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El

@turquoisespiff01.bsky.social
248 followers 295 following 2.6K posts

Perimenopausal autistic bookworm 🪱with a couple of bonus chronic conditions and oh the brain fog. LGBTQIA+ ally 🩷🏳️‍⚧️🩵🏳️‍🌈 (she/her)

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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Received from daughter (2nd year student): "our lecturer for game engine architecture confidently announced to a room full of people who are hoping to get the entry level jobs AI is taking over that he works mostly on LLMs. pretty much nobody has responded to any of his questions since."
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Just listened to this week's News Quiz on Radio 4. Multiple laughs, especially caused by @misterabk.bsky.social and @samnicoresti.bsky.social . Can we have them on again soon please. They spoke so eloquently on matters of football ⚽!
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Husband working and I am fit for little after work this week so I am doing a spot of light construction of my stationery shop. The ohs of delight and little squeals can't be restrained, because it really is bringing me joy. Except I am stuck now so will have to stop till advice is available.
A tiny little pale blue bookcase with tiny little fake stationery items slotted into it, held in weirdly high-res fingers and thumb. Partially constructed extremely cute model stationery shop, with unavoidable clutter lurking in the background.
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Love this idea! Citizens unite to stop trees getting too thirsty (and not overwater them. Good use of tech. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Like caring for a pet’: the app that lets you know if your neighbourhood tree is thirsty
Gieß den Kiez app shows trees in critical need of watering and can be adopted by other heat-stressed cities around the world
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Husband's colleagues are using genAI to generate emails that are oh-so-wordy and, for a dyslexic, quite time-consuming. In desperation suggested he try the Copilot summary: that's even wordier!!!
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I've just been reduced to tears by the picture of an Arctic Tern chick on the Farne Islands in this week's Week in Wildlife. The decimation of their population in recent years has been heartbreaking to hear of, but signs of recovery apparently makes me cry! www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
The week in wildlife: a rescued orangutan, the chonkiest bear and a barn owl’s triumph
This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A couple of months ago I put some of my savings into a Triodos stocks and shares ISA. Since then it's lost 3.31%. Apparently being ethical isn't very lucrative at the moment. Lucky I don't need the money any time soon.
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Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 02/10/2026
Ground Effect xkcd.com/3305/
Comic. [Two people flailing high in the air. Three people on the ground running ahead of them. Arrows and a dotted line indicate that this second group is within roughly one body length of the surface.] [caption] The “ground effect” explains why sprinters can run most efficiently if they stay within roughly one body length of the surface.
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Dr Katie Twomey @k2mey.eurosky.social · 01/10/2026
It's interesting, isn't it, that there are people who care about computer code feeling pain, but don't have anything to say about the young people who've lost their lives because of the effect the chatbots have had on them.
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
🔴 Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives Block Byline Times From Conference After Condemning Reform for Journalist Ban The ban comes just weeks after the Conservative leader called Reform’s barring of critical journalists from their conference an “authoritarian” attack on the free press
bylinetimes.com
Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives Block Byline Times From Conference After Condemning Reform for Journalist Ban
The ban comes just weeks after the Conservative leader called Reform's barring of critical journalists from their conference an "authoritarian" attack on the free press
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Okay. Maybe watching BBC #bluelights S4ep1 wasn't the best way to unwind after another tough day at work. Excellent drama and maybe the crying was cathartic? The angry mob scenes really hit me hard. Too topical?
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Have to agree. Still think BBC can be trailblazing and do great work, especially drama, but their news and current affairs coverage often has me reaching for the off button.
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Comedy gig last Saturday. Tickets wouldn't scan. Turned out they were for same man at different venue in Leeds in October! But I'd had a reminder to attend on Saturday 🤷‍♂️. It turned out, I bought 2 tickets, then 3 weeks later bought 2 more having forgotten about the originals! #executivedysfunction
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Ordered earlybird tickets for @pierrenovellie.bsky.social show in Leeds in January, which is exciting to me. Bought through #Ticketmaster: £22.50 plus £1.50 facility charge and £3.60 service fee per ticket. Just discovered I have to collect tickets from box office. What exactly are fees for? 🤯
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Philippa East (Author) @philippaeast.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Calling any and all clinicians, researchers, and academics working in gender care, paediatrics, or related fields of healthcare, medicine & science! I have an important campaign you may be able to help with, regarding 🏳️‍⚧️ healthcare 🙏🙏🙏 If you’re interested let me know & I will DM you full details
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This looks really interesting if I could only get there.
