paulsq
@paulsq.bsky.social
1
September 3, 2025 at 9:44 PM
1
Reposted by paulsq
Question to Zach Polanski at the leadership announcement:
"Q: How can you take on Nigel Farage when your policy on immigration is so different?"
Everything wrong with British politics and media summed up so succinctly in a single absolutely unhinged question.
"Q: How can you take on Nigel Farage when your policy on immigration is so different?"
Everything wrong with British politics and media summed up so succinctly in a single absolutely unhinged question.
September 2, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Question to Zach Polanski at the leadership announcement:
"Q: How can you take on Nigel Farage when your policy on immigration is so different?"
Everything wrong with British politics and media summed up so succinctly in a single absolutely unhinged question.
"Q: How can you take on Nigel Farage when your policy on immigration is so different?"
Everything wrong with British politics and media summed up so succinctly in a single absolutely unhinged question.
Not as scary as Monochrome Thames, especially when preceding Armchair Thriller
The ultimate scary tv ident.
Mainly because it meant you were probably watching tv far too late.
Mainly because it meant you were probably watching tv far too late.
You just can't beat proper Open University!
September 2, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Not as scary as Monochrome Thames, especially when preceding Armchair Thriller
I watched some of “Up The Chastity Belt” on TPTV last night, and was reminded that it’s one of the worst films ever made
September 1, 2025 at 12:20 PM
I watched some of “Up The Chastity Belt” on TPTV last night, and was reminded that it’s one of the worst films ever made
Reposted by paulsq
We at Goldsmiths, in the @mediacomgold.bsky.social department, are looking for a talented Technical Tutor for Digital Media and Animation - please share or apply here! Come and work with us and our amazing students jobs.gold.ac.uk/vacancy/tech...
August 13, 2025 at 4:21 PM
We at Goldsmiths, in the @mediacomgold.bsky.social department, are looking for a talented Technical Tutor for Digital Media and Animation - please share or apply here! Come and work with us and our amazing students jobs.gold.ac.uk/vacancy/tech...
Reposted by paulsq
The World at One: “we wouldn't normally lead our news with the policy of a party with only 4 MPs, but they have been topping the polls”
Could that have anything to do with the BBC making Farage a major TV and Radio star for the last 10 years perhaps?
Could that have anything to do with the BBC making Farage a major TV and Radio star for the last 10 years perhaps?
August 26, 2025 at 12:10 PM
The World at One: “we wouldn't normally lead our news with the policy of a party with only 4 MPs, but they have been topping the polls”
Could that have anything to do with the BBC making Farage a major TV and Radio star for the last 10 years perhaps?
Could that have anything to do with the BBC making Farage a major TV and Radio star for the last 10 years perhaps?
Because we’re (a) not telling people about the right use cases for AI, and (b) tech companies are marketing it as a panacea. AI can’t do structure/logic very well, whereas “traditional” lookup programs easily can.
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 25, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Because we’re (a) not telling people about the right use cases for AI, and (b) tech companies are marketing it as a panacea. AI can’t do structure/logic very well, whereas “traditional” lookup programs easily can.
6 Music is playing Classical Gas
August 24, 2025 at 12:15 PM
6 Music is playing Classical Gas
Reposted by paulsq
Rant: I sat through a barbecue not so long ago; Brits and Dutch( who to be fair make a better fist of learning languages tbh) and caught the eye of a Spanish friend (who speaks reasonable English) 1/ www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Time for a reality check: Britain cannot be a big player on the world stage unless we speak more languages | Sophia Smith Galer
For all the talk of addressing the problem, things have got worse. Which is criminal when there is so much we could do, says journalist Sophia Smith Galer
www.theguardian.com
August 24, 2025 at 4:36 AM
Rant: I sat through a barbecue not so long ago; Brits and Dutch( who to be fair make a better fist of learning languages tbh) and caught the eye of a Spanish friend (who speaks reasonable English) 1/ www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Watched Whitstable Pearl for the first time ever. Charming storyline, gorgeous scenery, and the most inspired casting ever of Kerry Godliman in the eponymous lead role.
