James O'Malley
@jamesomalley.co.uk
@Psythor on Twitter. Freelance writer covering politics/tech/nerd stuff.
Read my content: takes.jamesomalley.co.uk
Yes, I inevitably have a podcast too: abundancepod.com
Free the Postcode Address File!
Read my content: takes.jamesomalley.co.uk
Yes, I inevitably have a podcast too: abundancepod.com
Free the Postcode Address File!
Reposted by James O'Malley
"AI detectors" are themselves AI, and yet are endlessly trusted by people on here if they say that a newspaper article is AI.
AI detectors are snake oil. None of them reliably works. And UK broadsheet are not yet using AI to write articles. No, that link to the deal you found doesn't prove it.
AI detectors are snake oil. None of them reliably works. And UK broadsheet are not yet using AI to write articles. No, that link to the deal you found doesn't prove it.
Just because I keep seeing those "I checked this piece and it's written by AI" - this is an old article of mine, before AI was available. So could we not?
February 16, 2026 at 10:44 AM
"AI detectors" are themselves AI, and yet are endlessly trusted by people on here if they say that a newspaper article is AI.
AI detectors are snake oil. None of them reliably works. And UK broadsheet are not yet using AI to write articles. No, that link to the deal you found doesn't prove it.
AI detectors are snake oil. None of them reliably works. And UK broadsheet are not yet using AI to write articles. No, that link to the deal you found doesn't prove it.
Maddening story as:
(a) Literally everyone could see we'd have to further increase defence spending when the initial increase was made
(b) Of course we're going to Treasurybrain ourselves to death to solve the problem, rather than increase taxes
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
(a) Literally everyone could see we'd have to further increase defence spending when the initial increase was made
(b) Of course we're going to Treasurybrain ourselves to death to solve the problem, rather than increase taxes
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
February 16, 2026 at 10:43 AM
Maddening story as:
(a) Literally everyone could see we'd have to further increase defence spending when the initial increase was made
(b) Of course we're going to Treasurybrain ourselves to death to solve the problem, rather than increase taxes
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
(a) Literally everyone could see we'd have to further increase defence spending when the initial increase was made
(b) Of course we're going to Treasurybrain ourselves to death to solve the problem, rather than increase taxes
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
New YIMBY Pod!
🔋How ONE planning complaint killed neighbourhood battery storage in Banbury
🚀 Why Europe needs better rockets to protect itself from Musk and Trump
☢️ And we speak to @zionlights.bsky.social about her new book, Energy is Life!
Listen/subscribe:
www.abundancepod.com/p/europe-nee...
🔋How ONE planning complaint killed neighbourhood battery storage in Banbury
🚀 Why Europe needs better rockets to protect itself from Musk and Trump
☢️ And we speak to @zionlights.bsky.social about her new book, Energy is Life!
Listen/subscribe:
www.abundancepod.com/p/europe-nee...
Europe needs better rockets
Plus how just one complaint killed a neighbour battery project in Banbury, and Zion Lights on why Energy is Life!
www.abundancepod.com
February 16, 2026 at 10:23 AM
New YIMBY Pod!
🔋How ONE planning complaint killed neighbourhood battery storage in Banbury
🚀 Why Europe needs better rockets to protect itself from Musk and Trump
☢️ And we speak to @zionlights.bsky.social about her new book, Energy is Life!
Listen/subscribe:
www.abundancepod.com/p/europe-nee...
🔋How ONE planning complaint killed neighbourhood battery storage in Banbury
🚀 Why Europe needs better rockets to protect itself from Musk and Trump
☢️ And we speak to @zionlights.bsky.social about her new book, Energy is Life!
Listen/subscribe:
www.abundancepod.com/p/europe-nee...
This is very reminiscent of stories in 2021 that were like "doctors say we should lockdown and social distance forever".
‘It’s the most urgent public health issue’: Dr Rangan Chatterjee on screen time, mental health – and banning social media until 18
‘It’s the most urgent public health issue’: Dr Rangan Chatterjee on screen time, mental health – and banning social media until 18
The hit podcaster, author and former GP says a failure to regulate big tech is ‘failing a generation of children’. He explains why he quit the NHS and why he wants a ban on screen-based homework
www.theguardian.com
February 16, 2026 at 10:19 AM
This is very reminiscent of stories in 2021 that were like "doctors say we should lockdown and social distance forever".
