Sign in

Chris Thomson

@cbthomson.bsky.social
308 followers 176 following 270 posts

Learning - technology - music - storytelling - creativity, all that good stuff. Soft Butlerian. "Life Can Only Be Understood Backwards, But It Must Be Lived Forwards" Kierkegaard (probably)

PostsRepliesMedia
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This has made me very happy. Heard one booming from one of the hides there in the early summer. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Rare bitterns breed 'furthest north in 70 years' at Gosforth
Natural History experts say it is the first time bitterns have bred at the site since 1956.
010
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Can we call time on book titles that are just variations of “a thingummy of whatsit and something-or-other”.
100
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
This is what confuses me about schools that make their 6th formers wear suits in prep for “world of work“.
000
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 25/09/2026
I have blamed The agents That hacked Your website And which You probably Reasonably thought I controlled Forgive me I am rich And unaccustomed To taking responsibility
5776172117
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I'm curious about Apple rn. Lots of people saying they are losing at AI but let's assume a financial shock due to tech companies being overextended for AI. Is Apple the only major player that might emerge from that relatively unscathed? ("Relatively" doing a lot of heavy lifting there).
000
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
What’s the word for the satisfying moment when real world sounds match the pitch and rhythm of music in your headphones?
110
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"The Battle of Legitimate Concerns". Quiet genius at work.
000
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Glaswegians:
static.klipy.com
Popcorn Guy Enjoys Popcorn While Relaxing
Alt: Popcorn Guy Enjoys Popcorn While Relaxing
030
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Jisc @jisc.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
While we make the final preparations for going live on the website, we wanted to share that next year’s Digifest will be the last as we evolve our digital transformation events programme to include a broader mix of smaller, more audience-led engagement opportunities.
jisc.ac.uk
Digifest 2027 to be the final edition as we evolve our events programme - Jisc
023
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Make a band edible: Queenoa
011
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Marcus Houlden @mhoulden.uk · 08/09/2026
The RNLI saves lives at sea, regardless of who they are. Sometimes the crew doesn't come back. To me that sounds a lot more patriotic than getting ballied up and chanting inane slogans at people trying to go on holiday. rnli.org/about-us/our...
rnli.org
Why does the RNLI launch to small boats in the English Channel?
RNLI lifeboat crews have always launched to the rescue without judgement or preference. Men, women and children in danger in the Channel are no exception.
613429
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Edge Foundation @edgeuk.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Are you a budding Policy Officer? Edge Foundation are hiring. If you'd like to work with our outstanding team to help make education relevant, apply now! www.edge.co.uk/about-edge/w...
edge.co.uk
Work for Edge
Working for Edge Foundation
001
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Rev Darren Jalland @oldmacharrev.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Jesus literally, and very famously, gave people fish
292
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Checks out.
010
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
On the train taking youngest to start uni in Germany. Can’t get the Toy Story 2 bit out my head where Jesse gets left behind in a cardboard box for some reason.
120
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I’ve been in the UK long enough to get this joke, please clap
1292
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Accessibility Awareness @a11yawareness.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
An emoji has a coded description that gets read aloud by screen readers. Putting emoji in between text could cause confusion or make content less clear. It's best to put emoji at the end of written content.
02114
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Really wasn't expecting that. The conditions of 30% of the payout being contingent on Youtube and Tik Tok following suit will make things even more interesting.
010
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Jacob Ward @byjacobward.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Meta's public reports: bullying/harassment at 0.05–0.06% of content. Meta's own internal surveys of teens: 20–27% experienced it in the last 7 days alone. Self-harm content: Meta said <0.05% publicly, 8.4% internally. Violent content: "100 to 400 times" higher internally.
123
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Stephen Collins @stephencollins.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
It's that day again #alevels
[Title panel]:
A-LEVEL RESULTS COLUMNS DAY

[Scene is a TV news type report about A Level results day]

REPORTER [talking to camera outside a school where students are crowding outside the hall to get in]:

Well, it's that day again

When A-Level students across the country finally get to find out

What Britain's newspaper columnists think about their results.

