Alasdair Stewart
@abestew.bsky.social
Sociologist | Socialist | Neurodivergent | Linux & FLOSS advocate | he/they
Reposted by Alasdair Stewart
"...campaigning by disabled activists, & ensuing disability rights wins (made it) possible to reclaim diagnoses such as autism or ADHD... to recognise forms of workplace discrimination, harm, & exclusion caused by inaccessible institutions & in turn the productivist norms of capitalist society."
A talk I gave earlier this year has, unfortunately, become relevant again this week so I've published it here.
open.substack.com/pub/neurodiv...
open.substack.com/pub/neurodiv...
The Fascist Echo in Labour's "Over-diagnosis" Inquiry
Why Wes Steeting's new inquiry is about more than just renewed austerity
open.substack.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:46 PM
"...campaigning by disabled activists, & ensuing disability rights wins (made it) possible to reclaim diagnoses such as autism or ADHD... to recognise forms of workplace discrimination, harm, & exclusion caused by inaccessible institutions & in turn the productivist norms of capitalist society."
Slides for training session running today on critical genAI literacies.
sgsssonline.github.io/genai-guidan...
sgsssonline.github.io/genai-guidan...
Critical GenAI Literacies – Social Science in the Age of AI
sgsssonline.github.io
December 10, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Slides for training session running today on critical genAI literacies.
sgsssonline.github.io/genai-guidan...
sgsssonline.github.io/genai-guidan...
Reposted by Alasdair Stewart
A talk I gave earlier this year has, unfortunately, become relevant again this week so I've published it here.
open.substack.com/pub/neurodiv...
open.substack.com/pub/neurodiv...
The Fascist Echo in Labour's "Over-diagnosis" Inquiry
Why Wes Steeting's new inquiry is about more than just renewed austerity
open.substack.com
December 6, 2025 at 9:40 AM
A talk I gave earlier this year has, unfortunately, become relevant again this week so I've published it here.
open.substack.com/pub/neurodiv...
open.substack.com/pub/neurodiv...
What's everyone self-hosting these days? So far across router & minipc I've got setup:
- TaskChampion for syncing TaskWarrior tasks
- Radicale for calendar & recurring daily/household tasks
- mpd for playing/streaming music
- AdGuard for ad & tracking blocks
- LinguaCafe for language learning
- TaskChampion for syncing TaskWarrior tasks
- Radicale for calendar & recurring daily/household tasks
- mpd for playing/streaming music
- AdGuard for ad & tracking blocks
- LinguaCafe for language learning
December 6, 2025 at 10:49 AM
What's everyone self-hosting these days? So far across router & minipc I've got setup:
- TaskChampion for syncing TaskWarrior tasks
- Radicale for calendar & recurring daily/household tasks
- mpd for playing/streaming music
- AdGuard for ad & tracking blocks
- LinguaCafe for language learning
- TaskChampion for syncing TaskWarrior tasks
- Radicale for calendar & recurring daily/household tasks
- mpd for playing/streaming music
- AdGuard for ad & tracking blocks
- LinguaCafe for language learning
Reposted by Alasdair Stewart
But if AI is so userful and everyone wants it, why does Microsoft have to cut its AI sales targets in half?
Microsoft drops AI sales targets in half after salespeople miss their quotas
Microsoft drops AI sales targets in half after salespeople miss their quotas
December 4, 2025 at 4:20 PM
But if AI is so userful and everyone wants it, why does Microsoft have to cut its AI sales targets in half?
Microsoft drops AI sales targets in half after salespeople miss their quotas
Microsoft drops AI sales targets in half after salespeople miss their quotas
Reposted by Alasdair Stewart
This is the conclusion, which I'm pulling out from behind the paywall because it'll probably be a free newsletter or podcast one day. I think the AI era is a reckoning for the tech industry, one where consumers finally realize they're being abused.
December 5, 2025 at 4:02 AM
This is the conclusion, which I'm pulling out from behind the paywall because it'll probably be a free newsletter or podcast one day. I think the AI era is a reckoning for the tech industry, one where consumers finally realize they're being abused.
Politicians love "independent" reviews as it let's them claim they are implementing 'evidence-based policy' and shirk responsibility for policy decisions. The policy decision though is often evident in the non-independent selection of the 'independent' experts, "policy-based 'independent' reviews".
