@pwaring I remember you were having to go through Cyber Essentials Plus earlier this year. Were you able to find an auditor that allowed you to maintain sudo access on developer machines? The last auditors we used didn't understand Linux and didn't allow the use of sudo at all and I'd like to […]

Mallard duckling. It's a quiet time for birding right now, but a great time to be out cycling. So I've not been out much with my camera. Here's a duckling resting underneath mum from a few months back instead. June 2026. Stockport, UK. #Birds […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Google DeepMind disbands its Nobel-prize winning AlphaFold team https://www.engadget.com/2225849/google-shuts-down-alphafold/ It has already reassigned some members of the DeepMind project, while others have already left the company. This represents Google's decision to put more and more of its […]

SAVE JODRELL BANK – Protect a national treasure of science, heritage & inspiration https://c.org/fCZVFS2YYj Reverse funding cuts that would end 80Y of world-leading UK science. Home to the iconic Lovell Telescope, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, & the heart of UK radio astronomy – faces losing […]

Young dunnock. It's been a long weekend, with a lot of travel and not enough sleep. Anyway, there are plenty of lovely young birds still around. I'm just slightly annoyed that all of the many baby robins on my local patch appear to be camera shy. #Birds […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Another unbearably hot summer where the air is filled with smoke. We can't close our windows because of the heat and apparently we're too far away to need to, but the overwhelming smell and the pollution data says otherwise. Utterly devastating. There's no […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Carrion crow. Birds don't sweat, so they need to pant in order to cool down. Which is what this crow was doing at the start of this current heatwave, at 8am one morning. It must be pretty unpleasant for them right now, given how hot it is today. #Birds […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

European robin. I've been enjoying watching a pair of robins go in and out of my garden with food recently. They must have a nest somewhere nearby. Always a pleasure to see them and I'm glad that my tiny garden can provide a haven. I'll have to remember to […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Mallard ducklings. It's been a challenging week and I feel exhausted thanks to the unrelenting heat. It's mostly been too warm to watch wildlife or to edit photos, but what I have seen has been great. Here's one from last week, when it was actually cool […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Juvenile house sparrow. This young bird only stopped on the branch for a fraction of a second. I'd been watching them and their family for a while, trying to get a clear shot, but they kept moving around, trying to stay out of sight. I used to see house […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Juvenile pied wagtail. I've been watching these birds fly around my local patch for the last few days. They've been hanging around a group of house sparrows, with the parents regularly calling nearby. Almost everyone has overlooked them, often even after […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

"the solution might be cancelling my AI subscription" https://thoughts.hmmz.org/2026-05-31.html "[AI coding tech] is horrific for attention. It's a thermonuclear ADHD amplifier and I have seen the same effect in every single one of my adult friends."

Every summer I repost this article on how to spot drowning. Please read it and pass on. In the last few years I’ve had SIX messages from people who saved a kid’s life after clicking on the link from my feed. slate.com/technology/2...

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

Drowning is not the violent, splashing call for help that most people expect.

slate.com

My amazing manager is sadly leaving, but this leaves a great opportunity for someone else to join the team. Remote, UK only. Closing date 8th June. #GetFediHired https://www.bennett.ox.ac.uk/blog/2026/05/hiring-a-head-of-engineering/

Hiring a Head of Engineering | Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science

We’re looking for someone to lead our delivery teams and we’d love to hear from you

bennett.ox.ac.uk

Stock dove. I've had a challenging week and it feels like nothing has gone to plan. I wasn't even supposed to be out birding today. However, it was probably the only thing that's gone well. I've been wanting a good photograph of a stock dove for ages […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Pied flycatcher, female. An amber-listed bird that flies over from west Africa to breed in western Britain. Numbers declined by 56% between 1995 and 2023, but it's now the focus of conversation efforts so populations are expected to increase. It has an […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Carrion crow. You can't tell from the image, but this crow is disabled. They have a damaged foot and have difficulty getting around. Their family supports them, making sure they always get the food they need, and they seem to be doing well as a result […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

This looks good. Software nerd takes on societal challenges. www.eventbrite.com/e/seb-bacons...

Seb Bacon’s Inaugural Lecture

I've been made Prof of Research Software Engineering. Want to listen to me waffle for an hour, and eat canapés, to mark the occasion?

eventbrite.com

I've been going off Ubuntu/Canonical for a while now, but reading this means I'll definitely be reinstalling my last remaining non-work computer. https://masto.ai/@phoronix/116476120066302561

Phoronix (@phoronix@masto.ai)

Attached: 1 image Ubuntu Linux Will Begin Landing AI Features Throughout The Next Year Now that Ubuntu 26.04 LTS has shipped, Canonical is opening up on their next major focus for Ubuntu development: lots of AI features... https://www.phoronix.com/news/Ubuntu-AI-Features-2026

masto.ai

It was fantastic catching up with lots of lovely folks at #OggCamp2026 today. I really enjoyed the talks as well. It was refreshing to spend time focusing on tech for fun and tech for good. Looking forward to tomorrow! I've been going to this conference […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Juvenile robin. A pair of robins have taken up residence in the garden. I've been hearing one singing loudly from the bush outside my study window. They've also been busy hoping around picking up grubs and any other food they can get hold of. Hopefully, in a […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Does anyone have any suggestions for UK towns that are okay for cycling? 🚴 I'm getting fed up of consistently bad cycling experiences around Manchester. I've had two incidents that really needed reporting to the police in the last month and could really do with living somewhere that has less drama.

Teal, female. The smallest ducks found in the UK. Widespread in the winter but quite shy. Teals are mostly flying to their breeding grounds now, although some may stick around. RSPB Leighton Moss. March 2026. #Birds #BirdPhotography #Nature […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

🧵The Covid Inquiry’s latest reports have made one thing brutally clear: the first year of the pandemic - and especially the second Covid wave in winter 2020/21 - was devastating. Much of that devastation was avoidable. This 🧵: impact on NHS, impact on bereaved, and avoidable harm. 1/19

Kingfishers. Spring is really starting to pick up now. I've not had much opportunity to get out with my camera, but managed to time it well with some recent exceptional weather & bird life. I've had to buy a new computer so I can continue to process photos […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

RE: https://mastox.eu/@ZackPolanski/116142732544695092 Worth watching the whole thing, including for the contrast between the naysayers' playbook and the Greens' platform and - um - facts. Note the allegations of "cheating" and Polanski's response: "Nigel Farage is a sore loser and he just […]

If Labour followed its own logic, it would now step aside and let the Greens walk home in this crucial by-election. It is hard to imagine how Starmer and co could have made a bigger fist of this - and of everything. My column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

How is Reform’s charmless candidate still a contender in Gorton and Denton? Ask Labour | George Monbiot

This byelection should have been a stroll for Keir Starmer’s party. Instead, all hope of defeating Matt Goodwin now seems to lie with the Greens, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

theguardian.com

Goldeneye (male). The resignation of our local MP and resulting by-election means I'll be mostly focused on politics this month. However, we've been treated to a stunning visitor on our local ponds over the last week. I'm really hoping he'll stay to see the […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Hope 💚 #GreenParty #GortonAndDenton

My colleagues have been involved in an extremely cool piece of research that was published today. It's a great reminder of why we're doing this and how much potential there is to do good with technology in healthcare, when it's done in the right way […]