William Playfair was the brother of architect James and minister and mathematician John. His nephew William Henry Playfair is renowned as the architect of Edinburgh's 3rd New Town and more than a few neoclassical landmarks in the city.

Technologically advance a band Genesysadmin

we have gone from a world in which we were told not to cite wikipedia because it was unreliable to a world where wikipedia might be the only reliable source left on the internet and we all owe a lot to the pedantic nerds who got us there

This’ll be interesting. Eager to get my hands on it. Currently reading @neilselwyn.bsky.social’s Digital Degrowth which comes from a similar mindset. (Cc @catbeelearny.bsky.social)

This has always bothered me. I feel SEEN!

"And here we have Prince Albert's tapeworm"

Whether you're ready to lead as Vice-Chair or contribute your expertise as a Trustee, your voice matters. Let’s build the future of edtech together. Learn more: buff.ly/kBzemJe #ALTCommunity #EdTechLeadership #TrusteeOpportunity #ViceChairRole #altc

Hey @catbeelearny.bsky.social. This?

Stumbled on an old bookmark for journalist/academic John Naughton's (@jjn1.bsky.social) 95 Theses about Technology from several years back (2017?). 95theses.co.uk?page_id=21. Even now, feels like opening a time capsule.

I know I'm 8 years too late but Pokemon Go wasn't an augmented reality game. It was a game of digital maps and geolocation. Y'all were doing geography and you didn't know it!

📣New Ada research finds that the adoption of immersive technologies – an umbrella term for virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality and immersive virtual worlds – has largely been for niche applications in specific sectors. www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/report/reali...

PODCAST - I got to speak to Teti Dragas from Durham Uni and Richard Beggs of Ulster Uni about #digitalstorytelling and authentic assessment for the @jisc.bsky.social Beyond the Tech podcast. They had some really interesting things to say. Check it out. www.jisc.ac.uk/podcasts/bey...

Blog post: we've been looking at cooperation and collaboration between departments to help with digital change. Here's my latest update (including my favourite bridge) inspiringlearning.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2025/09/b...

My god but this is wonderful.

💥New: What Ifá, an Indigenous binary knowledge system, can teach us about #AI ✍️ Uyiosa Omoregie Read more here 👉 ow.ly/mj1V50WKcj1 #IndigenousKnowledge #DecolonialAI #TechEthics #AIandSociety #Innovation #KnowledgeSystems

Some AI bros were upset that I didn’t use the right prompts when I asked “PhD-level” AIs to answer me a grade-school-level question. So I humored them, and you’ll never guess what happened next (yes you will)

Can AI contribute to social isolation amongst young people? What social skills might be lost through the use of advanced AI assistants? In our new post Meelina Isayas reflects on how AI might contribute to social deskilling. www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/blog/relatio...

Once again, meteorologists ruining it for everyone.

No you read this and then spent the next 5 mins mucking around with a shit bit of Javascript to test the idea out

Spot the flaw in this “Duolingo but for logic” IG ad I got this morning?

Would you like to work at Edge? One year into a new government, this is an exciting time to join Edge’s small but mighty policy team as our new Policy Advisor. But you'll have to hurry! Applications close at midnight on Monday 28 July. www.edge.co.uk/about-edge/w...

An interesting look the forensics behind gen AI image analysis. The comments from 9:39 hit hard. youtu.be/q5_PrTvNypY?...

My Outlook has changed its colour scheme to red for some reason. Now I just get the feeling my email is slightly cross at me all the time.

Our policy network brings together over 200 policy leads & practitioners from a range of educational institutions. The network meets regularly to hear from senior policymakers in the education & skills sector. More details 👇 www.edge.co.uk/policy/join-...

HELP REQUEST - my 18yo son's civil engineering traineeship for his year out has fallen through. Needs experience to apply for entry to German unis which is his dream. Do you have anyone in your network who could help?

I'm doing this tomorrow. You can still register. It would be great to see you!

Fun Fact: Boston Dynamics was originally a furniture maker.

Policeman: Name? Woman: Cheryl Cole Policeman: Your FULL name Woman: (Quietly) Chernobyl Coleslaw

...and a wellspring of poison and corruption in the minds and hearts of the peoples of Middle Earth. Just saying.

Always use the mic! Getting so annoyed with people who don’t.

...and you just know that someone will be thinking "how can we get it to block those ads but show mine?"

When I hear some of the more breathless visions of the AI future from the tech bros, this scene always comes to mind. Can't help it. Gamora: Did you do it? Thanos: Yes Gamora: ...

The part in the sci-fi story where the villain explains that the only way they could create their monster was to destroy millions of books.

Edge Foundation is looking for a new Policy Advisor. The role is ideal for someone with 1-2 years of experience in policy or public affairs, preferably in education. Deadline for applications is midnight on 28 July 2025. Apply now. www.edge.co.uk/about-edge/w...

New research from MIT found that those who used ChatGPT can’t remember any of the content of their essays. Key takeaway: the product doesn’t suffer, but the process does. And when it comes to essays, the process *is* how they learn. arxiv.org/pdf/2506.088...

Develop the skills to be come an effective storyteller! Join @cbthomson.bsky.social for a participative workshop -explore how stories can be a really powerful & effective way of engaging people with the outputs & processes of research! 📆 9 July ⏰ 11-12 BST 🔗 tinyurl.com/3xej7vvt

Keep hearing phrases like "this is the worst AI is ever going to be", espousing a narrative of inevitable continuous improvement in tech. Things will only get better, in other words. Not sure that's a safe assumption.

It's rēvoltive. I'm nausaged.

This is excellent news! Hopefully universities are investing in their liberal arts departments to meet this demand. But before I check, let me take this big sip of water.

today is World Bee Day. not to be confused with World Bidet

19th May, if you're interested.

JISC JOB! Our digital infrastructure advisory team are looking for a skilled subject specialist to work with IT teams and beyond in the tertiary education sector. This is a great opportunity that doesn't come up often. Pls share www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/42...

"One of the functions of art is to give people the words to know their own experience... Storytelling is a tool for knowing who we are and what we want." A wonderful, wonderful conversation with Ursula K. Le Guin

A problem with LLMs, genAI products, and many SaaS products in general, is that the makers don't publicly assert the actual purpose(s) those products are created to satisfy. They prefer to give vague suggestions or more commonly put them out with a "here, see what you can do with this" thread?

And I thought "Netflix, but for education" was as bad as that could get.

“Community and a sense of belonging are essential. Technology fueled by consumerism cannot replace grounded and vulnerable human connection, which is what I think apps like this are trying to do."

I love this - confronting low attendance and disengement by making students feel like they matter rather than jumping to the-lecture-is-dead or banning recordings. #AcademicSky www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/not-a...

This escalated slowly. Worth your time.

You’ve been murdered. Who do you want on your case?