Martin Smith
@martsky.bsky.social
Designer & researcher. UX Director @HiveIT_uk, @theRSAorg fellow. Mountain biker 🚵🏻♂️, paddler 🛶. Sheff Utd fan but not one of those football fans, honest. He /him
Reposted by Martin Smith
It’s $185 with a promotion to reserve the next three nights at the motel. I have about $10 and nowhere to stay tomorrow, and my mobility is extremely limited. Please, can anyone help me push this back a bit? 💕💸💸💕 #transcrowdfund #crowdfunding #mutualaid #gofundme #disability #homeless
I’m a disabled homeless trans woman living in a motel in the short term. If anyone can help me out with funds to extend my stay and cover necessities, I would be immensely grateful. My links are in my bio. 💕💸💸💕
#crowdfunding #disability #homeless #transcrowdfund #mutualaid
#crowdfunding #disability #homeless #transcrowdfund #mutualaid
February 5, 2026 at 2:40 PM
It’s $185 with a promotion to reserve the next three nights at the motel. I have about $10 and nowhere to stay tomorrow, and my mobility is extremely limited. Please, can anyone help me push this back a bit? 💕💸💸💕 #transcrowdfund #crowdfunding #mutualaid #gofundme #disability #homeless
Reposted by Martin Smith
Please, my magic bean, it is very sick
February 5, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Please, my magic bean, it is very sick
Reposted by Martin Smith
worth noting that the second rich people stopped being afraid of mobs tearing them limb from limb, they stopped building libraries and opera houses and stuff and started ripping the copper wiring out of the walls of society instead
February 4, 2026 at 4:44 PM
worth noting that the second rich people stopped being afraid of mobs tearing them limb from limb, they stopped building libraries and opera houses and stuff and started ripping the copper wiring out of the walls of society instead
Reposted by Martin Smith
The big tech founder whose 417-foot, $500 million superyacht needs a 256-foot, $75 million superyacht to "shadow" it -- because the bigger yacht lacks a helipad -- had to cut his paper's newsroom almost in half, for reasons
NEWS: The cuts were so severe that at least one department head asked to leave The Post rather than be included in the planning.
Peter Finn, The Post's international editor, requested that he be laid off once he learned about the scope of the cuts to his section.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...
Peter Finn, The Post's international editor, requested that he be laid off once he learned about the scope of the cuts to his section.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...
Washington Post Begins Sweeping Layoffs
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:05 PM
The big tech founder whose 417-foot, $500 million superyacht needs a 256-foot, $75 million superyacht to "shadow" it -- because the bigger yacht lacks a helipad -- had to cut his paper's newsroom almost in half, for reasons
Reposted by Martin Smith
What's this I see, why it can't possible be yet *another* GC in the Epstein files, can it?
Yes. Yes it can.
Richard Dawkins this time, worried a 'nasty' cis woman is saying bad things about Epstein.
I guess she isn't one of the women he likes to 'protect'
Yes. Yes it can.
Richard Dawkins this time, worried a 'nasty' cis woman is saying bad things about Epstein.
I guess she isn't one of the women he likes to 'protect'
To add to this, Richard Dawkins (biologist). Complaining about Rebecca Watson. www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
February 3, 2026 at 8:57 AM
What's this I see, why it can't possible be yet *another* GC in the Epstein files, can it?
Yes. Yes it can.
Richard Dawkins this time, worried a 'nasty' cis woman is saying bad things about Epstein.
I guess she isn't one of the women he likes to 'protect'
Yes. Yes it can.
Richard Dawkins this time, worried a 'nasty' cis woman is saying bad things about Epstein.
I guess she isn't one of the women he likes to 'protect'
Reposted by Martin Smith
There were a flurry of "spontaneous" replies last month to various posts i made. All written the same way. All trying to link to the random substack about how innocent he is.
My first thought (after blocking) was:
"Oh i see someone's publisher has hired a bot farm."
My first thought (after blocking) was:
"Oh i see someone's publisher has hired a bot farm."
Gaiman is already suing one of his accusers. If he had any actionable claims against "There is No Safe Word", he would have sued New York Magazine and Lila Shapiro. The fact that he is instead pointing readers to some random substack article tells us all we need to know.
