Phil
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philgooch.bsky.social
Phil
@philgooch.bsky.social
91 followers 79 following 35 posts
Startup advisor and investor supporting analogue-digital creatives
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philgooch.bsky.social
Imperfect Simulations by Michelle Z. Jin clarkesworldmagazine.com/jin_12_25/
Imperfect Simulations by Michelle Z. Jin
Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine and Podcast.
clarkesworldmagazine.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Reposted by Phil
suw.bsky.social
A lot of language learners feel like they've plateaued at the intermediate level. Reading a lot of books helps, but there aren't many specifically designed to expand your vocab. Mamaliaid Prydain is. Pre-order here: www.kickstarter.com/... Pls share!
An illustration of a fox, hare and red deer, along with a great tit, blue tit and robin. Text says: Mamaliaid Prydain. Adar yr Ardd. Factual ebooks for intermediate Welsh learners featuring: Short description of each animal, annotated illustrations, key vocabulary. Praise for Adar yr Ardd: “the cutest way to improve your Welsh,” Maarten. “A beautiful, colorful book with so much information!” Melanie.
November 29, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Reposted by Phil
mkirschenbaum.bsky.social
Instead of regurgitating the bromide that LLMs are just "autocomplete on steroids" (even by people who know better), maybe we can actually engage in some public education. The problem with genAI is better expressed through a classic computer science concept, known as SYMBOL GROUNDING. 🧵
August 12, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Reposted by Phil
implausibleblog.bsky.social
Kit Malthouse, "At a time when we've got daily lynchings and expulsions on the West Bank"

"Dozens bing murdered as they beg for aid"

"Can he not also see that he may end up at The Hague because of his inaction"
July 22, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Reposted by Phil
dsquareddigest.bsky.social
This is a war crime.
newseye.bsky.social News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · Jul 21
“Since AFP was founded in August 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, we have had wounded and prisoners in our ranks, but none of us remembers seeing our colleagues die of starvation.”

The AFP news release has been released in French. Below is an English translation via Google translate.
Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die - AFP, July 21, 2025 AFP has been working with one freelance writer, three photographers, and six freelance videographers in the Gaza Strip since the departure of its staff journalists in 2024. Along with a few others, they are now the only ones reporting what is happening in the Gaza Strip. The international press has been banned from entering the territory for nearly two years. We refuse to see them die. One of them, Bashar, has worked for AFP since 2010, first as a fixer, then as a freelance photographer, and since 2024 as the main photographer. On Saturday, July 19, he managed to post a message on Facebook: "I no longer have the strength to work for the media. My body is thin and I can no longer work." Bashar, 30, works and lives in conditions equal to those of all Gazans, moving from one refugee camp to another as Israeli bombardments dictate. For over a year, he has lived in absolute destitution and works at enormous risk to his life. Hygiene is a major problem for him, with periods of severe intestinal illness. Bashar has been living in the ruins of his Gaza City home since February with his mother, his four siblings, and the family of one of his brothers. Their house is devoid of any amenities or comforts, except for a few cushions. On Sunday morning, he reported that his older brother had "fallen from hunger." Even though these journalists receive a monthly salary from AFP, there is nothing to buy, or only at exorbitant prices. The banking system has disappeared, and those who exchange money between online bank accounts and cash charge a commission of nearly 40%. AFP no longer has the means to have a vehicle, let alone the fuel to allow its journalists to travel for their reports. Traveling by car is tantamount to running the risk of being a target for the Israeli air force. AFP reporters therefore travel on foot or by donkey cart. Ahlam, for her part, survives in the south of the enclave. And she is determined to "bear witness" for as long as possible. "Every time I leave the tent to cover an event, conduct an interview, or document a story, I don't know if I'll come back alive." The biggest problem, she confirms, is the lack of food and water. We see their situation worsening. They are young, and their strength is failing them. Most no longer have the physical ability to travel the enclave to do their job. Their heartbreaking pleas for help are now daily. Over the past few days, we have understood from their brief messages that their lives no longer depend on much and that their courage, devoted for many months to informing the whole world, will not help them survive. We risk learning of their deaths at any moment, and it's unbearable. This Sunday, Bashar wrote: "For the first time, I feel defeated." Later that day, he told one of us that he thanked him "for explaining what we live daily between death and hunger." "I wish Mr. Macron could help me get out of this hell." Ahlam is still standing. "I try to continue practicing my profession, to carry the voice of the people, to document the truth in the face of all attempts to silence it. Here, resistance is not a choice: it's a necessity." Since AFP was founded in August 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, we have had wounded and prisoners in our ranks, but none of us remembers seeing a colleagues die of starvation.
July 21, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Reposted by Phil
peterwalker99.bsky.social
NEW: Big study of low-traffic neighbourhoods in London suggest they cut road injuries and deaths by more than a third within their boundaries with no apparent negative safety effect on nearby roads. This feels a *major* boost for proponents of such schemes.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
London’s low-traffic zones ‘cut deaths and injuries by more than a third’
Exclusive: Study also finds no change in number of casualties on roads just outside low-traffic neighbourhoods
www.theguardian.com
July 7, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Reposted by Phil
lottelydia.bsky.social
“Law-abiding protest has so far failed to stop the genocide. More than 50,000 innocent children have been killed or injured. In what circumstances could civil disobedience ever be justified if not now?”
Israel kills innocent Palestinians. Activists spray-paint a plane. Guess which the UK government calls terrorism | Sally Rooney
If Palestine Action becomes a proscribed group, writing these words of support could become a serious offence. It’s vital we fight this alarming attack on free speech, says writer Sally Rooney
www.theguardian.com
June 22, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Phil
willnorman.co.uk
I think this must be one of the most beautiful new walking & cycling routes in London.

