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Reposted by Simon Scott

Alex Usher @alexusherhesa.bsky.social · 1d

Real change in public expenditures on higher education, 2008 to 2023, selected countries that actually publish the damn data. UK is worst here, but note this does not include RAB (projected future loan forgiveness, basically). If RAB is included...UK would still be last.

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 18h

Magnificent.

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 18h

Whole thing is upside down - we'll spend a fortune (over budget) to create a thing with little or no purpose, and then it will be down to departments to find deliverable efficiencies, if any. Most of that will involve yet further investment.

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 18h

'He signalled Britain could use the technology for services like banking, pointing to New Delhi's scheme as an example, and said ministers must "make the case" for the "huge benefits" the scheme could offer.'

Exactly what happened with Blair's NID proposal. They hid the costs through that.

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Reposted by Simon Scott

HappyToast @happytoast.co.uk · 19h

We're ruining (or improving) Bond posters on @b3ta.com this week

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 19h

Trouble is they *need* it to do other things because then its success doesn't rest on its intended purpose, the effectiveness of which is hugely doubtful.

Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 19h

It's astonishing really. "Oh if we're doing this anyway, lets extend it to 13-16 year olds, and use it for accessing services and anything else we can think of."

It's like saying "well, as we're driving to the shops anyway, we might as well fly to Nepal."

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 19h

Labour's ID scheme which was suggested to curb employing illegal immigrants already running into function creep.

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 20h

A minor slip but "Reform would say" becoming "he would say" acknowledging that Reform is just a loudspeaker for NF.

Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 20h

Screaming Dope. Will that do?

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Reposted by Simon Scott

Dan Snow @thehistoryguy.bsky.social · 2d

We have built a society in which people of different skin tones, religious backgrounds & cultures get along, share power, work alongside each other, procreate with each other, recognise the each other’s humanity and democratic rights. It is a STUNNING ACHIEVEMENT OF WORLD HISTORIC PROPORTIONS.

Omar Khan @omaromalleykhan.bsky.social · 3d

I know statistics are poorly understood and are misused. But facts matter

Between the 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021 Census *every* ethnic group in the UK has become *less* geographically segregated and *all* groups, majority and minorities, are more likely to interact with people not like them

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 23h

Trouble is that it seems insanely easy to leverage a sense of injustice re: the monolith (notions of employers of immigrant workers paying tiny wages; govt losing sight of the needs of people) into anger against immigrants.

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 23h

I was minded of news media's obsession of talking to brexit-voters about immigration, and so many of them took the line that "immigration was out of hand" (monolith) but that they had nothing against *their* immigrants (the village).

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 23h

Have had Deep Thoughts following a recent folk festival in a very flaggy town, as to whether folk is rightwing or not. Not, I think. Have thought in terms of the village vs. the monolith, and there being an understanding that immigrants are (paradoxically?) of the village.

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 23h

Zero out of ten, would try it.

Spoo Keidick @donkeidick.bsky.social · 1d

Good morning! Follow me for more recipes!

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 23h

Did he die?

Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 1d

Now AI companies billions of dollars in debt are worming their way into government partnerships because they need the state to be too embarrassed and exposed to let the companies fail, no matter how bad their "solutions" get.

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 1d

Studies show AI doesn't increase revenue, and increases costs. AI researches know that the problems that make AI unusable are insoluble in that a "hallucination" (getting it wrong) is the product working as intended.

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 1d

Coo!

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Reposted by Simon Scott

Ian Greaves @greavesian.bsky.social · 1d

Just listed at Barbican - a December afternoon of rare footage of Derek Bailey, one of a series of events that week marking the 20th anniversary of his death. Supported by @thewiremagazine.bsky.social Tickets here: www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/202...

So Watt Special: Derek Bailey - New Sights, Old Sounds | Barbican

A film screening of rare, unseen footage of Derek Bailey from the Incus Records archive and beyond, capturing his performances and collaborations across decades and continents.

www.barbican.org.uk

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Reposted by Simon Scott

Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 2d

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 2d

Jensen *nearly* describing OpenAI, a company that has yet to make any profit, as the most profitable company ever, before correcting himself.

Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 2d

Fuck.

Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 4d

"great!"

Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 4d

"The hundreds of billions of dollars companies are investing in AI now account for an astonishing 40 per cent share of US GDP growth this year... In a way, then, America has become one big bet on AI."

Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 2d

Here's a thought, Dick & Dom - teach people how to fix up their rented homes in order to get their deposit back *without* using AI? Surely you can see it's irrelevant?

Simon Scott @simonscott1975.bsky.social · 2d

Feel Altman's been pushing for government integration and making wild (illiterate) promises about economic revival just so he can turn around in a few months and bleat that OpenAI is too big and important to fail.