Prof Mike Yearworth
@mikeyearworth.bsky.social
Emeritus Professor · Problem Structuring · Problem Formulation · Soft Systems Methodology · Practice of Operational Research · Process Thinking · Facilitation · Group Support Systems · Co-Editor-in-Chief European Journal of Operational Research · CEng
Pinned
My book 'Problem Structuring: Methodology in Practice' has just been published by Wiley! www.grounded.systems/2024/03/prob...
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
“"What's striking is how much of the internet has had to hide behind Cloudflare infrastructure to avoid denial of service attacks in recent years,"” … “as a result of this - it had also become "one of the internet's largest single points of failure."”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Cloudflare apologises for outage which took down X and ChatGPT
"We apologise to our customers and the Internet in general" the web infrastructure company said.
www.bbc.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:36 AM
“"What's striking is how much of the internet has had to hide behind Cloudflare infrastructure to avoid denial of service attacks in recent years,"” … “as a result of this - it had also become "one of the internet's largest single points of failure."”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
🚨 Labour MPs are calling for a minister-led review of the government’s use of X, warning it poses growing risks to democracy and public safety
@politicshome.bsky.social understands a review is currently being carried out by officials, but without ministerial oversight
@politicshome.bsky.social understands a review is currently being carried out by officials, but without ministerial oversight
Labour MPs Call For A More Serious Review Of The Government's Use Of X
Labour MPs are calling for ministers to take control of decisions over the government’s continued use of X, as concerns grow about the platform’s s...
www.politicshome.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:05 PM
🚨 Labour MPs are calling for a minister-led review of the government’s use of X, warning it poses growing risks to democracy and public safety
@politicshome.bsky.social understands a review is currently being carried out by officials, but without ministerial oversight
@politicshome.bsky.social understands a review is currently being carried out by officials, but without ministerial oversight
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
Labour MP & chair of the Women and Equalities Committee @sarahowen.org.uk said govt should take seriously “the threat X poses to our country’s democracy and social cohesion”
“There is no obligation for government departments to use X… we should stop lending it any sense of legitimacy”
“There is no obligation for government departments to use X… we should stop lending it any sense of legitimacy”
November 20, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Labour MP & chair of the Women and Equalities Committee @sarahowen.org.uk said govt should take seriously “the threat X poses to our country’s democracy and social cohesion”
“There is no obligation for government departments to use X… we should stop lending it any sense of legitimacy”
“There is no obligation for government departments to use X… we should stop lending it any sense of legitimacy”
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
Almost half of English higher education institutions still face a financial deficit this year despite the uplift in tuition fees, the Office for Students has warned. Helen Packer reports
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/radical-action-needed-half-providers-still-face-deficits
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/radical-action-needed-half-providers-still-face-deficits
November 20, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Almost half of English higher education institutions still face a financial deficit this year despite the uplift in tuition fees, the Office for Students has warned. Helen Packer reports
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/radical-action-needed-half-providers-still-face-deficits
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/radical-action-needed-half-providers-still-face-deficits
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
Financial crisis worsens as 45% of English universities face deficit.
Office for Students analysis finds institutions performing worse than they had forecast.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...
Office for Students analysis finds institutions performing worse than they had forecast.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...
Financial crisis worsens as 45% of English universities face deficit - Research Professional News
Office for Students analysis finds institutions performing worse than they had forecast in May
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:51 AM
Financial crisis worsens as 45% of English universities face deficit.
Office for Students analysis finds institutions performing worse than they had forecast.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...
Office for Students analysis finds institutions performing worse than they had forecast.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
Channel Tunnel owner cancels UK rail projects over rise in business rates on.ft.com/4rbwRTd
Channel Tunnel owner cancels UK rail projects over rise in business rates
Eurotunnel said expected tripling of levy makes planned freight investments untenable
on.ft.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Channel Tunnel owner cancels UK rail projects over rise in business rates on.ft.com/4rbwRTd
“"What's striking is how much of the internet has had to hide behind Cloudflare infrastructure to avoid denial of service attacks in recent years,"” … “as a result of this - it had also become "one of the internet's largest single points of failure."”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Cloudflare apologises for outage which took down X and ChatGPT
"We apologise to our customers and the Internet in general" the web infrastructure company said.
www.bbc.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:36 AM
“"What's striking is how much of the internet has had to hide behind Cloudflare infrastructure to avoid denial of service attacks in recent years,"” … “as a result of this - it had also become "one of the internet's largest single points of failure."”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
NEW RESEARCH:
Demand flexibility becomes more and more attractive.
We found a whopping 480 smart tariffs and services across Europe — a 3x increase since our 2021/2022 study.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@jaapburger.eu @regassistproj.bsky.social @ecioxford.bsky.social
Demand flexibility becomes more and more attractive.
