Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 12h

And does that Devon flag have "Cream First" written on it? I hope so.

Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 12h

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 1d

Support @neilmackay.bsky.social on this about 150%. Critical thinking? Principles and values? Broader horizons? Since when did acquiring these things become a rip off? History student here, making my money from the tech world, which values my ability to think not like a tech leader but like a human.

Neil Mackay @neilmackay.bsky.social · 1d

If you want to create a docile, obedient nation, first attack the arts so you deskill children of critical thinking. Once you’ve done that the people can be moulded as their rulers please. Beware this barbarism. It’s a path to demagoguery and authoritarianism

1

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 1d

Harmful. This is a classic bubble of the worst kind. This is not the road to useful machine cognition.
Close that ChatGPT account, remove your investment capital and wait for a better strategy- which will come.
This is not the way to machine intelligence- the tech is getting more stupid by the day.

1

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 1d

Of in-built biases, leading to inbreeding of models and outcomes of continuously diminishing value.
The rise of so-called Agentic AI is simply accelerating this process.
GenAI based on commercial LLMs cannot be trusted to tell the truth or even to know the truth- it is not just useless but actively-

1

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 1d

Can everyone please take an oath to stop talking nonsense about AI?
What Altman et al are doing is NOT AI. There is no route from brute force LLMs to AGI- it's a dead end.
The current LLMs only work at all due to continuous tweaking from human intermediaries as a way to reduce the negative impact-

Anna Dent @annadent.bsky.social · 1d

It's tempting to laugh at this, ho ho Sam Altman and co with egg on their faces, but if it really goes pop it will not be good. Unbelievable amounts of money and bets for the future of many governments (and countries) are staked on AI

Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 1d

"Surging valuations of artificial intelligence companies are intensifying the risk of a -sudden correction' in global financial markets after equity prices reached levels comparable with the dotcom bubble, the Bank of England has warned." on.ft.com/4mSeT4Q

1

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 1d

I have some insight on this. It is bad. The bubble won't definitively burst for about 18 months to 2 years, by which time LLMs will have been cannibalised to the point of what insiders call "logic inbreeding". At this point the industry will pretty much collapse. The clock is ticking. Invest no cash

David Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · 1d

This sounds "bad" 🤔

Faisal Islam @faisalislam

NEW

Bank of England:

value of Al tech companies "appear stretched" with a rising risk of a "sharp correction” saying that on some profit measures it was “comparable to the peak of the dotcom bubble".

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 3d

Except to small birds. Ruthless killers.

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 6d

Lord save us! I assumed it was Thomas because he'd be on the fence all the time.

Dorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 6d

“Nearly all 12 apostles” is so funny. I guess there’s no “What would Judas do?” option

The Alternate Historian @althistorian.bsky.social · 6d

O sweet! A digital golden calf.

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 6d

That will do you no good at all. We have all been there. Makes no difference. Criticise Israel and you are smeared as a terror supporter even if you can quote your opposition to Hamas. They don't care- they really don't.

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 6d

before I get piled on by others like Daniel Sevitt. @danielsevitt.bsky.social. Yes, I do condemn Oct 7th and Hamas.

poster featuring a Palestinian woman holding a dead child dripping in blood, on her knees, in tears & grieving, surrounded by 6 arms reching into view with a microphone, with news company logos on their wind shields. Above the lady is the caption "BUT DO YOU CONDEMN HAMAS?"

2

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 6d

This is a WTAF moment. Has anyone seen a formal comment from the police? I mean, this is so surreal that my instant response was it has to be AI generated. Are there witnesses? Is this real? Stunned.

Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 6d

why are West Midlands police allowing flag hangers to block a public highway, exactly

Kings Heath United Against Racism @khuar.bsky.social · 6d

Flags went up in Stirchley a few days ago & were taken down by local residents the same evening.

The men returned with a cherry picker and coned off parts of the road with police accompanying them as they put up new flags along the High Street.

Residents who object have been met with verbal abuse.

Reposted by Simon Harries

Katherine Hardy @kardyology.bsky.social · 6d

Invest in the arts.

Buy-to-let businesses have become the largest single type of business in the UK this is why we are not productive, we are cannibalising ourselves.
www.ft.com/content/efed...

Rachel Reeves braced for huge hole in UK public finances after productivity downgrade

New OBR forecasts set to spark fierce dispute between Labour and Conservatives

www.ft.com

1 13 44

Reposted by Simon Harries

scott⚡️mccloud @scottmccloud.bsky.social · 8d

91 years.
All of them Good.

Black and White photo of Jane Goodall in her youth, walking with one of the many chimpanzees she studied in their natural habitat.

