Rowland Willets
@rowlandwillets.bsky.social
Software Engineer & Amateur Photographer. Interested in Nature, Conservation & Rewilding.
Reposted by Rowland Willets
An excellent article on resisting AI in schools:
“It took software developers in an METR study who used AI tools 19 percent more time to do their work. Nevertheless, because they expected to save time, they believed their work had been sped up by 20 percent.”
(Via @allisonpugh.bsky.social)
“It took software developers in an METR study who used AI tools 19 percent more time to do their work. Nevertheless, because they expected to save time, they believed their work had been sped up by 20 percent.”
(Via @allisonpugh.bsky.social)
Rethinking Schools published my article about pushing back on some of the arguments made by those seeking to rush AI tools into schools.
Resisting AI Mania in Schools
A former English teacher takes on many of the arguments of AI promoters.
rethinkingschools.org
January 15, 2026 at 1:04 PM
An excellent article on resisting AI in schools:
“It took software developers in an METR study who used AI tools 19 percent more time to do their work. Nevertheless, because they expected to save time, they believed their work had been sped up by 20 percent.”
(Via @allisonpugh.bsky.social)
“It took software developers in an METR study who used AI tools 19 percent more time to do their work. Nevertheless, because they expected to save time, they believed their work had been sped up by 20 percent.”
(Via @allisonpugh.bsky.social)
Reposted by Rowland Willets
All You Need Is Kill (Jan. 16, in theater)
"By far the most apparent change in Akimoto’s adaptation of the story is that it follows Rita rather than Keiji, a first for the series."
Director Kenichiro Akimoto: "When I was put in charge of the animation, I wanted to approach it as a challenge to..."
"By far the most apparent change in Akimoto’s adaptation of the story is that it follows Rita rather than Keiji, a first for the series."
Director Kenichiro Akimoto: "When I was put in charge of the animation, I wanted to approach it as a challenge to..."
January 15, 2026 at 12:15 PM
All You Need Is Kill (Jan. 16, in theater)
"By far the most apparent change in Akimoto’s adaptation of the story is that it follows Rita rather than Keiji, a first for the series."
Director Kenichiro Akimoto: "When I was put in charge of the animation, I wanted to approach it as a challenge to..."
"By far the most apparent change in Akimoto’s adaptation of the story is that it follows Rita rather than Keiji, a first for the series."
Director Kenichiro Akimoto: "When I was put in charge of the animation, I wanted to approach it as a challenge to..."
Reposted by Rowland Willets
Gift link to FBI-targeted Post reporter Hannah Natanson's sweeping look at how federal workers have been targeted by Trump. wapo.st/49BQBrh
I am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal.
One reporter’s effort to show how Trump was transforming government brought her 1,168 new sources — and nearly broke her.
wapo.st
January 14, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Gift link to FBI-targeted Post reporter Hannah Natanson's sweeping look at how federal workers have been targeted by Trump. wapo.st/49BQBrh
Reposted by Rowland Willets
As one of the top sources of AI training data, the rich and powerful are eager for Wiki pages to cast them in the best light
Volunteer editors are great at disrupting this – but demand for 'Wikilaundering' has never been higher
And one British PR firm turned it into an exclusive service👇
Volunteer editors are great at disrupting this – but demand for 'Wikilaundering' has never been higher
And one British PR firm turned it into an exclusive service👇
London PR firm rewrites Wikipedia for governments and billionaires
Founded by Keir Starmer’s comms chief, Portland helps rich clients ‘protect their reputation’ – with a shady, off-the-books service
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
January 14, 2026 at 1:17 PM
As one of the top sources of AI training data, the rich and powerful are eager for Wiki pages to cast them in the best light
Volunteer editors are great at disrupting this – but demand for 'Wikilaundering' has never been higher
And one British PR firm turned it into an exclusive service👇
Volunteer editors are great at disrupting this – but demand for 'Wikilaundering' has never been higher
And one British PR firm turned it into an exclusive service👇
Reposted by Rowland Willets
It's incredible how many oil & gas licenses in the UK overlap with Marine 'Protected' Areas - you can explore this on our Watershed Pollution Map:
share.google/bRNs7Y6kD3Kx...
share.google/bRNs7Y6kD3Kx...
January 14, 2026 at 10:55 AM
It's incredible how many oil & gas licenses in the UK overlap with Marine 'Protected' Areas - you can explore this on our Watershed Pollution Map:
share.google/bRNs7Y6kD3Kx...
share.google/bRNs7Y6kD3Kx...
Reposted by Rowland Willets
Sickening. No other words.