We found a whopping 480 smart tariffs and services across Europe — a 3x increase since our 2021/2022 study.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@jaapburger.eu @regassistproj.bsky.social @ecioxford.bsky.social
November 19, 2025 at 8:15 AM
NEW RESEARCH:
Demand flexibility becomes more and more attractive.
We found a whopping 480 smart tariffs and services across Europe — a 3x increase since our 2021/2022 study.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@jaapburger.eu @regassistproj.bsky.social @ecioxford.bsky.social
Demand flexibility becomes more and more attractive.
We found a whopping 480 smart tariffs and services across Europe — a 3x increase since our 2021/2022 study.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@jaapburger.eu @regassistproj.bsky.social @ecioxford.bsky.social
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
new paper by Sean Westwood:
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
November 18, 2025 at 7:16 PM
new paper by Sean Westwood:
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
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 9:23 PM
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
“The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-13223, is a type confusion flaw in the V8 JavaScript engine, and it's the seventh Chrome zero-day this year”
www.theregister.com/2025/11/18/g...
www.theregister.com/2025/11/18/g...
Google Chrome bug exploited as an 0-day - patch now
: Seventh Chrome 0-day this year
www.theregister.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:16 PM
“The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-13223, is a type confusion flaw in the V8 JavaScript engine, and it's the seventh Chrome zero-day this year”
www.theregister.com/2025/11/18/g...
www.theregister.com/2025/11/18/g...
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
Researchers tried plugging every possible phone number into WhatsApp's web app. They found they could collect 3.5 billion users' phone numbers, plus photos for half and profile text for more than a third, the biggest personal data exposure ever by some measures. www.wired.com/story/a-simp...
A Simple WhatsApp Security Flaw Exposed 3.5 Billion Phone Numbers
By plugging tens of billions of phone numbers into WhatsApp’s contact discovery tool, researchers found “the most extensive exposure of phone numbers” ever—along with profile photos and more.
www.wired.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Researchers tried plugging every possible phone number into WhatsApp's web app. They found they could collect 3.5 billion users' phone numbers, plus photos for half and profile text for more than a third, the biggest personal data exposure ever by some measures. www.wired.com/story/a-simp...
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
Heat pumps news! DESNZ is expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to cover air to air heat pumps and heat batteries.
Both will be eligible for a £2,500 grant if it fully replaces a gas or oil boiler…
www.businessgreen.com/news/4521952...
Both will be eligible for a £2,500 grant if it fully replaces a gas or oil boiler…
www.businessgreen.com/news/4521952...
Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Government set to expand scheme to include air conditioning heat pumps
Government expands heat pump scheme to include heat batteries and 'air-to-air devices' that can cool homes in summer, despite speculation over budget cuts
www.businessgreen.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Heat pumps news! DESNZ is expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to cover air to air heat pumps and heat batteries.
Both will be eligible for a £2,500 grant if it fully replaces a gas or oil boiler…
www.businessgreen.com/news/4521952...
Both will be eligible for a £2,500 grant if it fully replaces a gas or oil boiler…
www.businessgreen.com/news/4521952...
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
We've been working with partners on a new initiative to collectively ensure that research libraries coordinate on the retention of their print monographs. @timeshighered.bsky.social today carries an article on the UK Print Book Collection:
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/librari...
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/librari...
Libraries coordinate on book disposal to safeguard rare texts
As shelves fill up and costs mount, new scheme allows librarians to discard underused books if more than seven copies exist elsewhere
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:41 AM
We've been working with partners on a new initiative to collectively ensure that research libraries coordinate on the retention of their print monographs. @timeshighered.bsky.social today carries an article on the UK Print Book Collection:
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/librari...
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/librari...
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
Vodafone, EE, O2, Three hit with £3B overcharging lawsuit
Vodafone, EE, O2, Three hit with £3B overcharging lawsuit
Case alleges loyal customers continued to pay bundled rates after minimum contract terms ended
Britain's biggest mobile phone companies face legal action over claims they overcharged customers through a "loyalty penalty" after a tribunal permitted the cases to proceed.…
dlvr.it
November 18, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Vodafone, EE, O2, Three hit with £3B overcharging lawsuit
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
The British library is in crisis: why does nobody care?
The widespread indifference to the British Library's crippling cyberattack demonstrates a perilous failure to value the knowledge infrastructure vital for national prosperity
www.cityam.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:27 AM
I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
“As valuations rise, some analysts have expressed scepticism about a complicated web of $1.4tn of deals being done around OpenAI, which is expected to have revenues this year of less than one thousandth of the planned investment.”
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Google boss Sundar Pichai warns 'no company immune' if AI bubble bursts
Speaking exclusively to BBC News, CEO Sundar Pichai said the artificial intelligence boom had been an
www.bbc.co.uk
November 18, 2025 at 10:02 AM
“As valuations rise, some analysts have expressed scepticism about a complicated web of $1.4tn of deals being done around OpenAI, which is expected to have revenues this year of less than one thousandth of the planned investment.”