I find the entire genre of "tens of thousands of words minutely refuting every point of an abuse clam" intrinsically unpersuasive. If any of the evidence were actually damning they'd just highlight that instead of doing a tedious Gish Gallop.
February 3, 2026 at 8:45 AM
There were a flurry of "spontaneous" replies last month to various posts i made. All written the same way. All trying to link to the random substack about how innocent he is.
My first thought (after blocking) was:
"Oh i see someone's publisher has hired a bot farm."
My first thought (after blocking) was:
"Oh i see someone's publisher has hired a bot farm."
Reposted by Martin Smith
Back in the day I said "if you look at the people supporting Brexit you'll know it's not a good idea"
Turns out, I was more correct than I ever imagined.
Turns out, I was more correct than I ever imagined.
February 2, 2026 at 6:56 PM
Back in the day I said "if you look at the people supporting Brexit you'll know it's not a good idea"
Turns out, I was more correct than I ever imagined.
Turns out, I was more correct than I ever imagined.
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Definitely seems like they destroyed the country on purpose.
February 2, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Definitely seems like they destroyed the country on purpose.
Reposted by Martin Smith
You mean to tell me that two of the main websites (4Chan & X) used to harass & abuse women, as well as aid the proliferation of harmful networks for rapists and peodphiles, anti-LGBT activists, and anti-abortion campaigns, have both been owned by two men with direct ties to Epstein?!
I AM SHOCKED.
I AM SHOCKED.
January 31, 2026 at 9:20 AM
You mean to tell me that two of the main websites (4Chan & X) used to harass & abuse women, as well as aid the proliferation of harmful networks for rapists and peodphiles, anti-LGBT activists, and anti-abortion campaigns, have both been owned by two men with direct ties to Epstein?!
I AM SHOCKED.
I AM SHOCKED.
Reposted by Martin Smith
To those saying, "but the Greens will split the vote":
1. Things have changed.
2. It's not the Green's fault that Starmer has the Merdas Touch (turns everything to shit)
3. When the Greens offer the only inspiring option, perhaps we should see the Labour candidate as splitting the vote.
1. Things have changed.
2. It's not the Green's fault that Starmer has the Merdas Touch (turns everything to shit)
3. When the Greens offer the only inspiring option, perhaps we should see the Labour candidate as splitting the vote.
January 30, 2026 at 3:18 PM
To those saying, "but the Greens will split the vote":
1. Things have changed.
2. It's not the Green's fault that Starmer has the Merdas Touch (turns everything to shit)
3. When the Greens offer the only inspiring option, perhaps we should see the Labour candidate as splitting the vote.
1. Things have changed.
2. It's not the Green's fault that Starmer has the Merdas Touch (turns everything to shit)
3. When the Greens offer the only inspiring option, perhaps we should see the Labour candidate as splitting the vote.
Reposted by Martin Smith
Ah, that is very sad. She wasn’t just great, she was great in everything.
Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and ‘Home Alone’ Star, Dies at 71: variety.com/2026/tv/news...
Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and ‘Home Alone’ Star, Dies at 71
Catherine O'Hara, a legendary Hollywood actor known for her roles in 'Schitt's Creek' and 'Home Alone,' has died. She was 71.
variety.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Ah, that is very sad. She wasn’t just great, she was great in everything.
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we have another word for ‘mass detention camps for people that an authoritarian government wants to get rid of’
Call them concentration camps. That’s what they are.
Call them concentration camps. That’s what they are.
BIG news from @bloomberg.com, which confirms that ICE has gone ahead and *purchased* multiple commercial warehouses with the aim of converting them into mass detention camps.
This is likely to be the big detention story of 2026 — literal warehousing of people.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
This is likely to be the big detention story of 2026 — literal warehousing of people.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
ICE Begins Buying ‘Mega’ Warehouse Detention Centers Across US
Plans for such centers and jails in nearly two dozen communities have sparked protests over suitability, proximity to homes and schools.
www.bloomberg.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:15 PM
we have another word for ‘mass detention camps for people that an authoritarian government wants to get rid of’
Call them concentration camps. That’s what they are.
Call them concentration camps. That’s what they are.
