Hypothetically, if you took a photo, and your phone automatically uploaded to a explicit image verification service which then found the image to be "explicit", would you be liable for uploading the explicit image?

Meeting auntie! #dailysketch #goblin #monstergirl

This is clearly not true. 32.5% of people in Scotland consider themselves able to speak or read the Scots language, and yet only 0.06% of library books are written in Scots The libraries have made the choice not to buy books written in Scots, despite the huge proportion of their users who speak it

There's a nuance that troubles me at the moment. Five years ago Google Translate was all right. It only supported a handful of languages but it was okay. These days you can ask any of the AI services to do translation, Grok, Google, ChatGPT and they give the "appearance of passable output".

Its good this, as a snapshot of certain time for people of certain age, the name-dropping, the people, the places. I saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs a couple of times in Glasgow, purely because they liked The Loves, so they must have been alright.

I hope this has the unplanned side effect of making erotic literature more popular on children's phones. It would be nice if more kids get into reading, and if this is the way to do it, then I guess that's progress.

They should build loads of data centers all over the place that contain huge quantities of books that people can borrow for free if they fill out a form to get a data center card and promise to return the books on time and don’t make too much noise in the data center.

The phrase "appearance of passable output" is brilliant. I'm going to use it in the context of people who don't know a language who use AI to translate things into that language.

This story has been consistently reported, but seems not to have really broken though - it’s ASTONISHING. An asylum policy that caters specifically and essentially exclusively to white people from a country in which they’re safe.

I wrote this Substack thing last week, proposing a new book awards thing for books written in Scots. I know which books from the last two years, written in Scots, are my favourite, but what about other reader? What do you think? Which are your favourites? open.substack.com/pub/chrisgil...

Whenever any transphobic bigot says something transphobic that has to be protected as “free speech” and all the “free speech” protectors faux-indignation comes out. When they ban LGBTQ+ free speech; silence.

This is not "legitimate grievances", this is not about "anti-white racism" or "two-tier policing", this is not about "protesting" This is fascists having been emboldened by decades of mainstreaming We can keep pretending it's not and encourage them or we can do something about it

Important news story here from a Local Democracy Reporter www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/news/reform-...

Two-tier politics in action.

The guy in the suit at the front is part of the National Rebirth Society. An actual far right movement whose followers have a habit of dressing up like retro fascists.

In my view, the problem is that people in general aren't familiar with the written form of Scots. There are established and well-used spellings. Some internetty Scots speakers reckon there's no standard orthography and you can spell things how ever you like, there's no richt or wrang.

We are pleased to announce the Translation Fund is open for a new round until the end of August. This fund, supported by @creativescots.bsky.social offers financial support to international publishers seeking to translate Scottish writers. www.publishingscotland.org/what-we-do/s...

This is an extraordinary, damning and terribly upsetting story — but a must-read, all the same.

This weeks Scots language related Sub stack article is where I go through trying to create my own Book Awards thing for books written in Scots. Its all a ruse to get people to recognise a basket of recent Scots books. chrisgilmour.substack.com/p/perambulat...

Check out this fantastic giant tunnel built by children at Rutherglen Library at the craft event on Saturday 16th May 👏 There will be another craft event at the library this Saturday the 30th at 3pm! 😀 www.slleisureandculture.co.uk/info/92/ruth...

Next week, I will have the pleasure to give a talk as part of the 'Reading Scotland' series organised by Scotland HUB at @unimainz.bsky.social. The topic is 'Scottish Gaelic Magazines in the Twentieth Century', this time with a spotlight on contributors from German-speaking countries. All welcome!

We have a new website! 🥳 More than 20 Gaelic jobs are currently available, with new and improved site resources to use. Check it out below. www.obraichean.co.uk/en/

👇👇👇 Thank you!

Has anyone ever made a pun about a "Fu' cucumber"? I feel there's comedy potential there, with the combination of swearing and vegetables / fruit.

I don't know anything about this at all, but i like the idea of selling books and zines via bandcamp.

