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GhostLad

@ghostlad.bsky.social
110 followers 204 following 597 posts

I play games and turn coffee into code.

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Reposted by GhostLad
Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
It would seem the Home Office has now acquired the ability to impose, without visibility or accountability, shadow bans on students coming to British universities from particular countries. How? Because of the interaction between indiv visa decisions (made by HO alone) and visa rules for unis 1/?
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 08/10/2026
RIP to the world's first software engineer news.mit.edu/2026/margare...
news.mit.edu
Margaret Hamilton, computing pioneer who led software development for the Apollo program, dies at 90
Margaret H. Hamilton, a profoundly influential computer scientist best known for leading the software engineering team at MIT’s Instrumentation Lab during NASA’s Apollo program, died at age 90.
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
This makes good sense I think. And seems something that could be done with minimal political (and by virtue of what it is, no economic) pain.
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Fraggle Rock: The Terrible Tunnel. My mom was slightly at a loss to comfort 8-year old me over Sir Blunderbrain being stuck in the tunnel forever.
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Max B 💙 🔶 🇺🇦 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 @maxbrockbank.com · 24/09/2026
Bloody French, saying what we're all thinking ...
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Emma Yeomans @yeomans.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Worrying scenes in the Channel today, for all interested in asylum policy and maritime tactics. A small boat from Normandy spent more than 30 hours at sea. Those on board now on their 2nd rescue vessel as Border Force forced to play cat and mouse with far-right activists who have their own boat.
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
In the sense that it steered me into a genre, I'd have to go with the old GoldBox "Death Knights of Krynn". That you can have an AD&D experience without having to gather a gang of friends and that a story can carry over between games was astonishing, and probably is why I like RPGs to this day.
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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 18/09/2026
What on earth is happening?
  This had become the new normal. RNLI crew members had been forced to take their permits off their cars after their tyres have been repeatedly slashed. Most of them have been pilloried at the school gates or turned away from local pubs. One man who worked in search and rescue had been beaten unconscious and hospitalised, recognised for TV interviews he had done.
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Stoo @stoo.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Shout-out to the brave motherfuckers chopping the collapsing, rusting masts off the SS Richard Montgomery on the bottom of the Thames between Southend and Sheerness today. If it goes badly, we're all going to very much know about it. Fascinating, also terrifying stuff youtu.be/R9u41aeItss?...
youtu.be
Unexploded Bombs off the British Coast: the SS Richard Montgomery
YouTube video by Tom Scott
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
It's that time of year again: annual elections of Council Members for the magnificent National Trust. Should you wish to vote for the Nomination Committee's recommended candidates, they are on page 18 of your booklet. 'Restore' and 'Reclaim' are again in the fray. Votes are due in by 30 October.
The front of Osterley House, a red brick National Trust property in Hounslow. Their are 6 pillars at the top of the steps at the entrance, and green lawns to the fore.
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Easy to donate: rnli.org/support-us/g...
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Thomas I-G @thomasig.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Apparently organising black shirts to block key infrastructure, target the RNLI, attack police etc is not enough for anyone in power to act urgently. Begs the awful question as to what would it take for anyone to condemn this, never mind act.
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Roland Pierik @roleo.eurosky.social · 08/09/2026
The number of cases of cervical cancer reported in Scotland among women given the HPV vaccine at 12-13 years of age is now zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
No cervical cancer cases in fully HPV-vaccinated women in Scotland
A study published by Public Health Scotland finds that the HPV vaccine is "highly effective".
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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
It's entirely possible to outsiurce services and achieve efficiencies. It just requires your business processes to be simple and consistent with clear governance. There is not a single university in the UK whose business processes are simple and consistent with clear governance.
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
"It is hard not to draw the conclusion that the police and Home Office seem to be incapable of an appropriate response to the threat of far-right activity and violence."
nicklowles.substack.com
Did Kent Police ignore a 999 call?
Contrary to their public statement, HOPE not hate can exclusively reveal that Kent Police were tipped off about the Patriot Platform mobilisation – and seemingly did not act on the information.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Here @stephenkb.bsky.social seeks to remind the Labour government, old & new, that the point + purpose of recognising "legitimate concerns" about immigration was to understand how to differentiate these from *illegitimate concerns* rooted in intimidation + xenophobia www.ft.com/content/2279...
ft.com
Labour’s muddled migration policy won’t stop thuggery
A government that can’t distinguish between ‘legitimate concerns’ and open racism is only making things worse
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lincoln carpenter, skeleton @lincolnhello.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I'm sure Bluesky hacked off most of that headline on mobile, so:
PC Gamer headline: "Dwarf Fortress creator says we can learn something from simply walling up dwarf nobles to maintain an equal society—but notes you have to abolish the dwarf cops, too: 'Another lesson to be had there'"
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 01/09/2026
The Campaign for Rural England believes the countryside is for looking at, and nothing else. They really give the game away on what they're up to at the end of this piece... capx.co/the-countrys...
capx.co
The countryside lobby's war on batteries
A solar battery site has proven safe but was blocked anyway
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Alex Hall Hall @alexhh.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Loved this woman- not only for her music, but for her sass, grit, courage, decency, wit, and generosity. A great woman and true legend.