MPs approve expansion of anti-protest powers covering animal testing sites
I’m standing outside Parliament today because something serious just happened inside it.
protectthewild.substack.com
January 14, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Sickening. No other words.
Reposted by Rowland Willets
In what could be a huge boost for Ukraine's offensive capabilities, the U.K. announced on Jan. 11 it had launched Project Nightfall, a competition to rapidly develop new long-range ballistic missiles for Kyiv.
Project Nightfall — Everything we know about the UK's ballistic missile program for Ukraine
In what could be a huge boost for Ukraine's offensive capabilities, the U.K. announced on Jan. 11 it had launched Project Nightfall, a competition to rapidly develop new long-range ballistic missiles ...
kyivindependent.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:05 PM
In what could be a huge boost for Ukraine's offensive capabilities, the U.K. announced on Jan. 11 it had launched Project Nightfall, a competition to rapidly develop new long-range ballistic missiles for Kyiv.
Reposted by Rowland Willets
Vital new read on what Trump pulling the US out of UNFCCC and IPCC really means. We've spoken to a range of leading experts...
NEW – Q&A: What Trump’s US exit from UNFCCC and IPCC could mean for climate action | @daisydunne.carbonbrief.org @mollylempriere.carbonbrief.org @orladwyer.carbonbrief.org @joshgabbatiss.bsky.social @rtmcswee.carbonbrief.org
Read here: buff.ly/Mkjsh61
Read here: buff.ly/Mkjsh61
January 9, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Vital new read on what Trump pulling the US out of UNFCCC and IPCC really means. We've spoken to a range of leading experts...
Reposted by Rowland Willets
@georgemonbiot.bsky.social hello, I thought you might be horrified by this:
bsky.app/profile/adam...
bsky.app/profile/adam...
Revealed: oil industry lobbyist working inside UK’s climate department: open.substack.com/pub/abolishw... <- by me
Revealed: oil industry lobbyist working inside UK’s climate department
Polanski slams arrangement; experts warn of 'corporate infiltration antithetical to democracy'
open.substack.com
January 7, 2026 at 11:43 AM
@georgemonbiot.bsky.social hello, I thought you might be horrified by this:
bsky.app/profile/adam...
bsky.app/profile/adam...
Reposted by Rowland Willets
Local elections are less than four months away.
The Labour government has proposed cancelling them.
Of course Labour want to avoid going to the polls, but that's no reason to cancel Oxford elections.
We had this uncertainty last year too. It's tiring.
The Labour government has proposed cancelling them.
Of course Labour want to avoid going to the polls, but that's no reason to cancel Oxford elections.
We had this uncertainty last year too. It's tiring.
Last minute meeting called over whether Oxford local elections will go ahead
A last-minute council meeting will take place next week to decide whether Oxford’s local elections will go ahead in May 2026 as planned.
www.oxfordmail.co.uk
January 6, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Local elections are less than four months away.
The Labour government has proposed cancelling them.
Of course Labour want to avoid going to the polls, but that's no reason to cancel Oxford elections.
We had this uncertainty last year too. It's tiring.
The Labour government has proposed cancelling them.
Of course Labour want to avoid going to the polls, but that's no reason to cancel Oxford elections.
We had this uncertainty last year too. It's tiring.
Reposted by Rowland Willets
Oil, conflict, and climate change – there is a direct connection.
The real kicker here is that if US companies do succeed in ramping up Venezuela’s oil, it’s some of the dirtiest and most carbon intensive in the world. And it’s cheap to produce (PdVSA says $5/barrel, probably closer to $25).
ociplus.rmi.org/supply-chain
ociplus.rmi.org/supply-chain
January 3, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Oil, conflict, and climate change – there is a direct connection.
Reposted by Rowland Willets
This piece, which I learned about from @katharinehayhoe.com's newsletter, is really powerful: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEpP...
It manages to display climate data in a way that provides an emotional gut punch.
It manages to display climate data in a way that provides an emotional gut punch.
Climate in Motion: Dancing with Data
YouTube video by Azim Premji University
www.youtube.com
January 5, 2026 at 4:27 PM
This piece, which I learned about from @katharinehayhoe.com's newsletter, is really powerful: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEpP...
It manages to display climate data in a way that provides an emotional gut punch.
It manages to display climate data in a way that provides an emotional gut punch.
Reposted by Rowland Willets
In this week’s Talking Climate, I unpack why recent cuts to scientific programs and data don’t only affect climate research in the U.S. They weaken the knowledge infrastructure we rely on to protect public health, manage risk, and make good decisions around the world.
www.patreon.com/posts/how-si...
www.patreon.com/posts/how-si...
