Starlink has been transformational technology and probably is the future of the global internet, but the EU and China, amongst others, are already working on alternatives that don't involve leaving their vital infrastructure in the hands of an American tech company run by a volatile extremist.

Fairly sober testing report from the AI Security Institute: they gave internet access and removed some guardrails from latest AI models and found without them they were capable of potentially harmful activity directed at real people and organisations www.aisi.gov.uk/blog/inciden...

Interesting @rafaelbehr.bsky.social piece. Yes, US Government reckless. UK's AI strategy needs serious attention too: mix of exporting UK production to US hyperscalers, backing US in international treaties, evangelism without working through trust/safety issues. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Democracy is at stake when foolish humans bet on machines being intelligent | Rafael Behr

We need an enlightened US president to make the case for global AI regulation. Donald Trump is the exact opposite of what is needed, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

theguardian.com

Hi everyone, you’re probably aware that we have been helping with the campaign against Thames Water who are planning on getting approval to dump 75 million litres of semi-treated sewage in the river on a daily basis. Please help fight this destruction. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...

Petition: Ensure new sewage treatment infrastructure meets higher standards as in the EU

We urge the government to review the regulations for new sewage treatment infrastructure and introduce new legislation to ensure high international standards are met; to safeguard people’s health, bet...

petition.parliament.uk

Wonderful work

womensartbluesky.bsky.social@womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 2d ago

Harriet Love, contemporary stained glass artist #Womensart #August

"Global heating makes every heatwave more intense and more likely, and rising global temperatures kill one person a minute around the world." Meanwhile, the 8 major oil companies are raking in $700,000 a minute They are literally profiting at the expense of human lives

Damian Carrington@dpcarrington.bsky.social · 24h ago

Revealed: major oil firms make $93bn profits amid war and #climatecrisis That’s $700,000 a minute Iran conflict windfall over 3 months reignites calls for companies ‘cashing in on human misery’ to pay for environmental damage Story by Jillian Ambrose and me www.theguardian.com/business/ng-...

Its also logical. I think many remainers (& leavers) are oft too stuck in 2016. By 2031, 3/4 of the electorate will consist of remain voters & those too young to vote in 2016. The contest will be on a brexit utopia that didnt happen vs a 500million EU & Single Market. Its more than doable.

The state of this. A lovely day out for Badenoch and Philp, playing dress up and making pronouncements about early release schemes - having left the country with one hundred available men's prison places, after fourteen years in charge. You read that right. One hundred places.

It should be easy using one way hashes to setup an identity broker which hands off to individual countries identity providers and not only never knows who you are but stores a different hash for each service you are identified on so cannot link your identity up across services either.

It's was cool, but now it's raining here in south Cornwall, and I am so relieved and happy for the farmers of our food. And my tiny little vege garden and strawberry plants ☺️. But mostly for the farmers for UK #foodsecurity and social stability. Was fearing huge food price rises in coming months...

The entire concept of "illness" is a social construct. "Social construct" doesn't mean "fake", it just signifies something that we collectively understand as existing. "Doctor" and "medicine" are social constructs. "The United Kingdom" is a social construct. Maybe we can convince them to abolish it

ADHD is both real and a social construct. 'Neurodevelopmental disorders' in general are both real and socially constructed. Lots of things are both real and social constructs: money, the economy, gender, society. I'm sick of people talking like 'social construct' is a synonym for 'fake'.

Being a migrant requires humility. I think Britons, or should I say the English, have a problem with it. Their whole culture is based on the idea of Britain being great. Britons were going overseas as conquerors, a colonizers. They expected to rule the locals. Not to clean their toilets.

But of course such advice is frowned upon. It's below the British man dignity to drive a bus or work in a warehouse apparently. And this is the main reason why I am not predicting them to be successful. Because when you move to a new country, you have to be prepared to start from the bottom.

