Spray paint a plane and they'll detain you without trial and call you a terrorist. Kidnap a foreign head of state - and Keir Starmer will make it clear we've played no part in it but will wait for the scheduled press conference in a few hours before potentially condemning it

I've been tracking the spread of nonconsensual deepfakes on X for more than two years. Here's a timeline of how Musk's leadership allowed the practice to flourish from a once-underground market to a viral trend, with little recourse for victims or legal enforcement. spitfirenews.com/p/grok-csam-...

My two pieces this week on the Abd el-Fattah case. At New Statesman comparing it with the Lucy Connolly case as a "free speech" issue: www.newstatesman.com/politics/soc... At Prospect, comparing it with Begum case re demands to deprive him of citizenship: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...

tell me what you know about how to increase the width of a garden gate gap, some of you must know things about this

How to do it… www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

The next post, on the UK's shameful For Women Scotland Supreme Court decision on defining the word 'female' to exclude trans women. I'm actually proudest of this, because I think it sets out clearly the EU law counter-position to the UK SC's bad reasoning. www.thegist.ie/the-gist-tra...

Also important not to forget the invisble support these "great men of science" had - in Crick's case, a loving wife who organised everything domestically (inc house moves, children etc), and a series of secretaries/assistants (all female, I think) who dealt with admin.

The things no one tells you about wonky hips. You're supposed to "sit proper"... Doesn't work. I'm still sitting wonky. And I'm definitely not talking to either of my hips.

No cheer for no cheer. Keep planting your rebellion! open.substack.com/pub/feminist...

I do have some 2026 resolutions after all. I hadn't thought of these as being resolutions but they are. I will also see if I can support and help others to do/access these if I have spare money to help them buy masks or vaccinations if needed.

This sore throat can get in the bin; I haven't been anywhere indoors in ages so it isn't external pathogens, it's my rather messed up ENT system playing silly buggers again. I had told my partner to stop buying ibuprofen. I'd like to go back to 2009 for proper not-sweetener ruined Ribena!

Whenever media say “end trans ideology,” they mean end the rights of trans people. Remember “gay ideology” referred to gay people marrying, having kids, not getting fired from work, showing affection in public without harassment (aka basic human rights). Transphobic rhetoric is recycled homophobia.

The hashtag #accessibility allows you to find lots of accessibility-related resources. To find accessibility resources in Spanish, use the hashtag #accesibilidad. The hashtag #accessibilité helps you find resources in French.

#Bardot - being an “animal lover” seems to be as useful for propagating racist shit as caring about “women and girls”. It’s care based on weaponisable emotional attachments to single issues rather than a broader politics of care as a response to a violent interrelationship of power relations.

A thing can be medically true for you but not for someone else with the same condition let alone someone you don’t know who hasn’t provided their medical history hope this helps.

Just a reminder: you are NOT unusual, weird, or unlovable if you have: - no one to see on Christmas Day, - no presents, or - no contactable relatives. Very few people live the idealised version on TV. Those of us who live differently—whether by choice or trauma—matter as much.

"God jul vänner, tacksam för er alla ✨ Merry Christmas my friends ✨"

Social media has some great gems of holiday advice. 👏🏾

I've been working on #Decolonising for years; like many #Psychology academics I learned a lot from Henrich et al's concept of WEIRDness (Western, educated, industrialised, rich, democratic). But language moves on & this is a great article on rethinking WEIRD: www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/one-...

I have made a #DuvetKnowItsChristmas bingo card! And done alt text on it (as everyone else should, if they're able).

I am looking forward to #DuvetTheyKnowItsChristmas (Capitalise each word of hashtag to maximise accessibility) - 15 years, gosh! A good cause as well as a good laugh and brilliant Christmas stories.

NEW: last night, the US govt launched an assault on the ‘global censorship industrial complex’, aka European tech researchers/campaigners. It’s a deeply chilling move & speaks as to why we need international solidarity more than ever. open.substack.com/pub/broligar...

It’s appropriate that we should hear directly from a marginalised community when discussing an issue (such as racism) directly affecting them. In doing so, it’s important to remember that we also need to listen to, and understand, differences within communities. No community is homogenous.

Sometimes online I see people trying to understand how Epstein managed to create & build this network of rich &/or culturally powerful people around him, mainly men, but some women in that network too, & the significance of grooming & rape in that construction build....

Bob Vylan: No charges over Glastonbury comments www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Happy family-tech-support-mas to my fellow geeks who observe this fascinating holiday tradition. Scholars believe that today’s festive new phone transfers, Bluetooth hearing aid pairings and wifi extender setups date back to the 1980s teenager fixing the 12:00 VCR, and possibly even further.

