Maria Farrell
@mariafarrell.bsky.social
Irish writer and speaker: let's rewild the internet!
Dog lady. Forest bather. She/her
http://www.mariafarrell.com
Rep: https://greeneheaton.co.uk/agents/antony-topping/
No DMs
Dog lady. Forest bather. She/her
http://www.mariafarrell.com
Rep: https://greeneheaton.co.uk/agents/antony-topping/
No DMs
Reposted by Maria Farrell
Because we seem to be at the moment when US protestors and activists need the digital security practices of global human rights defenders, here’s a link to @frontlinedefenders.bsky.social fantastic & free resource, Security-in-a-Box www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/resource-...
Security in-a-Box
www.frontlinedefenders.org
January 24, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Because we seem to be at the moment when US protestors and activists need the digital security practices of global human rights defenders, here’s a link to @frontlinedefenders.bsky.social fantastic & free resource, Security-in-a-Box www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/resource-...
Reposted by Maria Farrell
..looking at the years' fire season for the Pilbara Ranger forum, and came across this just south of Roebourne. The 1st sat image from 27th Oct - 2nd the 30th, a beautiful example of how fire follows fuel and fuel follows water...but both 💧and 🔥need to flow through this country to keep it healthy.
November 4, 2025 at 6:46 AM
..looking at the years' fire season for the Pilbara Ranger forum, and came across this just south of Roebourne. The 1st sat image from 27th Oct - 2nd the 30th, a beautiful example of how fire follows fuel and fuel follows water...but both 💧and 🔥need to flow through this country to keep it healthy.
@danielsohege.bsky.social hi there, spotted these two openings today on LI and thought of you. barrowcadbury.org.uk/vacancies/
Vacancies and tenders - Barrow Cadbury Trust
Vacancies at Barrow Cadbury Trust.
barrowcadbury.org.uk
January 23, 2026 at 10:20 PM
@danielsohege.bsky.social hi there, spotted these two openings today on LI and thought of you. barrowcadbury.org.uk/vacancies/
Reposted by Maria Farrell
If you are a person who prays, join me in praying for these people and for the vulnerable migrants, immigrants, and citizens for whom they pray. (And follow @jackjenkins.me here.)
As clergy pray, arrests begin
January 23, 2026 at 5:05 PM
If you are a person who prays, join me in praying for these people and for the vulnerable migrants, immigrants, and citizens for whom they pray. (And follow @jackjenkins.me here.)
Reposted by Maria Farrell
*pssst* this is my small idea please consider thanks thanks thanks
If you are going to be out and about in London between now and Wednesday, and you want to hunt down kindness, beauty and wonder would you please consider joining me in a tiny experiment? More detail in the image below, survey link is here: form.jotform.com/260223076797...
January 23, 2026 at 5:10 PM
*pssst* this is my small idea please consider thanks thanks thanks
"He was deputed one autumn evening to squire me around the officers’ mess when E was already gone. He made sure I had drinks and was warm enough, saw me into the dining room, flirted chastely back and manfully ignored the younger women. .. Beautiful manners on the eve of battle."
January 23, 2026 at 10:45 AM
"He was deputed one autumn evening to squire me around the officers’ mess when E was already gone. He made sure I had drinks and was warm enough, saw me into the dining room, flirted chastely back and manfully ignored the younger women. .. Beautiful manners on the eve of battle."
