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Rick

@hrrunka.bsky.social
80 followers 53 following 371 posts

Amateur radio & astronomy, F&SF fan, filker, furry, etc.... Also on Mastodon dot social

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Reposted by Rick
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 07/10/2026
These were identical trips, loaded via identical referrer URLs. The difference was that in the browser where Air Canada knew that I was an extremely loyal and prolific customer, they had whacked me with a *44.8% premium* to punish me for my loyalty!
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Diane Duane @diane.dianeduane.com · 06/10/2026
Status report, “Secondhand AI Thieves” dep’t: Just now got an email from the naughty company discussed here. Watch out for / beware of the schmucks discussed in this post. writerbeware.blog/2025/11/07/predat…
writerbeware.blog
Predatory Opt-Outs: The Speculators Come for the Anthropic Copyright Settlement - Writer Beware
The enormous, $1.5 billion Anthropic copyright class action settlement is reputedly the biggest copyright infringement recovery in history. With such a high-profile case, it’s inevitable that eligible...
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Good Law Project @goodlawproject.org · 04/10/2026
The Department for Health and Social Care has written to us demanding we take down our video criticising Palantir’s NHS contract – we won’t goodlawproject.org/is-this-the-firs…
goodlawproject.org
Is this the first ever SLAPP by our own Government? | Good Law Project
The Department for Health and Social Care has written to us demanding we take down our video criticising Palantir’s NHS contract – we won’t
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I'm not holding my breath, not least because the author of the worst of these polices, Yvette Cooper, is still in government, and her successor in the Home Office, Shabana Mahmood, has defended and extended her draconian anti-protest measures. And yes, these measures really are mad and bad.
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David Morgan-Mar @dmmaus.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
An OpenAI agent, without authorisation or explicit instruction, hacked Australia's universal health care system records. This is fine... www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09...
abc.net.au
Breaking: OpenAI agent hacked Medicare portal, PM says
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says an Open AI agent gained unauthorised accessed to the Medicare statistics reporting service portal.
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Good Law Project @goodlawproject.org · 20/09/2026
“In the next few months, the government will decide whether to cancel Palantir’s NHS contract. And right now we’re daring to hope they might.” goodlaw.social/k4ck
goodlaw.social
Forced out of a job in the NHS for speaking out on Palantir | Good Law Project
I lost my career after refusing to keep quiet about the risks that a US spy-tech company poses to our NHS
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 19/09/2026
Every now and then I see myself referred to as an "AI Denier" and I want to be clear I acknowledge "AI" exists, it's just I think it's a massive energy drain, created from theft, implemented poorly for inappropriate tasks by loathsome tech executives who get hard at the idea of the rest of us dying
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David Morgan-Mar @dmmaus.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
What do Australian teenagers think about AI? Spoiler: They're not happy. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09...
abc.net.au
Young people pushing back against artificial intelligence
AI may be here to stay, but the generation that will inherit the results of the guidelines set for its use has something to say about that.
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Absolutely unhinged response from the Israeli government, trying to revoke the citizenship of people who make critical films about the armed forces. Symptomatic of a national descent into far-right authoritarianism www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Netanyahu seeks to strip citizenship from Israelis as threats to NAZA film directors intensify
Israeli prime minister to pursue new laws as directors of Guardian-produced film face threats from far-right officials and activists
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I'm not a religious person, but if there were such a thing as the Antichrist, he would do what Trump does every day. Destroying our beautiful planet and the lives of its people for the sake of A. profit and B. a vengeful urge to destroy what other people love. So yes, demonic is the right word.
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Terence Tao @teorth.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A group of 25 Fields Medalists, including myself, have made a joint declaration on Math and AI: mathandai.org . We welcome additional signatories. See also this article in the Economist announcing the declaration: www.economist.com/science-and-...
mathandai.org
Declaration — Math and AI
Read the declaration and add your name.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
There were many ways in which the US and its allies could have responded to the horror of 9/11. But by building extreme security states, launching pointless forever wars and restricting domestic dissent, successive governments inflicted more harm on their nations than the terrorists could have done.
