Ian Wiggins
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itswiggins.bsky.social
Ian Wiggins
@itswiggins.bsky.social
710 followers 520 following 350 posts
International Affairs for The Royal Society. Science Diplomacy via a bit of both science and diplomacy at the Foreign Office and then Uni of York. Also Chair of Trustees for Excel Learning Trust. (He/Him)
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itswiggins.bsky.social
I see the Alexa app woke up today and chose violence
A screenshot of the Alexa app, encouraging me to “wake your children up with Announcements”
November 2, 2025 at 11:35 AM
itswiggins.bsky.social
My phone reminds me it’s the seven year anniversary of the University of Oxford using a picture of, er, York to advertise. I guess the CMA case by @uoylibrary.bsky.social is still pending 😃
A screenshot of the University of Oxford website but its backdrop is actually an image of the York city walls and York Minister.
October 30, 2025 at 12:55 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
There’s a chance The Economist has become self aware and is now making meta references to what were already in-jokes. Only possible explanation for this…
A photo of an economist article on Qatar. The headline is “crossroads at a crossroads”
October 30, 2025 at 9:22 AM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Ambassador / Station Chief / Cultural Counsellor
The image that is doing the rounds with three men (L-R) dressed respectively in a formal suit; a casual shirt with a hat; and a fancy pink waistcoat and tie
October 8, 2025 at 3:28 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Some imaginative sentencing here by the French…
A BBC headline that has been truncated so it reads “Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced to five years in Libya”
September 25, 2025 at 11:46 AM
itswiggins.bsky.social
If I had a nickel for every time this month I’d climbed a hill called High Raise…

…I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s fun that it happened twice
The trig point at the top of high seat (the second one).
August 25, 2025 at 7:42 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Unexpected Saturday: cat needed emergency eye surgery so I’m now reading the @financialtimes.com in Booths in Penrith while the cat goes under the knife and my EV charges for the journey back to York. Not saying it’s the *most* middle class weekend ever, but it feels close
The FT Weekend on a table in Booths cafe
August 16, 2025 at 1:28 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Maybe the third or fourth time I’ve seen this sign this year, but tell me again how climate change isn’t a thing in the here and now…
A note in a supermarket stuck to an empty fridge saying that the fridge is off because of ‘extreme weather’ Text reads: CUSTOMER NOTICE Due to extreme weather conditions affecting the stores refrigeration systems, we have temporarily removed products from this unit to protect the overall refrigeration across the store today. Sorry for any inconvenience caused during your shopping trip.
August 13, 2025 at 6:07 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Looking forward to @duncanrobinson.bsky.social’s next column on what a rise of hosepipe snitches says about modern Britian
A Facebook post from North Yorkshire police calling out people who phone 999 to report on people breaking the hosepipe ban. Text reads: d Like • Comment h Share 6:35 North Yorkshire Police • Follow •.. X 1h • O Our phone lines are for emergencies - not for reporting hosepipe ban breaches! From 11 July there are hosepipe restrictions in place across Yorkshire. Any call made to the police about this could divert our call handlers away from dealing with real emergencies. So, if you have any questions about the restrictions, or any concerns about a potential breach, we would please ask that you follow the latest advice from Yorkshire Water, or your water provider. You'll find a link in the comments below with all the information you need about this 个 Let's keep our colleagues free to take genuine calls from those really in need of help. As always, if a crime is in progress or if there is an immediate risk to person or property, always dial 999. If a crime is not in progress, then please consider reporting the incident online to us via our website in the first instance. Alternatively, you can call 101.
July 9, 2025 at 5:41 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Counterpoint: this is a map ChatGPT just made me…
A map with the cities in the wrong place and some of the spelt wrong
June 11, 2025 at 11:46 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
DECC > DezNez