cheerful start to the day, remembering the one I knew killed fighting for NATO in Afghanistan
remember, that time the allies invoked Article 5 and came to the aid of the US, and threw thousands of bodies into the grinder
the months of perpetual, unbidden nausea, waiting for my own one to come home
remember, that time the allies invoked Article 5 and came to the aid of the US, and threw thousands of bodies into the grinder
the months of perpetual, unbidden nausea, waiting for my own one to come home
January 23, 2026 at 10:27 AM
cheerful start to the day, remembering the one I knew killed fighting for NATO in Afghanistan
remember, that time the allies invoked Article 5 and came to the aid of the US, and threw thousands of bodies into the grinder
the months of perpetual, unbidden nausea, waiting for my own one to come home
remember, that time the allies invoked Article 5 and came to the aid of the US, and threw thousands of bodies into the grinder
the months of perpetual, unbidden nausea, waiting for my own one to come home
I always feel icky when I (rarely) circulate a substack link
If you're good enough to write something decent, you should be smart enough to GTFO a US fash platform
If you're good enough to write something decent, you should be smart enough to GTFO a US fash platform
January 23, 2026 at 10:22 AM
I always feel icky when I (rarely) circulate a substack link
If you're good enough to write something decent, you should be smart enough to GTFO a US fash platform
If you're good enough to write something decent, you should be smart enough to GTFO a US fash platform
Reposted by Maria Farrell
I have seen another five substack posts talking about current US issues and attempting trenchant analysis in the last ten minutes and the authors can’t even analyse their choice of fash-funding platform
January 23, 2026 at 1:03 AM
I have seen another five substack posts talking about current US issues and attempting trenchant analysis in the last ten minutes and the authors can’t even analyse their choice of fash-funding platform
Reposted by Maria Farrell
*resentfully* this is very good
🚨NEW BLOGPOST🚨
Fast answers, overconfidence and the superficial appearance of rigour. Airport bookstores are the perfect place for those who chase fresh ideas without doing the legwork.
Unfortunately, much of our policy is shaped by the same impulse.
www.joxleywrites.jmoxley.co.uk/p/airport-bo...
Fast answers, overconfidence and the superficial appearance of rigour. Airport bookstores are the perfect place for those who chase fresh ideas without doing the legwork.
Unfortunately, much of our policy is shaped by the same impulse.
www.joxleywrites.jmoxley.co.uk/p/airport-bo...
Airport Book Brain
How faddish ideas keep seducing.
www.joxleywrites.jmoxley.co.uk
January 23, 2026 at 10:09 AM
*resentfully* this is very good
Reposted by Maria Farrell
It's just so wild to me that ProPublica gets funding from big philanthropies that fund work on AI and labor and at the same time management is so casually refusing to engage with the union on this issue...feel like someone should tell their program officers idk
4/ And, when we proposed that workers will not be laid off as a result of AI and that potential future work generated by AI must be clearly labeled, management said “no” to both proposals. Their offer to write AI guidelines without staff input isn’t close to enough.
January 22, 2026 at 8:54 PM
It's just so wild to me that ProPublica gets funding from big philanthropies that fund work on AI and labor and at the same time management is so casually refusing to engage with the union on this issue...feel like someone should tell their program officers idk
Standing up to Trump shifts units
(NGL these Jupiterian little guys with their elegant sentences and cast iron self belief are genuinely my kryptonite 😳😊)
(NGL these Jupiterian little guys with their elegant sentences and cast iron self belief are genuinely my kryptonite 😳😊)
Macron’s appearance at Davos effectively overwhelmed the sunglasses manufacturer’s website, rendering it inaccessible in a manner akin to a DDoS attack.
January 22, 2026 at 10:31 PM
Standing up to Trump shifts units
(NGL these Jupiterian little guys with their elegant sentences and cast iron self belief are genuinely my kryptonite 😳😊)
(NGL these Jupiterian little guys with their elegant sentences and cast iron self belief are genuinely my kryptonite 😳😊)
Reposted by Maria Farrell
OR WHAT YOU WILL by Jo Walton (@bluejo.bsky.social). Published in 2020 and still deserves a lot more readers. Also, a ton of fun.
If you see this and agree, you are obligated to rec a book by a fantasy author who's still writing. I don't make the rules.
I mean, I do. Please though? It'd be great.
I mean, I do. Please though? It'd be great.
I'm always baffled by the "I'll ONLY read old fantasy" crowd.
You know there are LIVING authors doing really cool stuff, right? Like, LOTS of them? And we could get MORE if more people bought their stuff?
You know there are LIVING authors doing really cool stuff, right? Like, LOTS of them? And we could get MORE if more people bought their stuff?
January 22, 2026 at 8:58 PM
OR WHAT YOU WILL by Jo Walton (@bluejo.bsky.social). Published in 2020 and still deserves a lot more readers. Also, a ton of fun.
Reposted by Maria Farrell
Interesting and crucially important job with a great organisation
Front Line Defenders is recruiting for a fixed term Digital Protection Editor to review, update and further develop the digital protection guide ‘Security in-a-Box’.