Yesterday I did a very mean post about this Basildon councillor, and today I discover he has written this very good post about the need for town centre regeneration.
So I guess... people are complicated?
cllrgavincallaghan.substack.com/p/regenerati...
So I guess... people are complicated?
cllrgavincallaghan.substack.com/p/regenerati...
February 15, 2026 at 9:02 PM
Yesterday I did a very mean post about this Basildon councillor, and today I discover he has written this very good post about the need for town centre regeneration.
So I guess... people are complicated?
cllrgavincallaghan.substack.com/p/regenerati...
So I guess... people are complicated?
cllrgavincallaghan.substack.com/p/regenerati...
Reposted by James O'Malley
Just a total collapse of the right's cordon sanitaire! A Tory MP and the Tory leader in the London assembly are both on the board of this movement!
It *literally* does.
Thats what it is. A document which says youre British.
Thats what it is. A document which says youre British.
February 15, 2026 at 1:44 PM
Just a total collapse of the right's cordon sanitaire! A Tory MP and the Tory leader in the London assembly are both on the board of this movement!
This was on the free GPT5.2 Instant model. But I was very surprised this also tripped up GPT5.2 Thinking, directing it to the Instant model – it gets it right when it actually reasons about it.
February 15, 2026 at 12:43 AM
This was on the free GPT5.2 Instant model. But I was very surprised this also tripped up GPT5.2 Thinking, directing it to the Instant model – it gets it right when it actually reasons about it.
In a shop today we needed to provide a postcode. Our house was built five years ago, but it was still not on the database.
If only there were an open address database that businesses could easily update without needing to pay a tithe to Royal Mail!
If only there were an open address database that businesses could easily update without needing to pay a tithe to Royal Mail!
February 14, 2026 at 4:51 PM
In a shop today we needed to provide a postcode. Our house was built five years ago, but it was still not on the database.
If only there were an open address database that businesses could easily update without needing to pay a tithe to Royal Mail!
If only there were an open address database that businesses could easily update without needing to pay a tithe to Royal Mail!
The Labour leader of Basildon Council making me side with Mark Francois here. FFS.
February 14, 2026 at 2:24 PM
The Labour leader of Basildon Council making me side with Mark Francois here. FFS.
Reposted by James O'Malley
A certain campaign website launched last week was a bit security-broken, in a way that has wider lessons for AI-coded stuff. Writing 👇
blog.harrym.com/p/hold-the-s...
blog.harrym.com/p/hold-the-s...
Hold the security: a vibe-coding story
Vibe-coded doesn't mean vibe-secure, so we should try and stop the internet being full of even more broken things
blog.harrym.com
February 14, 2026 at 1:17 PM
A certain campaign website launched last week was a bit security-broken, in a way that has wider lessons for AI-coded stuff. Writing 👇
blog.harrym.com/p/hold-the-s...
blog.harrym.com/p/hold-the-s...
Reposted by James O'Malley
📣 Announcing our 'Union and civil society responses to public sector AI' panel.
Hear from @adamc-c.bsky.social, @kate-jones.bsky.social, Caroline Selman @publiclawproject.bsky.social and @jamesomalley.co.uk
📆 Fri 6 Mar
🕰️ 10:00 - 17:00
🏢 Manchester
🔗 connectedbydata.org/events/2026...
Hear from @adamc-c.bsky.social, @kate-jones.bsky.social, Caroline Selman @publiclawproject.bsky.social and @jamesomalley.co.uk
📆 Fri 6 Mar
🕰️ 10:00 - 17:00
🏢 Manchester
🔗 connectedbydata.org/events/2026...
February 13, 2026 at 5:00 PM
📣 Announcing our 'Union and civil society responses to public sector AI' panel.
Hear from @adamc-c.bsky.social, @kate-jones.bsky.social, Caroline Selman @publiclawproject.bsky.social and @jamesomalley.co.uk
📆 Fri 6 Mar
🕰️ 10:00 - 17:00
🏢 Manchester
🔗 connectedbydata.org/events/2026...
Hear from @adamc-c.bsky.social, @kate-jones.bsky.social, Caroline Selman @publiclawproject.bsky.social and @jamesomalley.co.uk
📆 Fri 6 Mar
🕰️ 10:00 - 17:00
🏢 Manchester
🔗 connectedbydata.org/events/2026...
ICYMI!
