Owen Blacker
@owenblacker.bsky.social
🇪🇺🏳️🌈🏴🇵🇸♿⧖ he/him, cis.
Queer political geek; proud social justice warrior+trans ally. Queering Wikipedia (and chair of @wmlgbt.org), Open Rights Group, ex-mySociety. Dysgwr. My opinions, not my employer’s.
t.me/owenblacker
owen.blacker.me.uk
Queer political geek; proud social justice warrior+trans ally. Queering Wikipedia (and chair of @wmlgbt.org), Open Rights Group, ex-mySociety. Dysgwr. My opinions, not my employer’s.
t.me/owenblacker
owen.blacker.me.uk
Reposted by Owen Blacker
I've mentionedd before that once every human on the planet had a high-quality camera on them at all times we stopped seeing blurry pictures of Bigfoot and UFOs and started seeing lots and lots of police brutality
November 24, 2025 at 12:06 PM
I've mentionedd before that once every human on the planet had a high-quality camera on them at all times we stopped seeing blurry pictures of Bigfoot and UFOs and started seeing lots and lots of police brutality
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Who is it that needs to have their damn phones confiscated, here. Is it you?
November 24, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Who is it that needs to have their damn phones confiscated, here. Is it you?
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Well, what if it isn’t the public who have gone apeshit? What if it isn’t tens of millions of people all over the world, and it’s instead these tiny elite cliques of professionals who all know each other personally, refusing to accept the reality of the world they made? Doesn’t that seem more likely
November 24, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Well, what if it isn’t the public who have gone apeshit? What if it isn’t tens of millions of people all over the world, and it’s instead these tiny elite cliques of professionals who all know each other personally, refusing to accept the reality of the world they made? Doesn’t that seem more likely
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Why are these uppity students demanding we move the statue of the slaver, why are people willing to vote against brutal austerity, why are the transgenders *at all*, on and on, and the only explanation is: Demons have infected the public via their mobile phones.
November 24, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Why are these uppity students demanding we move the statue of the slaver, why are people willing to vote against brutal austerity, why are the transgenders *at all*, on and on, and the only explanation is: Demons have infected the public via their mobile phones.
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Why are all these rich and important men being accused of committing sexual crimes? It can’t be because rich, important men have always exploited their impunity to force themselves on employees, and social media makes it possible for victims to be heard. It must be Woke Indoctrination, or whatever.
November 24, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Why are all these rich and important men being accused of committing sexual crimes? It can’t be because rich, important men have always exploited their impunity to force themselves on employees, and social media makes it possible for victims to be heard. It must be Woke Indoctrination, or whatever.
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Why is there all this mobile phone and bodycam footage of policemen murdering citizens all of a sudden? It can’t be that video is now ubiquitous and the cops were always violent and racist as a matter of course, it must be that malignant troublemakers are trying to start a race revolution.
November 24, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Why is there all this mobile phone and bodycam footage of policemen murdering citizens all of a sudden? It can’t be that video is now ubiquitous and the cops were always violent and racist as a matter of course, it must be that malignant troublemakers are trying to start a race revolution.
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Nota bene how “the wall of carnage” does not require the lady to update her assumptions, which are obviously true: if they weren’t, why would all the important people she knows believe the same thing? Insane, unacceptable. So it must be that the kids who are wrong.
November 24, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Nota bene how “the wall of carnage” does not require the lady to update her assumptions, which are obviously true: if they weren’t, why would all the important people she knows believe the same thing? Insane, unacceptable. So it must be that the kids who are wrong.
Reposted by Owen Blacker
This one really is useful because you won’t see a more clear demonstration of one of the most damaging political phenomena of the era: the reactionary professional mind rejecting unacceptable reality, only able to process and comprehend it via something close to conspiracy theory.
Former Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz says Jewish students shouldn’t have smartphones until they finish high school — so they don’t see the “carnage” Israel and the U.S. have carried out in Gaza.