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Heather Paterson @heatherpaterson.co.uk · 27/09/2026
How the anti-gender movement spread across Europe The Hate Review reveals how the anti-gender movement has taken root and evolved in Europe over the last 25 years, it traces how far the anti-gender movement has spread through society and how deeply it has reached into laws and institutions.
forbidden-colours.com
The Hate Review
How the anti-gender movement spread across Europe
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Pilates teacher said she had a surprise for me and after class introduced us to these two. Ruby and Rudi are 5 weeks old and were rescued last weekend from beside a busy road. Couldn't catch Mum so they are being hand reared. They are adorable and very meowy. #Caturday
A very tiny silver tabby kitten peeps up from between the jean-clad legs of a kneeling man. Two silver tabby kitten excitedly investigate a toilet roll inner tube.Close up kitten: hear me roar!
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Husband overhears young girls talking: "Why don't you spell nitch (?) like stitch?" "I think it's just one of those words that old people say wrong, like click" So, that would be niche and clique? #despair
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QueerAF @wearequeeraf.com · 26/09/2026
🆕 The NWJCC said the cancellations "remains a pause and is not a permanent change to the service." The review, which it has called "urgent", has still not begun a month on, but it said the "final preparations are now being made". www.wearequeeraf.com/nhs-wales-ap...
wearequeeraf.com
NHS Wales apologises for withdrawal of trans healthcare, admits "urgent review" still hasn't begun
NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee apologises for "distress" caused by a withdrawal of care but admits its "urgent review" had still not begun nearly a month after hundreds were denied care
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Work may stressing me. Not much sleep but vivid nightmares including one about Dad dying and me not being able to take time off work because there was only me. Luckily that already happened in 2020, so that's all good.
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I needed to redact 46 job applications yesterday, very quickly. In desperation I grudgingly tried using Adobe pro's AI tool. It took longer than it took me and was not 100% reliable. I went back to manual after 10. Also, Adobe is a bit shit for redacting given the cost.
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I work, administratively, in a team with 2 other people, both senior to me. One went off long-term sick last week and the other went today. I work half-time and others are full-time. I am scared of what the coming days hold for me!
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Peter Walker @peterwalker99.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Motion passes by miles in the hall, and online. The motion is carried - the Lib Dems are the first major party* to explicitly reject the EWRC guidance. *The Greens oppose it but I more meant the big three in parliament
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Just watched the final episode of Season 2 of Ludwig. I am feeling meh about most TV and indeed books at the moment but the sheer daftness of the excellent cast of Ludwig was just what I needed. Thanks #BBC
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I am oldish and dumpy. Traditionally quite a lot of my clothes have come from M&S. I've just gone to their website as I need some winter clothes and have had to give up - videos of too-slender models sashaying and ALL the clothes are shown on skinny young women. #olderpeopleneedclothestoo
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QueerAF @wearequeeraf.com · 19/09/2026
Source @erininthemorning.com 
erininthemorning.com
Elon Musk’s PAC Drops $100 Million On Anti-Trans Ads Targeting Dems Who Already Capitulated
Anti-trans capitulations didn’t stop Musk from spending big to attack these Democrats.
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 19/09/2026
🤔 Nigel Farage leads a political party. He’s a sitting MP. And he now hosts his own weekly primetime show on GB News. 🚨Broadcasters are required to present news in an impartial manner, without political bias. 👇 Add your name to demand that Ofcom takes immediate action.
bestforbritain.org
Farage on GB News: Demand that Ofcom takes immediate action - Best for Britain
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Mr Thomas may well find a way to crowd-raise further funds for exploring the legal action, perhaps without ever bringing the case substantively. He did not persuade the Daily Mail to buy his Mum a house within his 48 hour ultimatum - but 3,375 of his supporters sent £68,486
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Mark O’Neill 🐻 @radiobeartime.com · 19/09/2026
If I were PM I would invite all the whining billionaires to a summit to discuss their ideas. Where I would maroon them all on Gruinard with a supply of canned food. And a single can opener hidden somewhere on the island. And we’d stream it live. It would make £ millions
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Sir Basil @sirbasil.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"Look at all the broken china in this china shop!" exclaims bull www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Billionaire Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says he has lost confidence in UK
Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe tells the BBC he thinks the country is "on the slide" and calls for more investment in the North Sea.
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Mark Miodownik @markmiodownik.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Turn on the sound!
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Just bumped into a woman who was a closeish friend while my now-daughter was at primary school, but lost touch in past couple of years, and gave her a hello hug which was entirely out of character and inappropriate. I can now never leave the house again!
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
‘Danny Tommo’, leader of the balaclava-clad blackshirt rallies, says he will travel to Piddington “in the coming days” following the Parish Council’s stunt referendum: “I want to hear about safety concerns for their women and children.” Tommo was jailed for two years in 2016 for a knifepoint kidnap.
