John Pendleton
@pendleton.me.uk
Happy places : My family, obsolete computing, mountains and seeing signal in the noise.
Sad places : Bigotry, climate change denial and enshittification
Actually paid to write code. Officially #autistic, who knew!?
He/him.
Sad places : Bigotry, climate change denial and enshittification
Actually paid to write code. Officially #autistic, who knew!?
He/him.
Reposted by John Pendleton
Abysmal, mindless, utterly zombified. You can't even call it policymaking because that implies a degree of thought which simply isn't present. Pretty soon they might actually hit Cameron's 'tens of thousands' target and then they'll shit themselves with horror at the consequences.
PM describes net migration of 205k as "a step in the right direction". His govt has no public position on a sustainable level of immigration is, nor any known process to decide what, why & how. Starmer is now implying he wants it significantly lower
www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...
www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...
Net migration drop ‘step in the right direction’ – Starmer
Net migration peaked at a record 944,000 in the year to March 2023 but has fallen sharply since then.
www.standard.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Abysmal, mindless, utterly zombified. You can't even call it policymaking because that implies a degree of thought which simply isn't present. Pretty soon they might actually hit Cameron's 'tens of thousands' target and then they'll shit themselves with horror at the consequences.
Reposted by John Pendleton
Farage: epic grifter
October 27, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Farage: epic grifter
Reposted by John Pendleton
I was looking at Reform's policy again the other day. They're proposing a £60k salary for people on ILR keeping their visa. Which means pretty much every nurse on ILR would be a risk. It's insane.
Apropos of nothing, I really do think UK journalists and politicians need some reminding that mass deportation of LEGAL immigrants, particularly those with permanent status, is far more extreme than even Trump's America and would basically place Britain completely on its own among democracies.
October 19, 2025 at 12:03 PM
I was looking at Reform's policy again the other day. They're proposing a £60k salary for people on ILR keeping their visa. Which means pretty much every nurse on ILR would be a risk. It's insane.
Reposted by John Pendleton
Gonna pop a Tylenol and look at some trains to see what all the fuss is about.
September 23, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Gonna pop a Tylenol and look at some trains to see what all the fuss is about.
Reposted by John Pendleton
Here is my best guidance, rendered beautifully by the great John Lithgow. I first published these lessons nearly nine years ago, in late 2016. They open the twenty chapters of "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century."
snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...
snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...
Twenty Lessons, read by John Lithgow
Key selections from On Tyranny, for viewing and sharing
snyder.substack.com
September 20, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Here is my best guidance, rendered beautifully by the great John Lithgow. I first published these lessons nearly nine years ago, in late 2016. They open the twenty chapters of "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century."
snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...
snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...
Reposted by John Pendleton
If you need a demonstration of how GMB often descends into Susanna Reid and Andrew Pierce supporting each other's crap while Kevin Maguire is trying to get a (truthful/factual) word in, this is it.
Susanna Reid is contemptible and should be fired. Pierce should be left to GB News.
#ShutdownGMB
Susanna Reid is contemptible and should be fired. Pierce should be left to GB News.
#ShutdownGMB
September 18, 2025 at 1:33 AM
If you need a demonstration of how GMB often descends into Susanna Reid and Andrew Pierce supporting each other's crap while Kevin Maguire is trying to get a (truthful/factual) word in, this is it.
Susanna Reid is contemptible and should be fired. Pierce should be left to GB News.
#ShutdownGMB
Susanna Reid is contemptible and should be fired. Pierce should be left to GB News.
#ShutdownGMB
Reposted by John Pendleton
Musk is inciting violence on London's streets.Tommy Robinson is financed by US tech bros. These are all very direct attempts to destabilise the British state.
Starmer needs to stand up to this. A government that doesn't defend its country's values against these blatant attacks is not doing its job.
Starmer needs to stand up to this. A government that doesn't defend its country's values against these blatant attacks is not doing its job.
My colleague @thejohnsimpson.bsky.social has done a terrific deep dive into the financial links between US tech billionaires and Tommy Robinson
Well worth a read
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
Well worth a read
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
US cash turned Tommy Robinson into the poster boy of UK f...
Outside the Old Bailey in 2018, a reinvented Tommy Robinson flashed his perfect new teeth to 2,000 diehard supporters at a “free Tommy” rally on a stage ...
observer.co.uk
September 14, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Musk is inciting violence on London's streets.Tommy Robinson is financed by US tech bros. These are all very direct attempts to destabilise the British state.
Starmer needs to stand up to this. A government that doesn't defend its country's values against these blatant attacks is not doing its job.
