iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 23/07/2026

Great, new tariffs, worth the same as the other new tariffs, different legal basis. More of the same to follow. This is turning into PTSD of my PhD where nothing of substance was changing but the entry into force of Lisbon meant I had 250 pages of article renumbering to deal with. 🫠

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 23/07/2026

Though if we were going to send some far away from the legislature so they can do as little harm as humanly possible, these three would be low on my list of candidates, tbh.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 23/07/2026

What kind of meal? Not to be ultra middle class here but that covers three days of meal delivery boxes for four people, let alone home cooking!!! These people have no idea what actual poverty is. (I don't either, but at least I know to shut the hell up about my privilege and not demand more.)

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 23/07/2026

The whole point of increased defence spending is to build European capacity given our inability to rely on America for defence. I can't think of a worse appointment in that light.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 22/07/2026

It's a great topic on which I have many thoughts, most of which centre on Michael Gove basically cursing the UK to become obligated to rate vox populi over expertise. Also: someone should do one for universities themselves, ironically.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 22/07/2026

Yo - I know over in the academy we're all employed, but if you do any consulting or get any royalties on the side, fill this in, because you are very likely to have highly variable SE income and what they are proposing will be a nightmare to manage in your case. Promise.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 22/07/2026

Way to show off that you understand nothing of human history, mate.

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tante @tante.cc · 22/07/2026

It does make sense: OpenAI was losing ground and mindshare to Anthropic. They are running out of money but couldn't IPO because SpaceX ruined it. This "our model is a Cyberweapon" is advertising directly to the Pentagon.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 22/07/2026

The reporting on this is driving me mad. The AI was *instructed* to try to "get out" and found vulnerabilities it exploited. It's not like it woke up one morning and just decided to go hack something.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 21/07/2026

Idle thought this morning: Does Nandy actually *like* DCMS? ... How does that work?!

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 21/07/2026

People really need to stop giving this dude "credit" for being gay when most of what the stands for and believes in alienates the vast majority of the LGBTQIA++ community. This is like giving cred to Mahmood for being not white - okay cool but look at her bloody policy!!!!

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 21/07/2026

Vibe check. Click the areas where you think Andy's Gov will be an improvement on Starmer in light of your values. 1️⃣ Immigration 2️⃣ Economic policy 3️⃣ Education 4️⃣ Arts & culture 5️⃣ Human rights 6️⃣ Defence 7️⃣ Environment 8️⃣ Other - comment pls! 📊 Show results

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Jonathan Kingham @jonkingh.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Rather despondent this morning. Each and every of Shabana Mahmood’s planned reforms will cause immense harm for no benefit, be hugely costly to implement, and cause extensive upheaval and complexity. The excellent recent letter by various Labour MPs explained this very well.

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Edward @fornbirkibeinn.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Keeping Mahmood in post is the more electorally meaningful decision, but letting Phillipson keep Equalities is the maddest one. You have already decided to make an enemy of her by taking away her main job, but then you decide to piss off everybody on the socially liberal side of Labour? Why?

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Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 20/07/2026

Back into the Cabinet after two years in a silent monastery in Tibet.

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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Worrth remembering that Andy Burnham has a long record of being anti-immigration. He's kept Shabana Mahmood in place because he agrees with her

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Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 20/07/2026

well he shouldn't be

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 20/07/2026

Very happy to be shod of BP in education, quite rate Powell, but what an absolute slap in the face to keep her on W & E. Between that and Mahmood, Burnham is exactly what I thought he would be: an appeaser through and through.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 20/07/2026

BTW there's something absolutely deranged about reading Lobby commentary about these appointments when we all watched them have not a fucking clue of what was coming less than two hours ago. It's cute that they're just continuing like it didn't happen and their 'insights' are real!

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 20/07/2026

For my more in the know follows: is she a "born again" TERF like Streeting or a "Party Policy" TERF like the rest of 'em? (I do so love that this is now my overarching concern about the person managing the public health sector, thanks UK. Like I hope she's also got some other priorities right but.)

