Author | Lightnews

Nic

@nicferrier.bsky.social

280 followers 160 following 2.1K posts

I’m an English hacker from a long time ago. I am trying to help rewild the Internet. https://weblog.ferrier.me.uk Emacs help and advice if you ask.

weblog.ferrier.me.uk

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Nic @nicferrier.bsky.social · Apr 18

Statement: We don’t need billionaires anymore and should stop engaging with them.

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Nic @nicferrier.bsky.social · 1h

Idk if you remember but back in the day there was a webtoon about what it would be like when the electronic computers all fried because of a magnetosphere switch. Y2K it was called? They had loads of crazy mechanical computers to substitute.

This would be way better!! Chickens everywhere!!!

Reposted by Nic

The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 4h

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

📈 Since the election of our new leadership team, our membership has doubled, now sitting at more than 140,000.

And this is just the beginning: join.greenparty.org.uk

MEMBERSHIP DOUBLED
With photo featuring Zack Polanski, Anthony Slaughter, Mothin Ali, Tessa Marshall and lots of Green Party activists!
Green Party
Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of The Green Party, both at PO Box 78066, London SE16 9GQ

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Bold Politics with Zack Polanski @boldpolitics.bsky.social · 2h

What would you do tomorrow if you were in charge of the country's finances?

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Alex Chan @alexwlchan.net · 4h

Doing my own syntax highlighting (finally): alexwlchan.net/2025/syntax-...

I’ve redesigned the syntax highlighting on my blog to use a smaller colour palette, so I wrote a bit about what I’ve changed, how it works, and why I think it’s better.

Doing my own syntax highlighting (finally)

I've redesigned my syntax highlighting scheme to use a smaller colour palette. Here's what I've changed, how it works, and why I think it's better.

alexwlchan.net

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Reposted by Nic

Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 3h

Re-up for rhis! Reading group on 11 Nov. A chance for Q&A with the brilliant @karenhao.bsky.social and small group discussions on Empire of AI luma.com/lgaw69m8?utm... @elinorcarmi.bsky.social @mjlira.bsky.social

Hopeful Tech Reading Group: Empire of AI with Karen Hao · Luma

For our fourth reading group meeting we’ll be joined by Karen Hao, author of Empire of AI: Dreams and Hopes in Sam Altman’s Open AI. Karen will join us for the…

luma.com

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Nic @nicferrier.bsky.social · 7h

Very sensible.

Reposted by Nic

Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 12h

Honestly, the mainstream media reaction to Zack Polanski entering the elites’ own conversation space…

…with widely-held public opinions…

…tells you everything you need to know about why our mainstream media is a closed shop, broken, and no longer fit for purpose.

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Anthea West @antheawest1.bsky.social · 12h

UK public opinion might just be expressing a move to the left - at last ...

Photo of new Green leader Zack Polanski pushing the 'Overton window' box leftwards, away from head-and-shoulders Nigel Farage.

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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 10h

Great to hold a press conference in Swindon this morning to welcome the new Green Party councillor group.

Swindon now has 3 Green Party councillors. They didn't leave Labour - Labour left them!

www.youtube.com/live/UvrRzp6...

Green Party leader Zack Polanski holds news conference

YouTube video by Sky News

www.youtube.com

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Linda Lombard @heavensgone.bsky.social · 12h

Not only have the #LabourGovernment accepted all the #draconianLaws of the #ConservativeGovernment, but they continue to add to them said @greenjennyjones.bsky.social

#CrimeAndPolicingBill

jennyjones.org/2025/10/21/c...

Crime and Policing Bill

Not only have the Labour Government accepted all the draconian laws of the Conservative Government, but they continue to add to them

jennyjones.org

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Nic @nicferrier.bsky.social · 16h

This is the worst. What we did was put everything in storage so we didn’t have to think about it. So now I’m forever going “where’s my …” and moaning about the bill.

So what we did was the worst. Actually your way is smart.

