Meg Pickard
@megp.bsky.social
Crafty nerd (nature/textile art/crochet/linoprint/photography/general web geekery) and charity trainer in North Yorkshire. Ex AOL/Guardian/GDS/consultant. Still looking for the place that feels like the old web (but with a faster modem).
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in your back garden
- sparrow hawk
- fox
- pheasant
- bank vole
- green mamba (admittedly not in current North Yorkshire back garden)
- sparrow hawk
- fox
- pheasant
- bank vole
- green mamba (admittedly not in current North Yorkshire back garden)
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you have seen in the wild
- rhino
- orca
- elk
- hedgehog (in a pub entrance)
- black bear (back garden)
- rhino
- orca
- elk
- hedgehog (in a pub entrance)
- black bear (back garden)
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you have seen in the wild
- beaver (in Scotland)
- platypus (in Queensland)
- skunk (in California)
- raccoon (in Massachusetts)
- boar (in Italy)
- beaver (in Scotland)
- platypus (in Queensland)
- skunk (in California)
- raccoon (in Massachusetts)
- boar (in Italy)
November 28, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in your back garden
- sparrow hawk
- fox
- pheasant
- bank vole
- green mamba (admittedly not in current North Yorkshire back garden)
- sparrow hawk
- fox
- pheasant
- bank vole
- green mamba (admittedly not in current North Yorkshire back garden)
Reposted by Meg Pickard
Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.
buff.ly
October 8, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.
I dreamt last night that I wrote a fantastic (no really, it was amazing) song about being a smallholder. I woke up at one point and thought “I should really write this down” but then figured it was SO GOOD I would definitely remember it.
I do not remember it.
I do not remember it.
August 29, 2025 at 8:28 PM
I dreamt last night that I wrote a fantastic (no really, it was amazing) song about being a smallholder. I woke up at one point and thought “I should really write this down” but then figured it was SO GOOD I would definitely remember it.
I do not remember it.
I do not remember it.
Have you visited Schuench? Great skiing. And nothing beats whale watching in Hactish Nonthwest.
It is late so I asked Gemini to "generate a map of the United States with each state labeled as the Canadian province it most resembles." It is glorious.
August 8, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Have you visited Schuench? Great skiing. And nothing beats whale watching in Hactish Nonthwest.
I always get confused between kayfabe and aquafaba.
June 5, 2025 at 10:15 PM
I always get confused between kayfabe and aquafaba.
“Hey! Why don’t we put AI in charge of the prevention of nuclear war?!?!”
Also AI, trying to design a simple exercise routine:
Also AI, trying to design a simple exercise routine:
May 18, 2025 at 8:43 PM
“Hey! Why don’t we put AI in charge of the prevention of nuclear war?!?!”
Also AI, trying to design a simple exercise routine:
Also AI, trying to design a simple exercise routine:
Post a robot that is not from Star Wars or Transformers.
May 12, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Post a robot that is not from Star Wars or Transformers.
This take from the Guardian is horseshit. www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Extra exam time: why do so many schoolkids suddenly need it?
Every year, more pupils are granted special ‘access arrangements’ to give them a fairer chance in GCSEs, A-levels and other exams. But with more than 600,000 arrangements in England alone, can the sch...
www.theguardian.com
April 24, 2025 at 10:57 AM
This take from the Guardian is horseshit. www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Reposted by Meg Pickard
How did we get from "Do not use Wikipedia as a source" to "ask hallucinating chatbot everything"?
April 22, 2025 at 11:45 AM
How did we get from "Do not use Wikipedia as a source" to "ask hallucinating chatbot everything"?
We absolutely must not allow news outlets and pundits to applaud someone who puts out a fire they themselves started.
It’s not brave and leaderlike.
It’s reckless, damaging ego-driven bluster followed by a humiliating u-turn.
Call it what it is.
It’s not brave and leaderlike.
It’s reckless, damaging ego-driven bluster followed by a humiliating u-turn.
Call it what it is.
April 9, 2025 at 6:42 PM
We absolutely must not allow news outlets and pundits to applaud someone who puts out a fire they themselves started.
It’s not brave and leaderlike.
It’s reckless, damaging ego-driven bluster followed by a humiliating u-turn.
Call it what it is.
It’s not brave and leaderlike.
It’s reckless, damaging ego-driven bluster followed by a humiliating u-turn.
Call it what it is.
I am resolutely not looking at my pension.
Also, not entirely unrelated, thinking about which of my skills will be most useful in an apocalypse, and which I might need to develop.
Also, not entirely unrelated, thinking about which of my skills will be most useful in an apocalypse, and which I might need to develop.
April 7, 2025 at 8:39 AM
I am resolutely not looking at my pension.
Also, not entirely unrelated, thinking about which of my skills will be most useful in an apocalypse, and which I might need to develop.
Also, not entirely unrelated, thinking about which of my skills will be most useful in an apocalypse, and which I might need to develop.
Naomi nails it. It’s all optics, angles, attention and manipulating emotions.
Alright.
I see a lot of analysis which is essentially “what is our theory of mind about Trump? Does he love the stock market? Is he a protectionist?”
I will give you my theory of mind for him which has not failed me yet in explanatory power: he is a man whose greatest success was a reality TV show
I see a lot of analysis which is essentially “what is our theory of mind about Trump? Does he love the stock market? Is he a protectionist?”
I will give you my theory of mind for him which has not failed me yet in explanatory power: he is a man whose greatest success was a reality TV show
April 6, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Naomi nails it. It’s all optics, angles, attention and manipulating emotions.
Reposted by Meg Pickard
Because of what I do at work, people quite often ask me about "more responsible" ways to use GenAI, so I've written a blog post with 7 things to look out for and 3 ways of making intentional choices when using text generators
www.careful.industries/blog/2025-4-...
www.careful.industries/blog/2025-4-...