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 20/07/2026

It would frankly be v funny if Nandy was kept at DCMS, which is where I'm at emotionally now that I'm not at "maybe this will be 3% better".

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Hughster @hughster.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

From Liz Kendall's cabinet departure letter, posted on… you guessed it… X

As DSIT Secretary *I have been proud to stand up to Elon Musk and Grok*, ban nudification apps and help make the online world world safer for women and girls. Throughout my career I have championed women's equality, which is why I established the Women in Tech taskforce and launched the Women in Research Charter: to give women a fair shot and make science and tech work for all.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 20/07/2026

Look, between Mahmood and Nandy somehow (????) probably getting a promotion, whatever faint hope I had for this change of government has been buried by partisanship and weak compromises already. Sure, chancellor better than expected (in that not Mahmood and someone with the background) but so what?

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Colin Yeo @colinyeo.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Fuck.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 20/07/2026

Really hoping Healey will start a war with Mahmood because he needs more money and UK immigration policy as it stands is the #1 thing that is precluding more of it from flowing in that the UK government actually has control over. I mean, not holding my breath, but Reeves definitely wasn't gonna.

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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Andy Burnham opts to keep Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary. A big mistake

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 20/07/2026

Getting a cabinet job: it doesn't matter how good you are at it, unless you're mates with the new PM you just stand no chance of keeping your job. Meanwhile, over in Mateville, it's only a third rate concern if they've actually got anything to offer for those departments, they've got HIS BACK!!!

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 20/07/2026

Hahahaha hAHAHAA look okay she also shouldn't stay in the Home Office, but at least she doesn't get to fuck the country even HARDER than she already does there, and lol @ the lobby, good god, what a shower. Fair play to Burnham, he gets a minor point for me here.

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The Anfield Wrap @theanfieldwrap.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Everyone at The Anfield Wrap are deeply saddened to hear of the news that Liverpool Legend Kevin Keegan has passed away at the age of 75. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time. You'll Never Walk Alone.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 20/07/2026

I mean I'm sorry to say we need this kind of information now or we can't be licensed lesbians anymore (source: FWS [2025] UKSC)

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 20/07/2026

I love how this is written like there's something nefarious about responding to observable trends in polling. You'd hope that he'd either prioritise what's best for the country or what will win, yeah? (They're the same thing here for Labour tbf - more super hot takes here at midnight!)

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 20/07/2026

Lads I'm not following the speech because who cares what he says, they'll all by and large say things that people want to hear - it's what he does innit.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 20/07/2026

Unless you're cis and white and British by birth, I really cannot construe a policy summary of the last two years that comes even close to being described as "fairer", and it's not like he's done much to help that grouping either!

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Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 20/07/2026

this is such a good and astute way to put it; so much gender critical feminism seems to stem from the belief that being a woman is a uniquely awful thing, and I mean no one's arguing that living in a patriarchal society as a woman is always a riot but what a depressing and pessismistic view of life!

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 20/07/2026

Genuinely don't get why Ed has to move if it's not to something he's also clearly qualified for. It feels like compensation for being snubbed for Chancellor but leaves two departments with unknown quantities heading them, no? Pointless horse trading?

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 19/07/2026

Something more closely resembling the game of football I like won today. Well done, Spain, eventually.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 19/07/2026

Yeah only one team is playing football here, as is true for many of the games Argentina has won in the last few years.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 19/07/2026

Omg can spain please just end this I know they're constitutionally required to play the most boring football ever but they HAVE, can it please be over

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Janine Gibson @janinegibson.ft.com · 19/07/2026

Scrap the Romesh thing just clip Wayne Rooney saying he thought the half time show was crap and the licence fee QR code

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Nigella Lawson @nigella.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Dearie me

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 19/07/2026

I do milk in black tea but.... At the end? To make it less hot and so quicker to drink without just simply watering it down? What he's describing here is basically the work of Satan. Pretty sure Magna Carta prohibits this.

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Sylvia de Mars @sylviademars.me · 19/07/2026

For those just not technologically inclined, a useful thread with a lot on what LLMs can and cannot do and why we therefore shouldn't be betting the house on AI (to summarise very roughly).

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