Labour picking up where the Tories left off, looking to restrict diagnoses so they can deny people support and force them into work.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Wes Streeting orders review of mental health diagnoses as benefit claims soar
Health secretary has asked experts to investigate whether normal feelings have become ‘over-pathologised’
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Politicians love "independent" reviews as it let's them claim they are implementing 'evidence-based policy' and shirk responsibility for policy decisions. The policy decision though is often evident in the non-independent selection of the 'independent' experts, "policy-based 'independent' reviews".
Reposted by Alasdair Stewart
Or maybe diagnosis is at last catching up with the crises so many have been enduring, which have for so long been minimised, dismissed or ignored.
share.google/1aKjHRJ596x6...
share.google/1aKjHRJ596x6...
Wes Streeting orders inquiry into mental health ‘overdiagnosis’
Health secretary wants clinical review of the rise in conditions such as ADHD and autism that cause people to drop out of the workforce
share.google
December 4, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Or maybe diagnosis is at last catching up with the crises so many have been enduring, which have for so long been minimised, dismissed or ignored.
share.google/1aKjHRJ596x6...
share.google/1aKjHRJ596x6...
The deliberate framing of the review as "over-pathologisation" will continue - and worsen - the policy failure around mental health services.
In the UK it takes 10 years on average to receive a bipolar diagnosis. It took 19 years for me.
In the UK it takes 10 years on average to receive a bipolar diagnosis. It took 19 years for me.
Labour picking up where the Tories left off, looking to restrict diagnoses so they can deny people support and force them into work.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Wes Streeting orders review of mental health diagnoses as benefit claims soar
Health secretary has asked experts to investigate whether normal feelings have become ‘over-pathologised’
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:40 AM
The deliberate framing of the review as "over-pathologisation" will continue - and worsen - the policy failure around mental health services.
In the UK it takes 10 years on average to receive a bipolar diagnosis. It took 19 years for me.
In the UK it takes 10 years on average to receive a bipolar diagnosis. It took 19 years for me.
Labour picking up where the Tories left off, looking to restrict diagnoses so they can deny people support and force them into work.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Wes Streeting orders review of mental health diagnoses as benefit claims soar
Health secretary has asked experts to investigate whether normal feelings have become ‘over-pathologised’
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Labour picking up where the Tories left off, looking to restrict diagnoses so they can deny people support and force them into work.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
How dire is the modern tech landscape? Got a new router that comes with AdGuard. In past 24 hours 40.54% of domain requests from my devices have been blocked as its ads/tracking.
December 3, 2025 at 8:24 AM
How dire is the modern tech landscape? Got a new router that comes with AdGuard. In past 24 hours 40.54% of domain requests from my devices have been blocked as its ads/tracking.
Reposted by Alasdair Stewart
How big tech is creating its own friendly media bubble to ‘win the narrative battle online’
How big tech is creating its own friendly media bubble to ‘win the narrative battle online’
At a time when distrust of big tech is high, Silicon Valley is embracing an alternative ecosystem where every CEO is a star
www.theguardian.com
November 29, 2025 at 3:01 PM
How big tech is creating its own friendly media bubble to ‘win the narrative battle online’
Reposted by Alasdair Stewart
We're back with 5 more apps up for adoption at our fundraiser:
- LabPlot: A powerful data analysis and visualization tool that accepts data in many formats.
- Okular: View all kinds of documents. Okular supports annotations, digital signing, and more.
kde.org/fundraisers/...
- LabPlot: A powerful data analysis and visualization tool that accepts data in many formats.
- Okular: View all kinds of documents. Okular supports annotations, digital signing, and more.
kde.org/fundraisers/...
November 28, 2025 at 9:56 PM
We're back with 5 more apps up for adoption at our fundraiser:
- LabPlot: A powerful data analysis and visualization tool that accepts data in many formats.
- Okular: View all kinds of documents. Okular supports annotations, digital signing, and more.
kde.org/fundraisers/...
- LabPlot: A powerful data analysis and visualization tool that accepts data in many formats.
- Okular: View all kinds of documents. Okular supports annotations, digital signing, and more.
kde.org/fundraisers/...
Reposted by Alasdair Stewart
I am tremendously grateful for open source, as it’s had such a huge impact on my career. That’s one of the reasons I’m so happy that Posit has committed to the @opensourcepledge.com. Read about our contributions to non Posit projects at posit.co/blog/posit-o....