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Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
My first blog post on patreon was how I became an extremist - knowing that lifeboat people are extremists and retired doctors who want peace are extremists , while brutal men in balaclavas and convicted abusers are normal, i am relieved to be mad www.patreon.com/RobinInce/po...
patreon.com
How I Became an Extremist | Robin Ince
“Love has never been a popular movement.” - James Baldwin As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be an extremist. I wondered whet
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Gary McGath @gmcgath.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
If you have a Smashwords account that you've ignored for a long time, check it. Draft2Digital acquired Smashwords and has unilaterally started charging the users of some accounts. #writing #smashwords #draft2digital
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Richard Murphy @richardjmurphy.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
If we want to beat fascism, the answer is easy: scrap neoliberalism www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2026/09...
taxresearch.org.uk
If we want to beat fascism, the answer is easy: scrap neoliberalism
The media appears to have woken up to the fact that there is a right-wing, profoundly fascist threat to stability within the UK. Events over the weekend in Dover and Portsmouth have achieved this outcome. A few people in black have been noticed. Rightly, politicians are condemning the actions of those...
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Rick @hrrunka.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Put your favourite business sector in here in place of "university" and it's very probably still bang on the nail....
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
80 year-olds with pro-Palestine signs: arrested as terrorists. Greens planning to block a road, to highlight an existential crisis: sent down for years. Masked far-right thugs blocking roads and ports, using intimidation, obstruction & threatening behaviour: no arrests. The real two-tier policing.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Yet the police described it as a "spontaneous protest." It certainly wasn't spontaneous, and it looks more like an attempt to intimidate than a conventional protest.
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Lambda Miner Edwin @edwin.lambda-miners.org.uk · 04/09/2026
Gender affirming healthcare saves lives. I realise I'm yelling this to my -5 followers but I'm going to yell it forever anyway. What is wrong with these people?
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Rick @hrrunka.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
A thread demolishing one of the Government's present petty stupidities...
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Rick @hrrunka.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
To the surprise of exactly nobody with Clue(tm)... Whether it achieved its unstated desired effects, however....
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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Mayor Boris Johnson, announcing ULEZ in 2015: "ULEZ is an essential measure to help improve air quality" PM David Cameron, same day: "The Government is backing this initiative with £25 million of support" But suddenly it's Khan's fault. www.london.gov.uk/press-releas...
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Richard Murphy @richardjmurphy.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
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Murphy's Lawyer @menageri.org.uk · 29/08/2026
Why putting data centres in space is a no good, terrible, stupid, bad idea. emptywheel.net/2026/08/28/d...
emptywheel.net
Datacenters in Spaaaaaaace! - emptywheel
…Will never work. I’m not saying that with Musk money, one can’t blight the sky with computer hardware, I’m sure he can. I’m not even saying that humanity can’t decide to put a bunch of GPUs in racks ...
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I know this isn't terrorism. You know this isn't terrorism. The authorities know this isn't terrorism. But, once again, they have labelled protesters "terrorists", as part of the long-running programme to ensure that no one dares protest about anything any more. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Seven charged with damaging Trump’s Scottish golf course accused of ‘terrorist connection’
Course at Donald Trump’s Turnberry resort was painted with words ‘Gaza is not 4 sale’ and clubhouse was sprayed with graffiti
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Our rapid disillusionment with political leaders is treated by much of the media as some kind of pathology. But what I see is these leaders backtracking on their promises, dashing people's hopes and serving the ultra-rich ahead of the rest of the population. Why wouldn't we be disillusioned?
