iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Trump now blaming diesel price hikes on Ukraine, not his own stupidity in Gulf. Hence (even more) pro-Russia behaviour.

richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Let's hope Ed Davey, who (correctly) priorities social care, doesn't join the 'save the triple lock' brigade. LDs were tempted by the silly WASPI campaign.

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

By the same 'logic', we should cut council tax because we tax housing more than most OECD countries.

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WarTranslated (Dmitri) @wartranslated.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Russians struck Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv. People escaped via windows as the building caught fire. Half is destroyed, with potential casualties trapped under rubble. Emergency responders are on the scene.

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David Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

So now we're publicising judges whose decisions we disagree with?

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Matt Ford @mford.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Ezra Klein asked Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang about AI making kids worse at math and reading. Huang’s reply: “Does it matter?” Then he said he doesn’t know his own address or phone number. “We’re going to lose some fine intellectual dexterity.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/o...

So the message of this research out of China, where you were seeing a lot of kids using A.I. to help them, was that when they were using the A.I., they were getting things done faster. But it turned out that the skills they were learning were not holding, that their actual personal performance, at least in the way we traditionally measure it, was degrading.

What do you think when you hear that?

The last part — I completely agree. Try to get a kid to do long division right now. The multiplication table is starting to be forgotten. Doing square roots, my goodness. Basic math is being forgotten. Does it matter?

That’s my question for you.

Yeah. I don’t think it does. I don’t think it does.

But there must be some set of skills that matter.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. But maybe not those. We’re going to discover new ones. Just maybe not those.

There are a lot of skills that don’t matter. My first confession, I actually don’t know my address.

And I ——

I don’t really believe that to be true.

It’s completely true. Janine will tell you and Lori will tell you.

One day I had to pump gas — it was a few years ago. They needed my ZIP code, and I panicked. I didn’t know my ZIP code. I don’t know my telephone number. I forget these things. I can live with it.

But let me take the other side because I don’t want to fall into a thing where, because some skills can be safely offloaded ——

Yeah.

I also can’t get anywhere without a mapping system now. Never could, frankly. But I’m a big reader. And one of the skills I really value, one of the capacities I have that I really value is an attention span formed on physical books.

You’re a big reader. I’ve read about the kind of reading you do. And there is, prior to A.I., a lot of concern and noticing among college professors and others that the way people use the internet has probably shortened attention spans.
Some skills can be safely given away. Others are valuable. They are capacities that are needed for that flexibility, for that creative thinking, for that focus. It can’t be the case that everything can be traded off.

Some skills can be safely given away. Others are valuable. They are capacities that are needed for that flexibility, for that creative thinking, for that focus. It can’t be the case that everything can be traded off.

Yeah. Well, I think that we’re going to lose some finer intellectual dexterity, but we’re going to be better systems thinkers.

Today’s engineers are far better systems thinkers than I was when I graduated from school. But I was a much better transistor thinker.

What do you mean by systems thinker?

They think of large systems. Today’s computers have trillions, hundreds of trillions of transistors in them. When I first graduated from school, the first chip I worked on had 200 transistors. I knew every one of them by name. No engineer does that today. Most engineers now work well above the transistor, well above the functionality, and they’re cobbling things together to do things.

So you need to think much more about systems and interactions of systems. So some of the lower-level knowledge is gone.

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OSINTRadar @osintradar.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

🇺🇸 “When I retire, I’ll look back on my meetings with Putin at the Kremlin as some of the best and most unforgettable moments.” — Witkoff.

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Andy Burnham's first PMQs: 'What are you going to about Israeli settlements?' 'Well when I was Mayor of Manchester, we stopped any Israeli settlements on the west bank of the Ship Canal'. 'What are you going to do about Tibet?' 'Well, when he had a flooded River Mersey, we got everyone to safety'..

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WarTranslated (Dmitri) @wartranslated.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

"We like getting along with everyone." - Trump explained why Russia was invited to the G20 summit.

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SlavaUkraini033 @slavaukraini033.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Netanyahu attacks Britain again: In England today, you tweet something — including remarkable, intellectual people on the right — and they bring them in for questioning. Do you know this? It is happening there.

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Gareth Dennis @garethdennis.uk · 29/08/2026

In 2025, John Edgley (Network Rail’s chief engineer of infrastructure and asset strategy) stood up and showed that graph to a conference of engineers. He said the following words, and they should be seen as a stark warning:

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Fionna O’Leary @fascinatorfun.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Not just small change, either. TEN MILLION DOLLARS 💵 Intended for poor kids. Instead in the pockets of the Republican Party…

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Given two-way supply chains, this looks like more brilliant thinking by a so-called 'trade negotiator'.

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

To be fair, the piece @lindaholmes.bsky.social quotes suggests that Russian recovery is a nonsense. However this 'using night life' stuff is pretty nonsensical when countries are trading nighttime air attacks.

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

@lindayueh.bsky.social reports official Russian statistics that the economy is doing quite well. No further comment is required.

