Professional writer organizations should not send out pro-AI propaganda in the form of tantrum-having "essays" to their members, and I don't think that's controversial.

Regarding The Pro-AI Tantrum In The HWA Newsletter

Today I, and every other HWA member, received the HWA newsletter in our inboxes. In that newsletter was an essay (“essay”) of pro-AI propaganda that made a number of specious points in …

terribleminds.com

Behind the bewildering transformation of British universities, are management consultants being paid millions Really proud to have this vital piece on our unis are being gutted from the inside by @jheathershaw.bsky.social on Democracy for Sale. Do read democracyforsale.substack.com/p/inside-bri...

Inside Britain's university crisis

As teaching staff face job loss, their bosses have netted pay rises and bought advice from a “vampiric” management consultancy, writes Prof. John Heathershaw of the University of Exeter

democracyforsale.substack.com

Big fire just off the A39 near Carland Cross - a car dealership, apparently? Saw the black smoke from the sea at Polly Joke

The BSFA are working in partnership with English Heritage and Flame Tree Press to produce an anthology of works including The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish, one of the earliest works of #ScienceFiction. @englishheritage.bsky.social

If l weren't at the other end of the country right now...

British Science Fiction Association@bsfa.bsky.social · 5d ago

Allen Stroud and Juliet E. McKenna are at Bolsover Castle today talking about Margaret Cavendish and Science Fiction. If you are in the area, do come and say Hi! @julietemckenna.bsky.social @englishheritage.bsky.social

@alasdairstuart.com yarg has been purchased!

How long do you think the British Museum will remain in business now that AI took over its job of stealing art I’m worried you guys.

If you don't have the time to do the project without AI, just fucking don't do it. If you don't have the creativity to do the project without AI, just fucking don't do it. If you don't have the finances to pay creatives for your project and therefore use AI, just fucking don't do it.

www.justgiving.com/page/britain... One of the walkers we met today, raising money for an excellent cause

Britain End to End

Help Grant and Shaun Britain-End-to-End raise money to support Marie Curie

justgiving.com

My cousin is a victim of similar. And yes, that includes the death threats.

Tressie McMillan Cottom@tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 6d ago

There are a lot of important things going on. Maybe this isn’t a top twenty concern. But, this is actually workplace harassment, the kind that can get people killed.

Did 'the tough stretch' of the Cornish coastpath today. Saw a stooping peregrine, a belligerent adder, the Spitfire again, and two John O'Groats to Land's End walkers. And something squirrel sized and stoat shaped.

christ if that’s not a metaphor for our times

No professional accomplishment has ever made me happier than this. theonion.com/translator-o...

Translator Of Original ‘Minions’ Epic Poem Slams ‘Sexless, Bloodless’ Film Adaptation

PHILADELPHIA—In a 4,500-word essay published in Harper’s Magazine, Emily Wilson, known for her popular translation of the Minions epic poem, blasted the latest film Thursday as a “sexless, bloodless” ...

theonion.com

to be clear, Uefa are just as money grabbing as FIFA. there are no goodies here. they just believe you shouldn't be OPENLY corrupt, as it will kill the golden football goose. Infantino stuck two fingers up to that, unnecessarily. and now they are PISSED.

basically for those who like SCHISMWATCH football is now on schismwatch. If FIFA push through their unbelievably corrupt (even for them) corporate sell-off, then Uefa will schism, taking all the european nations with it. And Concacaf (which includes the USA) have all but confirmed they'd join them

When I did my legal name change (back in the 1990s) the lawyer gave me some advice: “Try to never end up in court; you will lose and the judge will throw the book at you.” It remains good advice to this day.

Alejandra Caraballo@esqueer.net · 6d ago

This is really bleak.

Hear hear!!

Isabel Rogers@isabelrogers.bsky.social · 6d ago

Can't be the first to say this, but (and yay UEFA - brilliant) this works equally well if you swap out "football" for maybe "water" or "a stable climate". Look at me being the revolutionary socialist. "No one has the moral authority to sell what they merely hold in trust for the next generation."

Random Spitfire!

Stupid depression can go sit in a corner

I have been in the sea and it was wonderful

Cast of Wonders 691: Little Wonders 51 – Unusual Pets Stories by Marisca Pichette and Jeff Stehman Narrated by Eve Upton and Tina Connolly Hosted by Katherine Inskip and produced by Jeremy Carter www.castofwonders.org/2026/07/cast...

Can't move in Crantock without tripping over a Sheffield connection. Someone with friends in Deepcar, another with an Endcliffe link, a guy who lived in Hope, and... the grandmother of one of my students!

Please put out shallow dishes of water in the shade for hedgerow animals - they're desperate for moisture right now. Just had a shrew come sniffing my toes on the footpath. Never, ever seen that level of desperation overcoming instinctive fear.

Sadly it's not just #JodrellBank losing funding, with deep cuts across the board for UK astronomy. One example is the HiPERCAM project whose funding has been entirely cut to save £50K/yr - peanut-levels of £s. Spectacular fast transient science lost, for what? 🔭😡 www.zmescience.com/science/astr...

One of Astronomy’s Fastest Cameras May Stop Operating Over a $67,000 Funding Gap

The camera that checked JWST’s clock is losing its funding.

zmescience.com

I will say this again. It does not MATTER how history will view this moment. What matters is what we do IN this moment. Posterity does not exist yet. It has no power. Neither does wishful thinking. We who are living this moment, do, as we are alive and enabled to respond.

You have Taken the plums that were in the icebox I have Very particular skills Acquired In my career Replace them Or I will look for you Find you and kill you

Daniel Tunnard@danieltunnard.bsky.social · last wk.

Are there any other poems that have been made into films? Could Nolan have a crack at "This is just to say"?

said it before and i'll say it again: the number one writing hack is just to make friends. you can either spend an hour in an obscure & contentious reddit forum trying to figure out what a 2012 camaro sounds like or you can ask your buddy, the Car Guy

horse girls, historical reenactors, train guys, trauma nurses...i'm NOT saying you should collect neurodivergent friends on purpose btw. i'm saying you're a writer so your friends are already neurodivergent

Earlier this year UKRI launched a funding call to invest £40M in ONE AI lab. www.ukri.org/opportunity/... For some unknown reason they decided to fund TWO AI labs at the cost of £60M. An extra £20M. Just found. That's the equivalent of 7 more years of Jodrell Bank. www.ukri.org/news/ukri-la...

UKRI launches two AI research labs to stay ahead in global race

Two new labs will back British researchers to develop next generation artificial intelligence (AI) systems, helping secure the UK’s position as a global leader.

ukri.org

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · last wk.

I'm absolutely devastated for colleagues at Jodrell Bank who found out this morning that funding for the UK's e-MERLIN radio telescope array will be terminated. This is a short-sighted move, to save a tiny fraction of the overall UK science budget. #SaveJodrellBank 🔭🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...