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I think this by @stephenkb.bsky.social is well reasoned, with my own added note that the tax more option will also need to convince people, including the left, of the requirement that well-off people also get things back from the state. Like free music tuition for kids fx. www.ft.com/content/9102...
ft.com
Austerity denial and the mystery of Britain’s shrunken state
There is a ready supply of explanations on offer at Westminster
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Rachel Cunliffe @rmcunliffe.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
This comes courtesy of the Soho Society, a resident group established in 1972 aimed at “preserving the character of Soho”. Which they want to do by banning the centuries-old concept of the pub, and not (you'll be shocked to hear) the historically accurate option of increasing street prostitution
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
The world is a bit rubbish. So have some good news about how it could quite literally become less (filled with) rubbish. 😀🧪 Ah-Hyung Park et al at UCLA may be onto a way to turn plastic waste into useful hydrogen, and capturing most of the carbon from the process www.sciencealert.com/plastic-wast...
sciencealert.com
Plastic Waste Has Been Turned Directly Into Hydrogen Fuel – No Sorting Required
If a scientific innovation can address one of our most pressing environmental problems, it's a fantastic achievement.
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
To The Lockdown Discourse, I think this sums my position up, apart from "Lewis Goodall is talking out of his arse".
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Well played, Sir.
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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
In case there was any doubt. Restricting access to benefits isn't enough for Conservatives/Badenoch. They want to deport/"remigrate" people who came here on legal work visas, not because of (debunked) claims about benefits/fiscal costs but because they've embraced an openly ethnonationalist agenda
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the beggars out of here getter @milesklee.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
RIP to the incomparable Sam Neill
How long has it been since you've seen the original "Jurassic Park"?

SAM NEILL The last time I watched it in its totality was sitting beside Princess Di at Leicester Square at the London opening.
On the other side of me was my son Tim - he was 11 and completely swept away by it, but about the time the T-Rex turns up, Tim started to fart. And the draft was drifting across me to royalty! I spent the whole film in a muck sweat, thinking, "Princess Di is being exposed to the horrors of a little boy's fart, but she's going to think it's me. I am going to be subliminally blamed for my son's crimes, and I don't think she'll talk to me afterwards." But she was well brought up and never mentioned it.
JEFF GOLDBLUM I love that story, Sam.
I've heard him tell that a couple of times, and it's just amazing the lengths that he will go to still blame the boy.
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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Also includes archaeology, geography, nursing, computing and history Slashed to ‘protect’ medicine, chemistry and engineering So doctors gonna work without nurses? We can get immigrants to fill those posi… oh (And don’t get me started on the other courses getting slashed 🤬)
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Farage losing to Count Binface on a sizeable "angry with all the fuss and made us look silly" tactical REF->BIN vote is the ultimate banter outcome in my book.
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Allan Faulds @afaulds.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
This is why Kate Forbes was unfit to be First Minister and why those who still go out to bad for her are fundamentally awful people. I, as a gay person, have absolutely every right, as do our allies, to decide that your views on *my fundamental humanity, rights and dignity* are of utmost revelance
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hammancheez but spooky @hammancheez.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
People : oh wow they ordained those illegal bishops i wonder what the pope might d- Pope : EXCOMMUNICATE DAY WOO People : u didnt let me fin- Pope : I DIDNT STUTTER JIMMY
npr.org
Vatican declares Society of St. Pius X in schism, excommunicates bishops
The Vatican responded Thursday to a traditionalist society that consecrated bishops without the pope's consent, declaring the Society of St. Pius X in schism and excommunicating its bishops and priest...
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
So not only were the cuts done to some "well advanced" projects, in an homage to Rishi and HS2 presumably, they also decided to "do a Hunt" and leave an undisclosed 4.7 bn hole in the funding as a little present for Andy. Just went you thought the old government couldn't be more of a clownshow....
