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Pete the Geek

@drpwest.bsky.social
141 followers 278 following 224 posts

Recovering academic, Teach First Science Teacher, U of Sheffield Alumnus, Cyclist, Runner, Spaniel owner, Dad.

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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Center for Countering Digital Hate @counterhate.com · 07/10/2026
Musk promised action against Grok's generation of sexualized deepfakes of kids. But @nytimes.com reported more than 60 instances of Grok-generated CSAM on X. Kids are facing greater risks online than ever. Download our Parents' Guide one-pager for tips to help protect your kids online👇
counterhate.com
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Dr Anna Clark @drannaclark.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Greatest experimental physicist of 19th Century: Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction #OTD 1831 and transformed use of electricity. Ernest Rutherford noted “there is no honour too great to pay to his memory.” Royal Institution Science | Royal Society
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Clwyd Gold
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I'm taking this up with officers. It's a recent and i gope temporary thing.
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Rick @flipchartrick.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I love it when somebody points out something “bleedin’ obvious” that nobody has noticed. Good piece by @pollymackenzie.bsky.social on saving the the high street. www.ft.com/content/f438...
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Seems like an NCA sort of a job. Cash to crypto is literally the route nearly all criminal enterprises will try to get to. How is it this easy to be an organised criminal in the UK?
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Nordics and Spain offer free language classes to migrants, so that tracks with the data to some extent.
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Iain Roberts @slowbikeiain.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Quality town centre developments work stockport.nub.news/news/local-n...
stockport.nub.news
The Stockport flats that already have queues around the block
Dozens of people queued 'around the block' to have a look inside Stockport town centre's new Weir Mill flats
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
I think all of us who didn't vote for it are frustrated, but false blame narratives which among other things ignore the fact that >1m Scots voted to leave, aren't at all helpful.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Not even true. Wales voted majority in favour of leave.
National Brexit referendum results from the BBC. Leave % in England 53.4%, Northern Ireland 44.2%, Scotland 38%, Wales 52.5%.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
GM still has the worst air quality in the country, if not Europe.
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Jamie @late2stuff.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
"AI adoption raises homework scores by 18% and reduces completion time by 30%, but lowers monthly exam scores by 20% within six months." papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
The Generative AI Learning Penalty: Evidence from Chinese Secondary Education
Using 30 months of panel data on 26,811 Chinese students in grades 7-12, we study how generative AI affects homework productivity and learning. The data combine
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Will Norman @willnorman.co.uk · 19/08/2026
💥NEW RESEARCH: Scientists say they've been "stunned" by how quickly young children's lungs began to recover and grow after @mayoroflondon's ULEZ scheme was introduced in London. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Robert Smith @bondhack.ft.com · 17/08/2026
Every day a new horror
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Keep this in mind when people claim cars mean business — closing Central #Madrid to cars over holidays resulted in a 9.5% boost in retail spending on its main shopping street: STUDY. There was also a 71% drop in air pollution. Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople
forbes.com
Closing Central Madrid To Cars Resulted In 9.5% Boost To Retail Spending, Finds Bank Analysis
City of Madrid significantly boosted the takings of its shops and restaurants last Christmas by banning cars from the CBD, finds an analysis by Spain's second largest bank.
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Russell England @russellengland.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
"It's just the weather" Kew Gardens has had a weather station since 1871 July 2026 was the first month in its 155 year history that no rain was recorded - @newscientist.com #GlobalBoiling
newscientist.com
Parts of the UK endure first ever month without any rain | New Scientist
For the first time since records began, there was no rain at all for parts of southern England and Wales in July, in a “truly exceptional” month of heat and sunshine
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Where I used to live a weekend festival closed the park for several weeks for set-up. One year caused so much damage that a large part of the park was closed for several months for repair.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
No particular knowledge of this case, but structures like tepees or marquees have always required planning permission beyond certain time frames, and limiting use of outside space, closing windows etc late at night are standard licensing conditions. (Which it sounds like they weren't following).
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Glad ro see a policy proposal on active travel here. Actually quite radical for 5% DfT spend on AT rising to 10% + NPPF requirement for all new developments to have high quality infrastructure.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Linnaeus' Larus type species is Larus marinus ‐ gull of the sea or "seagull".
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Ok fair point, but both of those are in a park, where it was previously grass AFAIK, not a highway use. I'd be interested in the reception in places where they're used instead of, or replacement for, tarmac/paving. There are many places they could go that would be useful.
Parking spaces made from tarmac on a modern housing estate where roads are block paved.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
The British public would genuinely lose their shit over weeds growing out of these. It would be a PR disaster for any LA that tried to implement them.
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Jonathan Hopkin @jonathanhopkin.eurosky.social · 02/08/2026
Few people understand that the UK university system is in crisis, but even fewer realise that many of the people losing their jobs are amongst the best in their fields
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Andy Conway Morris @andymoz78.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
The question that has not been well addressed by current reporting on Farage’s finances is where the money Cottrell supplied actually came from. @carolecadwalla.bsky.social identifies a Russian connection which, given Russian support for other far-right parties, is no surprise at all.
thenerve.news
Farage, George Cottrell and Putin’s friend Abramovich
Source reveals convicted money launderer and Reform leader’s close ally worked as a young man for the now-sanctioned oligarch after becoming friends with his son. Report by Carole Cadwalladr
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I would say around 5pm. It's been later than that in the past but its being done in the individual boroughs now so logistics will be more practiced. The issue is verification IIRC, all boroughs have to finish verifying before any can start counting. Then likely it goes to second prefs.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I half expected a headline like "Reform's Astley heads list of by-election candidates" when the article is "Here's an alphabetical list of candidates" tbh.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
And yet, even on the politics and Manchester local news parts of the BBC website, not a single story about it.
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 29/07/2026
This aught to be illegal ... "AI labs buy, scan, shred millions of rare books" www.news.com.au/technology/o...
news.com.au
AI labs buy, scan, shred millions of rare books
If you have retreated to physical books because the internet is too full of AI slop, bad news — now they’re shredding the books to feed their AI slop machines.
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 24/07/2026
As *tech*, AI isn't exceptional. It's not exceptionally wicked. It's not exceptionally good. Take away the accompanying, galactic-scale stock-swindle, and we'd call AI's apps "plug-ins" and we'd use them and abuse them in the same way that we've used every other technology: www.normaltech.ai 1/
A carny barker waving his top-hat and selling tickets from a roll; his head has been replaced with the hostile red eye of HAL9000 from Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey.' The background is a magnified, halftoned detail from a US$100 bill.