See more details here: zurl.co/uGrFq
See more details here: zurl.co/uGrFq
January 22, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Interesting and crucially important job with a great organisation
tbf the south west coast of Ireland was looking especially lovely today
(but all I can think of is Tubes, plays, cafes. and as soon as I'm there all I will think of is the sea. oh humans)
(but all I can think of is Tubes, plays, cafes. and as soon as I'm there all I will think of is the sea. oh humans)
January 22, 2026 at 7:27 PM
tbf the south west coast of Ireland was looking especially lovely today
(but all I can think of is Tubes, plays, cafes. and as soon as I'm there all I will think of is the sea. oh humans)
(but all I can think of is Tubes, plays, cafes. and as soon as I'm there all I will think of is the sea. oh humans)
I've never appreciated or longed more for city life - oh January - but Milo is in his element. Cold water, clean air, long walks.
January 22, 2026 at 1:11 PM
I've never appreciated or longed more for city life - oh January - but Milo is in his element. Cold water, clean air, long walks.
Reposted by Maria Farrell
Half the world’s 100 largest cities are in high water stress areas. As we enter a global era of water bankruptcy we need water front and centre of agendas. Check out the new Water Security Atlas (second post) and my story in the Guardian. 1/2
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Half the world’s 100 largest cities are in high water stress areas, analysis finds
Exclusive: Beijing, Delhi, Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro among worst affected, with demand close to exceeding supply
www.theguardian.com
January 22, 2026 at 8:34 AM
Half the world’s 100 largest cities are in high water stress areas. As we enter a global era of water bankruptcy we need water front and centre of agendas. Check out the new Water Security Atlas (second post) and my story in the Guardian. 1/2
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
hey @himself.bsky.social, new audiobook of Lanark read by Alan Cumming. One for those dog walks!
HT @neilwilliamson.bsky.social
HT @neilwilliamson.bsky.social
Announcing Gray Day 2026! New Lanark audiobook by @canongate.co.uk narrated by Alan Cumming + five commissioned animations. Celebrating 45 years of Alasdair Gray’s Lanark. 25 Feb 2026, Òran Mór, Glasgow. Tickets via link in bio.
January 22, 2026 at 9:06 AM
hey @himself.bsky.social, new audiobook of Lanark read by Alan Cumming. One for those dog walks!
HT @neilwilliamson.bsky.social
HT @neilwilliamson.bsky.social
Reposted by Maria Farrell
I just drove by an anti ice protest in our red Texas town of Bryan- young people, high school or college- and I burst into tears. This is who I want to live with. I needed that moment of hope. We are not alone.
January 21, 2026 at 9:03 PM
I just drove by an anti ice protest in our red Texas town of Bryan- young people, high school or college- and I burst into tears. This is who I want to live with. I needed that moment of hope. We are not alone.
Reposted by Maria Farrell
"Sophisticated new techniques for blocking public access to the internet show how autocratic governments have benefited from the monopolized tech landscape. It’s time to rethink how we connect and report, writes Sabrina Faramarzi."
unbiasthenews.org/democracy-pl...
unbiasthenews.org/democracy-pl...
Iran’s internet blackout shows an increasingly powerful tool to reign in democratic movements - Unbias The News
Sophisticated new techniques for blocking public access to the internet show how autocratic governments have benefited from the monopolized tech landscape. It’s time to rethink how we connect and report, writes Sabrina Faramarzi.
unbiasthenews.org
January 21, 2026 at 5:13 PM
"Sophisticated new techniques for blocking public access to the internet show how autocratic governments have benefited from the monopolized tech landscape. It’s time to rethink how we connect and report, writes Sabrina Faramarzi."
unbiasthenews.org/democracy-pl...
unbiasthenews.org/democracy-pl...
Reminded of this reddit question.
I <get> <it>.
"like I had discovered some ancient fingerwriting on the wall, I was in awe and prostrate with deep, deep grief ...
I stopped again as I figured I should learn Portuguese and move to Brazil, that's how mad I became."
The replies are wonderful.
I <get> <it>.
"like I had discovered some ancient fingerwriting on the wall, I was in awe and prostrate with deep, deep grief ...