Starmer needs to stand up to this. A government that doesn't defend its country's values against these blatant attacks is not doing its job.
Reposted by John Pendleton
If I’m being honest, I’m feeling pretty crap about my small business.
It’s so bloody difficult at the moment with rising costs, US tariffs, Brexit nonsense and the threat of AI.
Please have a look at what I do and repost to spread the word gailmyerscough.co.uk
It’s so bloody difficult at the moment with rising costs, US tariffs, Brexit nonsense and the threat of AI.
Please have a look at what I do and repost to spread the word gailmyerscough.co.uk
September 2, 2025 at 5:45 PM
If I’m being honest, I’m feeling pretty crap about my small business.
It’s so bloody difficult at the moment with rising costs, US tariffs, Brexit nonsense and the threat of AI.
Please have a look at what I do and repost to spread the word gailmyerscough.co.uk
It’s so bloody difficult at the moment with rising costs, US tariffs, Brexit nonsense and the threat of AI.
Please have a look at what I do and repost to spread the word gailmyerscough.co.uk
Reposted by John Pendleton
Silicon Valley Elon types are like end-of-times-Christian-Zionists of tech in that they want to bring about the destruction of human creativity so as to bring about the reign of an imaginary robot overlord.
August 29, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Silicon Valley Elon types are like end-of-times-Christian-Zionists of tech in that they want to bring about the destruction of human creativity so as to bring about the reign of an imaginary robot overlord.
Reposted by John Pendleton
August 26, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by John Pendleton
I don’t want to be too shrill about this but I think the BBC, ITV and Sky have disgraced themselves in their coverage of the anti-refugee protests. A massive failure of judgement. But now we know the next time a progressive protest “isn’t news” that it’s nothing to do with numbers
August 24, 2025 at 10:33 PM
I don’t want to be too shrill about this but I think the BBC, ITV and Sky have disgraced themselves in their coverage of the anti-refugee protests. A massive failure of judgement. But now we know the next time a progressive protest “isn’t news” that it’s nothing to do with numbers
Reposted by John Pendleton
'In a groundbreaking new book, Language Machines, the American scholar Leif Weatherby goes to the heart of the matter: our tendency to confuse linguistic fluency with intelligence.' 1/3
My advice to Sam Altman: read Jacques Derrida | The Observer
The bold claims made about the new version of ChatGPT are yet more big tech hyperbole
observer.co.uk
August 22, 2025 at 6:24 AM
'In a groundbreaking new book, Language Machines, the American scholar Leif Weatherby goes to the heart of the matter: our tendency to confuse linguistic fluency with intelligence.' 1/3
Reposted by John Pendleton
The targeted killing of Anas al-Sharif and five other journalists on Sunday means at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of October 2023.
No conflict in modern history has seen a higher number of journalists killed.
No conflict in modern history has seen a higher number of journalists killed.
August 12, 2025 at 10:51 AM
The targeted killing of Anas al-Sharif and five other journalists on Sunday means at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of October 2023.
No conflict in modern history has seen a higher number of journalists killed.
No conflict in modern history has seen a higher number of journalists killed.
Reposted by John Pendleton
Absolutely no good reason for the government to be dabbling in AI when it cannot even get IT right in routine process situations.
August 8, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Absolutely no good reason for the government to be dabbling in AI when it cannot even get IT right in routine process situations.
Reposted by John Pendleton
One of James' articles mentions secure token passing without actually sending any personal data to identity brokers which sounds like a much better solution than what we've ended up with.
We have great researchers; why couldn't we invent something? I suspect the origins as a Tory idea give it away.
We have great researchers; why couldn't we invent something? I suspect the origins as a Tory idea give it away.
August 3, 2025 at 10:21 AM
One of James' articles mentions secure token passing without actually sending any personal data to identity brokers which sounds like a much better solution than what we've ended up with.
We have great researchers; why couldn't we invent something? I suspect the origins as a Tory idea give it away.
We have great researchers; why couldn't we invent something? I suspect the origins as a Tory idea give it away.
Reposted by John Pendleton
I mean, at this stage it just writes itself. ( Then fires itself for writing it.) www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Trump fires labor statistics chief hours after data showed jobs growth slowed
US president accused of ‘firing the messenger’ as he makes claims without evidence about Erika McEntarfer
www.theguardian.com
August 2, 2025 at 7:36 AM
I mean, at this stage it just writes itself. ( Then fires itself for writing it.) www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by John Pendleton
This is surely trolling now 😆
August 1, 2025 at 5:37 PM
This is surely trolling now 😆
Reposted by John Pendleton
Sorry, DJT, but even if you start a nuclear war we’re still gonna want to see the Epstein files #youfucker
August 2, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Sorry, DJT, but even if you start a nuclear war we’re still gonna want to see the Epstein files #youfucker
Reposted by John Pendleton
They never seem to think to ask the next question...
