Jack Aidley
@jackaidley.bsky.social
Programmer (mostly games, currently Unity) and former microbiologist. Brit in Germany. Likes cats, tabletop RPGs, and F1.
I am increasingly convinced that the massive extra tax being raised from graduates is one of the explanations for the dismal performance of the UK economy.
Threshold for repaying student loans to converge with minimum wage on.ft.com/3M2AYkD
Threshold for repaying student loans to converge with minimum wage
Surprise move from chancellor means some university graduates in England may have to pay back debts sooner
on.ft.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:23 AM
I am increasingly convinced that the massive extra tax being raised from graduates is one of the explanations for the dismal performance of the UK economy.
Hey! Some good news :)
Big news: the European Court of Justice rules that all member states are obliged to recognise a same-sex marriage lawfully concluded in another member state.
November 25, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Hey! Some good news :)
Reposted by Jack Aidley
Oscar Piastri is set to sign an exclusive sponsorship deal with Viagra for the final two races.
A spokesperson for the drug said: “It will be a huge marketing boost if we can resurrect Oscar from his flaccid F1 performance in the second half of this season.”
A spokesperson for the drug said: “It will be a huge marketing boost if we can resurrect Oscar from his flaccid F1 performance in the second half of this season.”
November 25, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Oscar Piastri is set to sign an exclusive sponsorship deal with Viagra for the final two races.
A spokesperson for the drug said: “It will be a huge marketing boost if we can resurrect Oscar from his flaccid F1 performance in the second half of this season.”
A spokesperson for the drug said: “It will be a huge marketing boost if we can resurrect Oscar from his flaccid F1 performance in the second half of this season.”
McLaren seem keen on throwing away the WDC this year, huh? Not at 2007 levels of stupidity yet, but heading in that direction.
Keeps thing exciting for the last couple of races, I guess. #F1
Keeps thing exciting for the last couple of races, I guess. #F1
November 23, 2025 at 12:58 PM
McLaren seem keen on throwing away the WDC this year, huh? Not at 2007 levels of stupidity yet, but heading in that direction.
Keeps thing exciting for the last couple of races, I guess. #F1
Keeps thing exciting for the last couple of races, I guess. #F1
Reposted by Jack Aidley
Gmail users!!
They've turned on AI scraping by default now...Here's how to turn it off.
Pass it on!!
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
They've turned on AI scraping by default now...Here's how to turn it off.
Pass it on!!
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out
A new Gmail update may allow Google to use your private messages and attachments for AI training. Here's how to turn it off.
www.malwarebytes.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Gmail users!!
They've turned on AI scraping by default now...Here's how to turn it off.
Pass it on!!
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
They've turned on AI scraping by default now...Here's how to turn it off.
Pass it on!!
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
Reposted by Jack Aidley
Know the difference.
November 19, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Know the difference.
Louder for those in the back: data centres are not infrastructure. The primary spending is on GPUs which have a five year life under load and are outdated within two years. Only a small amount of spending is going on the rest.
Also: this article was substantially written by AI, wasn't it?
Also: this article was substantially written by AI, wasn't it?
November 19, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Louder for those in the back: data centres are not infrastructure. The primary spending is on GPUs which have a five year life under load and are outdated within two years. Only a small amount of spending is going on the rest.
Also: this article was substantially written by AI, wasn't it?
Also: this article was substantially written by AI, wasn't it?
Reposted by Jack Aidley
This week is Road Safety Week & a chance to talk about Barbara Castle!
Barbara was Transport Minister for three years yet she was able to introduce the Breathalyzer, a proper integrated transport strategy & more!
This was done despite fierce opposition.
📸 Photo from the Parliamentary Achieve
Barbara was Transport Minister for three years yet she was able to introduce the Breathalyzer, a proper integrated transport strategy & more!
This was done despite fierce opposition.
📸 Photo from the Parliamentary Achieve
November 19, 2025 at 1:59 PM
This week is Road Safety Week & a chance to talk about Barbara Castle!
Barbara was Transport Minister for three years yet she was able to introduce the Breathalyzer, a proper integrated transport strategy & more!
This was done despite fierce opposition.
📸 Photo from the Parliamentary Achieve
Barbara was Transport Minister for three years yet she was able to introduce the Breathalyzer, a proper integrated transport strategy & more!
This was done despite fierce opposition.
📸 Photo from the Parliamentary Achieve
My brother getting called a nerd by Scalzi is a proud moment for the entire family.
NERD
(and yes)
(and yes)
You're on 40Kbps? Old-school modems tended to run at 56Kbps. Can it be you're on 40Mbps?
November 19, 2025 at 8:20 AM
My brother getting called a nerd by Scalzi is a proud moment for the entire family.
Seems like a good thing for politics, even if a disaster for political science. Politicians should be making setting out stalls not mooning focus groups.
AI presents a fundamental threat to our ability to use polls to assess public opinion. Bad actors who are able to infiltrate panels can flip close election polls for less than the cost of a Starbucks coffee. Models will also infer and confirm hypotheses in experiments. Current quality checks fail
November 18, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Seems like a good thing for politics, even if a disaster for political science. Politicians should be making setting out stalls not mooning focus groups.