Some thoughts on the Levy Review: - it's mostly but not entirely okay - if you're in England, opt out of data collection - it avoids confronting the biggest problems - it ignores 15 years of health research - there are clear examples of better practice - move trans health to primary care already!

Article can also be accessed here: archive.ph/uEarp

Another sodding migraine. Hoping the extra CGRP blockers will do their bit. Despite wanting to choose Christmas food for myself, I wisely did not go to a supermarket (my sensory nemesis) and K has gone en-velo. I did help rewire the fridge sensors earlier before brain completely gave up. *splat*

Looks like Equalities Minister Bridget Philipson is listening to common sense and not just rolling along with the EHRC's dreadful transphobic new services guidance. Now if all the orgs trying to bathroom-bill exclude trans people could just back the heck off, that'd be nice!

Finished work for Christmas break. I didn't achieve anything like inbox zero but I replied to the people who needed it, dealt with a stupid (not student or staff) numpty more politely than they deserved, sent some "thank you for being excellent + Happy break" replies to excellent tutors & others.

A few weekends ago I sorted my 'hearing aid' and 'radio aids' tech bits into a single drawer (just fit) and wrote a list of labels I wanted. Tonight we needed to rewire the back of my desk a bit, so we did new desk labels AND about 12 audio bits labels for my drawer stuff #LabelPrinterJoy

For audio-only content like podcasts, provide a transcript. For videos with audio, provide both transcripts and captions. In the transcripts and captions, include the spoken information and sounds that are important for understanding the content.

I am not the most-affected by this of people I know, but I can't read on a page with moving content. The WCAG "stops within 5 seconds" isn't in my view good enough. NOTHING should move without "active-user-intent to do so" and "bad patterns" tricking ppl should also be non-WCAGgable!

Our friends at @transactualuk.bsky.social have more analysis on the Levy Review here: transactual.org.uk/blog/2025/12...

Only one day to go of work. I had some lovely emails from students wishing us all a great holiday break; they are exhausted too, cos our uni insists on an assessment week this week which is batshit really. Just bounce it all to January pleeeease!

I managed to solve the outstanding outlook autocorrect problem. The quick access bar on compose-email windows (not visible on inbox view) is hidden beyond the end of the ribbon (in a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard...)... 🤡

A reminder: if you only acknowledge violence against women when it involves perpetrators who are migrants and trans people, then you’re not interested in ending misogynistic violence, you’re just interested in being racist and transphobic. Just saying.

There is hope in the government’s new VAWG strategy, but promises alone won’t deliver change. Urgent action, survivor-led change, and better funding for organisations tackling violence against women and girls are needed now. Survivors can’t wait. https://bit.ly/48Zw8MB

Our initial summary of the Levy review 👇

Not every country’s going down the same path as the UK – the High Court of New Zealand has ruled that a ban on puberty blockers for young trans people should not be enforced ahead of a legal challenge from a trans health body: https://goodlaw.social/6pig

No decision on permission in Sex Matters's challenge to trans inclusion at the ponds until the new year. "For GLP’s senior solicitor, Cat Knight, people who swim in the pond 'could not have been more clear that trans women are women and they want the women’s pond to be a trans inclusive space'"

I spoke to Novara about the campaign by anti-trans groups to pretend the law now requires a bathroom ban novaramedia.com/2025/12/16/a...

Did you know there is also a British Sign Language (BSL) version of our Guide to Inclusive Cycling which covers the foreword and key recommendations? View it below. youtu.be/l-M5BE9G2JI #InclusiveCycling #GuideToInclusiveCycling #AccesibleCycling

I do wonder why JCVI have decided to withdraw the offer of vaccination to pregnant women. Based on the information we have I would be encouraging my daughters to pay for it if they were pregnant.

Thoughtful thread about some of the language/argument used about "biological sex" the terms cis/trans/trans(s)exual and the dangers of taking a body/sex-essentialist approach from either 'side' of the trans-rights vs anti-trans "debate".

🔴I wrote about far-right attacks against refugee charities and why some are choosing to leave the sector to protect themselves. It's awful but understandable. open.substack.com/pub/nicolake...

Outlook seems to have lost autocorrect features even tho I'm not using the hateful 'new' Outlook which apparently doesn't have them at all... Fucking maddening that Microsoft keep just losing features that are critical accessibility and productivity tools. Stop fucking meddling! Also fuck 'AI'!

Can't tell if I'm ill, exhausted or have a migraine. Slogged thru work yesterday, today is a little better, but it's a grind. Brain just not on it.

In times of racist violence, it’s understandable when people speak passionately about the heroism or success of migrant, Jewish, Muslim, Black and other racialised people to defend their place in society. But the safety and freedom of others should never depend on how much we value their usefulness.