Andy Mabbett
@pigsonthewing.org.uk
Man of many talents-some of them useful. Multiple monomaniac. Author, 'Pink Floyd: The Music & The Mystery'.
Also Wikipedia, Wikidata &c. OpenStreetMap. Birds. Birmingham. Open data. FoI. Art. Architecture. History. FRSA.
Everything is interesting.
Also Wikipedia, Wikidata &c. OpenStreetMap. Birds. Birmingham. Open data. FoI. Art. Architecture. History. FRSA.
Everything is interesting.
My day
The agenda-building is underway here at UKCharityCamp 2025! Plenty of great sessions coming up...
November 13, 2025 at 4:06 PM
My day
Reposted by Andy Mabbett
40 years ago we’d have congressional hearings falsely accusing metal bands of putting backwards messages in their songs that told kids to kill themselves & now we have a planet-killing chatbot that’s all like “bet you won’t commit suicide chickenshit bitch” & the government is like here’s $5 billion
November 8, 2025 at 4:23 AM
40 years ago we’d have congressional hearings falsely accusing metal bands of putting backwards messages in their songs that told kids to kill themselves & now we have a planet-killing chatbot that’s all like “bet you won’t commit suicide chickenshit bitch” & the government is like here’s $5 billion
Reposted by Andy Mabbett
The British government admits it is now monitoring VPNs use by UK residents. Regulator Ofcom has contracted with an AI-powered surveillance service to detect the number of citizens using VPNs to evade the Online Safety Act.
The UK tech minister has said a VPN ban is on the table.
The UK tech minister has said a VPN ban is on the table.
Exclusive: Ofcom is monitoring VPNs following Online Safety Act. Here's how
Ignoring VPNs risks creating ineffective laws, but tracking them threatens people's privacy
www.techradar.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:39 PM
The British government admits it is now monitoring VPNs use by UK residents. Regulator Ofcom has contracted with an AI-powered surveillance service to detect the number of citizens using VPNs to evade the Online Safety Act.
The UK tech minister has said a VPN ban is on the table.
The UK tech minister has said a VPN ban is on the table.
Will they also be boycotting Question Time and Kuenssberg?
November 12, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Will they also be boycotting Question Time and Kuenssberg?
Iain M. Banks wrote science fiction about intelligent drones doing this, a couple of decades or more ago
in a long life filled with saying stupid shit this is may be the stupidest shit he's ever said
November 11, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Iain M. Banks wrote science fiction about intelligent drones doing this, a couple of decades or more ago
If your image is a screenshot of 100 words of text, then your ten-word alt text isn't cutting it.
November 10, 2025 at 10:01 PM
If your image is a screenshot of 100 words of text, then your ten-word alt text isn't cutting it.
Reposted by Andy Mabbett
𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐏𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐲
Montse still has bound copies of The Amazing Pudding – the Pink Floyd fanzine that @pigsonthewing.org.uk and I coedited when we were small children.
#britishpuddingday #pinkfloyd #theamazingpudding #fanzine #dogsofbluesky
Montse still has bound copies of The Amazing Pudding – the Pink Floyd fanzine that @pigsonthewing.org.uk and I coedited when we were small children.
#britishpuddingday #pinkfloyd #theamazingpudding #fanzine #dogsofbluesky
November 9, 2025 at 8:18 AM
𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐏𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐲
Montse still has bound copies of The Amazing Pudding – the Pink Floyd fanzine that @pigsonthewing.org.uk and I coedited when we were small children.
#britishpuddingday #pinkfloyd #theamazingpudding #fanzine #dogsofbluesky
Montse still has bound copies of The Amazing Pudding – the Pink Floyd fanzine that @pigsonthewing.org.uk and I coedited when we were small children.
#britishpuddingday #pinkfloyd #theamazingpudding #fanzine #dogsofbluesky
This is very unfair to Liberace
It’s spreading from the Oval Office…. the Liberace-isation of the White House continues apace. #whiteHouse
November 8, 2025 at 4:09 PM
This is very unfair to Liberace
"One day, son, all this will be concrete"
November 8, 2025 at 11:17 AM
"One day, son, all this will be concrete"
Reposted by Andy Mabbett
WAC wrong-headedness
(that's the BBC Written Archives Centre)
I've brought together the key links for the campaign against the changes which now make independent and exploratory research at WAC impossible - and why this matters.
www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk/wac-wrong-he...
