Rob Cawston
@cawston.bsky.social
Design | Content | Data | Culture | Thoughts
Cambridge United fan 🫎 Views my own.
Cambridge United fan 🫎 Views my own.
A strong piece from @hetanshah.bsky.social waving a flag for investemnt in National Libraries as research infrastructures:
"The government should treat the UK’s major manuscript collections as an important national and international resource..."
"The government should treat the UK’s major manuscript collections as an important national and international resource..."
I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
The British library is in crisis: why does nobody care?
The widespread indifference to the British Library's crippling cyberattack demonstrates a perilous failure to value the knowledge infrastructure vital for national prosperity
www.cityam.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:21 AM
A strong piece from @hetanshah.bsky.social waving a flag for investemnt in National Libraries as research infrastructures:
"The government should treat the UK’s major manuscript collections as an important national and international resource..."
"The government should treat the UK’s major manuscript collections as an important national and international resource..."
This was peak internet.
November 13, 2025 at 9:24 AM
This was peak internet.
Reposted by Rob Cawston
a friend of mine in antifa told me that antifa's headquarters is SHEIN and if the company fell the whole network would fall
October 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
a friend of mine in antifa told me that antifa's headquarters is SHEIN and if the company fell the whole network would fall
Reposted by Rob Cawston
October 8, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Reposted by Rob Cawston
Simon Jordan on TalkSport, unchallenged yet again.
As a Talksport employee, I am embarrassed by this rebuttal of what Neville said. This moron pontificates without question. It is bonkers.
And yeah, i'll probably be sacked. Fuck it.
youtube.com/watch?v=FrXr...
As a Talksport employee, I am embarrassed by this rebuttal of what Neville said. This moron pontificates without question. It is bonkers.
And yeah, i'll probably be sacked. Fuck it.
youtube.com/watch?v=FrXr...
"APPALLING STANCE!" Simon Jordan rages at "COWARD" Gary Neville after Union Jack REMOVAL admission!
YouTube video by talkSPORT
youtube.com
October 7, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Simon Jordan on TalkSport, unchallenged yet again.
As a Talksport employee, I am embarrassed by this rebuttal of what Neville said. This moron pontificates without question. It is bonkers.
And yeah, i'll probably be sacked. Fuck it.
youtube.com/watch?v=FrXr...
As a Talksport employee, I am embarrassed by this rebuttal of what Neville said. This moron pontificates without question. It is bonkers.
And yeah, i'll probably be sacked. Fuck it.
youtube.com/watch?v=FrXr...
Reposted by Rob Cawston
Recommended viewing: Storyville: The Librarians, BBC4, Tuesday, 7 October. Explores how librarians across the US are risking their safety to defend free speech as book bans and censorship threaten democracy from within. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Four - Storyville, The Librarians
Documentary about the US librarians who are risking their safety to defend free speech.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 5, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Recommended viewing: Storyville: The Librarians, BBC4, Tuesday, 7 October. Explores how librarians across the US are risking their safety to defend free speech as book bans and censorship threaten democracy from within. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
Reposted by Rob Cawston
Whether it's Republicans flagrantly abusing Articles One and Two of the Constitution or Democrats being bad at messaging, both parties are pushing America to the brink.
October 6, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Whether it's Republicans flagrantly abusing Articles One and Two of the Constitution or Democrats being bad at messaging, both parties are pushing America to the brink.
The median voter is by definition just one voter. Happy to take the hit if it means we can call out racism.
Crying racism only hurts Labour
Activists like it, but the median voter will feel attacked.
📊 @bwalker.uk
Activists like it, but the median voter will feel attacked.
📊 @bwalker.uk
Crying racism only hurts Labour
Activists like it, but the median voter will feel attacked.
www.newstatesman.com
October 1, 2025 at 7:44 PM
The median voter is by definition just one voter. Happy to take the hit if it means we can call out racism.
Reposted by Rob Cawston
A very good thread making key points the Royal Society has missed.
On 15th Sept, billionaire & Royal Society fellow Elon Musk called for political & interethnic violence, to pre-empt (ie, begin) a civil war. ("Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die."). A fortnight later, the Society expresses its disapproval
"I am increasingly concerned over threats to the values that allow science to flourish." Read the full statement from the President of the Royal Society Sir Adrian Smith: royalsociety.org/news/2025/10...
October 1, 2025 at 6:06 PM
A very good thread making key points the Royal Society has missed.
Stretching the definition of “social” to breaking point…
Scoop with @lmatsakis.bsky.social: OpenAI is about to launch a TikTok-style social app for AI generated videos. We got the deets (and the docs): www.wired.com/story/openai...
OpenAI Is Preparing to Launch a Social App for AI-Generated Videos
The platform appears to closely resemble TikTok and is powered by Sora 2, OpenAI's latest video generation model.
www.wired.com
September 29, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Stretching the definition of “social” to breaking point…
I’m still 100% convinced that a manual switch is the best way to control devices in the home.
The essential failure of LLMs in the smart home - where natural language processing should shine - is the best evidence that LLMs as a technology simply may not be able to do the things they’re promised
www.theverge.com/report/78717...
www.theverge.com/report/78717...
September 29, 2025 at 6:18 PM
I’m still 100% convinced that a manual switch is the best way to control devices in the home.
