Oliver
@fromoliver.bsky.social
Optimistic catastrophist. Procrastivist. Research comms & impact. Writes books, takes photos. https://oliverfrancis.net/
Reposted by Oliver
A thread of how to say “nobody asked you” from around the world, starting with this one…
A Lithuanian way of telling someone to mind their own business is ne tavo kiaulės, ne tavo pupos. It means “not your pigs, not your beans.”
A Lithuanian way of telling someone to mind their own business is ne tavo kiaulės, ne tavo pupos. It means “not your pigs, not your beans.”
December 17, 2025 at 1:11 PM
A thread of how to say “nobody asked you” from around the world, starting with this one…
A Lithuanian way of telling someone to mind their own business is ne tavo kiaulės, ne tavo pupos. It means “not your pigs, not your beans.”
A Lithuanian way of telling someone to mind their own business is ne tavo kiaulės, ne tavo pupos. It means “not your pigs, not your beans.”
Reposted by Oliver
BRAIN AT 4 AM: Hey! Hey! You know that completely manageable task you have to to at work today? Let's think about it right now, but *weird*!
December 17, 2025 at 11:31 AM
BRAIN AT 4 AM: Hey! Hey! You know that completely manageable task you have to to at work today? Let's think about it right now, but *weird*!
Reposted by Oliver
I need some of the people insisting that attacks on Jews worldwide are the fault of Israel to explain the absence of attacks on Russians worldwide.
December 16, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I need some of the people insisting that attacks on Jews worldwide are the fault of Israel to explain the absence of attacks on Russians worldwide.
Reposted by Oliver
Nothing says getting into the festive spirit like going online to shout at some biscuits
December 8, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Nothing says getting into the festive spirit like going online to shout at some biscuits
Reposted by Oliver
The FIFA Peace prize makes as much sense as a NFL neuroscience prize would.
December 7, 2025 at 7:02 PM
The FIFA Peace prize makes as much sense as a NFL neuroscience prize would.
Reposted by Oliver
After much research and development I have made an offline version of ChatGPT.
Now you can save water and electricity while navel-gazing, and carry one of the world's most powerfully annoying AI chatbots in your pocket.
Now you can save water and electricity while navel-gazing, and carry one of the world's most powerfully annoying AI chatbots in your pocket.
December 5, 2025 at 4:03 PM
After much research and development I have made an offline version of ChatGPT.
Now you can save water and electricity while navel-gazing, and carry one of the world's most powerfully annoying AI chatbots in your pocket.
Now you can save water and electricity while navel-gazing, and carry one of the world's most powerfully annoying AI chatbots in your pocket.
Reposted by Oliver
So now the US under Trump is going to align with Russia to squeeze Europe and back the emerging Fascist International
The new US National Security Strategy makes for scary reading. I wrote about how the US wants to support forces in Europe to tear itself apart back in November 2024, and last May. This NSS confirms that's exactly the US objective for Europe.
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
December 5, 2025 at 12:27 PM
So now the US under Trump is going to align with Russia to squeeze Europe and back the emerging Fascist International
Reposted by Oliver
Fraser Nelson exhibited terrible judgement when he was editor, somehow Michael Gove is worse.
Please enjoy the Spectator not only eating shit after trying to destroy a Hope Not Hate researcher who exposed the activities of a bunch of fash but also hilariously trying to salvage a win out of it
An apology to Hope Not Hate and Harry Shukman
In August, The Spectator began to investigate allegations that Harry Shukman, a 33-year-old freelance journalist, had used a fake British passport as part of a two-year undercover investigation into t...
www.spectator.co.uk
December 5, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Fraser Nelson exhibited terrible judgement when he was editor, somehow Michael Gove is worse.
I see Microsoft has improved Outlook by making it shit.
December 1, 2025 at 2:50 PM
I see Microsoft has improved Outlook by making it shit.
Reposted by Oliver
This would be a wonderful positive AI use-case. Although a strange, difficult reality for a lot of people in 2025.
Mind-blowingly cool use of AI
“Altogether, these findings are leading us to an extraordinary conclusion: Whales may possess a communication system more intricate than our own, one that possibly predates human language by tens of millions of years.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o...
“Altogether, these findings are leading us to an extraordinary conclusion: Whales may possess a communication system more intricate than our own, one that possibly predates human language by tens of millions of years.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o...
Opinion | I’m a Marine Biologist. This Is How I Talk to Whales.
www.nytimes.com
December 1, 2025 at 7:07 AM
This would be a wonderful positive AI use-case. Although a strange, difficult reality for a lot of people in 2025.
Reposted by Oliver
Nine years ago Mike Fitzgerald wrote up an extraordinarily fascinating breakdown of the differences between the Tom Stoppard shooting script and the original Jeffrey Boam draft of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.
It's well worth your time: www.creativescreenwriting.com/indiana-jone...
It's well worth your time: www.creativescreenwriting.com/indiana-jone...
July 2, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Nine years ago Mike Fitzgerald wrote up an extraordinarily fascinating breakdown of the differences between the Tom Stoppard shooting script and the original Jeffrey Boam draft of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.
It's well worth your time: www.creativescreenwriting.com/indiana-jone...
It's well worth your time: www.creativescreenwriting.com/indiana-jone...
Oh, I do hope they go for the zero self-awareness option of Popular Alliance.
Jeremy Corbyn and Zara Sultana’s Your Party reveals shortlist for official name
Jeremy Corbyn and Zara Sultana’s Your Party reveals shortlist for official name
Leftwing party asks members to pick between Your Party, Our Party, Popular Alliance and For The Many
The leftwing party formed by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana has revealed a shortlist of names for its members to pick from: Your Party, Our Party, Popular Alliance and For The Many.