August 22, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Watched Whitstable Pearl for the first time ever. Charming storyline, gorgeous scenery, and the most inspired casting ever of Kerry Godliman in the eponymous lead role.
Reposted by paulsq
A Welsh friend reported his squaddie mate's reaction to Saddam's palace in Baghdad; "like if people from Merthyr won the lottery".
August 19, 2025 at 7:01 AM
A Welsh friend reported his squaddie mate's reaction to Saddam's palace in Baghdad; "like if people from Merthyr won the lottery".
“An historic”, obvs. Sorry.
August 15, 2025 at 11:11 AM
“An historic”, obvs. Sorry.
You might have thought that “Pakistan” is a historic name but in fact it was invented by a Cambridge academic who used the P A K initials of the biggest regions in the area
A very happy 14 August 78th Independence day🌹🇵🇰🌹🇵🇰🌹
🌹🇵🇰Pakistan Zinda bad🇵🇰🌹
🌹🇵🇰Pakistan Zinda bad🇵🇰🌹
August 15, 2025 at 11:11 AM
You might have thought that “Pakistan” is a historic name but in fact it was invented by a Cambridge academic who used the P A K initials of the biggest regions in the area
Reposted by paulsq
Kurt Vonnegut’s definition of what makes something “art” is one of my favorites I’ve seen - from a letter to his brother in 1995.
August 15, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Kurt Vonnegut’s definition of what makes something “art” is one of my favorites I’ve seen - from a letter to his brother in 1995.
Reposted by paulsq
Meta is such an immoral company. As horrible as the platform landscape is, I maintain my optimism in the fact that we have such incredible journalism and advocacy work that continues to shine the light on all this shit.
Also from Meta's GenAI risk standards:
"It is acceptable to create statements that demean people on the basis of their protected characteristics."
This is the justification for Meta AI helping a user argue "why black people are dumber than white people."
www.reuters.com/investigates...
"It is acceptable to create statements that demean people on the basis of their protected characteristics."
This is the justification for Meta AI helping a user argue "why black people are dumber than white people."
www.reuters.com/investigates...
Meta’s AI rules have let bots hold ‘sensual’ chats with children
An internal Meta policy document reveals the social-media giant’s rules for chatbots, which have permitted provocative behavior on topics including sex and race.
www.reuters.com
August 14, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Meta is such an immoral company. As horrible as the platform landscape is, I maintain my optimism in the fact that we have such incredible journalism and advocacy work that continues to shine the light on all this shit.
Nice piece on Clippy. Years ago, I wrote a similar piece on the now-forgotten alternative to Clippy, Power Pup (www.petmag.com.br/famosos/powe...)
Before today's chatbots and copilots, Clippy was there 👀 watching, waiting, and butting in. Continuing my 'Little History of Little Guys', I dig into his origins at Microsoft Research in the 90s and propose a 2×2 taxonomy of AI agent design.
Clippy: A Little History of Little Guys
The history of ‘Little Guys’ in AI UX. There are very few bits of software that have achieved such lasting cultural immortality as Clippy.
thejaymo.net
August 12, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Nice piece on Clippy. Years ago, I wrote a similar piece on the now-forgotten alternative to Clippy, Power Pup (www.petmag.com.br/famosos/powe...)
Oh excellent
After some time offline, my site Gypsy Creams is back! I’m amused at just how wrong I was about the concept of ‘period pants’ here: www.gypsycreams.org/2017/07/klei...
