Conversation with young, male colleague at work y'day. He talked about his mates who'd become increasingly right-wing - he'd had to cut contact with one. Meanwhile he's a big supporter of Greens, particularly Zac who I remain on the fence about.

"A propensity for gossip is a feature of every workplace," the ruling says. "So far as concerns gossip at work, no employee can expect not to be the subject of gossip about something on some occasion" Fucking hell. That's what they think being forcibly outed at work means. Gossip.

Colleague at work: "This is the best day ever, but he's never going to go to prison". Me: "Maybe, but they do have a rather nice Tower they could put him in".

Genuinely not having a go at individuals, but Britain's elite is so open and diverse that Romeo, Olly Robbins, D Raab and L Truss were at four different Oxford Colleges in the same year! And Raab didn't even do PPE! Wow. UK looks for talent everywhere doesn't it. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

A random day off work today to use up holiday. Baked a cake then decided to dust away some (many) cobwebs. Some of the cobwebs got rather cross: "excuse me, you're disturbing the nursery". Gave up and read my book instead!

www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microso... No UK government department should be using CoPilot and if they are then they need to commission an immediate review.

Today is the last day to read this piece for free. It might work quite well as an intro to my writing for people who only know it via Bluesky. P.S. It's much better if you read it all the way to the end. I mean, I would say that, but I promise: it really does. www.tom-cox.com/once-upon-a-...

This is funny but it’s also not funny because it’s the result of rich evil fuckfaces breeding vast numbers of terrified brainless animals purely to be gunned down so the rich evil fuckfaces can tell themselves they’re brave hunters upholding some kind of important rural tradition.

"What have they done with their heads, Jerry! WHAT HAVE THEY DONE WITH THE HEADS?!!!"

📢 ‘Women are more than our appearance’. Delegates at UNISON’s women’s conference condemned the damaging effects of the EHRC interim guidance, emphasising the need for inclusive workplaces and services that respect all women. Read more ⬇️

One in five children infected in the recent London measles outbreak were reportedly hospitalised. Don’t believe the anti-vaxxers when they say “it’s a mild disease” or “it’s better to get immunity naturally”. It isn’t.

Student loan thresholds as they are and as they should be in 3/4 of this informative thread. The system hasn't worked for years.

Lots of govt tech policy has been somewhat inexplicable this last year. The role of TBI is well known and something we all took for granted, and while ofc Palantir's relationship with the UK public services pre-dates this administration, there are some big Qs to be answered about Global Counsel

Transphobes have opened up “a toxic, traditionalist culture” so bad the WI is closing chapters rather than comply. Well done, TERFs! Even the WI calls you toxic. But those women’s wishes don’t count, I’m guessing? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

So @jim.londoncentric.media’s @londoncentric.media is excellent and you should subscribe, and this is just a sidebar from his latest, but I wanted to point at it and yell:

I reckon this is the 34th year of Valentining for me and the spouse! Running out of ideas - and hate the whole idea of V-day - but can't persuade himself that we should just stop! Anyway, this is my offering for this year. No purchases or AI involved.

I 💚 Kevin 🐾🦮 #Dogs (The ending is 😂) www.youtube.com/shorts/ihEuP...

Absolutely brilliant take-down by @fionaharvey.bsky.social of ludicrous myths & misinformation spouting from Tony Blair’s think tank. Why on earth does he think it’s sensible to make our energy more costly & less secure?

Sarah Rodgers, the US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy is using US money to fund the promotion of MAGA values in Europe....including of course, the unpleasant coin-operated twats at The Reform Party It feels like it's working too

Stopped using Amazon well over a decade ago (and my family thought I was a total weirdo). Argos is brilliant for the range of stuff you can get quickly. Also use the library loads which keeps costs down.

Car went to garage yesterday to be fixed. £1300 it cost us and when husband went to start it this morning it just said "nope. Engine fault". Money well spent? Evans Halshaw have excelled themselves 😡

Someone told me lately "Bluesky is just like Twitter." I argued that was untrue on the basis that last time I had a Twitter account most times I got a new follower their bio said "single & looking for fun" & here when I get a new follower it tends to say something like "professor of rare moths".

Does this curse also count for the tech bros who illegally used books written by me and countless others to help AI annihilate the world? I fucking hope so.

We've just sat with our 20 year old daughter and watched Small Prophets. Brought a smile to all our faces (and a tear or two to my eyes at point). 1 episode in and I have high hopes but going to eke it out rather than binge. Thank you BBC (and writer, cast and crew obviously).

