Sam
@samdolan.bsky.social
Dad and son. Lecturer in Sheffield, UK. Physics, astronomy, maths, football (#ITFC), folk, fun and anti-fascism. D&D. Black holes and gravitational waves.
Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
The budget kicks the can down the road.
OBR: short-term increases to borrowing of
£3.7 billion in 2025-26,
£5.9 billion in 2026-27
£9.9 billion in 2027-28.
**then the unpopular tax changes kick in**
to decrease borrowing by
£14.8 billion in 2029-30
£18.0 billion in 2030-31
🤔
OBR: short-term increases to borrowing of
£3.7 billion in 2025-26,
£5.9 billion in 2026-27
£9.9 billion in 2027-28.
**then the unpopular tax changes kick in**
to decrease borrowing by
£14.8 billion in 2029-30
£18.0 billion in 2030-31
🤔
November 26, 2025 at 12:34 PM
The budget kicks the can down the road.
OBR: short-term increases to borrowing of
£3.7 billion in 2025-26,
£5.9 billion in 2026-27
£9.9 billion in 2027-28.
**then the unpopular tax changes kick in**
to decrease borrowing by
£14.8 billion in 2029-30
£18.0 billion in 2030-31
🤔
OBR: short-term increases to borrowing of
£3.7 billion in 2025-26,
£5.9 billion in 2026-27
£9.9 billion in 2027-28.
**then the unpopular tax changes kick in**
to decrease borrowing by
£14.8 billion in 2029-30
£18.0 billion in 2030-31
🤔
my first morning as Webmaster for the Office for Budget Responsibility has gone pretty smoothly so far!
One small mistake, but it's all OK now I've removed the PDF.
One small mistake, but it's all OK now I've removed the PDF.
November 26, 2025 at 12:22 PM
my first morning as Webmaster for the Office for Budget Responsibility has gone pretty smoothly so far!
One small mistake, but it's all OK now I've removed the PDF.
One small mistake, but it's all OK now I've removed the PDF.
how spouse hoarding is costing divorce lawyers
stupid young people, stop buying a new phone every year if you don't want to be broke. wait no, not like that.
November 25, 2025 at 10:08 PM
how spouse hoarding is costing divorce lawyers
urgh. Disgusting and a disgraceful betrayal of Ukraine and the US from Witkoff and the Trump administration.
November 25, 2025 at 9:38 PM
urgh. Disgusting and a disgraceful betrayal of Ukraine and the US from Witkoff and the Trump administration.
OpenAI's business model in full:
candles.png + this_is_fine.jpeg
candles.png + this_is_fine.jpeg
November 25, 2025 at 9:20 PM
OpenAI's business model in full:
candles.png + this_is_fine.jpeg
candles.png + this_is_fine.jpeg
and the KLF thought they were being subversive. Amateurs
OpenAI needs to raise at least $207bn by 2030 so it can continue to lose money, HSBC estimates on.ft.com/4ij0yh8
OpenAI needs to raise at least $207bn by 2030 so it can continue to lose money, HSBC estimates
A burning platform
on.ft.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:15 PM
and the KLF thought they were being subversive. Amateurs
just saw an advert for Chat-GPT where a dude said he wanted to get strong & do some pull-ups, and the LLM regurgitated some bullet-point training plan. Erm ... the plan is not actually the hard part?
November 25, 2025 at 8:55 PM
just saw an advert for Chat-GPT where a dude said he wanted to get strong & do some pull-ups, and the LLM regurgitated some bullet-point training plan. Erm ... the plan is not actually the hard part?
surely a lost Caravaggio ...
November 25, 2025 at 10:57 AM
surely a lost Caravaggio ...
Until I saw it happening in real time, I never knew how much of the road to fascism would be willingly paved by well-educated, intelligent media talking heads sanitising and trump-splaining the crude crap emanating from this corrupt and compromised administration.
I can't believe the amount of energy people on both sides devote in trying to explain Trump's incoherent, impulsive, moody, STUPID vacillation as subtle strategy. He isn't playing three-dimensional chess. He isn't playing tic-tac-toe.
November 24, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Until I saw it happening in real time, I never knew how much of the road to fascism would be willingly paved by well-educated, intelligent media talking heads sanitising and trump-splaining the crude crap emanating from this corrupt and compromised administration.
Reposted by Sam
If you’re a journalist who’s still on Twitter, from now on in your writing you have to replace “the American people want” with “troll bots in Eastern Europe demand”
Being there makes your judgment suspect. I don’t care how savvy you think you are, you’re marinating in a disinformation campaign.
Being there makes your judgment suspect. I don’t care how savvy you think you are, you’re marinating in a disinformation campaign.
November 23, 2025 at 4:27 PM
If you’re a journalist who’s still on Twitter, from now on in your writing you have to replace “the American people want” with “troll bots in Eastern Europe demand”
Being there makes your judgment suspect. I don’t care how savvy you think you are, you’re marinating in a disinformation campaign.
Being there makes your judgment suspect. I don’t care how savvy you think you are, you’re marinating in a disinformation campaign.
Reposted by Sam
Reuters has confirmed that President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his special envoy Steve Witkoff held a private meeting in Miami with a sanctioned Kremlin proxy to help shape the new "peace plan" for Ukraine. www.reuters.com/world/europe...
www.reuters.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:12 AM
Reuters has confirmed that President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his special envoy Steve Witkoff held a private meeting in Miami with a sanctioned Kremlin proxy to help shape the new "peace plan" for Ukraine. www.reuters.com/world/europe...