Responsible-ish GenAI dos and don’ts: text edition — Careful Industries
Seven things to bear in mind and three responsible-ish AI strategies
www.careful.industries
April 1, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Because of what I do at work, people quite often ask me about "more responsible" ways to use GenAI, so I've written a blog post with 7 things to look out for and 3 ways of making intentional choices when using text generators
www.careful.industries/blog/2025-4-...
www.careful.industries/blog/2025-4-...
Imagine looking at [gestures despairingly across the pond] and thinking “we should emulate that here!” 🤦🏻♀️
I propose a more British equivalent: Project Monty.
Careful, strategic, timely pruning.
Work on roots & branches.
Ensure fertile ground for future growth.
Consider the whole ecosystem.
I propose a more British equivalent: Project Monty.
Careful, strategic, timely pruning.
Work on roots & branches.
Ensure fertile ground for future growth.
Consider the whole ecosystem.
March 12, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Imagine looking at [gestures despairingly across the pond] and thinking “we should emulate that here!” 🤦🏻♀️
I propose a more British equivalent: Project Monty.
Careful, strategic, timely pruning.
Work on roots & branches.
Ensure fertile ground for future growth.
Consider the whole ecosystem.
I propose a more British equivalent: Project Monty.
Careful, strategic, timely pruning.
Work on roots & branches.
Ensure fertile ground for future growth.
Consider the whole ecosystem.
Post a pic of when your pet was little. This is Fred and Molly when they first arrived.
March 11, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Post a pic of when your pet was little. This is Fred and Molly when they first arrived.
This has been my strategy for the last year or so, and I now have six new blankets.
There’s been a lot of doom to scroll.
Stress crafting is absolutely a thing.
There’s been a lot of doom to scroll.
Stress crafting is absolutely a thing.
March 10, 2025 at 8:24 PM
This has been my strategy for the last year or so, and I now have six new blankets.
There’s been a lot of doom to scroll.
Stress crafting is absolutely a thing.
There’s been a lot of doom to scroll.
Stress crafting is absolutely a thing.
Very small side point but I hadn’t realised that Putin is called Poutine in France. Which is also a tasty Canadian dish.
Everything is connected.
Everything is connected.
A conservative French news magazine brightening up the Paris news stands … hard to overstate the damage Trump is doing to his and USA’s reputation among allies (sic)
March 7, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Very small side point but I hadn’t realised that Putin is called Poutine in France. Which is also a tasty Canadian dish.
Everything is connected.
Everything is connected.
When the world is hard, mindless games give us something else to focus on for a bit. Casual gaming soothes the brain. (This is my best score yet on the fiendish 368chickens.com)
March 4, 2025 at 7:54 PM
When the world is hard, mindless games give us something else to focus on for a bit. Casual gaming soothes the brain. (This is my best score yet on the fiendish 368chickens.com)
Post a photo of you from a different era.
March 2, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Post a photo of you from a different era.
“…if you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit, join our club.”
February 28, 2025 at 9:12 AM
“…if you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit, join our club.”
Look out for stairs. They’re out to get you. Roving packs of disgruntled stairs, ready to take down anyone who hustles distractedly.
You have been warned.
(I fell down a flight of stairs this week. Nothing broken, thankfully, but pure agony and couldn’t move for a while. Ambulances were involved.)
You have been warned.
(I fell down a flight of stairs this week. Nothing broken, thankfully, but pure agony and couldn’t move for a while. Ambulances were involved.)
February 27, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Look out for stairs. They’re out to get you. Roving packs of disgruntled stairs, ready to take down anyone who hustles distractedly.
You have been warned.
(I fell down a flight of stairs this week. Nothing broken, thankfully, but pure agony and couldn’t move for a while. Ambulances were involved.)
You have been warned.
(I fell down a flight of stairs this week. Nothing broken, thankfully, but pure agony and couldn’t move for a while. Ambulances were involved.)
Age yourself with a movie you saw in the theatre.
(I also have a strong memory of seeing Kate Bush’s Cloudbusting short film with Donald Sutherland before the main feature of - I think - Back To The Future the year after)
(I also have a strong memory of seeing Kate Bush’s Cloudbusting short film with Donald Sutherland before the main feature of - I think - Back To The Future the year after)
February 23, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Age yourself with a movie you saw in the theatre.
(I also have a strong memory of seeing Kate Bush’s Cloudbusting short film with Donald Sutherland before the main feature of - I think - Back To The Future the year after)
(I also have a strong memory of seeing Kate Bush’s Cloudbusting short film with Donald Sutherland before the main feature of - I think - Back To The Future the year after)
Decades ago, I had a (new) boss who demanded a breakdown of daily tasks in 15 minute chunks for two weeks.
It was demoralising as fuck (possibly the point) and also meaningless because so much of my role was researching widely, percolating, cogitating, explaining and planning. Not digging potatoes.
It was demoralising as fuck (possibly the point) and also meaningless because so much of my role was researching widely, percolating, cogitating, explaining and planning. Not digging potatoes.
February 23, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Decades ago, I had a (new) boss who demanded a breakdown of daily tasks in 15 minute chunks for two weeks.
It was demoralising as fuck (possibly the point) and also meaningless because so much of my role was researching widely, percolating, cogitating, explaining and planning. Not digging potatoes.
It was demoralising as fuck (possibly the point) and also meaningless because so much of my role was researching widely, percolating, cogitating, explaining and planning. Not digging potatoes.
Movies you have watched more than six times, gifs only
February 22, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Movies you have watched more than six times, gifs only
Movies you have watched more than six times, gifs only
February 22, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Movies you have watched more than six times, gifs only