How silencing science harms us | Talking Climate with Katharine Hayhoe
Get more from Talking Climate with Katharine Hayhoe on Patreon
www.patreon.com
January 6, 2026 at 8:56 PM
In this week’s Talking Climate, I unpack why recent cuts to scientific programs and data don’t only affect climate research in the U.S. They weaken the knowledge infrastructure we rely on to protect public health, manage risk, and make good decisions around the world.
www.patreon.com/posts/how-si...
www.patreon.com/posts/how-si...
Reposted by Rowland Willets
Just circulating the n'th post backing me up here. ofc we have to weigh that Trump's team might not actually understand this, or have thought it through yet. The performance of oil theft might be part of the plan even if it impoverishes the US.
I happen to know quite a bit about Venezuelan oil.
TL;DR it’s hard to extract, notoriously investor-endangering, isn’t needed (global crude is oversupplied to the tune of 3.3 min bpd) and isn’t easily refined (it’s too dense so always sold at a heavy discount)
www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/202...
TL;DR it’s hard to extract, notoriously investor-endangering, isn’t needed (global crude is oversupplied to the tune of 3.3 min bpd) and isn’t easily refined (it’s too dense so always sold at a heavy discount)
www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/202...
Venezuela has the world’s most oil: Why doesn’t it earn more from exports?
Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves, more than five times more than the United States.
www.aljazeera.com
January 4, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Just circulating the n'th post backing me up here. ofc we have to weigh that Trump's team might not actually understand this, or have thought it through yet. The performance of oil theft might be part of the plan even if it impoverishes the US.
Reposted by Rowland Willets
This is a nice @unearthednews.bsky.social piece about how oil and gas extraction in Iraq is shockingly dirty, inefficient, economically absurd ->
Big oil’s dirty secret in Iraq
Gas flaring is remarkably high in Iraq. The impact this has had on ordinary people and the planet has been obscured. Until now.
projects.unearthed.greenpeace.org
January 5, 2026 at 11:10 AM
This is a nice @unearthednews.bsky.social piece about how oil and gas extraction in Iraq is shockingly dirty, inefficient, economically absurd ->
Reposted by Rowland Willets
Welp, I didn't have "US breaching international law and getting into a war over natural resources" on my radar, but with such low polling and the need to distract from inflation and the Epstein files, jumping into a war about oil should have been obvious...Still, the rest of the list stands:
Happy 2026! Some early thoughts before we get down to business: #LFG💪 danarfisher.com/2026/01/01/w...
January 4, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Welp, I didn't have "US breaching international law and getting into a war over natural resources" on my radar, but with such low polling and the need to distract from inflation and the Epstein files, jumping into a war about oil should have been obvious...Still, the rest of the list stands:
Reposted by Rowland Willets
“It is plausible that politicians are influenced by the fact that they hear much more from those who stand to lose from green policies than from those who stand to gain.”
Big plausible vibe. 😏
Big plausible vibe. 😏
‘A silent majority’: MPs underestimate support for green policies, study reveals
‘A silent majority’: MPs underestimate support for green policies, study reveals
Exclusive: From solar subsidies to meat taxes, minority rightwing voices appear to drown out the consensus
www.theguardian.com
January 5, 2026 at 12:48 PM
“It is plausible that politicians are influenced by the fact that they hear much more from those who stand to lose from green policies than from those who stand to gain.”
Big plausible vibe. 😏
Big plausible vibe. 😏
Reposted by Rowland Willets
The EU is preparing a gift for pesticide giants: toxic pesticides could stay on the market forever, with no safety tests at all. Yes, forever approvals. Yes, this is real. Sign now to stop it. action.wemove.eu/sign/2025-12...
Protect Our Food From Toxic Pesticides
The EU is preparing a gift for pesticide giants, and a nightmare for the rest of us. A new proposal could let toxic pesticides, including glyphosate, stay on the market forever.Yes, forever approvals....
action.wemove.eu
December 11, 2025 at 5:29 PM
The EU is preparing a gift for pesticide giants: toxic pesticides could stay on the market forever, with no safety tests at all. Yes, forever approvals. Yes, this is real. Sign now to stop it. action.wemove.eu/sign/2025-12...
Reposted by Rowland Willets
Very important to completely annihilate the climate along with energy affordability so we can power the Mistake Generator that will fire everyone.
"According to Foxglove, the new demand would be comparable to two to three times the capacity of the 1180MW Peterhead gas power station....and the total generation capacity of all of Scotland’s offshore wind turbines in 2024, which stood at 2971MW"
www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/plan...
www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/plan...