Posit’s progress and renewed commitment to the Open Source Pledge - Posit
Posit continues its Open Source Pledge, investing heavily to support the open-source data science ecosystem.
posit.co
November 28, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I am tremendously grateful for open source, as it’s had such a huge impact on my career. That’s one of the reasons I’m so happy that Posit has committed to the @opensourcepledge.com. Read about our contributions to non Posit projects at posit.co/blog/posit-o....
Abstract submitted for conference, returning to an idea for a paper I first started on nearly... 15 years ago.
November 28, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Abstract submitted for conference, returning to an idea for a paper I first started on nearly... 15 years ago.
Reposted by Alasdair Stewart
The fight to end child poverty goes on. But today we must celebrate. It will make a real, lasting difference to families the breadth of the UK and I’m so grateful to everyone in @changingrealities.bsky.social & @cpaguk.bsky.social who have advocated tirelessly for its full abolition
www.changingrealities.org
November 26, 2025 at 2:37 PM
The fight to end child poverty goes on. But today we must celebrate. It will make a real, lasting difference to families the breadth of the UK and I’m so grateful to everyone in @changingrealities.bsky.social & @cpaguk.bsky.social who have advocated tirelessly for its full abolition
Think 2026 is going to be the year of setting up self-hosted alternatives to proprietary apps I pay for but hate & only use due to lack of decent alternatives with non-self-hosted syncing - then donate what I've been paying in proprietary app subscriptions across the FLOSS apps I use and love.
November 27, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Think 2026 is going to be the year of setting up self-hosted alternatives to proprietary apps I pay for but hate & only use due to lack of decent alternatives with non-self-hosted syncing - then donate what I've been paying in proprietary app subscriptions across the FLOSS apps I use and love.
If looking for an Android tasks app, seriously give Tasks.org a look.
From quick tests it does everything Todoist can and more. Many things it does better than Todoist - £36.33 a year & increasing due to AI bullshit being added. Only exception is it doesn't (yet) have per list/filter view settings.
From quick tests it does everything Todoist can and more. Many things it does better than Todoist - £36.33 a year & increasing due to AI bullshit being added. Only exception is it doesn't (yet) have per list/filter view settings.
November 27, 2025 at 9:32 AM
If looking for an Android tasks app, seriously give Tasks.org a look.
From quick tests it does everything Todoist can and more. Many things it does better than Todoist - £36.33 a year & increasing due to AI bullshit being added. Only exception is it doesn't (yet) have per list/filter view settings.
From quick tests it does everything Todoist can and more. Many things it does better than Todoist - £36.33 a year & increasing due to AI bullshit being added. Only exception is it doesn't (yet) have per list/filter view settings.
Update on binning Todoist.
Tasks.org - fork of the forever missed Astrid - for recurring daily/household tasks, which it does better than Todoist.
TaskWarrior for everything else. The TaskWarrior Android app available via F-Droid nightly repo supports the new taskchampion sync server.
Tasks.org - fork of the forever missed Astrid - for recurring daily/household tasks, which it does better than Todoist.
TaskWarrior for everything else. The TaskWarrior Android app available via F-Droid nightly repo supports the new taskchampion sync server.
November 27, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Update on binning Todoist.
Tasks.org - fork of the forever missed Astrid - for recurring daily/household tasks, which it does better than Todoist.
TaskWarrior for everything else. The TaskWarrior Android app available via F-Droid nightly repo supports the new taskchampion sync server.
Tasks.org - fork of the forever missed Astrid - for recurring daily/household tasks, which it does better than Todoist.
TaskWarrior for everything else. The TaskWarrior Android app available via F-Droid nightly repo supports the new taskchampion sync server.
This couldn't come at a better time! Family member having increasing difficulties with Windows & the dark patterns - & outright scammer tactics - it uses to try get them to pay for Office. Going to install Linux Mint and this on their laptop.
www.collaboraonline.com/blog/press-r...
www.collaboraonline.com/blog/press-r...
Press Release: Bringing Collabora Online to the Desktop
Same look. Same code. Your files, your device. Nov 26, 2025 at 12.00 pm GMT / 13.00 pm CET / 7.00 am ET / 4.00 am PT Cambridge, November 26, 2025 – Today, Collabora Productivity is excited to share th...
www.collaboraonline.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:43 PM
This couldn't come at a better time! Family member having increasing difficulties with Windows & the dark patterns - & outright scammer tactics - it uses to try get them to pay for Office. Going to install Linux Mint and this on their laptop.
www.collaboraonline.com/blog/press-r...
www.collaboraonline.com/blog/press-r...