Without remembering any knowledge how do you know what question to ask AI? How can you sense check it? What are you "thinking critically" about?
We went through all this already with Google.
Without remembering any knowledge how do you know what question to ask AI? How can you sense check it? What are you "thinking critically" about?
We went through all this already with Google.
Apparently Tyler Cowen is a well-known economist and commentator.
Perhaps he should stick to economics rather than exposing his profound ignorance by saying stuff like 'remembering things and achieving well is irrelevant thanks to AI'.
www.businessinsider.com/ai-reveals-h...
Perhaps he should stick to economics rather than exposing his profound ignorance by saying stuff like 'remembering things and achieving well is irrelevant thanks to AI'.
www.businessinsider.com/ai-reveals-h...
August 2, 2025 at 7:28 AM
They never seem to think to ask the next question...
Without remembering any knowledge how do you know what question to ask AI? How can you sense check it? What are you "thinking critically" about?
We went through all this already with Google.
Without remembering any knowledge how do you know what question to ask AI? How can you sense check it? What are you "thinking critically" about?
We went through all this already with Google.
Reposted by John Pendleton
My cartoon for this week’s Books pages in @theguardian.com
July 27, 2025 at 11:31 AM
My cartoon for this week’s Books pages in @theguardian.com
Reposted by John Pendleton
🧵Introducing the Trump Action Tracker website!
Today I’m launching www.trumpactiontracker.info - a live, searchable list of authoritarian‑style actions from Trump’s second term (over 740 actions so far). 1/14
Today I’m launching www.trumpactiontracker.info - a live, searchable list of authoritarian‑style actions from Trump’s second term (over 740 actions so far). 1/14
July 21, 2025 at 8:57 PM
🧵Introducing the Trump Action Tracker website!
Today I’m launching www.trumpactiontracker.info - a live, searchable list of authoritarian‑style actions from Trump’s second term (over 740 actions so far). 1/14
Today I’m launching www.trumpactiontracker.info - a live, searchable list of authoritarian‑style actions from Trump’s second term (over 740 actions so far). 1/14
Reposted by John Pendleton
It doesn't get reiterated enough that "human on a bicycle" is not only the most efficient way that a person can move, it's the most efficient form of motion ***ever observed in land animals***.
May 23, 2025 at 2:53 AM
It doesn't get reiterated enough that "human on a bicycle" is not only the most efficient way that a person can move, it's the most efficient form of motion ***ever observed in land animals***.
Reposted by John Pendleton
Worth a watch:
Head of Signal, Meredith Whittaker, on so-called "agentic AI" and the difference between how it's described in the marketing and what access and control it would actually require to work as advertised.
Head of Signal, Meredith Whittaker, on so-called "agentic AI" and the difference between how it's described in the marketing and what access and control it would actually require to work as advertised.
June 26, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Worth a watch:
Head of Signal, Meredith Whittaker, on so-called "agentic AI" and the difference between how it's described in the marketing and what access and control it would actually require to work as advertised.
Head of Signal, Meredith Whittaker, on so-called "agentic AI" and the difference between how it's described in the marketing and what access and control it would actually require to work as advertised.
Reposted by John Pendleton
Surely SURELY in the Lords they should be able to corner a debate where this is Hannan “forecast” is read out to his face?
Every painful paragraph.
Every painful paragraph.
Congratulations. You've found the link to the least accurate thing anyone has ever written about Brexit.
Daniel Hannan penned a piece 2 days before the referendum explaining what life would be like on 24 June 2025, ie today.
It's worth a read for the laughs.
www.reaction.life/p/britain-lo...
Daniel Hannan penned a piece 2 days before the referendum explaining what life would be like on 24 June 2025, ie today.
It's worth a read for the laughs.
www.reaction.life/p/britain-lo...
June 25, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Surely SURELY in the Lords they should be able to corner a debate where this is Hannan “forecast” is read out to his face?
Every painful paragraph.
Every painful paragraph.
Reposted by John Pendleton
Dear USA
Deploying troops against civilians will not go well.
Yours
Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Deploying troops against civilians will not go well.
Yours
Great Britain and Northern Ireland
June 9, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Dear USA
Deploying troops against civilians will not go well.
Yours
Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Deploying troops against civilians will not go well.
Yours
Great Britain and Northern Ireland