Took #sophiefromromania with Goncalo and Juno to two parks this morning - first had too much wide open space which scares her. Better on woodland paths but still a nervous dog

So... I've created a starter pack of UK government organisations currently on Bluesky: go.bsky.app/JHsY1Wz (Currently includes all those listed under ministerial and non-ministerial departments here www.gov.uk/government/o... - let me know any I've missed, or got wrong)

🧪 Here's a science mystery to start the year. Why are species names for fish and plants appearing in the scientific literature in papers about firefighter injuries, hearing loss and heart attack? Is it AI? Translation tools? Something else? nobreakthroughs.substack.com/p/is-this-fi...

Nice chart from John Authers just dropped:

Waking up to the latest from the US … there’s some line about things happening slowly until they happen very fast.

After an initial bark #sophiefromromania loves it when our friends come over

Delighted we’re welcoming @drodrik.bsky.social to Cambridge on Thursday to give the STLee public lecture - free but book here www.csap.cam.ac.uk/events/share...

“You’re going to post something about your mad wife making you and #sophiefromromania go out in the dark aren’t you?” Well, yes but it got lighter and we went home for a #bigbreakfast

Manchester’s Central Library was once considered the British Library of the North. Did a miscalculation in shelving lead to it having to chop a huge fraction of its non-fiction collection, and at speed? I spent a year obsessing about a long-lost rumour from the early 2010s tinyurl.com/ynsyvy2t

Good morning #sophiefromromania - the prof will take you out soon, I’ve got to get ready to talk about gadgets on the Today programme at 8:50

“Uruguay did what most nations still call impossible: it built a power grid that runs almost entirely on renewables—at half the cost of fossil fuels. The physicist who led that transformation says the same playbook could work anywhere—if governments have the courage to change the rules.”

New VoxTalks Economics with @talknormal.co.uk Dame Wendy Carlin (UCL & CEPR) discusses how #AI is reshaping economics education, how the CORE Project is adapting teaching, and why AI can help students build the reasoning skills employers value. 🎧 cepr.org/multimedia/h... #EconSky

Our special issue with @martinkusch.bsky.social is finally complete and here’s at long last our introduction. I pitched the idea to him in 2019! Thank you for your patience and generosity, Martin. I am proud of this manifesto and hope colleagues will join us in rethinking this old debate #philsci

Jet lag? What’s that? Very happy to be out with #sophiefromromania even if the weather is a little inclement

#sophiefromromania welcomes home @rorycj.bsky.social

Looking for an opportunity to improve the world a bit? @nuffieldfoundation.org is looking for a new trustee. A great organisation supporting a range of research and initiatives such as @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social; all ably led by @gavin-kelly.bsky.social www.saxbam.com/appointment/...

The EU can only do so much in this new world, and it is odd to pretend otherwise. I thought that @lugaricano.bsky.social provided us with a needed provocation in this piece. constitutionofinnovation.eu

This evening, @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social appeared on BBC Look East explaining why the future of science in Cambridge is optimistic. But, success depends on agile policymaking, coordinated support for scaling companies, & skills across the region. Watch from 17m33s: bit.ly/3N2FPmt

Well, one good thing to happen so far in 2026 is that ballet classes restarted today and the class cat was waiting for us

#sophiefromromania has the important task of inspecting every defunct Xmas tree to make sure it’s under 6 feet in height

I’m not sure “there’s nothing we can do about the sexual abuse image factory ask OfCom” is going to hold much water as a line taken by a government which (a) has a huge majority (b) just passed legislation to regulate what people can access online

Y’all look like you a need a break from the news cycle. Why not read our new Bulletin on the how the financing of the AI boom is shifting from cash flow to debt financing!? www.bis.org/publ/bisbull...

This is one of my favourite episodes of the show, incredibly funny and silly in a way that I didn't think Better Offline could be, accessible too. Everybody is hilarious and the 2 hours flew by, changes what I think the show can be

Yes, economic measurement is indeed a big deal

Recommend both the highlights and the video of the panel. Economic measurement is a big deal.

