Chris Kendall
@ottocr.at
Anglo-Schwäbisch eurocrat | maker of EU foreign policy & spätzle | guerrilla knitter | cross-Channel commuter | was once @ottocrat
Pinned
Chris Kendall
@ottocr.at
· Nov 18
In case any recent arrivals are wondering what happened to my long-standing Twitter avatar, here’s why I changed it.
Reposted by Chris Kendall
The Bay City Times
Bay City,Michigan
January 05,1919
Bay City,Michigan
January 05,1919
January 10, 2026 at 4:08 AM
The Bay City Times
Bay City,Michigan
January 05,1919
Bay City,Michigan
January 05,1919
Yes we read Stig of the Dump last year and enjoyed it. I never read it as a child. We’re working our way through the classics. Next I’ll try again with Arthur Ransome. He bounced off them when I tried a few months back.
January 10, 2026 at 5:46 AM
Yes we read Stig of the Dump last year and enjoyed it. I never read it as a child. We’re working our way through the classics. Next I’ll try again with Arthur Ransome. He bounced off them when I tried a few months back.
Reposted by Chris Kendall
Bottom line: The EU's overreliance on consensualist procedures (perfect bicameralism and qualified majorities/unanimity requirements) not only makes it less efficient but also makes its decisions appear less legitimate in public.
January 9, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Bottom line: The EU's overreliance on consensualist procedures (perfect bicameralism and qualified majorities/unanimity requirements) not only makes it less efficient but also makes its decisions appear less legitimate in public.
I’m reading The Wind In The Willows to 7yo as his bedtime story. I haven’t read it for years and I had forgotten how intensely beautiful it is, like a prose poem. Rich, dense, atmospheric. A children’s book that absolutely does not talk down to its reader. What an outstanding writer Grahame was.
January 9, 2026 at 10:08 PM
I’m reading The Wind In The Willows to 7yo as his bedtime story. I haven’t read it for years and I had forgotten how intensely beautiful it is, like a prose poem. Rich, dense, atmospheric. A children’s book that absolutely does not talk down to its reader. What an outstanding writer Grahame was.
The calculating how much powder to put into the mug and what to add to it and how and how much
a woman is looking at a triangle with the equation a = 1b / h written on it .
ALT: a woman is looking at a triangle with the equation a = 1b / h written on it .
media.tenor.com
January 9, 2026 at 8:59 PM
The calculating how much powder to put into the mug and what to add to it and how and how much
Dutch police in shootout with local kids 😱☃️
January 9, 2026 at 8:25 PM
Dutch police in shootout with local kids 😱☃️
13yo, making instant hot chocolate: “why is cooking so difficult??”
January 9, 2026 at 8:22 PM
13yo, making instant hot chocolate: “why is cooking so difficult??”
It does make a nice change when leaked whatsapp group messages show government MPs being privately better than they are in public; used to be very much the opposite.
EXCLUSIVE: Leaked WhatsApp messages show Labour MPs urging govt to leave X, arguing that it should "show direction to others in the UK"
The MPs said X owner Elon Musk is "fascist" and that the platform's AI tool, Grok, had put "children in harm's way"
The MPs said X owner Elon Musk is "fascist" and that the platform's AI tool, Grok, had put "children in harm's way"
January 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM
It does make a nice change when leaked whatsapp group messages show government MPs being privately better than they are in public; used to be very much the opposite.
Christ. As an undergrad I was typically given four or five articles to read ahead of each tutorial of which I had at least three a week, & wrote an essay for each. That’s on top of all the primary texts which I was expected to have read during my holidays. I must have WRITTEN 100 pages a week.
January 9, 2026 at 6:56 PM
Christ. As an undergrad I was typically given four or five articles to read ahead of each tutorial of which I had at least three a week, & wrote an essay for each. That’s on top of all the primary texts which I was expected to have read during my holidays. I must have WRITTEN 100 pages a week.
I asked him why?
“Dipping dogs. They say it’s the ice cream of the future!”
“Dipping dogs. They say it’s the ice cream of the future!”
January 9, 2026 at 6:34 PM
I asked him why?
“Dipping dogs. They say it’s the ice cream of the future!”
“Dipping dogs. They say it’s the ice cream of the future!”
“Daddy, can we buy some liquid nitrogen?”
January 9, 2026 at 6:02 PM
“Daddy, can we buy some liquid nitrogen?”
Reposted by Chris Kendall
Modest proposal: any minister claiming the government “needs” to be on X should have to read out the top ten comments on their department’s most recent post.
How government engagement on X works. A wholly typical post and a wholly typical reply.
January 9, 2026 at 3:12 PM
Modest proposal: any minister claiming the government “needs” to be on X should have to read out the top ten comments on their department’s most recent post.
I’m old enough to remember when Google’s motto was “Don’t Be Evil” and everyone including Google believed it.
New: Trio of Dem senators urge Apple and Google to enforce their own terms of service and ban X, Grok apps for their flood of nonconsensual sexual imagery.