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
“One in five UK planners is intending to leave the field or retire in the next three years, exacerbating a shortage that the leading trade body warns will put at risk the government’s target of building 1.5mn homes by 2030.”
www.ft.com/content/c27b...
www.ft.com/content/c27b...
UK government’s housebuilding target under threat as councils face exodus of planners
Planning industry has been hit by local authority budget cuts since 2010
www.ft.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:51 AM
“One in five UK planners is intending to leave the field or retire in the next three years, exacerbating a shortage that the leading trade body warns will put at risk the government’s target of building 1.5mn homes by 2030.”
www.ft.com/content/c27b...
www.ft.com/content/c27b...
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
Current reading: Why we thrive beneath a northern sky - genomic signals of selection in apple for adaptation to northern Sweden (2024) by Skytte et al.
Much information on genetic testing of apples, and viability of cultivar growth in climate-affected high latitudes.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Much information on genetic testing of apples, and viability of cultivar growth in climate-affected high latitudes.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 17, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Current reading: Why we thrive beneath a northern sky - genomic signals of selection in apple for adaptation to northern Sweden (2024) by Skytte et al.
Much information on genetic testing of apples, and viability of cultivar growth in climate-affected high latitudes.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Much information on genetic testing of apples, and viability of cultivar growth in climate-affected high latitudes.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
From the great new NBER paper by Bloom et al on the cost of Brexit.
It ain't pretty - they estimate UK GDP is down between 6-8%. Consistent with the doppelgang model of @johnspringford.bsky.social for CER.
A lot of 'free' GDP available availabe for Labour if it had the courage to reset properly.
It ain't pretty - they estimate UK GDP is down between 6-8%. Consistent with the doppelgang model of @johnspringford.bsky.social for CER.
A lot of 'free' GDP available availabe for Labour if it had the courage to reset properly.
November 17, 2025 at 9:57 PM
From the great new NBER paper by Bloom et al on the cost of Brexit.
It ain't pretty - they estimate UK GDP is down between 6-8%. Consistent with the doppelgang model of @johnspringford.bsky.social for CER.
A lot of 'free' GDP available availabe for Labour if it had the courage to reset properly.
It ain't pretty - they estimate UK GDP is down between 6-8%. Consistent with the doppelgang model of @johnspringford.bsky.social for CER.
A lot of 'free' GDP available availabe for Labour if it had the courage to reset properly.
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
Overconfidence is the new zero-day as teams stumble through cyber simulations
Overconfidence is the new zero-day as teams stumble through cyber simulations
Readiness metrics have flatlined since 2023, with most sectors slipping backward as teams fumble crisis drills
Teams that think they're ready for a major cyber incident are scoring barely 22 percent accuracy and taking more than a day to contain simulated attacks, according to new data out Monday.…
dlvr.it
November 17, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Overconfidence is the new zero-day as teams stumble through cyber simulations
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
Leading medical publication the British Medical Journal recognises SUVs as a danger to public health in a new editorial co-authored by T&E’s James Nix: bit.ly/4hVDlBC
Large SUVs are a danger to pedestrians, cyclists & other drivers.
It's time to take action to reduce their presence in urban areas.
Large SUVs are a danger to pedestrians, cyclists & other drivers.
It's time to take action to reduce their presence in urban areas.
November 12, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Leading medical publication the British Medical Journal recognises SUVs as a danger to public health in a new editorial co-authored by T&E’s James Nix: bit.ly/4hVDlBC
Large SUVs are a danger to pedestrians, cyclists & other drivers.
It's time to take action to reduce their presence in urban areas.
Large SUVs are a danger to pedestrians, cyclists & other drivers.
It's time to take action to reduce their presence in urban areas.
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
Companies and security groups say the UK government’s plan to ban operators of critical national infrastructure from paying ransoms to hackers is unlikely to stop cyber attacks and could result in essential services collapsing. on.ft.com/47Zonpp
November 17, 2025 at 5:45 AM
Companies and security groups say the UK government’s plan to ban operators of critical national infrastructure from paying ransoms to hackers is unlikely to stop cyber attacks and could result in essential services collapsing. on.ft.com/47Zonpp
“But some Labour MPs are concerned the government has not published its China audit, which it carried out as part of an election manifesto commitment.”
Worth reading Chris Miller’s “Chip War” for background.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Worth reading Chris Miller’s “Chip War” for background.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
China's investment spree in UK gave it access to military-grade technology, BBC told
Tens of billions of pounds has been spent by the Chinese in the UK since 2000, Panorama has learned.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 17, 2025 at 7:29 AM
“But some Labour MPs are concerned the government has not published its China audit, which it carried out as part of an election manifesto commitment.”
Worth reading Chris Miller’s “Chip War” for background.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Worth reading Chris Miller’s “Chip War” for background.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Prof Mike Yearworth