(that's the BBC Written Archives Centre)
I've brought together the key links for the campaign against the changes which now make independent and exploratory research at WAC impossible - and why this matters.
www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk/wac-wrong-he...
WAC wrong-headedness - Illuminations
John Wyver writes: Some of you will know that I have been very involved over the past months with attempts to reverse the wrong-headed changes to access at the BBC Written Archives Centre (above, with...
www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 4:36 PM
WAC wrong-headedness
(that's the BBC Written Archives Centre)
I've brought together the key links for the campaign against the changes which now make independent and exploratory research at WAC impossible - and why this matters.
www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk/wac-wrong-he...
(that's the BBC Written Archives Centre)
I've brought together the key links for the campaign against the changes which now make independent and exploratory research at WAC impossible - and why this matters.
www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk/wac-wrong-he...
Reposted by Andy Mabbett
The UK requires age verification to see "rude" posts.
Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
November 7, 2025 at 10:37 AM
The UK requires age verification to see "rude" posts.
Reposted by Andy Mabbett
Fascinating that you’ve tagged in violence against women charities when among the things that have been forced to age gate or shut down as a result of the #OnlineSafetyAct are reddit support groups for sexual assault survivors.
Also… Brits don’t tend to say ‘parking lot’, who made this video?
Also… Brits don’t tend to say ‘parking lot’, who made this video?
Stranger Danger still applies online. That’s why we’ve implemented the Online Safety Act.
@counterhate.com @womensaid.bsky.social @evawuk.bsky.social @whiteribbonuk.bsky.social @mollyroseorg.bsky.social
#ukpolitics #uklabour #onlinesafety #violenceagainstwomen #childsafety #groomingawareness
@counterhate.com @womensaid.bsky.social @evawuk.bsky.social @whiteribbonuk.bsky.social @mollyroseorg.bsky.social
#ukpolitics #uklabour #onlinesafety #violenceagainstwomen #childsafety #groomingawareness
November 6, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Fascinating that you’ve tagged in violence against women charities when among the things that have been forced to age gate or shut down as a result of the #OnlineSafetyAct are reddit support groups for sexual assault survivors.
Also… Brits don’t tend to say ‘parking lot’, who made this video?
Also… Brits don’t tend to say ‘parking lot’, who made this video?
Reposted by Andy Mabbett
He said that the agents would throw food at them to eat. The agents threatened to withhold food for a week and to beat him up if he didn't sign deportation papers. He said he saw others refuse and get beaten/receive no food. He signed because he was afraid.
November 7, 2025 at 3:08 AM
He said that the agents would throw food at them to eat. The agents threatened to withhold food for a week and to beat him up if he didn't sign deportation papers. He said he saw others refuse and get beaten/receive no food. He signed because he was afraid.
Reposted by Andy Mabbett
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
November 7, 2025 at 3:08 AM
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
Reposted by Andy Mabbett
Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
November 6, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
Reposted by Andy Mabbett
“It broke my heart, that was my savings towards a new car,” one woman who paid Milne tens of thousands of pounds told us. “He has just wiped me out.”
Who is Andrew Milne - the solicitor sending "very aggressive" letters to Sheffield homeowners?
www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/a-london-law...
Who is Andrew Milne - the solicitor sending "very aggressive" letters to Sheffield homeowners?
www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/a-london-law...
A London lawyer bought hundreds of Sheffield freeholds. Then the ‘very aggressive’ letters arrived
Exclusive: The Tribune can reveal that Andrew Milne has threatened leaseholders with high court action. It ‘broke my heart’ one woman says
www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 3:20 PM
“It broke my heart, that was my savings towards a new car,” one woman who paid Milne tens of thousands of pounds told us. “He has just wiped me out.”
Who is Andrew Milne - the solicitor sending "very aggressive" letters to Sheffield homeowners?
www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/a-london-law...
Who is Andrew Milne - the solicitor sending "very aggressive" letters to Sheffield homeowners?
www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/a-london-law...
What, R2D2 fights Marvin?
How did I not know that this actually exists??? robotwars.fandom.com/wiki/Celebri... thank you @drlucyrogers.com!
November 6, 2025 at 10:34 PM
What, R2D2 fights Marvin?
