskleis.bsky.social chaired a commission tasked by the Danish gov to design a system of direct media subsidies. In this piece he explains how they conceived their proposal and what other countries could learn from it
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/taxes-n...
@rasmuskleis.bsky.social chaired a commission tasked by the Danish gov to design a system of direct media subsidies. In this piece he explains how they conceived their proposal and what other countries could learn from it
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/taxes-n...
Reposted by Matt Locke
I agree with @arusbridger.bsky.social about BBC governance. Although v hesitant about another rearrangement, the single corporate-style board is massively flawed, not least because there needs to be some distance for the governors/board members from editorial decisions
Michael Prescott and Sir Robbie Gibb both bailed out of journalism years ago, and enjoy lucrative careers in corporate PR. And now they are the arbiters of BBC editorial standards. Go figure www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/...
The BBC has bigger impartiality problems than its coverage of Trump
It is the BBC’s entire governance structure–rather than individual stories–that should cause most concern
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 7:46 AM
I agree with @arusbridger.bsky.social about BBC governance. Although v hesitant about another rearrangement, the single corporate-style board is massively flawed, not least because there needs to be some distance for the governors/board members from editorial decisions
Good quote from Peter Bazalgette in this: "We could have had a strategy for public service media and its survival five or ten years ago"
Thing is, quite a lot of us were writing that strategy *20* years ago, but no one noticed.
Thing is, quite a lot of us were writing that strategy *20* years ago, but no one noticed.
The UK TV industry continues its slow-motion collapse.
ITV in talks to sell television business to Sky
The talks focus on ITV's Media and Entertainment division, which include its TV channels as well as its streaming service, ITV X.
www.bbc.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Good quote from Peter Bazalgette in this: "We could have had a strategy for public service media and its survival five or ten years ago"
Thing is, quite a lot of us were writing that strategy *20* years ago, but no one noticed.
Thing is, quite a lot of us were writing that strategy *20* years ago, but no one noticed.
Reposted by Matt Locke
This is not the gift of a government. This is the gift of the sun. And it has some really interesting implications… #actuallyexistingsolarpunk
Australia has so much electricity from solar power that it is going to start offering free electricity to everyone for at least three hours during the day as the wholesale price of power goes negative
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
Australia has so much solar that it's offering everyone free electricity
Australia's extensive solar power penetration makes so much energy that the government wants to offer free electricity at peak hours.
electrek.co
November 7, 2025 at 8:56 AM
This is not the gift of a government. This is the gift of the sun. And it has some really interesting implications… #actuallyexistingsolarpunk
Reposted by Matt Locke
Did not expect one of the best paragraphs I’d read about baseball would come from an Irish newspaper
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
November 2, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Did not expect one of the best paragraphs I’d read about baseball would come from an Irish newspaper
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
Reposted by Matt Locke
Excited to see the first issue of @equatormag.bsky.social now here www.equator.org
EQUATOR
Equator is a magazine of politics, culture and art.
www.equator.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Excited to see the first issue of @equatormag.bsky.social now here www.equator.org
It’s nice that MLB are growing the game in the UK by [checks notes] extending World Series games till we all wake up.
October 28, 2025 at 7:37 AM
It’s nice that MLB are growing the game in the UK by [checks notes] extending World Series games till we all wake up.
Reposted by Matt Locke
For over 50 years, the Booker Prizes have recognised the best fiction for adults. Now, we're delighted to announce the Children’s Booker Prize, supported by AKO Foundation.
Find out more: thebookerprizes.com/children
Find out more: thebookerprizes.com/children
October 24, 2025 at 7:14 AM
For over 50 years, the Booker Prizes have recognised the best fiction for adults. Now, we're delighted to announce the Children’s Booker Prize, supported by AKO Foundation.
Find out more: thebookerprizes.com/children
Find out more: thebookerprizes.com/children
Reposted by Matt Locke
I wrote about what it was like to go online for the first time 30 years ago. How hard and complicated it seemed, and then how amazing this entirely new world was. Including some extracts from my 1995 diary.
www.gyford.com/phil/writing...
www.gyford.com/phil/writing...