Ahead of its first conference in Liverpool this weekend, the party is asking its 50,000 members to choose what it should be called, with the result to be announced by Corbyn on Sunday. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Oh, I do hope they go for the zero self-awareness option of Popular Alliance.
Reposted by Oliver
Depressingly well-made point.
November 28, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Depressingly well-made point.
Reposted by Oliver
Springer-Nature statement
“Whilst the details of peer review are confidential, we can confirm that the article underwent two rounds of review from two independent peer reviewers, supporting an accept decision.”
How am I now expected to believe that two people looked at the paper twice and DGAF?
“Whilst the details of peer review are confidential, we can confirm that the article underwent two rounds of review from two independent peer reviewers, supporting an accept decision.”
How am I now expected to believe that two people looked at the paper twice and DGAF?
Riding the Autism Bicycle to Retraction Town
Does anyone *really* know their Factor Fexcectorn?
nobreakthroughs.substack.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Springer-Nature statement
“Whilst the details of peer review are confidential, we can confirm that the article underwent two rounds of review from two independent peer reviewers, supporting an accept decision.”
How am I now expected to believe that two people looked at the paper twice and DGAF?
“Whilst the details of peer review are confidential, we can confirm that the article underwent two rounds of review from two independent peer reviewers, supporting an accept decision.”
How am I now expected to believe that two people looked at the paper twice and DGAF?
Reposted by Oliver
I applied for a new passport on Tuesday afternoon and received it 15 minutes ago. No fast track, just the standard service. Can we put whoever runs the Passport Office in charge of literally everything?
November 28, 2025 at 1:36 PM
I applied for a new passport on Tuesday afternoon and received it 15 minutes ago. No fast track, just the standard service. Can we put whoever runs the Passport Office in charge of literally everything?
Sobering read for a Friday
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
The most likely AI apocalypse
How artificial intelligence could be leading most humans into an inescapable trap.
www.vox.com
November 28, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Sobering read for a Friday
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
Reposted by Oliver
I think it was @mrdavidwhitley.bsky.social who said that running a B&B was clearly one of those 'seems like fun, is pure hell' businesses, and one way you can tell he is right is how relatively cheap this literal mansion (with a working B&B attached) is.
Make sure that you don't try out looking at what you could get in France.
I have finally abandoned the idea, but my word.
www.leggettprestige.com/luxury-prope...
I have finally abandoned the idea, but my word.
www.leggettprestige.com/luxury-prope...
House for sale in Huismes - Indre-et-Loire - Stunning Manor house with converted outbuildings, an active B&B / gite business on the Loire à Vélo route France REF: A39452CFI37 | [13179]
If the idea of running a boutique B&B business appeals, look no further!
With a combination of seven profitable letting rooms and self-catering suites, retai...
www.leggettprestige.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:10 PM
I think it was @mrdavidwhitley.bsky.social who said that running a B&B was clearly one of those 'seems like fun, is pure hell' businesses, and one way you can tell he is right is how relatively cheap this literal mansion (with a working B&B attached) is.
Reposted by Oliver
The text of the article isn’t any better. It’s a canned description of some machine learning method, and takes forever to deliver standard boring points. Probable AI slop.
"Runctitiononal features"? "Medical fymblal"? "1 Tol Line storee"? This gets worse the longer you look at it. But it's got to be good, because it was published in Nature Scientific Reports last week: www.nature.com/articles/s41... h/t @asa.tsbalans.se
November 27, 2025 at 9:20 PM
The text of the article isn’t any better. It’s a canned description of some machine learning method, and takes forever to deliver standard boring points. Probable AI slop.
It's the OBR's web editor I feel sorry for today.
November 26, 2025 at 4:57 PM
It's the OBR's web editor I feel sorry for today.
Reposted by Oliver
When can you declare an emergency over?
The 5p “emergency” petrol tax cut was introduced in March 2022, to offset a spike in prices
They are now about 30p down on that month, & about 50p down on the absolute peak
The 5p “emergency” petrol tax cut was introduced in March 2022, to offset a spike in prices
They are now about 30p down on that month, & about 50p down on the absolute peak
November 25, 2025 at 4:23 PM
When can you declare an emergency over?
The 5p “emergency” petrol tax cut was introduced in March 2022, to offset a spike in prices
They are now about 30p down on that month, & about 50p down on the absolute peak
The 5p “emergency” petrol tax cut was introduced in March 2022, to offset a spike in prices
They are now about 30p down on that month, & about 50p down on the absolute peak
Reposted by Oliver
The 80's were 20 years ago. Just like the 2000's were also 20 years ago. I don't see why this is so hard to understand.
November 25, 2025 at 4:51 AM
The 80's were 20 years ago. Just like the 2000's were also 20 years ago. I don't see why this is so hard to understand.
Reposted by Oliver
narrator: 50 years ago...
me: [nods] in 1945
narrator: in 1975...
me: what
me: [nods] in 1945
narrator: in 1975...
me: what
November 25, 2025 at 2:11 AM
narrator: 50 years ago...
me: [nods] in 1945
narrator: in 1975...
me: what
me: [nods] in 1945
narrator: in 1975...
me: what
I think Boy 2 wants to remake The Wicker Man.
November 23, 2025 at 2:41 PM
I think Boy 2 wants to remake The Wicker Man.
Even by the Imperial War Museum shop's standard of ahistorical kitsch, this is quite an achievement.
November 22, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Even by the Imperial War Museum shop's standard of ahistorical kitsch, this is quite an achievement.
Reposted by Oliver
may Andrew Wakefield be paid back exactly what he has put into the world... multiplied by seven
November 20, 2025 at 11:25 PM
may Andrew Wakefield be paid back exactly what he has put into the world... multiplied by seven