Had to seek out a recent episode of @channel4tv.bsky.social 8/10 Cats Does Countdown because @samnicoresti.bsky.social was on there. Shame it was quite a brief visit because she was fabulous, funny and actually good at the game. Hope she's allowed back for a full show.

Many people in Britain and the EU deserve their fate for (at best) sucking up to the ultra-rich. But the US elite are just going to... completely escape without scrutiny? When they're at the heart of it? WTF is going on here.

Couldn't agree more with this sentiment. Unable to work out how to deal with nasty emotions I put the curling on yesterday and it was so bewilderingly soothing it worked a treat. Why is there not more curling available all the time? With Ian though on not understanding the shouting at each other!

Every four years I consider learning the rules of curling but then decide it's more enjoyable if I don't.

Have to say… “uber-woke, net-zeroist, rejoinerism” sounds very appealing. Particularly in light of the fact that anti-woke, fossil-fuel-ist, brexitism has been such an exhausting and ruinous shitshow.

The should do stickers for grownups that say “I was very brave at IKEA today”

This story is one of my favourite things I wrote last year. I'm making it free for 24 hours, so a few more people have chance to read an example of my short fiction (and hopefully might subscribe to my newsletter). www.tom-cox.com/old-litkinov...

Just a word of thanks to our fantastic media. Despite my racist bullying at school, having a senior colleague imprisoned for being a traitor, breaking the MP’s Code Of Conduct 17 times, my dodgy house purchase and even being in the Epstein Files, nobody is demanding I resign!

Moving Parliament out of London doesn't seem a bad idea at all to me. All I have heard about the Houses of Parliament is that they are entirely unfit for modern government use and vastly expensive. Only thing in their favour is their splendour.

I doubt I will ever witness a better description of pheasants than the time I heard a ten-year-old call them "fashion chickens".

Husband: "did you hear about the case in America where a woman transitioned and had a mastectomy and is now suing because she doesn't believe she is actually trans?" Me: "That's ONE person, in another country, and it's on the UK BBC news. You would have to ask why that is.".

AI in front-of-house good morning public services is also an austerity technology - there's a big difference between eg research breakthroughs in drug discovery and facial-recognition at the front desk. So presumably this is a really a short-term move to get ££ or in-kind support from tech companies

Less than 12 minutes and very lovely (people and film). I am suspecting that being a trans drag queen is particularly challenging. I am grateful to these women for sharing some of what it's like.

Cat: “I cannot convey to you just how much I genuinely despise this food.” Me: “Here, have this instead.” Cat: “OMG I LOVE IT.” Me: “It’s exactly the same bowl of food. I just took it away for six seconds then put it back in the same place.” Cat: “I am fire and the wind. Do not attempt to know me.”

“Grandpa, what does ‘awesome’ mean?” “Well, back at one point, it was a word used to describe the planet’s great unfathomable wonders, although now it generally means ‘Thanks for emailing me that PDF'."

Private equity owns lion’s share of children’s foster services in England, ‘bleeding the sector of money’. Profits margins of 19%. Money extracted in interest payments, intragroup charges. Children suffer. Ban profit-taking entities from foster services.

and no I haven't put the Mandelson-Epstein-Reinaldo scoop on twitter we journalists *can* make Bluesky the place to break news

I don't have children so can I be exempted from the tax which goes towards state education? This government is so ridiculously pathetic.

Waiting for call from PIP (daughter, renewal). Due at 11.00, 11.30 at the latest. Call at 11.30 to say it would probably be noon. Wait mode may actually kill me.

Husband's 'Head of' role (50% FTE) was abolished last year so when he did teaching allocation for this year he allocated himself a full teaching load. Then they asked him to do similar role, no reward & 40% FTE allocated and he said yes. Breakdown imminent 😭

Good to read yesterday that @autisticsociety.bsky.social have declared their exit from X but I'm trying to cut down on my Zuckerberg so don't use Threads or Instagram. Hoping they can be persuaded to use their account on here too.

How? How do you double-check the accuracy, if you're not already an expert? Ask a different GenAI? Or do you, you know... Have to go and do the research you would have done anyway, pre-AI? Because I'm buggered if I can think of how you do that in a way where the GenAI saved you time.

Adds to the list of things that seem fine www.npr.org/2026/01/28/n...

A spot of sort-of positivity in a grim-feeling day. Hooray for common sense.

Preparing for daughter's PIP renewal phone call tomorrow morning. Daughter has to speak but is often nonverbal when stressed. Last time I spoke on her behalf, this time that's not allowed. It could be a quick call :-(. Also struggling to make sense of notes on renewal form (that I failed to send).