[show the interior of the school hall, with long tables, but instead of results papers on them, loads of middle-aged newspaper columnists are all laid out]

[Close up on the COLUMNISTS lying on the table, talking up to a gaggle of excited students desperate to find out what they say]

PETER HITCHENS:
I remember when A-Levels meant something

CLARKSON: 
I got a C and two U's

[Cut to outside the hall, the REPORTER is talking to a student]

REPORTER:
And did you get the middle-aged opinions you wanted?

STUDENT:
Yes! 

I got one ‘There's Too Much Humanities’,
and two Oxford graduates telling me they went to Oxford.

REPORTER [now doing a voiceover, as we see the students in the school hall next to the columnists on tables, and the students are preparing to jump in the air for a photographer]:

And then the annual photo shoot…

[PHOTOGRAPHER]
One, two, three...

[One of the columnists on the table pipes up with]: 

What's The Point Of University in 2026?

[The students all jump for joy]

STUDENTS:
HOORAY!

[ends]
6861284
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
As of 2 August, Claude will start to comply with EU regs and add imperceptible watermarks to content, but - reading the text - it feels like they could have maybe done it in a slightly more useful way. What good is provenance data if it doesn't tell you anything about provenance?

• A detected mark provides a signal that content was processed by Claude, but is not fully conclusive. Detecting a Claude mark tells you that the content may have been processed by Claude. It does not, on its own, confirm the full provenance of the content. For example:
• Claude may not be the original author. People often use Claude to proofread, translate, summarize, or convert files. The output can carry a Claude mark even if the underlying ideas, text, or data originated from another source;
• The content may have changed after Claude processed it. Marked content may be modified, excerpted, or combined with other material after Claude processed it.
• Lack of a detected mark doesn't mean the content wasn't Al-generated or processed.
Content generated by Claude may not carry a detectable mark if, for example:
• It was generated by a model released before marking was supported;
• The text has been heavily edited, paraphrased, translated, or mixed into other writing;
• The passage is very short, leaving too little text for a reliable signal;
• A file's metadata was stripped through format conversion, re-saving, screenshots, or othe means;
4176
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Spent the evening in largely car-free Utrecht and sad to see the devastating impact the exclusion of cars has had on the bars, cafes and restaurants, and the liveliness of the city centre.
An awful lot of people sitting in outside terraces in central Utrecht Dozens and dozens of people in canalside cages and bars in Utrecht Still more people in cafes and bars in central Utrecht A side street full of bars and cafes, in turn full of people, in central Utrecht
1027959
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Both. It's both.
010
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Guardian's invertebrate of the year is the immortal Turritopsis jellyfish. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘When you kill it, it doesn’t die’: the jellyfish that has cracked the secret of immortality
Turritopsis dohrnii has the ability to turn back into a baby jellyfish and grow up all over again
100
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
- Ah, Georg. Do you remember the days when we did not have to queue in the streets for bread? - Hush, Yen. Drink your vodka. Death will come soon.
“Georg” and “Yen” from the IT Crowd struggle through the cold streets to find a bakery.
000
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Andy Diggle @andydiggle.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Heads up, new term for perv goggles just dropped.
18337
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
For my data and mapping nerds ... (read the first answer! so interesting on bias and weighting of data sources)
2205
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Lovely to be visiting Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh today. So much history. Co-founded of course by James Heriot, the Yorkshire vet and Wat Tyler, the leader of the 1381 Peasant’s Revolt.
020
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Edge Foundation @edgeuk.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Join our Policy Network This group brings together policy leads and practitioners from a range of educational institutions. The network meets regularly to hear from senior policymakers in the education & skills sector, discuss topical news, & share ideas for reform. www.edge.co.uk/policy/join-...
edge.co.uk
Join our Policy Network
011
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
This is dangerously close to a true story and now i am triggered.
100
Reposted by Chris Thomson
King Algamemnon @adamrothman.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
I'm not posting Odyssey memes because one must be wary of GIFs bearing Greeks.
