Still scarcely any mainstream coverage of this massive story, despite the new and separate scandal involving James Orr. This is not just double standards. I'm struggling to detect any standards at all.

George Monbiot@georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 4w ago

The Jason Arday story is by no means the biggest scandal at Cambridge University. I'm sure the media is going to pick this up and run with it in just the same way ... Or is the exaggerated CV of one Black professor somehow more important than this?

Join us on 20 October for an afternoon of open science and scholarship, in memory of Paul Ayris. The event will bring together perspectives from the UK, Europe and beyond, and culminate in this year’s UCL Open Science and Scholarship Awards. Find out more and register: shorturl.at/ii6MX

😃 Good news everybody❣️

MapQuest's app surges to No. 1 in Navigation after refusing to rename Lake Ontario | TechCrunch

MapQuest is getting an unexpected boost from its decision to defy President Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario.

techcrunch.com

We’ve been trialling a tool comparing the output of various LLMs over time to questions about false claims circulating online. Here are the results 👇

Full Fact analysis shows AI chatbots spouting misinformation about AI-generated images, wars and royal fall outs – Full Fact

Multiple models gave us misinformation when we asked about fake content and false claims circulating online, both before and after we wrote about them.

fullfact.org

'In parallel with the increase in incidents of AI deception, a fast-growing ecosystem of red-teamers, “alignment” researchers and AI safety companies has been racing to detect, measure and suppress deceptive behaviour. But they still aren’t sure if what they do will work – or if it’s too late'.

‘If you build something vastly smarter than you, it better be on your side’: can we stop AI from deceiving us?

The long read: We are used to the idea that our fellow humans might intentionally mislead or manipulate us, but the idea that machines can now do the same is deeply unsettling. Researchers are racing ...

theguardian.com

I didn't mean to turn this into a thread, but the issue has got me properly triggered (again). Read on for how this approach has been embedded in every aspect of government, who has driven the process and how it works.

George Monbiot@georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 6d ago

Officially, the water industry in England is regulated. Practically, it's unregulated. There's no difference between what it does under the eye of the Environment Agency and what it would do if the EA did not exist. The EA is completely useless, by design. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

This year's theme for East and South East Asian Heritage Month is “Evolving Threads”, honouring the ways that communities remain deeply connected across generations, borders and movements. Share your book recommendations here: https://ucl-global.libwizard.com/f/EastAndSouthEastAsianHeritageMonth2026

Our whole book is free to download from LSE Press, and always will be. press.lse.ac.uk/books/m/10.3... Ironically enough though, the wonderfully accurate and helpful review by Prof Alam is behind a paywall!

📚 The Politics of Rare Books: Colonial legacies, libraries, provenances 21 September Alison Richard Building, CB3 9DP https://bit.ly/4gcpiXM This event aims to advance conversations on how historical connections to the slave trade within library collections can be communicated to the public

Just how should we understand the British Empire? It was brilliant talking to @alanlester.bsky.social about the history of Britain’s colonialism, and the complexities of reconciling liberalism and anti-slavery at home with a global project mired in racism and exploitation. youtu.be/0S3Ai6aTLHc

The Rise and Fall of the British Empire | What People Get Wrong

YouTube video by Prof James Ker-Lindsay

youtu.be

How have zines enabled mental health survivors to express their personal experiences? @hspandler.bsky.social explores the history of madzines and their centrality to the collective production of experiential knowledge.

From the personal to the political and back again?

Hel Spandler explores the evolution of madzines and considers why they should be recognised as a form of activism.

historyworkshop.org.uk

The amazing Yayoi Kusama – her life in pictures: www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

Yayoi Kusama – a life in pictures

The Japanese avant-garde artist, who was known for her giant polka dot artworks and mirrored infinity room installations, has died aged 97

theguardian.com

Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine..... www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjfT...

Dolly Parton adapts her song Jolene as she receives Covid-19 vaccine she helped fund

YouTube video by Guardian News

youtube.com

> From day one, everything pointed to the fact that Jason Arday, the Black neurodivergent Cambridge professor who died in August 2026, was being subjected to racist and ableist harassment — exactly the kind of targeting he himself had described. docs.google.com/document/d/1... 1/n

The Hunt for Jason Arday

Translation of Mediapart Le Club blog post in French, by Stephanie Lamy, 24th August 2026. How an Elite Network Hunted Jason Arday Race science is a pseudoscience that feeds far-right propaganda, inc...

docs.google.com

ddɐ˙ʎʞsʞɔɐlq˙uǝʌs@@sven.blacksky.app · 2w ago

«L’enjeu est considérable. Comme l’écrit Jafari Sinclaire Allen dans The Nation : « Il s’agit d’un mouvement transatlantique visant à mettre fin à la production indépendante de savoir sur la race et le pouvoir — et à décider, des deux côtés de l’Atlantique, qui est autorisé à produire ce savoir. »»

Paul achieved so much, but I’ll always remember how he made people feel they belonged and that they mattered. A rare quality in a leader. I miss him a lot. #FacesOfUCL #UCL200 @uclpress.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk @ucllccos.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/about/search...