Reposted by Jack Aidley
Trans people are waiting 25 years to get access to HRT on the NHS: It took me 5 hours!
“The whole time I was talking to my GP I couldn’t stop thinking about how my experience was so totally & completely different to that of a trans person. The contrast was impossible to ignore” #TransAwarenessWeek
“The whole time I was talking to my GP I couldn’t stop thinking about how my experience was so totally & completely different to that of a trans person. The contrast was impossible to ignore” #TransAwarenessWeek
Trans people are waiting 25 years to get access to HRT on the NHS: It took me 5 hours
In the space of an afternoon, I booked an appointment with my GP, talked through my symptoms, and walked out with a prescription for HRT in…
medium.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Trans people are waiting 25 years to get access to HRT on the NHS: It took me 5 hours!
“The whole time I was talking to my GP I couldn’t stop thinking about how my experience was so totally & completely different to that of a trans person. The contrast was impossible to ignore” #TransAwarenessWeek
“The whole time I was talking to my GP I couldn’t stop thinking about how my experience was so totally & completely different to that of a trans person. The contrast was impossible to ignore” #TransAwarenessWeek
Anyone who goes to Paris because they want to get good coffee has missed the target by at least a country. But Starbucks is so much worse than that.
Every now and then I have a Starbucks because, like Strongbow, I am seemingly incapable of remembering how truly awful it actually is.
...
Every now and then I have a Starbucks because, like Strongbow, I am seemingly incapable of remembering how truly awful it actually is.
...
"In a nation renowned for sophisticated tastes, the acerbic, harsh espresso served in many bistros was not just surprising, but seemingly inexplicable."
This is why I always used to chuckle when Parisians offhandedly dissed Starbucks. The problem is that the French think their coffee is good.
This is why I always used to chuckle when Parisians offhandedly dissed Starbucks. The problem is that the French think their coffee is good.
In Paris, the next coffee revolution is quietly brewing
Meet the pioneers reimagining the French capital’s café society, infusing every bean with craft, conscience and creativity
www.ft.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Anyone who goes to Paris because they want to get good coffee has missed the target by at least a country. But Starbucks is so much worse than that.
Every now and then I have a Starbucks because, like Strongbow, I am seemingly incapable of remembering how truly awful it actually is.
...
Every now and then I have a Starbucks because, like Strongbow, I am seemingly incapable of remembering how truly awful it actually is.
...
Reposted by Jack Aidley
chatgpt is down, post handmade em dashes
November 18, 2025 at 2:14 PM
chatgpt is down, post handmade em dashes
Reposted by Jack Aidley
In 2020 Keir Starmer and Alf Dubs urged the then Conservative Government to restore their commitment to family reunion for child refugees, saying there was a “moral argument” to protect desperately vulnerable young people.
Five years later Dubs condemns Starmer for doing the complete opposite
Five years later Dubs condemns Starmer for doing the complete opposite
November 18, 2025 at 10:49 AM
In 2020 Keir Starmer and Alf Dubs urged the then Conservative Government to restore their commitment to family reunion for child refugees, saying there was a “moral argument” to protect desperately vulnerable young people.
Five years later Dubs condemns Starmer for doing the complete opposite
Five years later Dubs condemns Starmer for doing the complete opposite
Still sticking with my idea that Mahmood was chosen principally because those running the Labour party think they can get away with massively racist policies if they can someone from a minority to front them.
Utterly cynical.
Utterly cynical.
- It is entirely legitimate for the Home Secretary to highlight the overt racism that she receives for taking part in public life.
- Everybody should oppose that racism against her, whatever their politics.
- But it is important to make several other points about this argument about racism.
- Everybody should oppose that racism against her, whatever their politics.
- But it is important to make several other points about this argument about racism.
November 18, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Still sticking with my idea that Mahmood was chosen principally because those running the Labour party think they can get away with massively racist policies if they can someone from a minority to front them.
Utterly cynical.
Utterly cynical.
In justifying her horrendous, Tommy Robinson pleasing, asylum plans Mahmood claims "while asylum claims fall across Europe, they are rising here". Here's the facts behind that claim.
Look at that graph.
The UK doesn't take many asylum seekers compared to other countries in Europe.
1/
Look at that graph.
The UK doesn't take many asylum seekers compared to other countries in Europe.
1/
November 18, 2025 at 9:50 AM
In justifying her horrendous, Tommy Robinson pleasing, asylum plans Mahmood claims "while asylum claims fall across Europe, they are rising here". Here's the facts behind that claim.
Look at that graph.
The UK doesn't take many asylum seekers compared to other countries in Europe.
1/
Look at that graph.
The UK doesn't take many asylum seekers compared to other countries in Europe.
1/
Reposted by Jack Aidley
In 2023 @tom-clark.bsky.social got me to write a chapter for his book on UK poverty about how immigration limbo, which Labour wants more of, makes people destitute. It was the most distressing piece I've ever worked on. We sent a copy to every MP. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/society/6081...