I feel like I've been robbed of 3 days of my life by Bazball, and I can't even blame Pope Gregory XIII.
brainless crikkit - that's what ah call it. Mah grandmother could have hit that wi' a stick of rhubarb
November 22, 2025 at 11:47 AM
I feel like I've been robbed of 3 days of my life by Bazball, and I can't even blame Pope Gregory XIII.
brainless crikkit - that's what ah call it. Mah grandmother could have hit that wi' a stick of rhubarb
November 22, 2025 at 11:29 AM
brainless crikkit - that's what ah call it. Mah grandmother could have hit that wi' a stick of rhubarb
Trump to Vance: "Why can't you be more like my son, the Governor of New York."
November 22, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Trump to Vance: "Why can't you be more like my son, the Governor of New York."
Men! What's stopping you looking like this?
November 22, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Men! What's stopping you looking like this?
The US selling out Ukraine is the ugliest, most shameful betrayal of a vital ally.
November 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
The US selling out Ukraine is the ugliest, most shameful betrayal of a vital ally.
Reposted by Sam
Google removes a variety of longstanding GMail features if you try to withdraw your default consent (!) to having all your content read and used by Google Gemini via "Smart Features." That's an obvious attempt to coerce consent for privacy violations. Legislatures must act to make this illegal.
November 21, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Google removes a variety of longstanding GMail features if you try to withdraw your default consent (!) to having all your content read and used by Google Gemini via "Smart Features." That's an obvious attempt to coerce consent for privacy violations. Legislatures must act to make this illegal.
Reposted by Sam
I just turned off the "smart" features in my gmail account, but why is grammer and spell check "smart" features now? Spellcheck has just been a thing for like 20 years even before all this AI buzz word BS
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
November 21, 2025 at 5:28 PM
I just turned off the "smart" features in my gmail account, but why is grammer and spell check "smart" features now? Spellcheck has just been a thing for like 20 years even before all this AI buzz word BS
The Ashes highlights have landed on BBC iPlayer - rapid bowling, slapstick batting, and glorious chaos!
November 21, 2025 at 5:46 PM
The Ashes highlights have landed on BBC iPlayer - rapid bowling, slapstick batting, and glorious chaos!
at least some Labour MPs are speaking out against the cruel proposals being briefed to newspapers ...
There is no evidence that stripping refugees' rights one by one will have any impact on people crossing the channel.
Taking jewellery from refugees is akin to painting over murals for refugee children.
These repugnant ‘deterrents’ did not work for the Tories, and they won't work for us.
Taking jewellery from refugees is akin to painting over murals for refugee children.
These repugnant ‘deterrents’ did not work for the Tories, and they won't work for us.
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 AM
at least some Labour MPs are speaking out against the cruel proposals being briefed to newspapers ...
Reposted by Sam
Well, I did it. After umming and ahhing, I woke up at 7 today, turned on the radio, heard the latest on Labour's asylum policy, and resigned from the party. An immoral, stupid, craven exercise in courting people who will never vote for you at the expense of the most vulnerable people in the world.
November 17, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Well, I did it. After umming and ahhing, I woke up at 7 today, turned on the radio, heard the latest on Labour's asylum policy, and resigned from the party. An immoral, stupid, craven exercise in courting people who will never vote for you at the expense of the most vulnerable people in the world.
out of control / tearing the country apart / incalculable damage / land of strangers
just a few words about the Starmer government
just a few words about the Starmer government
July 2024 - Labour are elected on the basis of Starmer being a dull but competent PM.
No drama just focused on fixing the basics.
November 2025 - Now the least popular PM ever Starmer announces plans for mass deportations, the seizure of immigrant wealth and the indentured labour of migrants.
No drama just focused on fixing the basics.
November 2025 - Now the least popular PM ever Starmer announces plans for mass deportations, the seizure of immigrant wealth and the indentured labour of migrants.
November 17, 2025 at 8:23 AM
out of control / tearing the country apart / incalculable damage / land of strangers
just a few words about the Starmer government
just a few words about the Starmer government
My most Woke view?
640kB of memory ought to be enough for anybody.
640kB of memory ought to be enough for anybody.
November 17, 2025 at 8:11 AM
My most Woke view?
640kB of memory ought to be enough for anybody.
640kB of memory ought to be enough for anybody.
Reposted by Sam
Apparently Bannon speaks to Glasman every week
Glasman was the only Labour politician invited to Trump's inauguration
Glasman on McSweeny " “Morgan’s one of ours, we love him”
Friend of McSweeny? Mahmood.
Make of that what you will!
Glasman was the only Labour politician invited to Trump's inauguration
Glasman on McSweeny " “Morgan’s one of ours, we love him”
Friend of McSweeny? Mahmood.
Make of that what you will!
November 15, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Apparently Bannon speaks to Glasman every week
Glasman was the only Labour politician invited to Trump's inauguration
Glasman on McSweeny " “Morgan’s one of ours, we love him”
Friend of McSweeny? Mahmood.
Make of that what you will!
Glasman was the only Labour politician invited to Trump's inauguration
Glasman on McSweeny " “Morgan’s one of ours, we love him”
Friend of McSweeny? Mahmood.
Make of that what you will!
Reposted by Sam
Late to this, but if the Sunday Times is correct that Morgan McSweeney spent one and a half hours last week with Lord Glasman then he isn't fit to fill any senior position in government.
November 16, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Late to this, but if the Sunday Times is correct that Morgan McSweeney spent one and a half hours last week with Lord Glasman then he isn't fit to fill any senior position in government.