I stopped again as I figured I should learn Portuguese and move to Brazil, that's how mad I became."
The replies are wonderful.
January 21, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Reminded of this reddit question.
I <get> <it>.
"like I had discovered some ancient fingerwriting on the wall, I was in awe and prostrate with deep, deep grief ...
I stopped again as I figured I should learn Portuguese and move to Brazil, that's how mad I became."
The replies are wonderful.
I <get> <it>.
"like I had discovered some ancient fingerwriting on the wall, I was in awe and prostrate with deep, deep grief ...
I stopped again as I figured I should learn Portuguese and move to Brazil, that's how mad I became."
The replies are wonderful.
"This great need for noise is like a drug; it is a way to avoid focusing on what is really important."
Umberto Eco, How to Spot a Fascist...
Umberto Eco, How to Spot a Fascist...
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, and post the second sentence.
"'Beautiful,' my grandmother said, 'very striking,' and my father said he thought I'd look even better if both my legs were the same length."
"'Beautiful,' my grandmother said, 'very striking,' and my father said he thought I'd look even better if both my legs were the same length."
OK, fine
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, and post the second sentence.
"This idea was remarked on by a number of the interviewees, who felt the key to achieving desireable public health outcomes lay with an ability to instil a widespread commitment to a common vision of public health."
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, and post the second sentence.
"This idea was remarked on by a number of the interviewees, who felt the key to achieving desireable public health outcomes lay with an ability to instil a widespread commitment to a common vision of public health."
January 21, 2026 at 11:23 AM
"This great need for noise is like a drug; it is a way to avoid focusing on what is really important."
Umberto Eco, How to Spot a Fascist...
Umberto Eco, How to Spot a Fascist...
Carney's words for middle powers also apply to the internet:
Diversification reduces vulnerability
Normality is not coming back. We must de-risk not just from China but the US
"In this world you need a web of connections."
We're working so we won't have to choose between hegemons + hyperscalers.
Diversification reduces vulnerability
Normality is not coming back. We must de-risk not just from China but the US
"In this world you need a web of connections."
We're working so we won't have to choose between hegemons + hyperscalers.
Full: PM Mark Carney speaks at World Economic Forum in Davos
YouTube video by FactPointVideo
www.youtube.com
January 21, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Carney's words for middle powers also apply to the internet:
Diversification reduces vulnerability
Normality is not coming back. We must de-risk not just from China but the US
"In this world you need a web of connections."
We're working so we won't have to choose between hegemons + hyperscalers.
Diversification reduces vulnerability
Normality is not coming back. We must de-risk not just from China but the US
"In this world you need a web of connections."
We're working so we won't have to choose between hegemons + hyperscalers.
Reposted by Maria Farrell
The New World asked me to speak to some British trans women about what life has been like for them over the past few years - here's what they had to say, in their own words: www.thenewworld.co.uk/marie-le-con...
January 21, 2026 at 9:38 AM
The New World asked me to speak to some British trans women about what life has been like for them over the past few years - here's what they had to say, in their own words: www.thenewworld.co.uk/marie-le-con...
Reposted by Maria Farrell
This is where our forelock tugging capitulation to foreign direct investment and American tech companies has led us. The Irish government gave the regulators the authority to act, and they decline to do so.
Our entire regulatory framework has proved to be no more than a painted balsa wood front.
The AG here confirms it is illegal to generate CSAM.
We also gave CnaM the power to act on any material which was not illegal, but was offensive.
Turns out they don’t wanna.
www.rte.ie/news/2026/01...
The AG here confirms it is illegal to generate CSAM.
We also gave CnaM the power to act on any material which was not illegal, but was offensive.
Turns out they don’t wanna.
www.rte.ie/news/2026/01...
Coimisiún na Meán unlikely to seek Irish blocking of Grok
Media watchdog Coimisiún na Meán is unlikely to seek the banning or blocking of AI app Grok in Ireland by itself, and will instead wait until further talks with the European Commission before deciding...
www.rte.ie
January 20, 2026 at 11:09 AM
This is where our forelock tugging capitulation to foreign direct investment and American tech companies has led us. The Irish government gave the regulators the authority to act, and they decline to do so.