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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Time for Labour to “Dare more democracy.” Next week’s debate on the representation of the people bill offers a golden opportunity to make long overdue changes to our archaic undemocratic rotten voting system - and to start building trust with voters again
theguardian.com
Andy Burnham should rip up our undemocratic first past the post system – even if some in Labour disagree | Neal Lawson
Rearguard reactionaries may try to block the idea of a national commission into proportional representation, but we should want more not less democracy, says Neal Lawson, director of Compass
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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Unbelievably disappointing u-turn from the PM - where is the serious culture change at Westminster we were promised? Our democracy should not be for sale
theguardian.com
Burnham drops support for political funding cap aimed at curbing mega-donors
PM said he would set bar at £500k, but trade unions say funding reforms could undermine their ability to donate to Labour
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
People can "just adapt" to a changing climate, a thousand rightwing voices keep telling us. Either they lack imagination or they don't care. Try "adapting" to this. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
theguardian.com
Nepal flash flood: more than 1,500 missing, mostly tourists, after disaster kills at least 165 at Tibet border
Entire populated areas swept away after glacial collapse causes catastrophic flood in mountainous region popular with trekkers and pilgrims
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Rewilding Britain @rewildingbritain.org.uk · 26/08/2026
We're calling on the UK Government to rewild Britain for a safer future 👊 Add your name to the open letter👇 f.mtr.cool/b53uai19km Images: landscape – Alan Puttock/University of Exeter, Andy Burnham – House of Commons, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, edited
Split aerial of brown field and green woodland, with a photo of PM Andy Burhnam overlayed and a message that reads: An open letter to the Prime Minister. Rewild to recover from extreme weather. Add your voice.
Image credits: landscape – Alan Puttock/University of Exeter, Andy Burnham – House of Commons, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, edited
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
This, arguably, is the crucial issue, which determines more than any other the nature of the government. It is both highly symbolic and has very great practical implications. It undermines everything a Labour Party is supposed to stand for.
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TransActual @transactualuk.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Comedian and poet Robin Ince has become our first patron! Ince, who was for many years co-presenter of BBC Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage, stepped down last autumn saying he had been targeted by BBC figures over his support for the trans community. Read more: transactual.org.uk/blog/2026/08...
A photo of Robin Ince with the caption: Robin Ince is the first-ever patron of TransActual!Comedian and poet Robin Ince has become TransActual's first patron.

Ince, who was for many years co-presenter of BBC Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage, stepped down last autumn saying he had been targeted by BBC figures over his support for the trans community.

Ince says, “I have never liked bullies and I have never understood people who form their personalities around what they hate rather than what they love. I was in my late teens during Section 28’s path through parliament and it was a moment of political awakening. We continue living through times where those who really make the lives of people harder still manage to hide behind any scapegoat they can make. Anyone who can be othered can find themselves in the position of pariah.

He concludes: “I have met too many trans people living in fear, spoken to too many families who have seen their trans children crushed. Now is not the time for my silence."
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
The Jason Arday story is by no means the biggest scandal at Cambridge University. I'm sure the media is going to pick this up and run with it in just the same way ... Or is the exaggerated CV of one Black professor somehow more important than this?
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
This should be a day of shame for my profession. Unfortunately, most of the media is not renowned for self-reflection. It may be relentless in exposing other people's faults (but in most cases only the faults of those who might threaten the status quo). It is much less prepared to confront its own.
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uosdɯᴉS ɐuɐꓷ 🦄 @danacorn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
I’m not the best technical artist in the world. I was a much less accomplished artist in the early years of Ozy and Millie. What people liked about it could really only have been my voice. The fact that I was putting my soul in it. I remain convinced AI will never be able to do that.
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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Former Clacton MP hammers Nigel Farage for ‘creating the small boats crisis’ via Brexit It’s about time and UK media need to follow www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/cla...
thelondoneconomic.com
Former Clacton MP hammers Nigel Farage for 'creating the small boats crisis' via Brexit
Giles Watling issued a stinging rebuke towards his successor in Clacton, arguing that Nigel Farage IS the cause of small boat crossings.
