I try to motivate students to think about what they're doing by reminding them of the world of shit software with which they are already exasperated.

The key question of our era is CAN HUMANS THINK? My first-years give me grounds for hope. The behaviour of the backspace key in this editor makes me sad: corner case of backspace at line start unconsidered, marks docked.

Robin Williams' daughter has some quality thoughts on AI slop

Because - amazingly - a citation is apparently needed. The International Association of Genocide Scholars has declared that Israel is committing genocide. www.bbc.com/news/article... As has the United Nation’s Commission of Inquiry www.bbc.com/news/article...

What CS103 "Machines, Languages and Computation" is really about. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo0i...

This is the world we live in - where good people are mocked and thugs are celebrated - I presume the Business Secretary will say this is a great example of freedom of speech www.chortle.co.uk/news/2025/10...

Cass Review slammed AGAIN. This time by Australian academics. www.thepinknews.com/2025/10/06/c...

Snake sloughs off old skin. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

A gem.

I am pleased to accept the suggestion of becoming an insultant. We shall exult in the insult.

Good piece from Nesrine Malik, arguing that the Tory snake is still alive, more venomous than ever, and that the Conservative Party is merely the dead skin it has sloughed off. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I'm thinking of starting a sideline as a comanagement nsultant.

Things that people call "policy" are very often long on why and short on how. Push back by rejecting that it even constitutes a policy. Mock upwards for stupidity about deliverability. Don't mince words. Tell them that they might owe you both an actual plan and an apology for showing up without one.

The usual reason that someone is bad at their job is that their job is bad at them.

WE ARE FAILING. SO WE ARE BUILDING SYSTEMS WHICH WILL MAKE US FAIL LESS. ONCE YOU HAVE SPENT TIME FILLING IN THE EXTRA DETAILS, THEY WILL SHOUT AT YOU MORE PRECISELY WHEN YOU ARE FAILING.

Saying "I have a policy that my underlings will discharge my responsibilities by magic." does not constitute discharging my responsibilities.

"If the thing you call a 'policy' creates responsibility and accountability for something, without granting resources and authority to achieve that something, then it fails to qualify functionally as a 'policy' and is merely BULLYING." -- me, far too often in this academic life

Sophie Ellis-Bextor hits out at transphobia: “These people make trans people their whole personality and spend their entire day being angry” 💯 “There was a time when Pride felt like a celebration of the shoulders people were able to stand on, but now it feels like an absolute political necessity”

Every new party of any stripe, who comes to power promising efficiency savings, spends money on consultants to look for efficiency savings. They take a lot of time and money to report that the previous regime's consultants (possibly the same firm) found all none of the available efficiency savings.

They should ae kent.

I think this is dismissive - many people have curiosity removed from them through childhood - leaving school believing science , poetry, art - are not things they are allowed to be part of and terrified that if they try to engage they will be admonished for not understanding things the “right” way

The Kenmure Street Blues. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

I'm glad that the Pope thinks that taking on Trump is something he's capable of, but I don't think anyone else should wait for the Pope, and certainly not anyone whose existence is abominated by both.

More particularly, this bid to radicalise moderate Tories can work and is working only to the benefit of the far right. The Tories are throwing in the towel.

We are entering the era in which the status quo is fascism, and hence head-in-the-sand neutrality is also fascism. Standing still, relative to this world, is stepping away. Your quiet life just got too expensive in human misery.

James Baldwin to Angela Davis in 1970, discussing white Americans:

"Now Rae — a PhD student and science communicator who grew up in a small Scottish town before moving to London — says he finds himself constantly weighing risks and assessing where it is safe — or unsafe — for him to be." www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...

Scribbling for my students, I erroneously entitled a lecture "What's Going Om?". Less Marvin Gaye, more Barry Letts.

Royal Society? Really Spineless!

Really disappointing from @royalsociety.org which is hiding behind "not policing politics" to sustain the membership of an openly white supremacist anti-science billionaire who never should have been admitted in the first place, talk about low bars 🧪 www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-c...

Police shocked to learn that policing as a career attracts bigots. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Early start on my day off, as my 10am gas/lecce engineer phones me at 8am to say "I've had a job cancellation. Mind if I come early? I'll be there in 15 minutes." Up lickety-split and shaven just in time. Big old being in for stuff day. Amazon driver got lost. I had to go out to look for him.

I'm very pleased to see @drjogrady.bsky.social, the general secretary of @ucu.org.uk, the trade union to which I belong, taking this stand on behalf of myself and my trans siblings.

“Prejudice thrives in ignorance, hope grows in knowledge, solidarity is built in shared struggle.” @drjogrady.bsky.social at the Labour conference trans rally. Labour must defend and champion inclusive education.

The City of London are running a public consultation about whether to keep the Hampstead ladies pond trans inclusive as it has been for a long time. I would appreciate your support . hampstead-heath-bathing-ponds.commonplace.is

Krishnan Guru Murthy, "Isn't it a bit insulting to say to an Indian doctor who is working 60-70 hours a week that in order to get settled status he's got to volunteer?" Rachel Reeves, "We want people to contribute if they come to our country" Labour have gone utterly bonkers

Jimmy Carr, Jimeoin, Jack Whitehall, Omid Djalili - and all the others that were anxious that they weren’t rich enough so had to take that delicious Saudi Money - hope none of you are pontificating with your delusional morality on a podcast soon

DRINK SENSIBLY CONTAINS MALTED BARLEY BEST BEFORE SEE BOTTOM

Of course it's worth exposing Farage's fascist past, but if you weren't already aware of Farage's fascist present, then you weren't paying attention.

Labour are afraid to call racists racists. That just makes them look weak and stupid.

Those of you who are used to the comfortable business of not having to fight people had better learn to fight people, because people are coming to fight you. As a queer, I had to fight people when I was young. I didn't enjoy it much and neither did they. I didn't kill anyone.

NUREMBERG They know that is what they deserve. That is why they will not let go. There is no constitutional way out of this. Get your shit together.

IT'S FUCKING EXHAUSTING BEING THIS SCARED.

Emma Watson is a reminder to everyone that those advocating trans people and our allies “debate” with “gender critical” transphobes are advocating the impossible. Transphobes have never wanted “debate”, they want our elimination.

It's just utterly depressing to think we've arrived at a point where transphobia is completely acceptable in this way. Nobody posting shows any concern that they will be judged harshly for posting gratuitously hateful nonsense or vacuous "jokes". They're all virtually slapping each other's backs.

Just went onto Facebook and saw a post from @heraldscotland.bsky.social sharing a story about a trans councillor in Highland. It has hundreds of comments full of transphobia and gratuitous misgendering. Time was newspapers would take care to moderate. Today anti-trans hate is monetised engagement.

Dear Labour, you are now in the Wile E. Coyote moment. Off the cliff and facing the inevitability of gravity. Your rightward pandering has nuked your core.

I will be watching how every single individual Computer Science academic behaves in the coming anti-trans wave.

Look I try not to doomsay or spread panic but this shit is truly and deeply Very Bad for every single trans person in America and unless everyone makes it their mission in life over the next few days to make sure that their reps know that shutting down the government is the correct option here.