Daniel “Danny Tommo” Thomas. Indigo Nolan at Flickr.com, CC-BY-SA.
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Should say there is unrest on Labour benches too about constantly coming up with elaborate amendments to limit Reform's mega-donations. A simple cap for all political donations would be far easier to implement and far less prone to accusations of partisanship
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Last night I heroically went to a not-Women's institute meeting. Small room, full when I arrived. We did Lego (yay) but therapeutically (argh). Had 10 mins to build a model to rep something we were proud of. Then tell the group of strangers. I could think of nothing but managed this:
A small Lego sculpture of sorts. An arched bridge in rather festive red and green with a Christmas tree perched off to one side, a mullioned window above and a pink table underneath with a single Lego cup and 2 Lego benches. 
This represented my tendency to be trapped in my mind and my home and how proud I was of the times I got out in nature and particularly of going to meet a group of strangers on a school night. I toned down the trapped bit though!
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404 Media @404media.co · 14/09/2026
And by the way, from our scoop, we also discovered that Anthropic is also using human reviewers to read conversations.
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Philippa East (Author) @philippaeast.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The NHS Wales JCC subcommittee on Quality, Safety and Outcomes have now released their “Incidents and Concerns” report that was considered at the August 26 meeting, following which all Wales gender reforming surgeries were immediately halted. jcc.nhs.wales/committees/q... 1/
jcc.nhs.wales
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Alasdair Beckett-King @misterabk.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
If the rationalist dweebs developing Ai think there's a good chance that it's going to wipe out humanity then basic game theory dictates that the logical course of action for the rest of us would be to [manuscript breaks off]
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Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I’ve reached the point - well actually, I reached it a while ago - where I’m militantly anti-AI. Fine - use it in bioscience labs and radiology where it might help analyse data more effectively. Use it sparingly for systems engineering. Everywhere else, it can fuck off.
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HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 10/09/2026
HOPE not hate can conclusively prove that Stephen Lennon AKA Tommy Robinson’s business empire has been built on fraudulent means, tax evasion, and perjury. This is a long one. Strap in.🧵 hopenothate.org.uk/the-grift/
hopenothate.org.uk
The Grift
Stephen Lennon, or Tommy Robinson as he is better known, has amassed a multimillion pound fortune by monetising hate and fear. But, as HOPE not hate can conclusively prove, his business empire has bee...
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Tim Harford @timharford.ft.com · 09/09/2026
Twice in the last week I've pasted a quotation into Google to check the source, and Gemini has barged in with the wrong answer. CS Lewis quote from The Seeing Eye (1967) was placed in The Screwtape Letters (1942). Alfred Loftus quote (1857) attributed to Austen Layard (1849). Gemini 0/2.
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Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Buried in this article is a key quote from Prof Chris Bakal, at the Institute of Cancer Research - about applying AI to medical challenges: "It does not need a giant data centre to run. The future of medical AI will not belong to whoever builds the biggest computer… www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
AI will cure cancer in our lifetime, claims boss of UK chip giant
Arm Holding's chief executive Rene Haas says artificial intelligence will find a solution to the disease.
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
It's our work 25th anniversary celebration tomorrow. I have only just realised that it's also the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Colleague died last week and we feel in no way celebratory.
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I occasionally watch my adult kids as they check/deal with email. It's very much a cursory skim and consequently they miss stuff. They used to be avid readers, though mildly dyslexic. I think the sheer volume of info overwhelms. But it's ok, because you can just let AI manage your emails?!
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Mark O’Neill 🐻 @radiobeartime.com · 08/09/2026
It’s not every day you get to pinpoint the collapse of a liberal democracy and its institutions to the precise minute but 07:33 this morning both UK Labour and the BBC failed.
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Luke Taylor MP @luketaylorld.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
They promised to “take back control”. Then they handed more and more influence to oligarchs. From the money behind Brexit to Elon Musk’s X, our democracy cannot become a playground for the super-rich. It’s time to get big money out of politics.
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Yesterday I finished watching 'I, Jack Wright' on the BBC. It was entertaining enough, but I am fuming that we got to the end and up came "to be continued"... Nope. I will never find out whodunnit because 6 episodes was plenty to tell me that in. Or add a couple, but don't just stop in the middle.
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Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I simply do not understand what's going on in Labour that renders its leaders incapable of finding a TV camera and speaking out against street violence. Even if you assume they agree about immigration, violence is wrong, unpopular AND against the interests of any even vaguely left wing govt.
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El @turquoisespiff01.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
A particularly good episode. The conversation with Baroness Beeban Kidron was so interesting and the story of having to have pretty much the same meeting 'twixt government rep and bereaved parents about online safety in a larger room than the previous year due to more deaths hit really hard.
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