Delivered by @EnfieldCouncil, funded by @tfl & @NationalHways, this stunning new route follows the 'New River' from Enfield Town over the M25 to Broxbourne.
June 18, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Reposted by Phil
enfielddispatch.bsky.social
Terror laws are being used to crack down on protest

The mother of a Southgate resident detained under terror laws following a protest shares her concerns about the government’s handling of the case
enfielddispatch.co.uk/?p=20630
Terror laws are being used to crack down on protest
The mother of a Southgate resident detained under terror laws following a protest shares her concerns about the government’s handling of the case
enfielddispatch.co.uk
June 15, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Reposted by Phil
jollyjourno.bsky.social
A year ago I wrote about why local media remains vital, despite its business model collapsing. At the time there was a real risk we'd go bust. We're in a better place now, but still struggling, and the industry problems I highlighted remain.

Check it out:
jollyjournalist.medium.com/local-media-...
Local media never stopped being important — it just stopped being profitable
Local democracy is nothing without local journalism, so why is more not being done to help the independent publishers keeping it alive?
jollyjournalist.medium.com
June 15, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Phil
marcowenjones.bsky.social
Abhorrent. “The soldiers film people fighting over the aid, and once it’s finished, they throw teargas to disperse the crowd. I saw displaced people who couldn’t get any aid picking pasta from the sand.” www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
‘These are traps set for the people’: the story of a mother shot dead searching for food in Gaza
A family is reeling from the killing of a woman who walked for hours to an Israeli-backed distribution point with her son and daughter
www.theguardian.com
June 7, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Reposted by Phil
thetransfemininereview.com
Greta knows full-well that she could die doing this - but she also knows that if Israel kills her, it will stir an international outcry.

She's putting her life on the line to bring media attention back to the genocide.

