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Matthew Somerville

@dracos.co.uk

I help people report broken street lights, find out their bin day, plan train travel, manage an orchestra, locate the nearest postbox, research old theatre productions, keep time in a choir, and occasionally play board games | https://dracos.co.uk

2019 Posts2471 Follower94 Folgt
Matthew Somerville@dracos.co.uk · 6d ago

Just had the weirdest phishing email ever. Starts off normally enough, looks like a Sumup email but button goes to some random URL, with a random From address, as usual. But I noticed the email was very long with a lot of empty space at the bottom...

Phishing Sumup email
Matthew Somerville@dracos.co.uk · last wk.

An organisation wanted paying via PayPal account only, so I logged in for the first time in a long time (exhibit A; looks like my last payment was actually for some fruit in August 2020), it sent a 2FA code to my phone fine, logged me in, and then... immediately closed my account (exhibits B & C)

Paypal Activity page showing no transactions in past 3 years (as far back as it lets you look on this activity page, though you can generate a year PDF back up to 7 years somewhere else)[PayPal header and navigation] We're permanently limiting your account. You can no longer use PayPal as we've decided to permanently limit your account after a review.We're no longer offering PayPal services for this account We strive to provide our customers with seamless and user-friendly services. Unfortunately, sometimes we're unable to offer services to an account for a variety of reasons, including local laws, our policies or the policies of our partners. Why is this happening? After a review, we found unusual activity on this account that we can't support. What can you do with your account? Your account has been permanently blocked. However, you can still view your transaction history, download account statements and request copies of your data. What about funds left in your account? Before you can withdraw or transfer any remaining funds from your account, we need to hold them for up to 180 days to cover any financial liabilities. We’ll review the account and email you when funds are available. We keep your personal information with us for as long as you have a PayPal account. After that, we retain your information as required by applicable laws for up to 10 years. We'll delete all of it at the end of that period. If we're no longer required or allowed to keep your personal data by law during that period, we'll delete everything immediately. Find out more about our data policies. How can you learn more? To learn more about the types of account activity we can't support, read the Supported Activity section in our Help Centre. We understand this news may be disappointing. We apologise for the inconvenience. {body.paragraph.queryAdvance.children} {body.paragraph.queryOmbudsman.children}
Matthew Somerville@dracos.co.uk · 2w ago

The last CrossCountry train I was on, I had to stand from Sheffield to Birmingham. As the current Private Eye notes, they could improve this for many by leasing a few extra trains

16 SIGNAL FAILURES Cross stitch-up COULD Andy Burnham's leadership at last overturn the London-centric Whitehall bias that has made CrossCountry trains chronically overcrowded? CrossCountry's routes radiate from Birmingham to Aberdeen, Manchester, Nottingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Bournemouth and Penzance - but not London. Most have just two to five carriages with minimal luggage space. It deters passengers with high fares that can be dearer than going a longer way round on other trains (Eye 1622). Alas, mandarins don't use CrossCountry to travel into London - mandarins who were so generous with taxpayers' cash when they set up eye-watering private finance deals for new "SuperExpress" trains to modernise the London routes of LNER and Great Western Railway (Eyes passim). The deals are recorded as a potential £5.9bn liability in Department for Transport accounts. By comparison, the net extra cost would be trifling if CrossCountry leased six trains (30 carriages, identical to existing CrossCountry ones) that have done nothing since Avanti West Coast discarded them in 2024. The government knew since 2018 that they'd be discarded but still blocks even this moderate relief, let alone planning faster, cheaper and more comfortable CrossCountry journeys longer term. Latest statistics show a 10 percent rise in passenger miles travelled on CrossCountry in this year's first three months, compared with a year earlier, but miles run by CrossCountry's trains didn't match that growth, rising just 3 percent. Meanwhile, LNER passenger miles rose by a measly 0.9 percent, but LNER train miles shot up by 17 percent after a new Whitehall-approved timetable last December gave LNER more slots to/from London.
Matthew Somerville@dracos.co.uk · 2w ago

Great performance of Mahler 1, prefaced by a dramatised introduction to its writing and history (pity don’t get to see both). But with some weird automated rail journey website help instructions(?) audible at 42:23, and then a hot mic whisper of something at 56:54 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

BBC Proms - 2026 - Mahler’s First Symphony by Heart - BBC Sounds

Live at the BBC Proms: Aurora Orchestra and Nicholas Collon perform Mahler's Symphony No 1

bbc.co.uk

Suw@suw.bsky.social · 3w ago

Here's a fun thing for your Sunday morning – an interactive text adventure in English or Welsh. Can you guide Rhiannon successfully to Barry Island for an ice-cream without leading her astray? And by 'astray' I mean stuck in a mythical past or a future yet to come. ymestyn.cymru/interactive-...

Mae Rhiannon yn mynd i ynys y Barri. Rhiannon goes to Barry Island. Next to the text is a photo of a woman's hand holding an 99 flake ice cream.
Matthew Somerville@dracos.co.uk · 3w ago

Weird that Google Maps doesn’t use OpenStreetMap data, its entry on Brighton is clear: nominatim.openstreetmap.org/ui/details.h... It used to be better. Nowadays it tries to direct me on a “footpath” through a school (not a path), or tells me to catch a bus all the way round the ring road

Nominatim Demo

nominatim.openstreetmap.org

Marie Le Conte@youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 3w ago

oh my god!!!! there's an actual answer!!!! Google Maps does hide Brighton!!!!!!! bsky.app/profile/robi...

Louise Crow@itscrowbot.bsky.social · 3w ago

I couldnʼt be more proud that at mySociety we use digital tools to empower millions of people in the civic aspects of their lives. We’re a small organisation doing a lot, as our annual impact report makes clear - have a look and maybe let us know what you’d like to see us do next year 🙂

mySociety@mysociety.org · 3w ago

Ever wondered what effect our work has, who uses our services or how we connect with other organisations around the world? Sit back and enjoy a little dose of optimism and positivity with our annual impact report. www.mysociety.org/impact-repor...

A composite image showing the mySociety team, and activities from our TICTeC conference, in hexagons emerging from a copy of the impact report.
Matthew Somerville@dracos.co.uk · 3w ago

“[LGA cyber, digital and technology adviser Annie Radcliffe] said there have been instances where social workers in court have “mainly used evidence from generated content from AI and have not been able to stand up and say this is definitely what happened”.” www.lgcplus.com/services/hea...

EXCLUSIVE: Social workers 'unable to back up AI evidence in court'

Some children's social workers have been unable to back up AI-generated reports when questioned about them in court, the Local Government Association has

lgcplus.com