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Kungahuset @kungahuset.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
#Swedes & alcohol don't mix at sea! The participants of a stag party decided yesterday afternoon to take the boat to the local restaurant "Olsson på Kleven" which is located in the #Swedish west coast pearl, Smögen. The 10 or so bachelors managed to sink the boat with just enough alcohol😆 #Sverige
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Toby Buckle @polphilpod.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
the write ups of the pm's fall never mention his biggest reforms—those that made the uk far, far worse for minorities my latest for @liberalcurrents.com www.liberalcurrents.com/starmer-out/
liberalcurrents.com
Starmer Out
Starmer did not "do nothing": he made the country radically more regressive. No wonder he fell.
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
John sums up my view on Starmers failings pretty well here.
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Good thread on why an incoming PM needs to stand firm on net zero and tell the union boss quoted that they are, quite frankly, wrong here. If it were a drag on jobs, a PM should still pursue the policy because there are many other important reasons for it.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Banning children from social media will disempower teenagers, according to a governance expert at the Oxford Internet Institute. Dr Victoria Nash warns that children will be denied positive social interactions online and cut off from online news and learning. www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-06...
ox.ac.uk
Expert Comment: Is banning under-16s from social media protection or exclusion?
Dr Victoria Nash, Associate Professor & Senior Policy Fellow, Oxford Internet Institute, warns that a social media ban risks leaving teenagers 'protected' but disempowered, cut off from news, learning...
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Ruth Watson @ruthwatson.eurosky.social · 15/06/2026
Your regular reminder that Scottish 16- and 17-year-olds are legal adults in Scotland. They can vote in our national and local elections. We don't need to regulate which social media youngsters can access, We need to regulate the social media companies which all of us access.
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Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Merits of the under 16 ban aside, I still can’t believe that the plans to introduce a social media curfew for 16-17 year olds. At the risk of sounding ancient, at that age I was out at clubs & gigs in London and driving like a lunatic around Kent. And Starmer would stop my kid from watching Twitch?
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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 11/06/2026
Some news: 🇺🇦 Next month I'm driving to Ukraine. 🇺🇦 I'll be delivering an evacuation vehicle, specially modified for saving lives in areas of the highest danger. But that's only possible if I can fundraise enough - £3,500. I'd be so grateful for any support you can give. donorbox.org/johnoxleydu
donorbox.org
Support John's Mission: Buy and Drive an Evacuation Vehicle to Ukraine 🇺🇦 | Driving Ukraine (Powered by Donorbox)
Help John to Drive and Deliver a Life-Saving Evacuation Vehicle to Ukraine 🇺🇦In July 2026 John Oxley will drive 1,318 miles across Europe in 3 days to deliver an evacuation vehicle to Ukraine, where i...
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Jack Bailey @jack-bailey.co.uk · 03/06/2026
Last year, we shared a paper showing that Labour's accommodation of the radical right did not work. We now have a new version of the paper online: osf.io/preprints/so...
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
It is however very kind of them to, having named their shitty helicopter Joby, have given all of Scotland a laugh this monday. 😂
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Next time a Starmtrooper mentions "Aha, but what about the renters rights bill?" and consider that a slam dunk for how they are on the side of renters, I'm just going to point to this excellent article.
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Dr. Sandra Duffy Golden @sandraduffy.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Very proud of @fruitypy.bsky.social writing for the G on the EHRC Code. Getting a trans voice into those pages - supported by another team of trans people - is no joke, and she hits a good tone between educating the masses and articulating our fears. @transsolidarity.bsky.social
theguardian.com
Trans people like me are facing segregation now. We need parliament to restore our rights | Alexandra Parmar-Yee
Hard-won, vital legal protections have been upended – ultimately our lawmakers must fix this, says director of Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, Alexandra Parmar-Yee
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Rob @robsnottweeting.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
“Not all local objections to green projects are frivolous! One local man LOVES wind power, he just doesn’t think it should be built in the area where he lives or even on land at all” fuck OFF with this.
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
The real giveaway line in that Blair piece is "whatever it takes" to stop the boats. Leave ECHR? Shoot them out of the water? He doesn't want to actually engage with the trade-offs. Same with welfare. Who's benefits is he going to cut? How? Against what criteria.
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QueerAF @wearequeeraf.com · 26/05/2026
The rapid rise of 'gender critical' organisations and high volume of anti-trans media coverage has been mapped for the first time by @amnestyuk.bsky.social 
wearequeeraf.com
JK Rowling mentioned four times as often as actual trans people in media coverage of 'trans issues', research finds
The rapid rise of 'gender critical' organisations in the UK shows ahigh volume of anti-trans media coverage and increasing spending by 51 organisations
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GhostLad @ghostlad.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Not a parent myself, so I will defer to my sister who is: When faced with a child who has climbed high up into a tree under their own volition and ability, the correct response to bystanders concern about safety is to shout to said child to endeavour to hit a branch on the way down in case of a fall
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