British.

"The AI Con reminds us that the fight over AI is not only about technology. It’s also about language, labor, and the stories we choose to tell about the future, which we can humanize rather than surrender to the myriad ways mass automation dehumanizes." lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-...

I'm so proud to announce my most ambitious pin to date: a miniature guide to the trees of Britain (and lots of Europe)! Available now from my Etsy: canopyrobin.etsy.com/listing/4386...

And we’re off 💛 The Weekend of HOPE is underway and we’re already seeing incredible photos, stalls, and community events from every corner of the country. 📸 If you’re taking part, tag us in your posts and use #WeekendofHOPE so we can see and share what you’re up to.

🟡 Adding your name to the Record of HOPE: secure.hopenothate.org.uk/page/178037/...

It's been tough going for small publishers for a while, but they continue to publish a lot of the most exciting new work, and are the main supporters of the short story as a form. Support indie publishing when you can! www.thebookseller.com/comment/open...

This post needs an updated re-issue because AI companies have truly come up with some incredibly novel ways to push this technology that no one wants onto people.

Premium: The AI Bubble's promises are impossible. NVIDIA's customers are running out of money, GPUs die in 3-5 years, most 1GW data centers will never get built, and OpenAI's Abilene data center doesn't won't have the power it needs before 2028 - if it ever does. www.wheresyoured.at/the-ai-bubbl...

On top of everything going on--- I still have a Resistance School to run! My classes for Race, Media and International Affairs 101 begin Monday, October 6th! We are expanding the class size (but not by much!) So you still have a chance to enroll! www.resistancesummerschool.com/fall-2025-re...

Terrific back and forth, this:

Re-visited a roadside site earlier this year ( as suggested by @sylvatica2024.bsky.social . Thanks Dave !) to re-aquaint myself with the very attractive and scarce Bastard Balm (Melittis Mellisophyllum) loads of different Colour variants ....Good to see them again. #FavouritePlant#wildflowerhour

mayan figure from 1600 yrs ago, with accessories. earliest lego guy

YAY! on so many fronts. @gilduran's call to republish a key work on techbro authoritarianism has raised >$10K for the author @flaminghydra.com has been helping on the EPUB side. SO looking forward to reading 'Cyberselfish' by Paulina Boorsook, 25th Anniversary Edition bsky.app/profile/gild...

The Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC) urgent appealing to children’s authors, writers and publishers to donate stories to its new bedtime stories app. The charity relies on stories in the public domain but are running out of books. Anyone willing to donate should contact [email protected].

One of many @zackpolanski.bsky.social conversations that have made me hopeful recently.

Let me save you some time: No, they don’t. Reform UK’s plan is economically devastating and unconscionably cruel. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/22/what-are-nigel-farages-immigration-plans-and-do-his-sums-add-up

London Writers Award now open, great prizes, lovely people and different categories. Also details available in different formats. Details in link below. Please share :) www.spreadtheword.org.uk

A poorly thought out, vindictive and completely unworkable policy by Reform UK fell apart the moment it brushed up against reality? I am shocked. Shocked I tell you. It’s almost as though they have, yet again, proven they are not in any way or form a serious party.

101 was (is!) an amazing course and I know 102 will be too. So relevant and needed to help navigate the crazy world we’re in. The tiers & options to join make it super accessible wherever you are, with bursaries that you can support if you want to pay it forward for someone else. Join in! We Move :)

Am I sharing this because I believe Reform are a genuine threat to U.K. democracy (despite being fairly incompetent) who are stoking hate and promoting lies? Yes. Does it help that I get to reference a headline calling a significant number of them wankers? It does a bit, yes.

💥 NEW: “I’d shoot Starmer myself.” That’s what Reform UK councillor John Allen said just days ago. Our investigation revealed his comments and The Guardian has now confirmed he has been suspended by party HQ. ❗ hopenothate.org.uk/2025/09/19/s...

shout out to @edzitron.com who is the whole reason my story this week exists -- he turned me on to the trend! go read Ed: www.wheresyoured.at/how-to-argue...

one very real, concrete way to help feed Gaza right now is through donating to World Central Kitchen

Help and support an independant media @bylinetimes.bsky.social news outlet... stand-up against the right wing trash and lies.

One of the key symbols of support for refugees is the heart. I get that the ghouls who are attacking City of Sanctuary have probably never received a heart, or Valentine's message, but this was about showing love and compassion, nothing more. It's grotesque that people are complaining about this.