3 88 570

Reposted by Simon Harries

dag @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 10d

NEW

The Kneecap prosecution collapsed because police and prosecutors did not take terrorism law seriously

Where "a technicality" hides a fundamental error

By me

Substack: emptycity.substack.com/p/the-kneeca...

Personal blog:
davidallengreen.com/2025/09/the-...

At the bottom of this mess is a simple point: the police and the prosecutors were careless with terrorism law and careless about its express safeguards.

Things were left to the last minute and a consent (which may or may not have been given) - a step imposed by parliament as a crucial step - was not obtained.

And this mishap meant that the Chief Magistrate of England and Wales had no jurisdiction to hear what was on the face of it a terrorism case.

Police and the prosecutors should remember that this is terrorism law that they are dealing with.

Terrorism law should be taken seriously.

14 80 230

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 12d

Recommend reading @davidallengreen.bsky.social on this. His analysis is definitive and very clear. No, not a "technicality" but a fatal error due to over use of and lack of respect for Terrorism legislation.

Ruth Watson @ruthwatson.bsky.social · 13d

Was the technicality that there was no terrorism?

The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 13d

A terrorism charge against a member of the Irish rap group Kneecap has been thrown out due to a technical error

1 2

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 12d

There is a simple test. Where will the data go? If to AWS, Azure or other US-owned cloud providers the idea is unacceptable in principle. There must be a solution that keeps our data under UK sovereignty. Otherwise we are not just selling the people to foreign interests, but paying them to own us.

HJA Civil Liberties @hjacivillibs.bsky.social · 12d

Keir Starmer’s plan for digital IDs risks creating “an enormous hacking target”, a cybersecurity expert has warned, as technology companies prepared to bid for contracts that could run into billions of pounds www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Digital ID plan for UK risks creating ‘an enormous hacking target’, expert warns

Cyber security expert offers warning as tech companies prepare to bid for potentially multi-billion pound contracts

www.theguardian.com

1

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 13d

He's likely to fire half of them.

Rejoin Campaign @rejoincampaign.bsky.social · 13d

COULD THIS LIGHT THE BLUE TOUCHPAPER?

Will Hegseth’s summons increase the possibility of a military coup in America?

1

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 13d

I watched this with my autistic grandson, daughter (his mother), son and his girlfriend. None of us had the least idea of who Skinner was but all agreed he was a grim influence on the mirth of the nation and needed to be voted out stat.

Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 13d

#Botched!

Simon Gosden @simongosden.bsky.social · 13d

Oh dear.

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 13d

All my grandson's family absolutely adore him. We could not love him more but we know that adolescence is approaching. My son is also lovable much of the time but has terrifying mood swings. So do many asperger's people I know. The positive and negative can exist together.

1

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 13d

This is exactly my fear. I am no longer opposed to the idea of a citizen ID card- thanks to online commercial services, the old objections are no longer valid.
BUT- online only ID is not practical and will fuel the hacking and ID theft epidemic, and this is the wrong reason in any case.
I despair.

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 13d

british "Stop the Boats" logic has reached a new boss level of bonkers I didn't know existed.

And good luck selling a "britcard" idea in Northern Ireland!

There is merit to ID cards but not this way or for these reasons. Is this Labours "poll tax" moment?

'BritCard' digital ID will be made law for all adults in bid to tackle small boats

No 10 believes a mandatory ID card system will help stop illegal immigrants working

inews.co.uk

2

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 13d

Grandchild yes. Child on the spectrum but OCD/ADHD rather than what might otherwise be described as "autistic"

1 1

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 14d

Experience you can imagine.
It can also be frightening- and I have also been there.
I would just recommend those without personal experience to be careful about what they say.
There is someone on this platform now afraid to sleep and wondering who will look after their child when they are dead.

1

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 14d

Know what I'm talking about, I really do.
I would just beg everyone not to be glib. If they feel like making a generalised statement, especially trying to be supportive and positive, remember the hard cases. Remember this is a disability and living with your autistic child can be the most painful-

1

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 14d

On the higher end, you have people, also with an autism diagnosis, who have severe learning difficulties, cannot converse or use the toilet, who can do many other things but will certainly, when their (often- and I do mean often- divorced parents) can cope no more will end up in an institution. I-

1

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 14d

Spectrum. At one end you have people like me: lifelong OCD, inability to tolerate crowds (except as a performer), isolation due to suspicion of close relationships and so on- things that can cause depression and make you occasionally not good to be around but that also don't stop you functioning.-

1

Simon Harries @simonharries.bsky.social · 14d

Causing it and potentially a treatment "curing it". I have only contempt for this form of treatment.
BUT- on the other hand, you sometimes see people, trying to counter this false argument, suggesting that autism can bring "super-powers", which is a term that makes me deeply upset.
Autism is a-

1