Destitute by design: trapped in the immigration system
Migration policy is not only failing people forced to arrive in Britain by
boats. In an extract from a new edited volume, Daniel Trilling reports on t...
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
November 16, 2025 at 8:36 AM
In 2023 @tom-clark.bsky.social got me to write a chapter for his book on UK poverty about how immigration limbo, which Labour wants more of, makes people destitute. It was the most distressing piece I've ever worked on. We sent a copy to every MP. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/society/6081...
"The Contracting States shall as far as possible facilitate the assimilation and naturalization of refugees. They shall in particular make every effort to expedite naturalization proceedings and to reduce as far as possible the charges and costs of such proceedings"
November 17, 2025 at 5:20 PM
"The Contracting States shall as far as possible facilitate the assimilation and naturalization of refugees. They shall in particular make every effort to expedite naturalization proceedings and to reduce as far as possible the charges and costs of such proceedings"
Reposted by Jack Aidley
We should stop the boats because it's dangerous, and we should stop the scapegoating of immigrants because it's wrong and cruel.
Controlled migration is good for the country, helps build our economy and diversity strengthens our communities. (1/6) 🧵
Controlled migration is good for the country, helps build our economy and diversity strengthens our communities. (1/6) 🧵
November 17, 2025 at 11:03 AM
We should stop the boats because it's dangerous, and we should stop the scapegoating of immigrants because it's wrong and cruel.
Controlled migration is good for the country, helps build our economy and diversity strengthens our communities. (1/6) 🧵
Controlled migration is good for the country, helps build our economy and diversity strengthens our communities. (1/6) 🧵
As the racist pandering leadership of the Labour sinks to ever deeper moral lows, these stories about the reality of the evils they are planning become even more important.
Mo Farah, trafficked to UK aged 9 in 1992. Teacher Alan Watkinson secures citizenship after 8 years here, 2000 (aged 17) so he could travel abroad as GB athlete
Under future rules
Renew status? 1995, 98 x6
Eligible settlement after 20 years (2012)
Citizenship 2013
news.sky.com/story/sir-mo...
Under future rules
Renew status? 1995, 98 x6
Eligible settlement after 20 years (2012)
Citizenship 2013
news.sky.com/story/sir-mo...
Sir Mo Farah reveals 'the truth' about how he came to the UK
The Olympic star was warned speaking out could put his British citizenship at "real risk" - but it is understood the Home Office is taking no action against him.
news.sky.com
November 16, 2025 at 10:14 AM
As the racist pandering leadership of the Labour sinks to ever deeper moral lows, these stories about the reality of the evils they are planning become even more important.
Reposted by Jack Aidley
The best way to understand what is actually “driving the small boats” is “if something carried a one in a 100 risk of death, would you do it it it gave you ten more years of healthy life?”
Shabana Mahmood tells Sunday Times it should take 20 years for somebody granted refugee status in UK to secure permanent status (ie, reapply 6 times) if came without permission.
Paper says Denmark has toughest settlement timeline (8 years) but UK govt wants longer
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Paper says Denmark has toughest settlement timeline (8 years) but UK govt wants longer
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Shabana Mahmood: ‘Illegal migration is tearing Britain apart’
The home secretary is planning to introduce a 20-year wait for permanent stay to end a ‘golden ticket’ for asylum seekers
www.thetimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM
The best way to understand what is actually “driving the small boats” is “if something carried a one in a 100 risk of death, would you do it it it gave you ten more years of healthy life?”
Vote for us! We'll do the thing you hate but be sad about it!
Except without the being sad about.
Except without the being sad about.
What are your thoughts on their possible attempts at political blackmail? Will it work?
November 15, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Vote for us! We'll do the thing you hate but be sad about it!
Except without the being sad about.
Except without the being sad about.
The inside details of the Your Party fiasco are just as exciting as the external chaos.
Three people who’d be expected to be Your Party bigwigs have largely walked away from Corbyn’s project: former NE mayor Jamie Driscoll, former Labour MP Beth Winter, and former ANC MP Andrew Feinstein.
I have some new intel on the fall-out, if you’re interested in that sort of thing… 🧵
I have some new intel on the fall-out, if you’re interested in that sort of thing… 🧵
November 15, 2025 at 5:17 PM
The inside details of the Your Party fiasco are just as exciting as the external chaos.
Reposted by Jack Aidley
🧪 Reddit user u/ElementreeCr0 asks:
Should I be worried about the smell of "offgassing" plastic?
Answer:
environment.samellman.org/2025/04/envi...
If you have a question for me about chemistry or the environment, just ask!
Should I be worried about the smell of "offgassing" plastic?
Answer:
environment.samellman.org/2025/04/envi...
If you have a question for me about chemistry or the environment, just ask!
November 15, 2025 at 4:22 PM
🧪 Reddit user u/ElementreeCr0 asks:
Should I be worried about the smell of "offgassing" plastic?
Answer:
environment.samellman.org/2025/04/envi...
If you have a question for me about chemistry or the environment, just ask!
Should I be worried about the smell of "offgassing" plastic?
Answer:
environment.samellman.org/2025/04/envi...
If you have a question for me about chemistry or the environment, just ask!