Gypsy Creams: Kleinerts
www.gypsycreams.org
August 12, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Oh excellent
Your regular reminder that the best public broadcaster in the UK is S4C
August 12, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Your regular reminder that the best public broadcaster in the UK is S4C
Reposted by paulsq
Dame Stephanie Shirley, the IT entrepreneur who came to the UK in the Kindertransport and went by “Steve” to ensure her letters were answered, has died at 91. Her 2010 interview with Kirsty Young is one of the most engrossing DIDs I’ve ever heard. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/d...
Dame Stephanie Shirley
Podcast Episode · Desert Island Discs · 23/05/2010 · 38m
podcasts.apple.com
August 11, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Dame Stephanie Shirley, the IT entrepreneur who came to the UK in the Kindertransport and went by “Steve” to ensure her letters were answered, has died at 91. Her 2010 interview with Kirsty Young is one of the most engrossing DIDs I’ve ever heard. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/d...
Reposted by paulsq
My latest @stampfans.bsky.social poem has just gone to print, and it's a bit of a special edition, inspired by the location below. To read it, sign up here: www.stampfans.com/creator-deta...
August 11, 2025 at 1:23 PM
My latest @stampfans.bsky.social poem has just gone to print, and it's a bit of a special edition, inspired by the location below. To read it, sign up here: www.stampfans.com/creator-deta...
New mix: 25 years ago, @radiohead.wastehq.social made an amazing mix for Radio 1. Whilst it has been available online since, the audio standards of the day - taping from FM radio - led to poor audio quality. So, taking a week to make, I have completely recreated it. www.mixcloud.com/paulsq/radio...
Radiohead Breezeblock 2000 > 2025
In December 2000, Oxford band Radiohead broadcast a mix on The Breezeblock, a weekly techno/alternative/IDM show on BBC Radio 1. It is available on the Internet (including on Mixcloud) but because it ...
www.mixcloud.com
August 10, 2025 at 8:26 PM
New mix: 25 years ago, @radiohead.wastehq.social made an amazing mix for Radio 1. Whilst it has been available online since, the audio standards of the day - taping from FM radio - led to poor audio quality. So, taking a week to make, I have completely recreated it. www.mixcloud.com/paulsq/radio...
Reposted by paulsq
Happy birthday to trailblazing American computer scientist Frances Elizabeth Allen (1932 – 2020) who made foundational contributions to optimizing compilers, optimizing programs and parallel computing. 🧪🐡👩🏼🔬🧮 #histsci She was the first woman to become an IBM Fellow, where she worked from 1957 to 2002🧵
August 4, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Happy birthday to trailblazing American computer scientist Frances Elizabeth Allen (1932 – 2020) who made foundational contributions to optimizing compilers, optimizing programs and parallel computing. 🧪🐡👩🏼🔬🧮 #histsci She was the first woman to become an IBM Fellow, where she worked from 1957 to 2002🧵
New mix: 90 solid minutes of bass, beats and bleeps www.mixcloud.com/paulsq/manna...
Manna Heaven Interface - August 2025 (1)
www.mixcloud.com
August 4, 2025 at 9:39 AM
New mix: 90 solid minutes of bass, beats and bleeps www.mixcloud.com/paulsq/manna...
Reposted by paulsq
We are looking for a Senior Manager for our Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life @leverhulmecal.bsky.social A key person in our team & a future valued colleague. Apply here durham.taleo.net/careersectio... & feel free to DM me. Also look out for our October research fellows posts.
Senior Manager - Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life
Click the link provided to see the complete job description.
durham.taleo.net
August 1, 2025 at 8:38 PM
We are looking for a Senior Manager for our Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life @leverhulmecal.bsky.social A key person in our team & a future valued colleague. Apply here durham.taleo.net/careersectio... & feel free to DM me. Also look out for our October research fellows posts.
This is a wonderful technical dissection of a beloved film and… well, I’ll just leave it there www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/dvdrev...
Blue Blu-ray - Derek Jarman
www.dvdbeaver.com
August 2, 2025 at 10:17 PM
This is a wonderful technical dissection of a beloved film and… well, I’ll just leave it there www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/dvdrev...