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Arguably @arguablymag.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

“Future historians will ask why the world spent so much time worrying about the profound impacts of AI yet did so little to govern or guide it.” Geoff Mulgan writes on the seven tactics the AI industry uses to deter regulation. www.arguably.uk/p/the-ai-dis...

arguably.uk

The AI distraction machine

How Silicon Valley learned to talk endlessly about AI risk while blocking anyone from acting

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Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @nothoodlum.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

On the left: Oliver North, convicted for his role in illegally selling missiles to Iran during the Reagan administration. On the right: Fox News “military analyst” Oliver North, who thinks Iran shouldn’t have missiles. Same guy. Same Oliver North.

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Jonathan Coe @jonathancoe.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Full marks for the typo. Chef’s kiss for the reply.

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

#Arday outcome terribly sad. Despite the fantasies, he would've had talent in a less exposed position than a trophy hire after an incompetent process. Bad for universities under pressure from the right wing press and - it appears - the govt. And the idiotic 'defences' (plagiarism 'common' - not so!)

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Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 14/08/2026

This is fortunate, as the winner is unable to speak.

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Much as I admire Chris, authors Nick, John etc, the 'secular stagnation' story appears every time productivity growth slows down. Back to Malthus, Mill, underconsumption, satiated tastes, monopoly capitalism etc. Diminishing returns to a factor (R&D employment) still consistent with rise in TFP.

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I have no idea who #PerezHilton is. Or was. Did I miss something?

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Tomas Hirst @tomashirstecon.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

It’s impressive that the DOGE effort somehow managed to entirely miss this seemingly bottomless source of wasteful spending but saw fit to gut USAID

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

GARD. Heads in sand. Which will be all that's left in southern England without greater water storage.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 08/08/2026

New in PN: How everyday Americans are forced to fund Trump's corruption "A Public Notice-American Doom analysis shows Trump is spending nearly $1.8 billion in taxpayer dollars to fund his many renovation projects. Meanwhile, Trump and his family’s crypto schemes have raked in more than $2.25b."

publicnotice.co

How everyday Americans are forced to fund Trump's corruption

On top of his self-dealing, taxpayers are spending billions on his vanity projects.

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

This is awful. Can the US sink any lower? Unless he's attacking Republicans...

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Po-faced author criticises film adaptation.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 24/07/2026

Enten on the 67 point swing (!!!) against Israel among Americans: "We're not just talking about the Democratic base anymore. The general electorate has turned against Israel. This is not just a left issue. It's an American issue. The trend line is unbelievable."

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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

A betting account in the name of George Cottrell, the convicted fraudster who bankrolled Nigel Farage, received almost $9mn in cryptocurrency from unidentified sources while he was providing gifts to the Reform UK leader great work from @annasophiegross.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/b74c...

ft.com

Betting account in George 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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Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

🚨 NEW: ‘Posh George’, Two Passports, and a Fraudulent Identity: Convicted Fraudster and Nigel Farage Funder’s Connections to Reform UK’s Murky Financial Structures Why did Reform UK change from being a privately-owned company to a non-profit company limited by guarantee in 2025? Nafeez Ahmed…

bylinetimes.com

‘Posh George’, Two Passports, and a Fraudulent Identity: Convicted Fraudster and Nigel Farage Funder’s Connections to Reform UK’s Murky Financial Structures

Why did Reform UK change from being a privately-owned company to a non-profit company limited by guarantee in 2025? Nafeez Ahmed investigates a fraudulent identity used by George Cottrell – and how his former boss in the City became the party's treasurer vetting donations

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Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

So you are saying that you don‘t know how to generate rents from an increasingly commoditised technology, and want the government to help preserve your valuations?

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

The EU should of course allow airlines to charge for hand luggage and loosen the charges on baggage in the hold so as to stop the annoying and unseemly squabble over fitting hand luggage into overhead lockers. But no, the European Parliament have successfully obtained the opposite.

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Official:Bluesky USA guide to World Cup: 1) the football quality is irrelevant. 2) Haaland: goofy guy - hooray! Kane - golf with POTUS - boo! Messi - Malvinas; no hang on. Argentina FA a bit dodgy so - boo! Bellingham - something he said, so - boo! Cape Verde- don't know where they are so - hooray!

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Sam Bright @writesbright.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Reform has threatened to “investigate” Phillip Rycroft, the man behind the government’s review of foreign financial interference in British politics. Now why would Farage want to do that… 🤔🤔🤔

open.substack.com

Farage’s foreign web: Full dossier

🔴 From Moscow to Mar-a-Lago...

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Shock as departing government without well-worked our plan tells incoming government they need a well-worked out plan.

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Indeed. Though irascible. Not sure if the comments here are primarily anti-Ken or anti-CFC (latter largely Gooners no doubt).

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

'Given the climate whipped up by'....Matt Goodwin. An embarrassment to all concerned.

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richard-d.bsky.social @richard-d.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Chris Mason very excited about Farage's by-election tactic. Nobody else who is serious about politics seems to care....

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