Ok doing very rough word count, this semester I have written... around 59,000 words.
That's not including some draft additional bonus content pages.
May need to start paying someone to review my plans and tell me when I am severely underestimating the amount of work involved.
That's not including some draft additional bonus content pages.
May need to start paying someone to review my plans and tell me when I am severely underestimating the amount of work involved.
That's the last of the main changes pushed to our quants lab workbook webpages as part of the "small" refresh of content.
How "small" was the refresh this week? Ended up writing 5,605 words.
Now the true torture of being dyslexic begins, hours and hours of proofreading.
How "small" was the refresh this week? Ended up writing 5,605 words.
Now the true torture of being dyslexic begins, hours and hours of proofreading.
November 25, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Ok doing very rough word count, this semester I have written... around 59,000 words.
That's not including some draft additional bonus content pages.
May need to start paying someone to review my plans and tell me when I am severely underestimating the amount of work involved.
That's not including some draft additional bonus content pages.
May need to start paying someone to review my plans and tell me when I am severely underestimating the amount of work involved.
That's the last of the main changes pushed to our quants lab workbook webpages as part of the "small" refresh of content.
How "small" was the refresh this week? Ended up writing 5,605 words.
Now the true torture of being dyslexic begins, hours and hours of proofreading.
How "small" was the refresh this week? Ended up writing 5,605 words.
Now the true torture of being dyslexic begins, hours and hours of proofreading.
November 25, 2025 at 12:18 PM
That's the last of the main changes pushed to our quants lab workbook webpages as part of the "small" refresh of content.
How "small" was the refresh this week? Ended up writing 5,605 words.
Now the true torture of being dyslexic begins, hours and hours of proofreading.
How "small" was the refresh this week? Ended up writing 5,605 words.
Now the true torture of being dyslexic begins, hours and hours of proofreading.
Not a fan of the automated tags added to lecture videos exposing my overuse of "[et] cetera", "sort", "lot [of] ways folk", "[one] aspect", "things", and emphasise "the importance of ..." too often.
I know of these bad habits, but didn't realise it was so bad that AI treats it as the key content.
I know of these bad habits, but didn't realise it was so bad that AI treats it as the key content.
November 24, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Not a fan of the automated tags added to lecture videos exposing my overuse of "[et] cetera", "sort", "lot [of] ways folk", "[one] aspect", "things", and emphasise "the importance of ..." too often.
I know of these bad habits, but didn't realise it was so bad that AI treats it as the key content.
I know of these bad habits, but didn't realise it was so bad that AI treats it as the key content.
Annoys me no end how with Todoist you can't manually sort tasks within a filter. You can manually sort within the Today view (but can't filter) or within individual projects, but not within filters.
Any recs for alternatives that support manual sorting within filters?
Any recs for alternatives that support manual sorting within filters?
November 23, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Annoys me no end how with Todoist you can't manually sort tasks within a filter. You can manually sort within the Today view (but can't filter) or within individual projects, but not within filters.
Any recs for alternatives that support manual sorting within filters?
Any recs for alternatives that support manual sorting within filters?
This is also example of one reason I hate stereotyped view that ADHD = procrastination. My "time-management" 🤮 issues are often due to committing to tasks having spectacularly underestimated the time required that can't then back out of by time it's made painfully clear the actual time required.
Lovely example of how I fail to estimate time required for tasks.
Decided this year to do a 'small' refresh of our quants lab workbook. Below is a visual overview of the changes for lab 9 after spending... 7 hours on the 'small' refresh.
Effectively wrote 4,768 words for a 'small' refresh...
Decided this year to do a 'small' refresh of our quants lab workbook. Below is a visual overview of the changes for lab 9 after spending... 7 hours on the 'small' refresh.
Effectively wrote 4,768 words for a 'small' refresh...
November 18, 2025 at 1:13 PM
This is also example of one reason I hate stereotyped view that ADHD = procrastination. My "time-management" 🤮 issues are often due to committing to tasks having spectacularly underestimated the time required that can't then back out of by time it's made painfully clear the actual time required.