Video: Mel via X (@Villgecrazylady)
Video: Mel via X (@Villgecrazylady)
November 24, 2025 at 9:06 AM
This one really is useful because you won’t see a more clear demonstration of one of the most damaging political phenomena of the era: the reactionary professional mind rejecting unacceptable reality, only able to process and comprehend it via something close to conspiracy theory.
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Woodworking is on NPR's top books of 2025 list, and as a longtime user of NPR's book lists to purchase holiday gifts and add stuff to my library list, I am so glad to think some alternate universe version of myself might decide to check out my new book!
apps.npr.org/best-books/?...
apps.npr.org/best-books/?...
Books We Love
Here are 380+ great reads from 2025 handpicked just for you by NPR staffers and trusted critics.
apps.npr.org
November 24, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Woodworking is on NPR's top books of 2025 list, and as a longtime user of NPR's book lists to purchase holiday gifts and add stuff to my library list, I am so glad to think some alternate universe version of myself might decide to check out my new book!
apps.npr.org/best-books/?...
apps.npr.org/best-books/?...
Reposted by Owen Blacker
And by "happening" I very much mean "being perpetrated by Israel, backed by the United States of America"
November 24, 2025 at 4:56 PM
And by "happening" I very much mean "being perpetrated by Israel, backed by the United States of America"
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Genocide is still happening in Gaza.
And, at a slower - but still horrific - pace, in the West Bank.
I thought you should know.
And, at a slower - but still horrific - pace, in the West Bank.
I thought you should know.
November 24, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Genocide is still happening in Gaza.
And, at a slower - but still horrific - pace, in the West Bank.
I thought you should know.
And, at a slower - but still horrific - pace, in the West Bank.
I thought you should know.
I just needed to fetch an invoice out of Amazon for a work expense and it has an address on it that (a) is no longer in my Amazon account and (b) I haven't used since 2018 at the very latest (and probably not since 2009).
Anyone know how to make Amazon actually forget that old address?
Anyone know how to make Amazon actually forget that old address?
November 24, 2025 at 3:36 PM
I just needed to fetch an invoice out of Amazon for a work expense and it has an address on it that (a) is no longer in my Amazon account and (b) I haven't used since 2018 at the very latest (and probably not since 2009).
Anyone know how to make Amazon actually forget that old address?
Anyone know how to make Amazon actually forget that old address?
If you see this, post your getaway vehicle.
If I can't have the 1st, the 2nd will do.
If I can't have the 1st, the 2nd will do.
November 24, 2025 at 3:24 PM
If you see this, post your getaway vehicle.
If I can't have the 1st, the 2nd will do.
If I can't have the 1st, the 2nd will do.
Reposted by Owen Blacker
didn't they already do this and it was terrible?
November 24, 2025 at 2:27 PM
didn't they already do this and it was terrible?
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Stoopid rug.
November 24, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Stoopid rug.
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Prevent ≠ safeguarding. It's about surveillance.
The Palestine Action ban and a vague interpretation of 'extremism' has meant that people engaging in the Palestinian solidarity movement have been swept up into the Prevent Duty.
We must not criminalise dissent!
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
The Palestine Action ban and a vague interpretation of 'extremism' has meant that people engaging in the Palestinian solidarity movement have been swept up into the Prevent Duty.
We must not criminalise dissent!
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Palestine Action ban could lead to people being wrongly criminalised, Home Office official says
Exclusive: Member of homeland security group says anti-terrorism Prevent scheme risks being overwhelmed by Palestine advocates
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Prevent ≠ safeguarding. It's about surveillance.
The Palestine Action ban and a vague interpretation of 'extremism' has meant that people engaging in the Palestinian solidarity movement have been swept up into the Prevent Duty.
We must not criminalise dissent!
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
The Palestine Action ban and a vague interpretation of 'extremism' has meant that people engaging in the Palestinian solidarity movement have been swept up into the Prevent Duty.
We must not criminalise dissent!