Reposted by Andy Mabbett
Fascinating article on AI, @wikipedia.org, and the fate of less widely used human languages in @mittechreviewbr.bsky.social www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/25/1...
How AI and Wikipedia have sent vulnerable languages into a doom spiral
Machine translators have made it easier than ever to create error-plagued Wikipedia articles in obscure languages. What happens when AI models get trained on junk pages?
www.technologyreview.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Fascinating article on AI, @wikipedia.org, and the fate of less widely used human languages in @mittechreviewbr.bsky.social www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/25/1...
While the loss of life in Louisville is terrible, it could have been so much worse.
Looking at maps and aerial photography, its almost as though the plane was threaded between the biggest (and presumably most densely occupied) buildings.
Looking at maps and aerial photography, its almost as though the plane was threaded between the biggest (and presumably most densely occupied) buildings.
November 6, 2025 at 7:02 PM
While the loss of life in Louisville is terrible, it could have been so much worse.
Looking at maps and aerial photography, its almost as though the plane was threaded between the biggest (and presumably most densely occupied) buildings.
Looking at maps and aerial photography, its almost as though the plane was threaded between the biggest (and presumably most densely occupied) buildings.
Grokipedia still saying "The 2025 Dutch general election is a snap parliamentary election scheduled for 29 October 2025" and "The 2025 New York City mayoral election is scheduled for November 4, 2025".
Zohran Mamdani article has not been updated.
Has no article on UPS Airlines Flight 2976.
Zohran Mamdani article has not been updated.
Has no article on UPS Airlines Flight 2976.
November 6, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Grokipedia still saying "The 2025 Dutch general election is a snap parliamentary election scheduled for 29 October 2025" and "The 2025 New York City mayoral election is scheduled for November 4, 2025".
Zohran Mamdani article has not been updated.
Has no article on UPS Airlines Flight 2976.
Zohran Mamdani article has not been updated.
Has no article on UPS Airlines Flight 2976.
Might add "Professional Relaxer" to my LinkedIn profile
November 6, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Might add "Professional Relaxer" to my LinkedIn profile
Quotes here from Tory leader Alden beggar belief.
Revealed: The 1,000 assets flogged off by Birmingham’s bankrupt council
The city’s green spaces could be the next to go
The city’s green spaces could be the next to go
Revealed: The 1,000 assets flogged off by Birmingham’s bankrupt council
The city's green spaces could be the next to go
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Quotes here from Tory leader Alden beggar belief.
Our country is having some kind of collective mental crisis, part 67
“He added those living in the area were concerned that the path would become a shortcut for university staff and students if access was not restricted.”
Perhaps if they’d let them use it as a permissive pathway, they might have quieter journeys driving around their local area? A strange condition.
Perhaps if they’d let them use it as a permissive pathway, they might have quieter journeys driving around their local area? A strange condition.
Coventry zebra crossing leading to locked gate baffles residents
Not all residents in the new development have a code to access the gate.
www.bbc.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Our country is having some kind of collective mental crisis, part 67
Reposted by Andy Mabbett
Can anyone in #Singapore help me out?
I'd like a copy of this news story - eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/d...
But it says "This may only be viewed from the multimedia stations at NLB Libraries."
Is it possible to get a full resolution image?
Thanks!
I'd like a copy of this news story - eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/d...
But it says "This may only be viewed from the multimedia stations at NLB Libraries."
Is it possible to get a full resolution image?
Thanks!
NewspaperSG
NewspaperSG is an online resource of over 200 Singapore and Malaya newspapers published since 1831, or find information on over 200.
eresources.nlb.gov.sg
November 6, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Can anyone in #Singapore help me out?
I'd like a copy of this news story - eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/d...
But it says "This may only be viewed from the multimedia stations at NLB Libraries."
Is it possible to get a full resolution image?
Thanks!
I'd like a copy of this news story - eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/d...
But it says "This may only be viewed from the multimedia stations at NLB Libraries."
Is it possible to get a full resolution image?
Thanks!
Reposted by Andy Mabbett
I lost the framed original of this while I was going through St Pancras on Sunday Nov 2nd around 3pm. Would love if it had been found by anyone?
November 5, 2025 at 11:23 AM
I lost the framed original of this while I was going through St Pancras on Sunday Nov 2nd around 3pm. Would love if it had been found by anyone?