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Tom Nicholls

@tomnicholls.bsky.social
1.1K followers 959 following 2.4K posts

Space Research Software Engineer, occasional photographer, amateur parent, taxi driver to developing humans. Opinions self-inflicted. Londoner cast adrift in the north west. Lancaster, UK

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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 16h
Yes, that'll fix it. Maybe "active-assailant insurance" would give us peace of mind against the coming AI-apocalypse? www.ft.com/content/5ad7...
ft.com
The booming business of insuring against US gun violence
Companies, political campaigns and even schools are taking out policies to shield themselves from litigation that can follow attacks
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Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 20h
The BBC news summary this morning went seamlessly from "critics warn PM scrapping triple lock would be electoral suicide" to "critics ask if PM has nerve to make tough decisions" and I don't think it's a particularly pro Burnham stance to suggest he might not be the entire problem here.
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 20h
The gravity assists and flight plan for JuIcE are completely bonkers - look it up!
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Sophie Carr @sophiecarr.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Some old black and white images from Iceland. #AwesomeFoursome #Iceland
Water falling from a basalt column cliff - a wave receding after crashing against the cliff. Vertical B&W image.View of a coastline with mountain in distance and small cliff and stack in the foreground with a black beach and white waves making nice patterns on it as they recede. Vertical B&W image.A waterfall in two parts going upwards due to wind. A waterrise if you like. Vertical B&W image.The sun tries to come through clouds during a snow shower, overlooking a lagoon with a bit og black sand beach in the foreground. Vertical B&W image.
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I have never understood why professionals would not be struck off immediately for this.
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Roj Smith 📷 @rojsmith.com · 21/09/2026
Dark Night of the Soul II #photography #classicmono
An abstract high-contrast black and white photograph depicting fine, dramatic vertical light rays cutting through atmospheric haze or mist against a dark background.
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Stephen McGann @stephenmcgann.uk · 21/09/2026
"And IIIIIIIIIIIII will always Love Youuuuuuuu"
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This is, definitively, the most bonkers news story that I've read in ages. www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/2656004...
thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk
Three-year-old set to become 'youngest to complete all 214 Wainwrights'
Three-year-old Kendal hiker Navy Moores has climbed 187 of the 214 Wainwrights and aims to become the youngest person to complete the Lake District…
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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 21/09/2026
Juice is returning to Earth, again 🛰️ On 28 September the spacecraft will fly by Earth, coming within 8640 km of our planet. The closest approach will be over the Indian Ocean at 13:45 CEST (11:45 UTC) 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭 🧪 #planetsci
Illustration showing Earth seen from space, the Juice spacecraft and its trajectory during the flyby.
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Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Exclusive: The Army secretly relaxed its vetting policy for at least 2 years, meaning recruits could pass through basic training into specialisms without completed checks A far-right extremist later convicted of terror offences was among 13,000 who joined during period inews.co.uk/news/army-se...
inews.co.uk
Army secretly relaxed vetting - letting in far-right extremist who backed Russia
The revelation raises questions for British military who are a key target for Russian intelligence in Vladimir Putin's 'hybrid war'
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Stephen Collins @stephencollins.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
theguardian.com
The Bayeux Tapestry of Fascism: The Stephen Collins cartoon
Contemporary British political life is a rich tapestry indeed
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I watch a video like this and then I review the absurd conversation with a customer chatbot that I had not 10 minutes ago and I think that someone is lying to me.
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Customer chatbot: "How can I help you?" Me: "My robot has fallen over again"
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Matthew R Francis @bowlerhatscience.org · 17/09/2026
speaking as a science journalist who is also a trained physicist, this is the FUCKING WORST POSSIBLE THING. This is the opposite of trustworthy. You can't trust a damn thing an "AI agent" tells you. An article needs to be unchanged between queries, or any change needs to be documented clearly.