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Richard Murphy @richardjmurphy.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
When will tipping points be reached? www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2026/08... We are in trouble. It is time to cast aside those parties that have created this trouble, whether deliberately or through inaction. Both behaviours have failed us. The moment for action - the tipping point - has arrived.
taxresearch.org.uk
When will tipping points be reached?
Since waking rather early this morning, and without the benefit of any alarm clock, Nigel Farage's by-election result (I hesitate to call it a victory) has been dominating my day. That includes record...
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Rick @hrrunka.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
"But what has emerged from the meeting? A possible ban on disposable barbecues, and even that is not a firm commitment. There has been no comment on the climate emergency that is powering the extreme heat." Quit p**ing into the wind, Andy. Get real.... www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Hot topic: why is Burnham so reluctant to talk about the climate crisis?
Extreme heat is harming wellbeing of ordinary people the PM champions, yet little has been said on the topic
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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Really? Is that it? If this is all that’s come from COBR, it’s pitifully inadequate. As crisis deepens, it beggars belief that there aren’t eg plans to increase resources for the fire service, support for farmers, max workplace temperature, funded community cool spaces & obvs ban on new fossil fuels
independent.co.uk
Andy Burnham warns of summer ban on disposable barbecues
Andy Burnham said he would consider if a restriction on purchasing the products during the summer months could be justified
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Gareth Dennis @garethdennis.uk · 12/08/2026
This is a railway access point. There are more than 35,000 of them in Britain, each one enabling inspection, maintenance, repair and, sometimes, emergency response. Since 2020 though, a potentially fatal flaw has been creeping across the network, and it needs to be reversed.
a high palisade fence and gate, with a big blue sign, guarding steps down to a railway... there's a train passing in the background a clear straight on shot of a Network Rail access point information board with a bit of graffiti on it, with all the important info you'd expect including phone numbers and track layout
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Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
It's wrong that journalism is silenced by letters containing falsehoods. And it's wrong that there is never any consequence — not for the client who tells them, and not for the lawyers who relay them.
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
"Anthropic’s commitments under the EU AI Act’s Code of Practice" A reminder that these things are not really that complicated. We are not the serfs of tech billionaires. We can regulate to get the world we want to live in. And it is easier to regulate if you operate at scale, as the EU does.
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Rewilding Britain @rewildingbritain.org.uk · 04/08/2026
But as the smoke clears, the public debate over how to protect our countryside must be guided by evidence, not misinformation. Britain’s growing wildfire risk is being driven by climate breakdown and the degradation of our living systems - not by efforts to restore nature. 🧵3/9
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 03/08/2026
I think "AI" plumpers should be happy I'm focusing mostly on the nonsense it's doing to my field, rather than how it's very clearly designed as a tool for the capture of wealth and capital by a bunch of accelerationist weirdos enthusiastically huffing their own farts from the depth of their K-holes
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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 01/08/2026
These businesses aren't just wasting billions - they're replacing skilled workers with defective chatbots. As I've written before, AI is the asbestos we're shoveling into the walls of our technological society. 79/
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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 01/08/2026
The problem most companies struggle with is that they're "terminally bad at running software projects effectively." Adding AI to the mix doesn't solve this problem - it just adds a whole new range of ways that software deployment can fail. 28/
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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 01/08/2026
This has created a situation in which *everyone* - "boards, executives, employees, vendors, consultants" - has a strong incentive to lie about how much AI is delivering for their companies. 25/
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Charlie Stross @cstross.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
New blog entry: On the non-use of AI in my writing process: www.antipope.org/charlie/blog...
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Neoliberalism in a nutshell. UEFA on FIFA's proposal: “The moment external investors acquire ownership interests ... football changes forever. Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. ... Every decision is no longer driven by what best serves the game, but by what best serves shareholders.”
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Rick @hrrunka.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
The sooner it falters and dies, the less damage it will do (though that's already at serious levels) and the better our future will be....
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