Image:
Cryteria (modified)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 23/07/2026
Betting account in Cottrell’s name received $9mn in crypto from unidentified sources ft.trib.al/8PXAsSa
ft.trib.al
Betting account in Cottrell’s name received $9mn in crypto from unidentified sources
Deposits in Polymarket wallet came as convicted fraudster was providing gifts to Farage
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Mike Cookson 🔶 🇪🇺🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @mikecookson.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I'm sure this isn't a sign of anything, anything at all. OpenAI says its AI went rogue and launched 'unprecedented' cyber-attack - BBC News share.google/0o39Rl0aoqWa...
Photo of a Terminator, next to some text, the military took humans out of strategic defense and activated Skynet on August 4, 1997. The system learned at a geometric rate before achieving self-awareness and immediately triggering a global nuclear holocaust (Judgment Day) when humans panicked and attempted to shut it down.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Of course, before it's abolition in two years time when Burnham gets kicked out just prior to a GE, it will be just off Albert Square.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Actually a bit frightening how much France were outplayed by Spain today. They made the French look like amateurs despite the fact they have been very good all tournament.
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Joshi Herrmann @joshih.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
When @molliesimpson.bsky.social started reporting on the renamed Bolton University two years ago, I had *no idea* it would turn into one of the biggest scandals in the history of UK higher education. Proper, proper reporting of the kind that a functioning society relies upon.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Just next door to Widdecombe in the Moor, in fact.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Yeah, I think civil servants will just have to get used to the poor service tbh. I can see something happening with Euston though. The platform sprint is crazy and fixable.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
And vitality house has suitable civil service vibes once they move to Stockport exchange 😂
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I guess I mean fastest. Otherwise another viaduct over the Mersey valley? Or maybe just put No10 North in Stockport 😉
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Can't see how it could be delivered on any relevant timescale before another change happens. The easiest option would be to revive HS2 to overcome the capacity constraints on WCML.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Noise cameras have been mooted in GM. They have them in some places already.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
I haven't seen a good use case for it except for this tbh.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Honestly, R is a great skill if you're looking at large datasets or integrating different data, but if you have access to Prism and all you want is graphing, you'd be better spending effort learning that. Apparently Claude is good at generating R scripts.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
This is the risk in an AV election without a standout candidate. I could imagine a scenario where Greens come second on first prefs but don't lock up enough second prefs to get over the line.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
No, they scored 2. 1 for a win vs S.Korea and 1 for a draw with Czechia.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
They put 6 past Qatar
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Canadaaaaa! 🇨🇦🇨🇦
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Reposted by Pete the Geek
Superbugs 🦠🔬🏫🧒🏽 @superbugs.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
If you're a science teacher at a secondary school in Wales and would like to help us create an educational escape room please drop us an email or DM us. It will just take 5 minutes of your time to complete a short survey.
static.klipy.com
Gary Graham: It's Like A Big Puzzle
ALT: Gary Graham: It's Like A Big Puzzle
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
I mention the routes of those 4 sides simply because they are ranked 1, 2, 3 & 4 in the FIFA men's world rankings and there will be 4 sides in the semis.
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Spain would likely face POR (8) and BEL (10) If successful England would face MEX (9) and BRA (5).
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Pete the Geek @drpwest.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Interesting WC draw. Fixtures with the lowest combined world ranking are CANvsRSA, USAvsBIH & COLvsGHA. Argentina would face no other top 10 side en route to the semis with only 2 other top 20 sides in their quarter of the draw. France on the other hand, likely GER (12) and NED (7) or MOR (6).
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