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Nic @nicferrier.bsky.social · 1d

This is all going to end in a giant kicking at some point.

Nic @nicferrier.bsky.social · 1d

Blast! Forgot alt text:

A picture of a slightly chipped English tea cup and saucer and a rainbow pulsing backlit keyboard indicating the pause of celebration after much typing of tunes of C which can be glimpsed on the monitor behind the tea’s pot.

Nic @nicferrier.bsky.social · 1d

I’m ’avin tea, to celebrate, like:

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toonholechris @toonholechris.bsky.social · 1d

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Nic @nicferrier.bsky.social · 1d

The chat app I’ve been live streaming the hacking of for the last few weeks just sent its first successful two way uncorrupted chats.

If anyone cares.

Buildings things is good.

Yes signal is great. But it’s not the best. I don’t need signal security all the time!!

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Dave Lee @davelee.me · 1d

WELL HOW ABOUT THAT

"A millionaire levy in Massachusetts has generated $3 billion more in revenue than expected without forcing significant high-profile departures from the state."

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Millionaire Tax That Inspired Mamdani Fuels $5.7 Billion Haul in Massachusetts

A millionaire levy in Massachusetts that New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani holds up as a model for taxing the rich has generated $3 billion more in revenue than expected without forcing...

www.bloomberg.com

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Nic @nicferrier.bsky.social · 1d

Mammary Monday!!

/slaps hand to torehead

How have I not thought of that before???

Nic @nicferrier.bsky.social · 1d

I did. Didn’t like it.

I think I’m just saying:

There’s even diversity among Emacs users.

Reposted by Nic

Stephen Kinsella @stephenstroud.bsky.social · 4d

More disturbing reporting from The Nerve.
How can a scrappy startup in 3 weeks leave BBC trailing in its coverage of Russian interference in our politics?

Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 4d

If you share this thread or images, please credit @thenerve_news.

We are only 3 weeks old (!!) & can only do this work with your support.

And if there was ever a story that proves why Britain needs fiercely independent news outlets, it’s this.
8/

🙏🙏🙏

www.thenerve.news/p/nathan-gil...

The glamorous TV host, the web of influence and a mysterious trip to Moscow – inside the downfall of Reform’s disgraced MEP

Ahead of a critical Welsh byelection for Reform next week, part two of our investigation into Nathan Gill uncovers the web of Russian influence that encircled him – and asks why it took so long to cha...

www.thenerve.news

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Nic @nicferrier.bsky.social · 1d

I just do git add -p.

I’m a long time Emacs guy but I don’t use magit.

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Nic @nicferrier.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah. Haven’t had time to read the article but surely modal editing is obvious.

When you have a fixed resource (keys on keyboards) you can either combine them like chords (press everything at once) or like latches (one at a time but additive).

If Joy hadn’t done it someone else would.

Reposted by Nic

Gil Durán @gilduran.com · 1d

I interviewed Paulina Borsook, who warned of tech culture's toxic underbelly over 30 years ago.

She wrote a prescient and scathing book, "Cyberselfish."

It tanked her career, but a new generation is discovering her work as tech fascism tries to kill democracy 👇

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL-k...

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Anadarko @anadarkocapital.bsky.social · 1d

Which was your favorite Elon lie?

My personal was that the boring tunnel would sell low cost bricks to create housing lmaoooo

Thomas Hansen @thomashansen.bsky.social · Sep 3

Other Elon Musk lies
(not complete list)

Water for Flint, submarine rescue Thailand, Autopilot FSD, never need another raise, Solar City bailout, $420 funding secured, pedoguy, boring tunnels/bricks, $35k TM3, neuralink, Bipap, ventilator prod, engineer degree, Mars 2021, Tesla founder etc.

$TSLAQ

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Nic @nicferrier.bsky.social · 1d

Everything tech has done over the last 10 years has failed.

AI yet another.

Because they’re not addressing the question of how people can program their computers to get value.

That’s the value of a computer. That it can be programmed.

Everything else is just one program.

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