Reposted by Rob Cawston
Lessons from a (much more) privacy conscious country
To get this narrow approval the Swiss system was made free, optional and entirely publicly run
To get this narrow approval the Swiss system was made free, optional and entirely publicly run
Switzerland, final results:
Electronic identity (e-ID) scheme (Optional referendum)
Support: 50.39%
Oppose: 49.61%
Turnout: 49.55%
➤ europeelects.eu/switzerland
#CHvote #Abst25 #Votazioni #Votaziuns
Electronic identity (e-ID) scheme (Optional referendum)
Support: 50.39%
Oppose: 49.61%
Turnout: 49.55%
➤ europeelects.eu/switzerland
#CHvote #Abst25 #Votazioni #Votaziuns
September 28, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Lessons from a (much more) privacy conscious country
To get this narrow approval the Swiss system was made free, optional and entirely publicly run
To get this narrow approval the Swiss system was made free, optional and entirely publicly run
Reposted by Rob Cawston
Got my performance review.
September 27, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Got my performance review.
Reposted by Rob Cawston
the post office is a public service. it doesn’t need to make money. public transit doesn’t need to make money. the library doesn’t need to make money. some things exist for the public good and we desperately need lawmakers to stop thinking about them in terms of capitalism. these are not businesses.
September 25, 2025 at 11:09 PM
the post office is a public service. it doesn’t need to make money. public transit doesn’t need to make money. the library doesn’t need to make money. some things exist for the public good and we desperately need lawmakers to stop thinking about them in terms of capitalism. these are not businesses.
Contentment is 90% who you chose to stand next to.
I feel bad for rappers who get guest verses from Kendrick Lamar. It would be like me asking the best prose writer in the world to write the middle third of an article for me. The piece would be much better overall but my parts would look like crap.
September 21, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Contentment is 90% who you chose to stand next to.
The smart play is to have an iPhone is too old to support iOS 26.
OK, calling it: iOS 26 is not ready for prime time, don't upgrade yet
Oh neat now it's crashing and restarting every ten minutes. Fucksake
September 21, 2025 at 9:17 AM
The smart play is to have an iPhone is too old to support iOS 26.
Reposted by Rob Cawston
this exists it is called thinking
September 20, 2025 at 12:15 PM
this exists it is called thinking
Reposted by Rob Cawston
I refused to placate the bully. Then I refused to placate the institutions who placated the bully. Then I refused to placate the shills who placate the institutions who placate the bully. I'm still standing; the rest are down.
Never placate the bully.
Never placate the bully.
September 20, 2025 at 2:02 PM
I refused to placate the bully. Then I refused to placate the institutions who placated the bully. Then I refused to placate the shills who placate the institutions who placate the bully. I'm still standing; the rest are down.
Never placate the bully.
Never placate the bully.
😬
Annnd here we are, the missing Palantir-shaped piece of the trade deal puzzle www.gov.uk/government/n...
New strategic partnership to unlock billions and boost military AI and innovation
The UK will be at the leading edge of defence innovation as the government signs a new partnership with Palantir to unlock billions in investment and deliver on the Government’s Plan for Change.
www.gov.uk
September 18, 2025 at 3:34 PM
😬
Reposted by Rob Cawston
Mini-scoop: After resisting pressure to strip Elon Musk of his fellowship for months, the Royal Society is meeting on 1 October to discuss his removal – following his decision to address Tommy Robinson's far-right rally on Saturday.
www.thenewworld.co.uk/james-ball-r...
www.thenewworld.co.uk/james-ball-r...
Royal Society to debate throwing out Elon Musk
One of the most prestigious scientific bodies in the world is considering expelling Musk after his appearance at Tommy Robinson’s extremist London rally
www.thenewworld.co.uk
September 17, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Mini-scoop: After resisting pressure to strip Elon Musk of his fellowship for months, the Royal Society is meeting on 1 October to discuss his removal – following his decision to address Tommy Robinson's far-right rally on Saturday.
www.thenewworld.co.uk/james-ball-r...
www.thenewworld.co.uk/james-ball-r...
“Hey, man. Stop being weird.” - the key line to deploy against men’s high-performance influencers
this is, hands down, the best video I've seen on men's influencer content and it's not close either
September 15, 2025 at 5:43 PM
“Hey, man. Stop being weird.” - the key line to deploy against men’s high-performance influencers
Historical tech tree www.historicaltechtree.com
Historical Tech Tree
Interactive visualization of technological history
www.historicaltechtree.com
September 15, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Historical tech tree www.historicaltechtree.com
Cloudgazing cloudgazing.online
Cloudgazing - Find Shapes in Clouds
Find shapes in the clouds! Join our cloudgazing community where everyone sees something different. Share your cloud discoveries.
cloudgazing.online
September 15, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Cloudgazing cloudgazing.online
Reposted by Rob Cawston
Deleted Twitter. Amongst many reasons, the man who owns it is a fascist.
September 14, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Deleted Twitter. Amongst many reasons, the man who owns it is a fascist.
Reposted by Rob Cawston
This must be a watershed moment. The government's continued use of X is no longer simply negligent. It is an act of conscious assistance to violent extremism.
The common sense meaning should make this Elon Musk's "rivers of blood" moment
Though I think he goes further than Enoch Powell in a couple of important ways
Though I think he goes further than Enoch Powell in a couple of important ways
Elon Musk spoke by video to Tommy Robinson's anti-immigrant rally in the UK today.
"You're in a fundamental situation here where, whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you," said Musk. "You either fight back or you die."
"You're in a fundamental situation here where, whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you," said Musk. "You either fight back or you die."
September 14, 2025 at 7:28 AM
This must be a watershed moment. The government's continued use of X is no longer simply negligent. It is an act of conscious assistance to violent extremism.