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Eddie Robson @eddierobson.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I'm off to see this tonight and advise you to do the same if you live in the Lancaster area and are free.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
You've got just over two hours still to sign up for our first ever Democracy for Sale masterclass. The master herself, @jennacorderoy.bsky.social , will share all her secrets to making effective and successful FOI requests. Join us! (1pm UK time Thursday 17 Sept) luma.com/ndqisdyu
luma.com
Learn FOI with Democracy for Sale · Zoom · Luma
NEW! Learn FOI from the experts at Democracy for Sale Craft an effective Freedom of Information request and demand action from your council, public school, NHS…
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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 12/09/2026
Once you understand that these are chatbots that were designed to complete challenges like this, using tactics like this, you can understand that the chatbots didn't "go rogue."
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Excellent thread explaining how the Hugging Face incident was more reckless than remarkable.
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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 12/09/2026
Remember: every time you repeat a story about how awfully, terribly dangerous their products are, you help them raise more investment capital, which is a key input for their business (hooking up statistical engines to money-furnaces): peoples-things.ghost.io/youre-doing-...
peoples-things.ghost.io
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Jonesy Cartoons @jonesycartoons3.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Compare and contrast. Two tier policing.
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Arthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Nigel! Top tip: Giving things a second thought will prove useful when you have a continuously deployed nuclear submarine fleet at your disposal.
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Paul Watt Photography @paulwattphoto.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The Bright Ray, Port Seton #scotland
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Daniel Moser @dmoser.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Pollution levels in London after 10 years of advancing sustainable transport.
Map showing Lower Pollution levels in London after 10 years of advancing sustainable transport.
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Paul Killeen @pkilleenphoto.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
'Swimming Pool' At Muralla Roja, geometry softens into colour, and reflection becomes as important as form. The architecture offers precision, but it is the light that completes the composition—turning concrete into something almost dreamlike. #Architecture #MurallaRoja #Calpe
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
After this nonsense, I am genuinely considering writing a sitcom called "Transfer Window" about a mid-table premier league club's ever more frantic attempts to sign players during the summer.
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Christoph Fischer Photography @beautysurroundsyou.com · 03/09/2026
Although Namibia's east wind had transformed the coastal dunes into an unnavigable inferno, we came upon this intensely beautiful scene of Springboks, surrounded by a sea of furiously churning sand. A moment of sublime wonder & serenity, gone all too soon! #photography #bluesky #naturephotography
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hammancheez @hammancheez.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
The new billy joel song is depressing
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I'll be really disappointed if this transfer didn't include an agreement for Forest to drop the legal action #cpfc www.instagram.com/p/Dcv8YMkNJu...
instagram.com
Daniel Muñoz ⚔️🛡️ on Instagram: "It is difficult to put into words how grateful I am for everything I have experienced at Crystal Palace. It has been a true honor and privilege to defend these color...
28K likes, 263 comments - daniel.chitiva on September 1, 2026: "It is difficult to put into words how grateful I am for everything I have experienced at Crystal Palace. It has been a true honor and p...
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Guardian Sport @sport.theguardian.com · 01/09/2026
Harry Edward, Britain’s first black Olympic medallist, inducted into England Athletics hall of fame
dlvr.it
Harry Edward, Britain’s first black Olympic medallist, inducted into England Athletics hall of fame
* Edward and Mo Farah among those to be inducted * Sonia Lannaman and Shirley Strong also honoured Britain’s first black Olympic medal winner Harry Edward is to be inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame. Edward will join the likes of Mo Farah, former sprinter Sonia Lannaman and medal-winning hurdler Shirley Strong, who will all be honoured at a ceremony in Birmingham in November. Edward’s citation includes the tribute: “A true citizen of the world and a pioneer of British sport, England Athletics is proud and humbled to induct Britain’s first black Olympic medallist into the Hall of Fame.” Edward was until recent years a forgotten hero of the 1920s, a decade that saw him win two bronze edals, in the 100m and 200m, at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. He was also three times the AAA 100yd and 220yd champion and won the 100, 220 and 440-yard AAA championships in 1922, inside a single hour. King George V came down from the stands to personally congratulate him. Continue reading...