Planned hyperscale data centers in Scotland could demand 2-3GW of power - report
Just under Scotland's winter peak demand of 4GW
www.datacenterdynamics.com
December 8, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Very important to completely annihilate the climate along with energy affordability so we can power the Mistake Generator that will fire everyone.
Reposted by Rowland Willets
My latest Substack: short summary of multiple chemical pollution threats to which we are subjecting ourselves and planet, including plastics, PFAS, pesticides, heavy metals, endocrine-disruptors and licit and illicit pharmaceuticals
nataliebennett.substack.com/p/change-eve...
nataliebennett.substack.com/p/change-eve...
December 8, 2025 at 10:49 AM
My latest Substack: short summary of multiple chemical pollution threats to which we are subjecting ourselves and planet, including plastics, PFAS, pesticides, heavy metals, endocrine-disruptors and licit and illicit pharmaceuticals
nataliebennett.substack.com/p/change-eve...
nataliebennett.substack.com/p/change-eve...
Reposted by Rowland Willets
Excellent @britishbirds.bsky.social paper from @lesserspotnet.bsky.social et al. using passive acoustic monitoring.
LS detected at >60% of sites in southern England, most of which had no recent records. Drums/calls very few over thousands of hours. Birders' chances of an encounter clearly very low!
LS detected at >60% of sites in southern England, most of which had no recent records. Drums/calls very few over thousands of hours. Birders' chances of an encounter clearly very low!
December 3, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Excellent @britishbirds.bsky.social paper from @lesserspotnet.bsky.social et al. using passive acoustic monitoring.
LS detected at >60% of sites in southern England, most of which had no recent records. Drums/calls very few over thousands of hours. Birders' chances of an encounter clearly very low!
LS detected at >60% of sites in southern England, most of which had no recent records. Drums/calls very few over thousands of hours. Birders' chances of an encounter clearly very low!
Reposted by Rowland Willets
Many of you have recently seen it on the big screen, now the 4K Trapped in the Sky/Terror in New York City Double Bill is available to pre-order as a Collectors Edition Steelbook– with a fixed soundtrack! Now on the Official Gerry Anderson Store!
October 1, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Many of you have recently seen it on the big screen, now the 4K Trapped in the Sky/Terror in New York City Double Bill is available to pre-order as a Collectors Edition Steelbook– with a fixed soundtrack! Now on the Official Gerry Anderson Store!
Reposted by Rowland Willets
Last chance to register for our webinar on the Earth Rover Program, starting at 14.00 GMT. Intro by the brilliant Kate Raworth, then explanations of the concept and the science by some of our scientists and technicians. Register to obtain link. Hope to see you there
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join the global launch of the Earth Rover Program and the release of our inaugural report, which explores how a new scientific concept, ‘soilsmology’, is shaking up our und...
We are delighted to invite you to the global launch of the Earth Rover Program and the release of our inaugural report, ‘Soilsmology: Transforming our Understanding of Soil’, which explores how an eme...
us02web.zoom.us
December 5, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Last chance to register for our webinar on the Earth Rover Program, starting at 14.00 GMT. Intro by the brilliant Kate Raworth, then explanations of the concept and the science by some of our scientists and technicians. Register to obtain link. Hope to see you there
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Reposted by Rowland Willets
#Oops: The seminal paper that has been used for 25 years to justify that the use of #Glyphosate is safe has been retracted.
▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
"Concerns were raised regarding the authorship of this paper, validity of the research findings…"
▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
"Concerns were raised regarding the authorship of this paper, validity of the research findings…"
December 1, 2025 at 1:11 PM
#Oops: The seminal paper that has been used for 25 years to justify that the use of #Glyphosate is safe has been retracted.
▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
"Concerns were raised regarding the authorship of this paper, validity of the research findings…"
▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
"Concerns were raised regarding the authorship of this paper, validity of the research findings…"
Reposted by Rowland Willets
Among other things, the fact that American fascist fossil fuel companies are going absolutely dog mongrel trying to kill these regulations is a good reminder that disclosure laws are good and important
🚨Exposed: how a secretive alliance of US companies is working to tear down the CSDDD.
They:
- Aimed to get “the most extreme position” in the European Parliament
- Worked to mobilise pressure from non-EU countries
- Paid for a think tank report
Full analysis: www.somo.nl/the-secretiv...
They:
- Aimed to get “the most extreme position” in the European Parliament
- Worked to mobilise pressure from non-EU countries
- Paid for a think tank report
Full analysis: www.somo.nl/the-secretiv...
December 3, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Among other things, the fact that American fascist fossil fuel companies are going absolutely dog mongrel trying to kill these regulations is a good reminder that disclosure laws are good and important