9242921050
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Enjoyed The Odyssey last night. Been trying to think what film it’s most like. All I can come up with is Time Bandits.
110
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
So, back me up here. We just had a salad with orange segments and I said, “oh this is appropriate because football” and my wife, dorts and dorts’ boyf all looked at me like I was having a seizure. I’m right, tho? Right?
010
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Quite the evening chorus going off in Gosforth
Screen grab of Merlin ID app showing birds currently singing in earshot. Includes: greenfinch, goldfinch, dunnock, wren, blackbird, wood pigeon, herring gull, and jackdaw.
030
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Daniel Walzer, Ph.D. @danielwalzer.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
🤔
053
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
So, what does that mean for the standards investigations if he is no longer an MP? Has he just circumvented that or will it still deliver a ruling?
110
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
static.klipy.com
Simon Pegg
Alt: Simon Pegg as Tim Bisley in Spaced saying "skip to the End". It's Farage. It's about Farage.
000
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Wonkhe @wonkhe.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
NEW on Wonkhe: Stop inducting students into a system that doesn’t fit them? No, start bit.ly/4f1gUd2
011
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Rory Cellan-Jones @rorycj.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Your regular reminder that cryptocurrency does in fact have a use case and that use case is crime
433338785
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Lauri Donahue @lauridonahue.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
futurism.com/future-socie... lol
As one New York financier told Financial Times journalist Gillian Tett, new hires who were seen as “AI natives” are turning out to have alarmingly shallow ideas. So much so, the anonymous finance worker admitted, that his firm now actively avoids seeking out AI-literate STEM graduates, and opts to comb through humanities students instead.
178105252958
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Alisa Bokulich @alisabokulich.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
1000 evaluators given identical resumes & told candidate used AI. Only difference on resumes was candidate’s name: Emily vs James. Study found women using AI are evaluated as less competent than men who use AI...To evaluators, women’s AI use signaled inability, while men’s AI use signaled initiative
522110993
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Hello you. I am in Burnley.
010
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I mean, what are the chances?
010
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Kate Watson @loreandordure.com · 18/06/2026
Apparently if you’re unhappy about the injustices in the world and some of your friends are too, you’re 3/4 the way to a dangerous terrorist according to the DforE.
53616
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
So proud [wipes tear]
020
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
I'm speaking too. Come and work with me on using stories to build community experiences and develop skills.
010
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Feels a bit like coming full circle on Taylorism. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scienti... And as Doug rightly says "there's no way in which the complexity of an actually functioning multinational business, with all of the nuance of existing in multiple cultures and regions, can be fully automated."
en.wikipedia.org
Scientific management - Wikipedia
010
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
We do a lot of qual research at @jisc.bsky.social so this is a very helpful analysis. What interests me is the point about being familiar with your data and also critically reflecting on your own process, particularly when working with large, complex data sets.
100
Reposted by Chris Thomson
Rosie Hare @rosiehare.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Have you caught up with all of our #digifest26 Community Hub podcasts yet?! There's something for everyone - immersive learning, libraries, accessibility, AI, digital wellbeing and MORE. A great showcase of so many of our 2026 Champions and other sector colleagues. 🔊 soundcloud.com/jisccommunit...
soundcloud.com
Digifest Community Hub 2026
Hear how communities across education and research are bringing people together to share and learn. We cover learning and teaching, adapting to AI, accessibility, licensing and much more.
034
Chris Thomson @cbthomson.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
New podcast: Reflective portfolios and assessment reform. This was a really insightful chat with Chris Wood from Portsmouth University about his experiences with portfolio-based assessment. open.spotify.com/episode/6cbW...
open.spotify.com
81. Reflective portfolios and assessment reform
Beyond the Technology · Episode
010