Remembering J.G. Ballard, born OTD 1930. I’ve been reading his work for many years & I can readily appreciate why many qualify his writing as ‘timeless’. And I can think of no better imagery to accompany this post than the equally timeless appeal of David Pelham’s superlative cover art 🙂

The PCR positivity map is out, and national positivity across England has nudged downwards a little further to 5%. In Scotland it's 4.05%. Adjusted for non-reporting areas, we make the English average 6.50%. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/7

The PCR positivity map is out, and national positivity across England has nudged downwards a little further to 5%. In Scotland it's 4.05%. Adjusted for non-reporting areas, we make the English average 6.50%. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/7

Excellent news that there's now a Covid positivity map for Scotland! A very useful tool to help predict incoming pressures on local NHS & Local Authority services, for CV people & anyone needing to manage risk. Thanks @skeuomorphology.bsky.social & @publichealthscot.bsky.social for supplying data 🙏

The PCR positivity map is out, and you might notice something a bit different this week. From now onwards the map includes Scotland, using the same metric: PCR test positivity. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/10

The PCR positivity map is out, and you might notice something a bit different this week. From now onwards the map includes Scotland, using the same metric: PCR test positivity. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/10

The PCR positivity map is out, and there's been a more substantial drop in national positivity this week. UKHSA report 8%. Adjusted for non-reporting areas we make it 9.14%. 1/7

The PCR positivity map is out, and there's been a more substantial drop in national positivity this week. UKHSA report 8%. Adjusted for non-reporting areas we make it 9.14%. 1/7

The PCR positivity map is out, there's been another drop in positivity to 10.3%, and this week all surveillance indicators agree it's dropped. Adjusting for non-reporting, we make the national average 11.96%. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/7

The PCR positivity map is out, there's been another drop in positivity to 10.3%, and this week all surveillance indicators agree it's dropped. Adjusting for non-reporting, we make the national average 11.96%. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/7

The PCR positivity map is out, and levels have dipped slightly this week. Although the number of areas not reporting has gone up this week, we adjust for that on the map's total, so we can be sure it's a real drop. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/10

The PCR positivity map is out, and levels have dipped slightly this week. Although the number of areas not reporting has gone up this week, we adjust for that on the map's total, so we can be sure it's a real drop. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/10

⚠️ Our Emergency Department (ED) remains under severe pressure. If your condition is not life or limb threatening you will be facing a long wait or will be redirected to another urgent treatment service who can help you.

The PCR positivity map is out, and UKHSA have finally deigned to describe covid activity as "medium". UKHSA national positivity is 13.23%. Adjusted for non-reporting we make it 15.27%. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/

The PCR positivity map is out, and UKHSA have finally deigned to describe covid activity as "medium". UKHSA national positivity is 13.23%. Adjusted for non-reporting we make it 15.27%. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/

Shrewbury & Telford NHS Trust reintroducing masks as of today.

NOIDs data up to yesterday. It's the most current data we get, good for indicating the trend but poor for tracking levels. When Thursday's map comes out, levels will certainly be higher than last autumn's wave. Feels like the limited NHS vaccines are starting a bit late.

The PCR positivity map is out, and it's evident that everywhere is seeing a significant surge. UKHSA positivity has risen to 11.83%. Adjusted for non-reporting areas, we make that 13.77%. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/8

The PCR positivity map is out, and it's evident that everywhere is seeing a significant surge. UKHSA positivity has risen to 11.83%. Adjusted for non-reporting areas, we make that 13.77%. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/8

A surprise to see a relatively factual, sober article about covid on the front page of the BBC Good to see it addresses rapid reinfections A brief 🧵 1/3 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Wie verteilen sich Infektionen in Deutschland? Wo treten Hotspots auf? Schlägt die #Wiesn Wellen? Antworten gibt die neue Landkreis-Karte! covidisnotover.info/aktuelle-cor... #CovidIsNotOver #SarsCoV2 #Covid #Corona #LongCovid

The PCR positivity map is out, and little has changed from last week. UKHSA's positivity stat has remained around 10.3%. 12.3% is our estimate of positivity, adjusted for the areas that are not reporting this week. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/9

The PCR positivity map is out, and little has changed from last week. UKHSA's positivity stat has remained around 10.3%. 12.3% is our estimate of positivity, adjusted for the areas that are not reporting this week. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/9

The PCR positivity map is out, and you'll see we've added a new feature this week. A National Average (adjusted) is displayed at the top of the map, below the banner. What is it? jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/14

The PCR positivity map is out, and you'll see we've added a new feature this week. A National Average (adjusted) is displayed at the top of the map, below the banner. What is it? jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/14

Today people went around my neighborhood in north east London spray painting St George’s crosses onto people’s homes. Many of these houses have non British people living in them. This is getting very dark, very quick.