We have records of diabetes diagnoses going back 2,500 years. We only developed a reliable treatment (insulin) 100 years ago. Now we might have a cure. What an amazing thing to get to witness.

i am now the proud owner of a Scots grammar WRITTEN IN SCOTS

The frightening thing is that there are literally millions of people out there whole wouldn't be able to engage with technology at all if it wasn't for the wee help utilities and AI drafting emails for them.

I don't understand how someone can not know what an amendment is. Does she mean in the general sense, or is the specific amendment before her that is poorly worded? If its the former, surely she can look it up on wikipedia before speaking.

Just imagine how energy intensive industries like steel production could use this to churn out zero-CO2 steel and aluminium with literally no energy cost.

Lets play our annual game of "What has AI been trained on?" I asked Grok to draw some black and white line drawings of popular comic book characters:-

Your library. Your say. Take this short survey from the Scottish Library & Information Council and help shape the future of libraries in Scotland. Scan the QR code or visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/SLIC2026 Survey closes 30th June 2026

This is horrific #Palestine

My new #UrbanPrehistory blog post reporting on the horrible fate of the Bogleys Stone of Fife - Barn Storm. This contains a trigger warning for anyone who thinks our heritage - and megaliths - matter. With thanks to Sam McKeand theurbanprehistorian.wordpress.com/2026/05/19/b...

🇪🇸SPAIN'S IRENE MONTERO GOES OFF ON EU VICE-PRESIDENT KALLAS: “Israel has been for 24 hours Kidnapping European Citizens And You’re SMILING?!” “What would you do if it were Iran? If it were Russia? But since it is ISRAEL, you smile and look the other way.” “Shame on you”

This is a rare thing, a Local Democracy Reporter covering a Scots language news story. www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/norther...

It would be neat if The National had some articles written in Gaelic, just like one in a hundred mebbe, or a page each week. Is that too much to ask?

Whenever I see this I wonder "how does one acquire such a thing?" You can't pick them up in B&Q. Do I get a local art school student to knock one up. Is it metal or ceramic? @thisismyglasgow.bsky.social uses an #ironwork hashtag, but the tail looks like clay.

The world’s largest sand battery got through Finland’s harshest winter in years. 2,000 tonnes of sand, heated to 500-600°C by cheap power, feeding district heating in Pornainen. And it worked. Result from one install: oil down 100%, emissions down 70%. Industrial process heat is the real prize.

@jburnmurdoch.ft.com @sarahoconnorft.ft.com About a month ago I sent a FoI to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall had put out a press release encouraging people to use AI more in their day to day jobs, so I asked how she used it. www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/secr...

There's some great analysis to be carried out on the sorts of stories that the Local Democracy Reporters are actually filing (rather than the stories that get published and get traction). Are they writing interesting stories, but only a certain type get published?

About a month ago that @lizkendallmp.bsky.social made some kind of announcement urging people to use AI more. So I sent a Freedom of Information request to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology asking specifically how Liz Kendall uses AI. www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/secr...

Using green chilli peppers in Celtic knotwork is an interesting design choice.

I've written a Substack article about the MSPs' Oaths and Affirmations in Holyrood last week, analysing the word choices and statistical representation of those MSPs. Also moaning about libraries. chrisgilmour.substack.com/p/holyrood-o...

For literally millennia people have been able to do Celtic knotwork. And now AI just comes in... and breaks it

As I see it (with a twenty-five year manufacturing career), there are two angles to how the government can help manufacturing. There's either marginal help for existing industries or blank slate help in new industries. 1/

Due tae be publisht ony day noo, 'The Tale o Jennie Dubbie-Deuk': scrennie.com/the-tale-o-j...

An bhfaca éinne agaibh an leabhar seo? “Okani agus Banríocht an Chrogaill”

Read that headline again

Hmm, my fanzine thing written in Scots is about over 10,000 word long. I'm not sure how to describe it, is that a novella, or a short story, or somthing else?