As the article rightly points out... "But old emails lingering in cloud servers are a drop in the bucket for a data center compared to processing generative AI requests." 🫠🫠🫠

@biggreenbooks.bsky.social hello! I got incredibly lucky with a recent #buyastrangerabookday so I’ll pay it forward and buy someone a book, up to £20, your choice or theirs. Thanks!

Kit de Waal - Without Warning & Only Sometimes (2022) Fascinating memoir of a childhood lived at the meeting point of different worlds. Painful at times but filled to the brim with courage. Wonderful. @kitdewaal.com

i wrote about the amazing new Sinead O'Connor anthology for Salon. it is absolutely a celebration of life, both Sinead's and each of the writers: www.salon.com/2025/08/05/a...

Going to do a new pinned post as I'm changing domain, my domain is now bigbeardedbookseller.uk and everything is going on this domain now. I'm writing about pretty much anything I'm interested in when I have something to say, so no timetable as such. #Introduction #PinnedPost

;)

Time has changed slightly. It will be from 5:45pm to 8pm

Protest outside Wes Streeting's office on Monday

still true

looked up the clip just because sometimes people change his words for captions that end up innocently reshared, but upon finding it decided to share the video because hearing him say it makes it 1000% more definitely true and everyone will listen/believe more than reading it written out

Guess who’s back? This bitch! And it feels good! So are the stats: 2 in 5 of those Stella chugging fake patriots who rioted last year are more of danger to their ex than most refugees. Here’s my take. I don’t hold back. youtu.be/Y0oJGg8KVX0?...

This #buyastrangerabook offer has yet to be taken! @zincstoat.uk will buy someone the book of their choice, up to £15! Any book at all, not just what's on my glorious website. So, if you want a particular book, get in touch! UK only.

I love the #buyastrangerabook that @biggreenbooks.bsky.social started in the UK, so for the next 2 weeks before my FONSECA pub date, I'll buy someone the Penelope Fitzgerald novel of their choice. Reply to this message to enter. I'll pick randomly, then buy the book from Books Are Magic. #Booksky

I have another #buyastrangerabook day offer. I'll buy someone a copy of "Rules For Visiting" by @jfkane.bsky.social . Blurb in pic 2. If you'd like a copy, just get in touch. UK only (sorry Jessica)

Motherfucking wind farms…

You want another #buyastrangerabook day offer?? OK then. Here it is. @zincstoat.uk is offering to buy someone the book of their choice, up to £15. There's millions of books to choose from, so if there's one in particular you'd like, get in touch! UK only

More #buyastrangerabook day action! @jamieoconnor.bsky.social is offering to buy a book for a child, up to £10. Any book. Not just what's on my website. So, if there's a book you have in mind, get in touch. UK only.

I have another #buyastrangerabook day offer to tell you about. @evieweeviewoo.bsky.social will buy someone the book of their choice up to £20. Tat's any book (not just the stuff on my website). So if there's something in particular you're after, let us know! UK only.

It's #buyastrangerabook day! @covidmemorialwall.bsky.social is offering to buy someone a copy of "When This Is Over : Reflections on an Unequal Pandemic" which has a section on the Wall, including a contribution from a trustee, @franfd.bsky.social If you'd like a copy, just let us know. UK only.

It's #buyastrangerabook day! @whyalice24.bsky.social is offering to buy one lucky person a copy of any book by Kazuo Ishiguro. Attached is a pic of most of them, so if there's one in particular you'd like, get in touch! UK only.

It’s that day of the week again! Generosity, magic, and #book gifting with @biggreenbooks.bsky.social and a bunch of lovely, generous humans. #booksky PS: check out the 500 club too. Books for schools! ❤️📚

A lot of you had questions so I wrote about what I think happened here! Behold: wiczipedia.substack.com/p/i-got-trap...

WTF? I was quoted in this story but I have never spoken to the reporter nor would I have said those things. Is everything just generated by LLMs these days? cosmosmagazine.com/earth/oceans...

Credit to the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen. Defying the Israeli ban on filming Gaza from above, Bowen instead describes the carnage & genocide he can see: “I can tell you that communities in the north of Gaza that I knew well…with tens of thousands of people…are flat. There’s nothing left of them.”

41% of people think the UK govt doesn’t consider their needs when making net zero policies. Why not? Our new report uses insights from humanities and social science research to shed light on how political leaders can drive to net zero. One of the key findings? Put people and places at the centre 🧵