Still got this mug from the first time Ed Miliband was running the department 😄
A mug from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (and actual mug that you might drink tea from, not a snide remark about a person)
June 3, 2025 at 6:58 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Probably this?
A screenshot from “The Day Today”. Chris Moris’ character is reading the front of a newspaper in the studio. The caption reads “Quick look at tomorrows headlines”
June 2, 2025 at 7:12 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Exactly! Reminded me of this classic from @theonion.com …
Picture of an astronaut followed by text which reads: Barry Wilmore "You never know true beauty until you see Earth from space, or true terror until you hear someone knocking on the space station door from outside. You look through the porthole and see an astronaut, but all your crew is inside and accounted for. You use the comm to ask who it is and he says he's Ramirez returning from a repair mission, but Ramirez is sitting right next to you in the command module and he's just as confused as you are. When you tell the guy this over the radio he starts banging on the door louder and harder, begging you to let him in, saying he's the real Ramirez. Meanwhile, the Ramirez inside with you is pleading to keep the airlock shut. It really puts life on Earth into perspective."
May 29, 2025 at 8:39 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
The domino meme where it says “landline no longer a thing” at the bottom and “Heathrow closes for an entire day” at the top
May 28, 2025 at 5:06 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
A great lunch with the FT (as they almost always are) but I have been radicalised before it’s even midday by this sentence…
A quote from the article - the highlighted sentence is “Europe spends more on facial fillers than the world spends on research into emerging infectious diseases”
May 17, 2025 at 9:20 AM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Not just a great read, but our @royalsociety.org and @aaas.org Science Diplomacy report is also apparently an excellent cat pillow
One of my ginger cats asleep on a copy of the Royal Society report “Science in the era of disruption”
April 24, 2025 at 7:47 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Specifically this bit
Screenshot from the RS Science Diplomacy Report. Text reads: CASE STUDY 2 (CONTINUED) The model where the private sector either partners with or sells its work to the public sector is also evolving, to one where private firms retain ultimate control of a final product. Private enterprise was critical in the development of the GPS network, for example, but the satellite system itself is owned and operated by the US government. In comparison, the provision of internet connectivity to the Ukrainian military is through a private company (Starlink, run by SpaceX), whose executive team members have themselves decided where the technology can be used. This presents the risk that private commercial interests might be prioritised over the interests of nation-states. Technologies of war, once they had been procured, were previously controlled by national militaries. For example, nuclear weapons and their infrastructure historically have been under the purview of national leaders, who represent their governments in international agreements and treaties. This is not the case with the infrastructure of emerging technologies, which raises implications for any future international agreements on the use of these technologies, as private entities often sit uncomfortably within established treaty-making processes.
April 20, 2025 at 7:01 AM
itswiggins.bsky.social
When we published our science diplomacy report a few weeks back we didn’t expect the industry case study to be quite so (worryingly) timely.

(Full report link in next reply)
A screenshot from a case study in the Royal Society and AAAS report on science diplomacy. Text reads: CASE STUDY 2 (CONTINUED) The model where the private sector either partners with or sells its work to the public sector is also evolving, to one where private firms retain ultimate control of a final product. Private enterprise was critical in the development of the GPS network, for example, but the satellite system itself is owned and operated by the US government. In comparison, the provision of internet connectivity to the Ukrainian military is through a private company (Starlink, run by SpaceX), whose executive team members have themselves decided where the technology can be used. This presents the risk that private commercial interests might be prioritised over the interests of nation-states. Technologies of war, once they had been procured, were previously controlled by national militaries. For example, nuclear weapons and their infrastructure historically have been under the purview of national leaders, who represent their governments in international agreements and treaties. This is not the case with the infrastructure of emerging technologies, which raises implications for any future international agreements on the use of these technologies, as private entities often sit uncomfortably within established treaty-making processes. The present-day rise of titans challenges the no diplomacy the only dipl nation states acting in t interest. A small numbe companies, while not a nonetheless become d pursued their own form may put them at odds w where they are headqu the Chinese governme Alibaba may have beer by recognition of the co to act counter to goveri We are living in a comp diplomatic efforts by na private companies are b Companies have repre the UN and countries h offices in technology ar such as Silicon Valley.
March 9, 2025 at 10:09 AM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Well since you’ve asked, God, I do have some feedback…
A screenshot of my inbox where the top email is from yesterday from an account labeled “Creation” and the subject line reads “How was your experience with Creation?”
March 3, 2025 at 5:44 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
“I get up when I want, except on Wednesdays when I get rudely awakened by the dustmen”
The famous meme of the PM where the subtitle reads “there’s a famous slogan in the United Kingdom”
February 28, 2025 at 9:08 AM
itswiggins.bsky.social
There’s a lot going on in the world, all the more reason to make space for my most ridiculous annual social media tradition:

It’s a #SuperbOwl on a #SuperBowl at the #SuperBowl
A photoshopped image. The main background image is from the Super Bowl, in the right hand side is a photoshopped in bowl of cereal with the superman logo on it (a Super Bowl!). Perched on top through some poor photoshopping is an owl (a *Superb* Owl).
February 9, 2025 at 12:39 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Though this view in the morning does make things a tiny bit better
A view over the lake in St James’ Park. The London Eye is visible in the background. Some swans and other birds are on the lake leaving trails in the water behind them.
February 5, 2025 at 7:58 AM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Just finished ‘The List of Suspicious Things’ by @jenniegauthor.bsky.social. What a wonderful love letter to Yorkshire, to friendship, and to family.
The front cover of “The List of Suspicious Thjngs” by Jennie Godfrey on a kindle.
February 4, 2025 at 10:58 PM
itswiggins.bsky.social
Don’t tell @duncanrobinson.bsky.social but my cats had a strong view of this week’s Economist…
A copy of the economist newspaper, shredded by cats, is on top of a sofa
February 3, 2025 at 8:28 AM
itswiggins.bsky.social
York’s VC (Charlie Jeffery) and DVC (Saul Tendler) had been invited to join the academic parade through the city for the event, which ended up with a now reasonably famous photo of Charlie emerging later showing him taking a call about the first case of Covid in the U.K.
A screen cap from the BBC showing York VC Charlie Jeffery taking a phone call during the Dias Natalis parade.
January 31, 2025 at 8:27 AM