For that, she has my utmost admiration.
June 6, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Reposted by Phil
captainchaos.myatproto.social
It is crazy that advocating for children is something that can destroy one's career
June 4, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Reposted by Phil
adamjschwarz.bsky.social
Sources reporting that Zelensky has called Trump and offered to mediate a peaceful resolution between Musk and himself.
June 5, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Reposted by Phil
jollyjourno.bsky.social
Press Gazette on the closure of South London Press and what it means: "SLP was the only remaining professional journalism outlet covering council meetings in Bexley, Bromley and Lewisham... It joins a list of around 300 UK local papers closed since 2005."
pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/r...
South London Press closes down after 160 years covering UK capital
Independent local newspaper the South London Press has abruptly closed down after 160 years as it goes into insolvency proceedings.
pressgazette.co.uk
May 28, 2025 at 12:11 PM
philgooch.bsky.social
Murdered by Netanyahu’s war machine
fascinatorfun.bsky.social Fionna O’Leary @fascinatorfun.bsky.social · May 27
“Known for her bright smile & volunteering efforts, Yaqeen was killed on Friday night after Israeli forces shelled the al-Baraka area of Deir al-Balah in… Gaza, amid intense fighting in the region.

Yaqeen and her older brother, Mohamed Hammad, delivered food, toys & clothing to displaced families”
gbbranstetter.bsky.social Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · May 26
"She was also Gaza’s youngest influencer, offering practical survival tips for daily life under bombardment, such as advice on how to cook with improvised methods when there was no gas.

'I try to bring a bit of joy to the other children so that they can forget the war. '”
May 27, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Reposted by Phil
anneapplebaum.bsky.social
Former prime minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, tells BBC Israeli actions in Gaza ‘close to a war crime’

www.timesofisrael.com/former-pm-ol...
Former PM Olmert tells BBC Israeli actions in Gaza ‘close to a war crime’
Comments criticizing war spark immediate backlash from right-wing politicians, who accuse him of 'stabbing soldiers in the back'
www.timesofisrael.com
May 25, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Reposted by Phil
warren.senate.gov
In Gaza, hospitals have collapsed. Babies ran out of formula. Clean drinking water is gone. Meanwhile, trucks filled with aid are waiting idle by the border. Instead of trying to do a Gaza real estate deal, Trump should press the Netanyahu government to open aid routes & stop starving Palestinians.
May 24, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Phil
jollyjourno.bsky.social
The BBC's Local Democracy Reporting Service has helped put journalists back in town halls to cover council meetings - but they remain absent from magistrates and crown courts and likely won't return without public funding. Justice has to be seen to be done!
pressgazette.co.uk/news/one-sid...
Coverage of UK courts threatening to become state-sponsored monopoly
Editors urged to to use independent reports rather than on-side police press releases.
pressgazette.co.uk
May 22, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Reposted by Phil
youranoncentral.bsky.social
Hundreds of Israelis marched towards Gaza, demanding an end to the genocide and called for a hostage deal. #3E #EndImpunity #FreePalestine
May 19, 2025 at 9:34 PM
philgooch.bsky.social
Is it just me or is Threads becoming as much of a toxic bonfire as Twitter/X now?
May 20, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Phil
echohorror.com
Did you know that Sutter Cane outsells @stephenking.bsky.social 4 to 1?
April 27, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by Phil
comicsandai.org
You are invited to a one-day multidisciplinary conference on the future of comics, technology, and creativity. Abstracts (200 words) + bios (100 words) due: 10 July 2025. Don’t miss this opportunity to rethink comics and AI with a multidisciplinary community! #CFP: comicsandai.org #ComicsStudies
Comics & AI: Critical Prompts
A multidisciplinary conference on the future of comics, technology, and creativity
comicsandai.org
May 15, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Reposted by Phil
davecook.bsky.social
Howdy BlueSky 👋 I’m Dave Cook, an award winning author of comics + video game history books from Scotland.

I’ve worked with Boom! Studios, Titan Comics + have released two video game books via Bitmap Books.

Check out my cyberpunk series Killtopia and other works at www.dave-cook.com

Shares = ♥️
October 24, 2024 at 1:53 AM