The PCR positivity map is out, and many areas are seeing an ever so slight decrease. But Devon, London, and many areas north of Birmingham are seeing stubbornly high levels or rebounds. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/8

The PCR positivity map is out, and many areas are seeing an ever so slight decrease. But Devon, London, and many areas north of Birmingham are seeing stubbornly high levels or rebounds. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/8

I know I don't often post except for Thursday's map updates, but there's something I need to discuss with you about the national PCR positivity rate. That's the rate shown here.

The PCR positivity map is out, and while things may have calmed a little in Cumbria, and in Devon, everywhere else looks to be rising. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/7

The PCR positivity map is out, and while things may have calmed a little in Cumbria, and in Devon, everywhere else looks to be rising. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/7

This is fantastic, @lucyosler.bsky.social. Superb paper. I've been thinking about why LLMs seem to offer a broader 'attack surface' for co-construction of delusion (in people who aren't traditionally regarded as a safeguarding risk). Sections 3.3 & 4 are really on point. arxiv.org/pdf/2508.19588

@davidallengreen.bsky.social I object to "in breach in Good Friday Agreement", a phrasing that sounds like your grammar corrected by a Russian version of ChatGPT.

The PCR positivity map is out, with national positivity holding at 9%. I'm a bit dubious about that 9%, because most of the areas dropping out of reporting this week are ones that were heading for very high rates. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/6

The PCR positivity map is out, with national positivity holding at 9%. I'm a bit dubious about that 9%, because most of the areas dropping out of reporting this week are ones that were heading for very high rates. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/6

Echoes of JG Ballard's Kingdom Come www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The winner of the 2025 Orwell "1984 was a warning, not an instruction manual" Prize is JG Ballard. Again.

The winner of the 2025 Orwell "1984 was a warning, not an instruction manual" Prize is JG Ballard. Again.

The PCR positivity map is out. National positivity has risen to 8.83% - but remember the data only goes up to the 15th, 7 days ago. Everywhere in orange or darker on the map is above that figure. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/7

The PCR positivity map is out. National positivity has risen to 8.83% - but remember the data only goes up to the 15th, 7 days ago. Everywhere in orange or darker on the map is above that figure. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/7

With apologies to @tante.cc, this analogy of AI use with role-playing could bear pressing a little harder If the AI user is roleplaying, is the AI the dungeon master? [long thread]

Unusually, NOIDs is out on time this week. The data is up to yesterday, so as up to date as it gets. I'd expect quite a jump in positivity when the map comes out this Thursday.

Been thinking about how to teach ordinary users of #LLM systems like #ChatGPT how they actually work A disillusionment technique, as it were The theatre improv game 'One Word' has a similarly stochastic process improvdr.com/2022/01/28/g...

You've GOT to be kidding me! The Conservatives - who oversaw every single thing on this list - are trying to claim that only the Conservatives would "stop the madness" - that they created...? So incredulity aside, what about the list itself? Let's go Debunking! 1/34

The PCR positivity map is out, national positivity has remained at 7.25%, and what we see this week is an intensification in the same problem hotspots as last week. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/8

The PCR positivity map is out, national positivity has remained at 7.25%, and what we see this week is an intensification in the same problem hotspots as last week. jamestindall.info/skeuomorphol... 1/8

For quite a while it's looked to me as though there are serious safeguarding issues with AI. I mean this in a quite specific way, in relation to the UK Care Act (2014). This article demonstrates that concern should go beyond solely adults and children at risk of abuse.

Here is a superb account of the racist lynch mob that hunted migrants through the streets of Erfurt in 1975, seen through the eyes of the hunted. So many details reminiscent of the ways in which we're seeing hatred spun into a fever in the UK this summer. taz.de/Rassistische...