February 12, 2026 at 1:31 PM
ICYMI!
Reposted by James O'Malley
Can Reform be YIMBY? Why I'm doubtful that Reform can fix the housing crisis
OK boomer
takes.jamesomalley.co.uk
February 11, 2026 at 4:59 PM
It's not just the MPs. The intellectual centre of gravity on the right is moving to Reform.
Read the rest:
takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/can-reform...
Read the rest:
takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/can-reform...
February 11, 2026 at 5:05 PM
It's not just the MPs. The intellectual centre of gravity on the right is moving to Reform.
Read the rest:
takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/can-reform...
Read the rest:
takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/can-reform...
Can Reform be YIMBY? Why I'm doubtful that Reform can fix the housing crisis
OK boomer
takes.jamesomalley.co.uk
February 11, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by James O'Malley
FRANCE'S MACRON: THIS MEANS MASSIVE INVESTMENT IN ENERGY GRIDS, WE NEED TO BUILD AN INTEGRATED EUROPEAN GRID
February 11, 2026 at 3:46 PM
FRANCE'S MACRON: THIS MEANS MASSIVE INVESTMENT IN ENERGY GRIDS, WE NEED TO BUILD AN INTEGRATED EUROPEAN GRID
This idea is pretty obviously unworkable but I wish we could dream big like this! The question to ask should be how can we change the state to make a project like this feasible?
Absolutely tremendous work here, no notes.
(Apart from to say that this proposal is by the actual president of RIBA)
(Apart from to say that this proposal is by the actual president of RIBA)
February 11, 2026 at 1:27 PM
This idea is pretty obviously unworkable but I wish we could dream big like this! The question to ask should be how can we change the state to make a project like this feasible?
Reposted by James O'Malley
Bluesky AI haters: you need to know that it is coming and it cannot be stopped and you need to help. Ask anyone in coding and you’ll hear that AI is a freight train heading our way. You need to get past ‘it doesn’t work’ and ‘I hate Elon Musk’. I know it sticks in the craw. But please start thinking
February 8, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Bluesky AI haters: you need to know that it is coming and it cannot be stopped and you need to help. Ask anyone in coding and you’ll hear that AI is a freight train heading our way. You need to get past ‘it doesn’t work’ and ‘I hate Elon Musk’. I know it sticks in the craw. But please start thinking
Since i went out a couple of hours ago I’ve thought of maybe six different tasks I wish I could task an agent like OpenClaw with.
Still no way I’m installing it, but I’m looking forward to Apple somehow building a more secure, local version into MacOS.
Still no way I’m installing it, but I’m looking forward to Apple somehow building a more secure, local version into MacOS.
February 10, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Since i went out a couple of hours ago I’ve thought of maybe six different tasks I wish I could task an agent like OpenClaw with.
Still no way I’m installing it, but I’m looking forward to Apple somehow building a more secure, local version into MacOS.
Still no way I’m installing it, but I’m looking forward to Apple somehow building a more secure, local version into MacOS.
Always good to have a back up option in case the current job doesn’t work out.
February 10, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Always good to have a back up option in case the current job doesn’t work out.
I love Jon Stewart, but since his return his hit rate has definitely only been about ~50%.
www.theargumentmag.com/p/jon-stewar...
www.theargumentmag.com/p/jon-stewar...
Jon Stewart has become his own worst nightmare
Econ 101? In this economy?
www.theargumentmag.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:00 AM
I love Jon Stewart, but since his return his hit rate has definitely only been about ~50%.
www.theargumentmag.com/p/jon-stewar...
www.theargumentmag.com/p/jon-stewar...
February 9, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Reposted by James O'Malley
He's running
:: suggested govt had "no growth strategy at all" after Mandelson complained about econ philosophy.
:: agreed with M’s comment that “govt problems do not stem from comms”, inferring PM was issue.
:: said Israel was "committing war crimes before our eyes" & UK needed to recognise Palestinian state
:: agreed with M’s comment that “govt problems do not stem from comms”, inferring PM was issue.
:: said Israel was "committing war crimes before our eyes" & UK needed to recognise Palestinian state
February 9, 2026 at 6:18 PM
He's running
If only he'd liberated the Postcode Address File when he had a chance, this could all be playing out so very differently.
February 9, 2026 at 4:10 PM
If only he'd liberated the Postcode Address File when he had a chance, this could all be playing out so very differently.