My first months in cyberspace
Recalling the difficulties and wonder of getting online for the first time in 1995, including diary extracts from the time.
www.gyford.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:10 PM
I wrote about what it was like to go online for the first time 30 years ago. How hard and complicated it seemed, and then how amazing this entirely new world was. Including some extracts from my 1995 diary.
www.gyford.com/phil/writing...
www.gyford.com/phil/writing...
Reposted by Matt Locke
As reported by BBC News today, being prepared to respond to a cyber-attack is now a critical business priority.
We worked with the Local Government Association and a range of partners to develop the ‘Cyber Incident Grab Bag’ for local authorities.
public.digital/pd-insights/...
We worked with the Local Government Association and a range of partners to develop the ‘Cyber Incident Grab Bag’ for local authorities.
public.digital/pd-insights/...
Local Government Association Cyber Incident Grab Bag for Local Authorities — Public Digital
public.digital
October 14, 2025 at 8:43 AM
As reported by BBC News today, being prepared to respond to a cyber-attack is now a critical business priority.
We worked with the Local Government Association and a range of partners to develop the ‘Cyber Incident Grab Bag’ for local authorities.
public.digital/pd-insights/...
We worked with the Local Government Association and a range of partners to develop the ‘Cyber Incident Grab Bag’ for local authorities.
public.digital/pd-insights/...
Reposted by Matt Locke
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
October 8, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
Reposted by Matt Locke
Rather than unlocking UK community power, successive govts' digital policies have been focussed on Silicon Valley-style success.
By me for @powertochange.org.uk, on why digital social policy is a necessary building block for a stronger society
www.powertochange.org.uk/evidence-and...
By me for @powertochange.org.uk, on why digital social policy is a necessary building block for a stronger society
www.powertochange.org.uk/evidence-and...
The digital disconnect: taking digital social policy seriously - Power to Change
In our next essay, Rachel Coldicutt explores the urgent need for a community-centred approach to technology policy in the UK. From WhatsApp-powered communit ...
www.powertochange.org.uk
October 5, 2025 at 6:42 AM
Rather than unlocking UK community power, successive govts' digital policies have been focussed on Silicon Valley-style success.
By me for @powertochange.org.uk, on why digital social policy is a necessary building block for a stronger society
www.powertochange.org.uk/evidence-and...
By me for @powertochange.org.uk, on why digital social policy is a necessary building block for a stronger society
www.powertochange.org.uk/evidence-and...
Reposted by Matt Locke
Running a second Ofcom Q&A event for folks that run small, low-risk websites who have questions about Online Safety Act compliance. Send your Qs (using the booking form) by 15 Oct. buttondown.com/indie-and-co... (also not sure if everyone on the mailing list received the email, so please share!)
#7: Ofcom Virtual Q&A Event - 23 October
Book your place at this Ofcom Q&A for people who run small, low-risk sites and have questions about the Online Safety Act.
buttondown.com
September 30, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Running a second Ofcom Q&A event for folks that run small, low-risk websites who have questions about Online Safety Act compliance. Send your Qs (using the booking form) by 15 Oct. buttondown.com/indie-and-co... (also not sure if everyone on the mailing list received the email, so please share!)
Reposted by Matt Locke
the influencer model has a version of this: audience capture stuff. but i think some of the smaller indie pubs that have had success (Mountain Gazette is a great example) and plenty of newsletters too are much more taste driven. people seem eager to pay for access to somebody's curiosity/taste
September 8, 2025 at 4:50 PM
the influencer model has a version of this: audience capture stuff. but i think some of the smaller indie pubs that have had success (Mountain Gazette is a great example) and plenty of newsletters too are much more taste driven. people seem eager to pay for access to somebody's curiosity/taste
Reposted by Matt Locke
Giving ppl what they want based on what they click on is the opposite of curation, it is the opposite of taste. While ppl obviously will consume it, i think there's like a fatigue that sets in from the audience side. a subconscious realization of like, why am i paying for the thing i'm programming?
September 8, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Giving ppl what they want based on what they click on is the opposite of curation, it is the opposite of taste. While ppl obviously will consume it, i think there's like a fatigue that sets in from the audience side. a subconscious realization of like, why am i paying for the thing i'm programming?