I've repeatedly asked both Apple and Google about this for three days. They're completely silent, seemingly hoping the question just goes away.
I've repeatedly asked both Apple and Google about this for three days. They're completely silent, seemingly hoping the question just goes away.
Senators urged Apple and Google to remove X and Grok from app stores over sexual deepfakes
“Turning a blind eye to X’s egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation
practices,” three Democratic senators wrote to Apple’s and Google’s CEOs.
www.nbcnews.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:38 PM
I’m old enough to remember when Google’s motto was “Don’t Be Evil” and everyone including Google believed it.
That’s legit hilarious. Amazed Boris Johnson hasn’t stolen the idea already.
January 9, 2026 at 5:28 PM
That’s legit hilarious. Amazed Boris Johnson hasn’t stolen the idea already.
Reposted by Chris Kendall
🚨 AI Minister Niamh Smyth says it isn't appropriate for the Government to maintain a presence on X and will speak to the Taoiseach on the matter.
Says the European Commission should immediately suspend Grok while investigations are continuing.
More on @virginmedianews.bsky.social
Says the European Commission should immediately suspend Grok while investigations are continuing.
More on @virginmedianews.bsky.social
January 9, 2026 at 2:42 PM
🚨 AI Minister Niamh Smyth says it isn't appropriate for the Government to maintain a presence on X and will speak to the Taoiseach on the matter.
Says the European Commission should immediately suspend Grok while investigations are continuing.
More on @virginmedianews.bsky.social
Says the European Commission should immediately suspend Grok while investigations are continuing.
More on @virginmedianews.bsky.social
Good to see I remain at the bleeding edge of fashion
*eyes rolling so hard rn*
www.theguardian.com/fashion/2026...
*eyes rolling so hard rn*
www.theguardian.com/fashion/2026...
The rise of the analogue bag: fashion’s answer to doomscrolling
As screen fatigue grows, a new trend is swapping smartphones for crosswords and sketchbooks – turning the humble bag into a tool for offline living
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM
Good to see I remain at the bleeding edge of fashion
*eyes rolling so hard rn*
www.theguardian.com/fashion/2026...
*eyes rolling so hard rn*
www.theguardian.com/fashion/2026...
I’m beseeching you: I do not want to be instructed to draft X posts for my senior managers; and I will not read news or communications posted to X; and it is absolutely wrong for EU institutions to expect me as an official to do that. We need to remove ourselves from the platform IMMEDIATELY.
January 9, 2026 at 4:05 PM
I’m beseeching you: I do not want to be instructed to draft X posts for my senior managers; and I will not read news or communications posted to X; and it is absolutely wrong for EU institutions to expect me as an official to do that. We need to remove ourselves from the platform IMMEDIATELY.
So could I make a plea as both a citizen and an EU worker: STOP USING THE PLATFORM FOR OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS
January 9, 2026 at 4:03 PM
So could I make a plea as both a citizen and an EU worker: STOP USING THE PLATFORM FOR OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS
Reposted by Chris Kendall
Well this is a very heavy hint
NEW: Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, says Ofcom would have the "full backing" of government if it opted to block access to X in the UK (but it's a decision for Ofcom)
January 9, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Well this is a very heavy hint
Reposted by Chris Kendall
GERMAN PRESIDENT STEINMEIER:
“.. the United States has broken with the values that it helped to establish ..
“.. we have now moved beyond the stage where we can lament the lack of respect for international law or the erosion of the international order; we are far beyond that, I believe.”
“.. the United States has broken with the values that it helped to establish ..
“.. we have now moved beyond the stage where we can lament the lack of respect for international law or the erosion of the international order; we are far beyond that, I believe.”
January 9, 2026 at 9:15 AM
GERMAN PRESIDENT STEINMEIER:
“.. the United States has broken with the values that it helped to establish ..
“.. we have now moved beyond the stage where we can lament the lack of respect for international law or the erosion of the international order; we are far beyond that, I believe.”
“.. the United States has broken with the values that it helped to establish ..
“.. we have now moved beyond the stage where we can lament the lack of respect for international law or the erosion of the international order; we are far beyond that, I believe.”
Reposted by Chris Kendall
Well it was more a way for me to mitigate my constant pass-agg moaning about the bins and dishwasher by putting it into context
January 9, 2026 at 11:56 AM
Well it was more a way for me to mitigate my constant pass-agg moaning about the bins and dishwasher by putting it into context
Reposted by Chris Kendall
The Guardian doing inexplicable voluntary free public relations work for a corporation profiting from sexual abuse by headlining this as the image gen being "turned off". It isn't off: they've just monetised it. What the fuck are we doing here people, come on.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Grok turns off image generator for most users after outcry over sexualised AI imagery
X to limit editing function to paying subscribers after platform threatened with fines and regulatory action
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 9:18 AM
The Guardian doing inexplicable voluntary free public relations work for a corporation profiting from sexual abuse by headlining this as the image gen being "turned off". It isn't off: they've just monetised it. What the fuck are we doing here people, come on.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...