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Turf out TERFs
Let trans people bloom
📸 Taken at the Let Women Speak counterprotest in Oxford
🗓️ 18th October 2025
Let trans people bloom
📸 Taken at the Let Women Speak counterprotest in Oxford
🗓️ 18th October 2025
November 24, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Turf out TERFs
Let trans people bloom
📸 Taken at the Let Women Speak counterprotest in Oxford
🗓️ 18th October 2025
Let trans people bloom
📸 Taken at the Let Women Speak counterprotest in Oxford
🗓️ 18th October 2025
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Welp this is my new ringtone
November 24, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Welp this is my new ringtone
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Trans Safety Network are extremely concerned that DHSC are continuing to solicit input on trans healthcare from Bayswater and other anti trans groups after a reply to our previous concerns stated they would not work with groups who promote harmful practices or discriminatory views
Wes Streeting continues to ignore safeguarding concerns about parents group linked to abusive practices
Trans Safety Network has seen evidence Wes Streeting and the DHSC solicited feedback on a “puberty blocker risk form” from Bayswater Support Group and other anti-trans groups in September 2025, 6 mont...
transsafety.network
November 24, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Trans Safety Network are extremely concerned that DHSC are continuing to solicit input on trans healthcare from Bayswater and other anti trans groups after a reply to our previous concerns stated they would not work with groups who promote harmful practices or discriminatory views
Reposted by Owen Blacker
The golden age was Google circa 1999. Before they merged with Doubleclick and focussed on maximizing advertising revenue, back when they were 100% focussed on building mindshare by *doing text search better* (and the advertisers hadn't learned SEO tricks to bamboozle them).
November 24, 2025 at 11:57 AM
The golden age was Google circa 1999. Before they merged with Doubleclick and focussed on maximizing advertising revenue, back when they were 100% focussed on building mindshare by *doing text search better* (and the advertisers hadn't learned SEO tricks to bamboozle them).
Reposted by Owen Blacker
The one thing I really miss about the 'older world' is browsing library stacks, and card catalogues. However much I appreciate databases and retrieving what I want in moments, the serendipity of 'the book next to the one I wanted' and 'the article in the same issue' cannot be replicated. #Libraries
November 24, 2025 at 11:39 AM
The one thing I really miss about the 'older world' is browsing library stacks, and card catalogues. However much I appreciate databases and retrieving what I want in moments, the serendipity of 'the book next to the one I wanted' and 'the article in the same issue' cannot be replicated. #Libraries
Reposted by Owen Blacker
They wouldn't have invented "stout cardboard boxes" if they hadn't intended on them being *used*, now would they?
Filling them with "stuff" is the least I can do to honor them!
Filling them with "stuff" is the least I can do to honor them!
November 23, 2025 at 11:06 PM
They wouldn't have invented "stout cardboard boxes" if they hadn't intended on them being *used*, now would they?
Filling them with "stuff" is the least I can do to honor them!
Filling them with "stuff" is the least I can do to honor them!
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.
November 23, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.
Reposted by Owen Blacker
Christmas is coming up. #JustSaying tenderbooks.co.uk/products/art...
Art in Transit - Keith Haring & Tseng Kwong Chi
HARING, Keith & Tseng Kwong Chi. Art in Transit. First edition. Quarto. 134pp. Colour plates throughout. Printed wraps with photographic dust jacket. New York: Harmony Books, 1984. A fine copy. Ts...
tenderbooks.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Christmas is coming up. #JustSaying tenderbooks.co.uk/products/art...
“On 22 November we launched GDS Local: a new specialist unit in the Government Digital Service focused on working with and alongside local government to deliver the ambitions we set out in the blueprint for a modern digital government.”
gds.blog.gov.uk/2025/11/24/g...
gds.blog.gov.uk/2025/11/24/g...
GDS Local goes live
GDS Local is a new unit within the Government Digital Service (GDS) that brings central and local government together to improve how digital public services are designed and delivered. Working alongsi...
gds.blog.gov.uk
November 24, 2025 at 11:17 AM
“On 22 November we launched GDS Local: a new specialist unit in the Government Digital Service focused on working with and alongside local government to deliver the ambitions we set out in the blueprint for a modern digital government.”
gds.blog.gov.uk/2025/11/24/g...
gds.blog.gov.uk/2025/11/24/g...