Reposted by Matt Locke
My theory is that the arrival of traffic measuring metrics supercharged distrust in media. Yeah, there's clickbait, but I think the real issue is that audiences actually get really tired of being given the thing they signal that they want. Even when its not a race to the bottom, it hurts trust
September 8, 2025 at 4:39 PM
My theory is that the arrival of traffic measuring metrics supercharged distrust in media. Yeah, there's clickbait, but I think the real issue is that audiences actually get really tired of being given the thing they signal that they want. Even when its not a race to the bottom, it hurts trust
I still refer to this text year after year. It’s never not been true.
Thirty years ago, Richard Barbrook and Andy Cameron published “The Californian Ideology” in Mute magazine and circulated on the early-adopter email list nettime, writes Nathan Schneider. The Californian ideology appeared to be in something of a retreat in recent years, but in 2025 it roared back.
Thirty Years On, the Californian Ideology is Alive and Well | TechPolicy.Press
In the seminal essay, Barbrook and Cameron insisted that there are other ways to build technology, and to do it democratically, writes Nathan Schneider.
buff.ly
September 2, 2025 at 1:11 PM
I still refer to this text year after year. It’s never not been true.
The second book in my wife’s new children’s book series is out today! It’s absolutely brilliant and beautifully illustrated* Perfect for kids for Halloween!
www.waterstones.com/book/colin-s...
*I might be a tiny bit biased, but it is!
www.waterstones.com/book/colin-s...
*I might be a tiny bit biased, but it is!
Colin’s Grandma by Holly Swain | Waterstones
Buy Colin’s Grandma by Holly Swain from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.
www.waterstones.com
August 28, 2025 at 1:27 PM
The second book in my wife’s new children’s book series is out today! It’s absolutely brilliant and beautifully illustrated* Perfect for kids for Halloween!
www.waterstones.com/book/colin-s...
*I might be a tiny bit biased, but it is!
www.waterstones.com/book/colin-s...
*I might be a tiny bit biased, but it is!
Reposted by Matt Locke
Let no one say I'm above retweeting praise research.mysociety.org/html/ai-fram...
August 27, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Let no one say I'm above retweeting praise research.mysociety.org/html/ai-fram...
Reposted by Matt Locke
New report: How can AI work for the public good?
@dianecoyle1859.bsky.social et al. explored this question in a series of workshops with people from across disciplines looking at:
⚖️ Administrative justice
📍 Place
🩺 Public health
💸 Market failure
Findings: www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/publications...
@dianecoyle1859.bsky.social et al. explored this question in a series of workshops with people from across disciplines looking at:
⚖️ Administrative justice
📍 Place
🩺 Public health
💸 Market failure
Findings: www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/publications...
Just outcomes: How can AI make people’s lives better? - Bennett School of Public Policy
Artificial intelligence could transform public services in the UK for the better — but it also risks damaging public trust if not introduced responsibly, warns new report by the Bennett Institute for ...
www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk
August 18, 2025 at 10:42 AM
New report: How can AI work for the public good?
@dianecoyle1859.bsky.social et al. explored this question in a series of workshops with people from across disciplines looking at:
⚖️ Administrative justice
📍 Place
🩺 Public health
💸 Market failure
Findings: www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/publications...
@dianecoyle1859.bsky.social et al. explored this question in a series of workshops with people from across disciplines looking at:
⚖️ Administrative justice
📍 Place
🩺 Public health
💸 Market failure
Findings: www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/publications...
Stone Stacks Litter Pristine Trails. A Grumpy Hiker Is Kicking Back.
www.nytimes.com
August 15, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Increase a band: Radioheadshoulderskneesandtoes
Increase a band: Google Crosby
Increase a band: Alison Krauss & Shinjuku Station
August 14, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Increase a band: Radioheadshoulderskneesandtoes
Reposted by Matt Locke
UK content publishing pals -- you should get across to NYC for the Protocols For Publishers summit, sharing what AI + various protocols (like MCP, ATProto etc) might mean for changing audience behaviour... and what to do about it
pfp.unternet.co
pfp.unternet.co
Protocols for Publishers
A series bringing together publishers, developers, and researchers to explore open protocols for a sustainable agentic web.
pfp.unternet.co
August 7, 2025 at 10:51 AM
UK content publishing pals -- you should get across to NYC for the Protocols For Publishers summit, sharing what AI + various protocols (like MCP, ATProto etc) might mean for changing audience behaviour... and what to do about it
pfp.unternet.co
pfp.unternet.co