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Alasdair Beckett-King @misterabk.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Maybe Hitler turned out like that because people kept trying to kill him as a baby? Yet you simply cannot get funding to travel back in time and be nice to baby Hitler.
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Bob Downie @geomannie.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
This Parliamentary petition is criminally under-supported. Please consider signing. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...
petition.parliament.uk
Petition: Set up a National Commission on Electoral Reform to review the electoral system
I ask the Government to set up a National Commission on Electoral Reform, as advocated by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Fair Elections. It should be an independent, time limited, expert led re...
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
This would be a very good move. Crucial to think deeply about what model we should use but also to allow a big open process for how we arrive at it. Otherwise we make it easier for critics to brand it a stitch-up. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Labour MPs will push Burnham to back voting reform in first 100 days
Exclusive: Nearly 100 Labour MPs support commission on changing the system used for Westminster election
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Damian Shields @damianshields.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Clachaig Falls, Glen Coe #Scotland #GlenCoe #Highlands www.damianshields.com
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Alex Shephard @alexshephard.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I love the transfer window. What does any of this mean lol
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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Say what you want about Trump but his disruption of oil supplies goes far far far beyond the wildest dreams of Extinction Rebellion.
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
That moment when you've been away for 2 weeks and you realise that you changed your work laptop password just before you went away. And if you don't remember it you will need a 400-mile round trip to the office to get a new one... 😬
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Annemarie Cancienne @cancienne.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Long (and, if you have That Man’s name muted like I have, tricky to read) thread, but very worth it. Fills you with hope for how Canada can escape the morass of That Man’s infantilism while also re-balancing tech’s stranglehold on us.
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Sophie Carr @sophiecarr.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Looking down into the abyss... Háifoss waterfall on the edge of the Highlands of #Iceland. #CanonR5markII
The bottom of the 122 metre falls - makes quite a splash. Photo is black and white and there are some large rocks at the bottom which the spray surrounds. Some of the water trickles down the back of the canyon. Lots of spray.
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Damian Shields @damianshields.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
The shining sands of Seilebost, Isle of Harris. My brief stay (and first time) in Lewis was punctuated with many pit-stops like this, usually following a broad grin and exclamation of 'whoa!' #Scotland #IsleofHarris #OuterHebrides www.damianshields.com
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Seems like old news from last season dredged up to annoy Palace fans #cpfc
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Kilian Schönberger @kilianschoenberger.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
The Wild Coast Fast changing conditions at the coast of the Outer Hebrides. We waited till the sun hit the backside of this rain shower and got a nice double rainbow above the beach. Scotland #landscapephotography #landschaftsfotografie #scotland
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Damian Shields @damianshields.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Ardvreck Castle, Loch Assynt #Scotland #ClanMacleod #Sutherland #Assynt www.damianshields.com
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
I missed all this, being in Scotland where it is raining all the time. My frst thought is: how long before a government minister is filmed lighting a garden stove or firepit and the whole government is brought down...?
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
It is, of course, absolutely disgraceful for someone to use a by-election to revive a flagging career. However I will be inviting Count Binface to the Lancaster Comedy Festival etc etc
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Scotland is beautiful. But... Let's just say that the sky is annoyingly reminiscent of the sky for the Cornwall eclipse in 1999.
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
A good idea generally I would say.
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Mike Curry Photography ©️ 📷 @mikecurryphotography.com · 07/08/2026
Fleeting Reflections from Canary Wharf. This one an in camera multiple exposure of office windows
Fleeting Reflections from Canary Wharf. This one an in camera multiple exposure of office windows
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Ever get the feeling you're living through the intro sequence to a disaster movie?
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Tom Nicholls @tomnicholls.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
My 7yo buried a few lines of seeds a couple of months ago and now a single flower has emerged from the forest.
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Jonesy Cartoons @jonesycartoons3.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
This cartoon was published in @prospectmagazine.co.uk #fossilfuels #capitalism
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