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Pants, Manchester

@fantasticlife.bsky.social

560 followers 340 following 3.6K posts

I make ontologies for the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. An odd job and not one I would have chosen for myself

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Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · Aug 15

A quick hiya to new followers. You may have come across me as Clerk E. Smith, the Mouse of Commons or indeed The Emperor Palatine. These days I prefer to be known as Pants, Manchester Pants

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 5h

Both accounts are based on Librarian Jayne's magnificent procedural SPARQL library which is free - gratis and close to libre - here:
ukparliament.github.io/ontologies/p...

Some handy SPARQL queries

Work in progress to design data models for UK Parliament

ukparliament.github.io

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 5h

I say theoretically, because a treaty has not been laid since the code went live. One cannot easily ask the government to sign a treaty just to test your data flows. That would be unreasonable.

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 5h

On the subject of @madenlaid.bsky.social, it's sister account @tweaty-twacker.bsky.social is now also - theoretically - plugged into the code pipes. It will - should? - post every time the government lay a treaty before Parliament under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 5h

A veritable flood of made ‘n’ laid statutory instruments today. Well, three anyway

Made 'n' Laid @madenlaid.bsky.social · 5h

Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2025. Made on 10-10-2025, laid on 13-10-2025. Subject to the made negative procedure. https://api.parliament.uk/procedure-browser/work-packages/TOoYCWeS

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 9h

I think it is for me. Most of what I consider “writing” is done in the shower or on the smoking step. Mostly I manage to stay silent, but I think I occasionally mumble. Maybe I should get a dictaphone. Shout things like NOTE TO SELF

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 9h

Not trolling but 37 is prettier

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 9h

I can’t think of many things I ever sit down to type where the sentences aren’t mostly already mostly formed in my head

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 11h

There should be different words for the writing you do in your head by thinking and the writing you do with a pen, pencil or keyboard by transcribing your brainz

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Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 17h

I’ve seen some of the letters. Proper green ink. Quite mad

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 21h

No, I have not

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 21h

Recursive loop of stupid blokes asking for stupid things. All the way up to The King and God and whatnot

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 21h

Proper was

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 22h

Also, Camilla on Feedback

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
I can’t listen, obviously. I refuse to create an account to listen to the wireless

Feedback - Roger Bolton talks to Archers' archivist Camilla Fisher and scriptwriter Jo Toye - BBC Sounds

Roger Bolton talks to Archers' archivist Camilla Fisher and scriptwriter Jo Toye

www.bbc.co.uk

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Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 22h

Archers fans are properly mad

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Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 22h

I think you know me well enough to know I would not normally link to the daily mail, but the internet seems largely ignorant of The Archers having an archivist - how strange. Here is some Camilla
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

The wrong kind of tractor that left Archers fans fuming

Yesterday the team behind the agricultural soap revealed they can be inundated with complaints if they make the slightest of errors.

www.dailymail.co.uk

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Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 22h

You have read An Inspector Calls, Sir?
I have not, Pants. Do many people end up on the street?

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 22h

Have you prepared that paper on automation, Pants?
It will be on your desk by CoP Friday, sir.
I’m expecting efficiencies, Pants.
Certainly, sir. We have done the work to understand how the work happens, sir?
I don’t care how the work happens, Pants. The work needs to appear to happen!

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Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 22h

Not to “virtue signal” but so much of the modern “tech” scene does appear to be men “automating” work often done by women, without even trying to understand the work

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Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 22h

Apologies if I got the name of the farm wrong. I don’t tend to listen to

Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 22h

Obviously, these days Camilla would be out on her ears in the name of efficiency. Now I’ve also been involved with machine learning projects. Don’t judge. And would the machines know where the immersion heater was at Home Farm? No, they would not

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Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 22h

You know where this is going don’t you? Less computer. More archivists. More librarians

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Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 22h

So they employed Camilla and she was ace. Used to accompany me on tab breaks, even though she didn’t smoke

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Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 22h

Whether one believes The Archers should have been kept on life support or not, it was kept alive because the production team had the foresight to know they needed to employ an archivist

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Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 22h

Obviously - my thoughts - on The Archers aside - the database did nothing to keep the show alive. We database types have a tendency to ascribe agency to our bits and bobs of technology. Like they’re our children

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Pants, Manchester @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 23h

In a previous life, I helped to make a continuity database for long running radio serial The Archers. After the event. I was told it was the only thing that kept it on air through lockdown. I’m sorry

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