Human Rights risks (violations) in China have unfortunately been increasing in many ways lately (despite all the wonderful modernity some enjoy):

ᠮᠥᠩᠬᠡ ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ / Münkhnaran Bayarlkhagva@morientalist.bsky.social · 2d ago

"Authorities also began a region-wide censorship campaign, shutting down Mongolian WeChat groups and removing Mongolian-language books from the shelves of retail outlets. ... if you lose your language, you lose everything," Mr Togochog, director of SMHRC said." www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08...

Every single second, the world hands $6,000 to the fossil fuel industry in subsidies. That’s $5 TRILLION every year. Renewables? Barely a fraction of that. We are literally paying to cook our own planet. When does this madness stop? 🌍💸 #ClimateCrisis #FossilFuels

Scoop: You know all those AI generated pro-data center ads you’re seeing on TV, YouTube and Facebook? I was able to confirm for the first time it’s all a big national campaign by the data center lobby — one with a total black box of finances. Take a look inside “America Connects”

Inside the Data Center Lobby’s Quiet Ad Blitz

What’s the deal with all those “America Connects” videos?

heatmap.news

Is “pragmatic” the new, “grown up” word? Andy, there’s nothing “pragmatic” about drilling for more oil & gas - to even consider it with the planet literally on fire is total madness. How many times must we say it will do nothing for energy bills or security? It would be an act of utter recklessness

Burnham promises ‘pragmatic’ approach to North Sea oil and gas

PM tells reporters the government cannot ignore the energy resource ‘when people are struggling’

theguardian.com

I'm old enough to remember when polio put my friends into iron lungs. We dutifully lined up at school to get vaccinated. We eradicated the disease. We protected the common good and saved lives. What RFK Jr. is doing to public health in America is a disgrace.

🚨 JUST IN: U.S. GDP growth slowed to an annualized rate of just 1.5% in the second quarter, coming in below expectations.

Notice how incredibly silly it is that we have the police warning people not to commit terrorist offences, waiting quietly for them to reveal a t-shirt or something, and then arresting old people under anti-terror powers, who quite placidly accept being arrested.

Our criteria for success are disastrously skewed. In my view, a successful person is one who does more good than harm, on any scale. On this measure, most billionaires are massive failures, while humble folk in my neighbourhood who look after other people are highly successful.

some may think its a fancy car, or a parking spot with your name right in front of the building, but the true pinnacle of status is rolling your bike into your building knowing you can take it up and park it in your office.

This man is hell bent on destroying our last defence against climate change The ocean Trump Moves to Open American Samoa’s Waters to Deep-Sea Mining A federal proposal could auction off 31 million acres of ocean floor near a protected coral atoll www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Trump administration moves to open American Samoa’s waters to deep-sea mining

A federal proposal could auction off 31 million acres of ocean floor near a protected coral atoll—before anyone knows the environmental cost.

motherjones.com

We made it up there! And found the site. What was just boggy bracken back when we built a fence on the mountainside, has since regenerated into a lovely woodland of 40-year-old trees, filled with birdsong. The project worked, and these trees will outlast me by many lifetimes

Palantir was sold to the NHS for £330m on the promise that it would magically reduce hospital stays by 15%. It has been found to have no impact at all. Get Palantir out.

about half of centrists and the center-left for some reason concluded that climate change was passe hippie bullshit that doesn't matter, and we're about to learn how wrong that was, the hard way prospect.org/2026/07/28/c...

The Strongest El Niño in History Is Coming. Get Ready. - The American Prospect

Donald Trump has no ideas, but America is ready for a U-turn on climate change.

prospect.org

Sensible policy klaxon 🚨 Currently, if a 16 year old chooses to stay in school/college, their family can keep claiming benefits as before (notably child benefit). If they opt for an apprenticeship, the benefits stop. The system discourages apprenticeships. The DWP just announced a fix 🧵

So much for a UK "heatwave"; it is COLD here in Cornwall; wearing long pants, hoodie... Do wish the term "heatwave" could be saved for 27+, rather than overuse, risking potential backlash, which would divert from the fact that temps 30+ have never been exceeded this much in SOME places

It’s particularly invidious with homeless women. A staggering percentage of them are homeless because they fled abuse. But if they end up homeless too far away from their abuser(s) they can get flagged as having no local connection