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'the UK creative industries — which contributed £125 billion to the economy in 2024 and supported 2.4 million jobs — are being destroyed by an AI sector that... contributed just £11 billion in the same year and supported only 85,000 jobs." www.thetimes.com/culture/film...
All 2.4m of Britain’s creative workers are at risk — and we know why
A new report into the impact of AI on the creative sector makes for apocalyptic reading. The government must act now
www.thetimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:34 AM
'the UK creative industries — which contributed £125 billion to the economy in 2024 and supported 2.4 million jobs — are being destroyed by an AI sector that... contributed just £11 billion in the same year and supported only 85,000 jobs." www.thetimes.com/culture/film...
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"I cannot tell you how haunting butterscotch becomes when you associate it with a 550lb (250kg) bear living under your floor." www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Experience: a bear moved into my house
I heard this huff, then a stomp. A growl that sounded like a death warning
www.theguardian.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:55 AM
"I cannot tell you how haunting butterscotch becomes when you associate it with a 550lb (250kg) bear living under your floor." www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
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You know who is a little underrated historically is Cyndi Lauper, she can sing and is genuinely a big old weirdo. That’s the two most important things about modern pop stars.
January 30, 2026 at 12:13 AM
You know who is a little underrated historically is Cyndi Lauper, she can sing and is genuinely a big old weirdo. That’s the two most important things about modern pop stars.
Reposted by Martin Smith
"how can we frame the drop in the murder rate as a bad thing?"
January 29, 2026 at 2:35 PM
"how can we frame the drop in the murder rate as a bad thing?"
Reposted by Martin Smith
Hospital Staff Pay Tribute To Alex Pretti. Alex gets saluted before being paraded past the hospital staff he used to work with.
January 26, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Hospital Staff Pay Tribute To Alex Pretti. Alex gets saluted before being paraded past the hospital staff he used to work with.
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“If [Braverman] possesses endearing qualities they’re imperceptible to the naked eye. She manages to be both malevolent and goofy, like a clown with a grenade-launcher.”
🔴 Nigel Farage is sabotaging his own party 🔴
I think the recent defections have shown that his political ambitions are entirely selfish.
👇
I think the recent defections have shown that his political ambitions are entirely selfish.
👇
Nigel Farage is sabotaging his own party
Initial thoughts on Braverman switching teams...
writesbright.substack.com
January 27, 2026 at 1:42 PM
“If [Braverman] possesses endearing qualities they’re imperceptible to the naked eye. She manages to be both malevolent and goofy, like a clown with a grenade-launcher.”
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Happy large boulder the size of a small boulder day for all who celebrate
January 27, 2024 at 2:56 PM
Happy large boulder the size of a small boulder day for all who celebrate
Reposted by Martin Smith
The UK version of “Project 2025” by the Reform party includes a British ICE, a concentration camp for 24,000 people, mass surveillance and withdrawing from refugee, anti-torture and anti-trafficking conventions.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
January 26, 2026 at 1:22 PM
The UK version of “Project 2025” by the Reform party includes a British ICE, a concentration camp for 24,000 people, mass surveillance and withdrawing from refugee, anti-torture and anti-trafficking conventions.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
Reposted by Martin Smith
at the core of fascist ideology is an assumption that people are rotten, only motivated by things like fear and desire for power. they go out into the world and do terrible things, and then go home and live a "normal" life- so they assume any decency in others is also a mask.
They never worried about what a truly dire fuckup killing an Alex Pretti would be because it never occurred to them that an Alex Pretti could ever exist
So now they have no idea what the fuck to do. Because they don’t even fully understand what’s just happened
So now they have no idea what the fuck to do. Because they don’t even fully understand what’s just happened
January 26, 2026 at 6:11 PM
at the core of fascist ideology is an assumption that people are rotten, only motivated by things like fear and desire for power. they go out into the world and do terrible things, and then go home and live a "normal" life- so they assume any decency in others is also a mask.
Reposted by Martin Smith
Reposted by Martin Smith
What an absolutely fascinating time to be alive and how I wish it would stop.
a not insignificant number of people on Threads seem to believe the snow storm was The Government's attempt to refreeze the Leviathan, the world-eating serpent, which was getting loose (to eat the world, I assume)
January 26, 2026 at 6:45 PM
What an absolutely fascinating time to be alive and how I wish it would stop.