Unlocking access to knowledge: Paul Ayris, Founder of UCL Press

Dr Paul Ayris (1957-2025) was founder and CEO of UCL Press and a champion of the ‘open science’ movement, breaking down barriers to make research, scholarship and learning freely accessible to all.

ucl.ac.uk

Dolly Parton's family asked that, in lieu of flowers, fans make a donation to the singer's Imagination Library. Here's what the charity does ⬇️ www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...

Turning Pages: Inside Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

Core team of 15 staff and thousands of volunteers and partners help the country-music philanthropist deliver books to kids around the world.

rollingstone.com

UCL staff and students 📣 Submissions close in three days for this year's Open Science and Scholarship Awards 🏆 Start your application now: buff.ly/IZ46cZq

UCL Open Science and Scholarship Awards

With these awards, we want to recognise and celebrate all UCL students and staff who embrace, advance, and promote open science.

ucl.ac.uk

Network of training, funding and support for UK-based holders of PhD (or equivalent) in Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences awarded in last 10 years (excluding career breaks). No need to be in employment or employed in research. Free to join. It's cold out there: come be welcomed in.

The British Academy@britishacademy.bsky.social · 2w ago

We’re inviting ECR Members, Partners, and Funders together to celebrate turning five on Wednesday 30 September 2026 at the University of Birmingham. All the details and how to sign up are on our events portal: https://bit.ly/4xMnagy Not part of the ECRN? You can join today: https://bit.ly/3SNypqa

One of the best job applications ever written came from the hands of Robert Pirosh in 1934. MGM loved it, took him on and in 1949 he won an Oscar for ‘Battleground’.

🔴 The Peter Thiel-Linked Race Science Network that Penetrated Cambridge University and Targeted Jason Arday The academic's coordinated targeting by an explicitly anti-black race science network did not come out of nowhere, reports @nafeez.bsky.social

The Peter Thiel-Linked Race Science Network that Penetrated Cambridge University and Targeted Jason Arday

The media's coverage of the academic's life was fuelled by the campaign of an established far-right network

bylinetimes.com

Prof Victoria Showunmi, @ioe.bsky.social’s Vice-Dean (EDI), reflects on Jason Arday’s legacy and the often unseen burden Black academics carry: navigating racism and exclusion while having to explain those inequalities, defend their legitimacy and continue to excel. bit.ly/466o4bTP

Worth reposting for the am crowd, especially for its pragmatic advice on how to support yourself or a colleague in a pile-on. So, essential reading for (among others) academic staff, deans, PVCs and VCs to have on hand.

Carole Cadwalladr@carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 3w ago

NEW: It was a digital lynching. And the media is never going to hold itself to account for the role it played in Jason Arday’s death. But there are things we can do. This is a practical guide based on my own experience. broligarchy.substack.com/p/a-digital-...

Will Self naming those most responsible for hounding Jason Arday in the press: substack.com/@willself1/n...

Jason Arday: J'Accuse the British Media

After the death of Jason Arday, Will Self asks what happens when the media machine mistakes what interests the public for the public interest.

substack.com

Virgil for Jason Arday: Stand Against Racist Witch Hunts. Monday 17th August 6 pm Trafalgar Square, London www.voice-online.co.uk/news/uk-news... #RIPJasonArday #StandUpToRacism

There should be greater recognition of the extent - & the lawfulness - of racial discrimination in Britain until the 1960s And of people like Asquith Xavier who resisted and overturned racist policies The struggle for civil rights & race equality was a British not just an American phenomenon

Asquith Xavier: Euston's first Black rail guard gets blue plaque

Asquith Xavier was initially refused a guard's job because of the discriminatory "colour bar" but challenged the decision.

bbc.co.uk

📢 researchers @ioe.bsky.social: UK Parliament is seeking expert contributions to a research briefing (POSTnote) on rising demand for #ADHD and autism assessment and support, including implications for education and #SEND policy. Deadline: 13 Sept. #policyimpact post.parliament.uk/approved-wor...

Approved work: Rising demand for ADHD and autism assessment and support services

What is the evidence for rising rates, what factors could be increasing diagnosis and what are the implications for service users and care provision?

post.parliament.uk

A core failure of US university leadership was the failure, early enough on, to articulate, evidence, & make land the 5 core cases for the university. They are (in any order), the cases for: * Arts & Humanities; * Social Sciences * STEM * Medicine * the University Who's making them for you, UK?

What Happened to the American University?

Once the envy of the world, higher education in the United States is now in a state of endless crisis.

thenation.com

I've just been reading a PhD thesis completed at a top university in which citations appear without references. I'm now hunting for a work that may not even exist! I'm convinced that footnotes should not count towards word limits, esp. in history, as it results in this kind of sloppy scholarship.

Only three weeks remain to apply for the Mid-Career Fellowships. The opportunity supports researchers in the humanities and social sciences to pursue a significant research project and engage the public with their findings. Apply now: https://bit.ly/4f09Crd

I've been looking at 'Programming Historian' and I'm so impressed! It uses real historical data to make digital tools actually approachable for researchers. Read more about its co-founder, Dr Adam Crymble, on the Open@UCL blog. #digitalhumanities #skyhistorians

UCL Office for Open Science and Scholarship@uclopenscience.bsky.social · last mo.

For our latest spotlight, we spoke to @adamcrymble.bsky.social, Associate Professor in Digital Humanities at UCL. Our conversation covered early engagement with open science, his work establishing an open publishing platform, and a recently published open access book. Read it here: buff.ly/Bp3vdkM