This is fascinating

Open call for papers, Economic Analysis of Regulation. Conference to be held in Cambridge, MA on April 24, 2026. Submit papers by 11:59pm EDT on February 10, 2026. More information: www.nber.org/calls-papers...

Plus an interview with the President of the CTA which runs the show about health tech, robots and her claim that the EU ‘regulates first, asks questions later.” Personally I think there’s a need for a tough approach to a US tech industry that has lost our trust open.substack.com/pub/rorycell...

Got two reports from the monster tech show in Las Vegas today. A diary piece on how plucky Danish toy firm Lego outsmarted the chip behemoth Nvidia for one day by being a better storyteller. open.substack.com/pub/rorycell...

As we get back to our desks, we would like to remind everyone that our Call for Submissions is closing on Monday 19th January for anyone wishing to present in a General Session at this years RES Annual Conference. For more information, visit our website: https://bit.ly/49iKLfl

And also more than @ofcom.bsky.social has done

Just excellent and all they deserve. www.ft.com/content/ad94...

London Zoo are doing their annual stock take and it is a thing of joy (pics from Getty Images) www.gettyimages.co.uk/editorial-im...

AI in demand: How expertise shapes its (early) impact on workers: Schmidt, Marc Justin

We have been working on a new @voxdev.bsky.social podcast - Ideas in Development. In the 1st episode, I have explained the thinking behind this. While there are far too many podcasts in the world, there are not enough out there on the economics relevant to most of the world’s population 🧵

I love these, often read them when on the Tube

“Snow was general all over Ireland...” It’s the perfect day to curl up with some Smyrna figs & one of the great short stories - #JamesJoyce’s The Dead from #Dubliners - set at a party for the Feast of #Epiphany Read by Jonathan Forbes for @BBCRadio3 @BBCSounds www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Britain has talked itself into a flat tailspin. Had weeks of ppl telling me that the country's on the verge of catastrophe. In reality real wages are rising and the economy growing. God alone knows what ppl would say if we went back to the early 80s, 17% interest rates and four million unemployed.

Things are changing in the relationship between politics and "technocrats". In my blog in English, "Real Progress," I argue that a new balance is necessary. @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social @timothysnyder.bsky.social realprogressinenglish.blogspot.com/2026/01/a-ne...

Oh my, snow in suburbia:

I enjoyed this conversation with Oles Andriychuk - & there's a nice view of my office: www.youtube.com/watch?v=doxv...

Competition policy is how to make sure industrial policy succeeds www.ft.com/content/2c9c... Showdown in Brussels over competition policy is nearing

There are plenty of queues to be stood in at #CES2026 but this is the longest- it’s journalists waiting for a free sandwich lunch

My first report from #CES2026 - if the preview show is anything to go by expect lots of health tech but few products that are clinically proven open.substack.com/pub/rorycell...

One of us is working hard on a book draft, the other (#sophiefromromania) not so much

TODAY on the Economics Observatory – Why did Venezuela’s economy collapse? Revisiting Frank Muci’s 2024 analysis. @lsepublicpolicy.bsky.social

And over to you @ofcom.bsky.social We have the regulatory tools. You would not tolerate this with any other medium, why not act now? Shut it down. Imagine if any other company did this, their owner would be in court/jail

Just a few more days left to apply for the Paul McLean graduate trainee programme at the FT. This is an amazing opportunity for any aspiring journalist job-boards.greenhouse.io/financialtim...

Read about ESCoE work on public service productivity, in collaboration with the UK Office for National Statistics, @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social, @rug.nl & Birkbeck, University of London: tinyurl.com/ym97ybnc

A random question led me to a fascinating story involving currency trading, an inquiry into civil service integrity, some high quality writing, a very annoyed wife, and the Katyn massacre. You can read it here: ukcivilservant.substack.com/p/what-links...