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michael veale @michae.lv · 1h

OpenAI’s Sora opt-out for IP is clearly OpenAI trying to do a Google ContentID pivot to turn rightsholders of key trademarked characters into price-takers not price-setters.

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michael veale @michae.lv · 1d

ppl are so angry about article that poorly summarises v good work in JAMA. Advocates for ‘silent swaps’ of clinically appropriate, environmentally harmful inhalers to better ones. There are bigger villains, but in a climate crisis we cannot ignore such opportunities. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

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michael veale @michae.lv · 1d

it’s the antidote to the wide legged tory power pose from years back

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michael veale @michae.lv · 2d

It’s good to stand up for colleagues’ rights elsewhere. But what exactly is being won here? A one and a half percent rise that isn’t being even implemented at those same institutions? Colleagues are being asked to sacrifice their home institutional leverage to gain so, so little national leverage.

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michael veale @michae.lv · 2d

If a strike is called, my colleagues and I realise that we would be increasingly striking against an org w/ extremely limited ability, even were it to shout at its loudest voice in UCEA, to alter pay.

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michael veale @michae.lv · 2d

Sector wide bargaining works when you have a coherent sector. Sadly, the UK university sector has morphed into something entirely different than that found in places like NL, DK or so on where you have this, and there is clearly zero political will, nor a credible plan from anyone, to morph it back.

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michael veale @michae.lv · 2d

National wage bargaining for academics is failing. UCU will likely argue to retain for solidarity, but with it no university can meaningfully respond to strike action due to an untenable tryst, amongst a sector with vastly different financial models. Local bargaining? Tiering? It needs discussion.

Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 2d

At least five UK universities have told staff they will not be paying them the sector-wide uplift that was due in August for almost a year. Juliette Rowsell reports
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/five-uk-universities-tell-staff-they-cant-afford-pay-rises

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michael veale @michae.lv · 2d

… when did I assume that? when did I assume you used word? windows? obsessed with it? character limited messages are easy to misinterpret, sure. i can only express that i am writing in good faith, believe we share many goals, and urge you to read these character limited messages that way.

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michael veale @michae.lv · 2d

I think you’ve entirely got the wrong end of the stick. When did I say you can’t ask your employer that? I was sharing experience in good faith, as someone who spends hours every week on this: it feels to me you’re assuming the worst from every msg. Even on clarifying SURFdrive (SURF does loads!)

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michael veale @michae.lv · 2d

I don’t disagree that the principles matter, but most people are not employed at institutions which are convinced by principle alone. Strategy and tactics matter. SURF (drive I assume you mean) or Own/NextCloud sadly is nowhere close to a drop in replacement for the infrastructural depths of MS365.

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michael veale @michae.lv · 2d

the integration of it into apps etc with RAGs is extortionate as an extra fee. the actual chatbot being accessible is stupid but i doubt it gets much use. if RU tries to add the app stuff i would make them tell you how much usage the copilot chat (probably on) gets as a % of users.

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Reposted by michael veale

Kate Leader @leader-kate.bsky.social · 3d

Might try an experiment in criminal law this year where for my public order offences lecture I just read through all the current and proposed protest offences and the students can place bets over whether I can cover them all in 2 hours or if I run out of time.

Kate Leader @leader-kate.bsky.social · 3d

The Home Secretary is now planning to find a way to criminalise the "cumulative effect" of protest.

Police to get new powers to crack down on repeated protests, says Home Office

Move follows arrest of almost 500 people at latest pro-Palestinian demonstration in London on Saturday

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by michael veale

The Verge @theverge.com · 4d

Discord customer service data breach leaks user info and scanned photo IDs

An “unauthorized party” may have accessed the names of users, the last four digits of credit card numbers, and more.

buff.ly

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Reposted by michael veale

Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 5d

so the US government just forced a tech company to delete an app it doesn’t like, which is totally normal stuff

www.404media.co/iceblock-own...

ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’

Apple removed ICEBlock reportedly after direct pressure from Department of Justice officials. “I am incredibly disappointed by Apple's actions today. Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never t...

www.404media.co

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Alex Hern @hern.bsky.social · 5d

Six years ago, almost to the day, Apple removing a similar app from the Hong Kong App Store was seen as such a breach that Tim Cook wrote an all staff email to defend it www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

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michael veale @michae.lv · 5d

(what i think doesn’t really matter im just trying to work out what part of this makes me mad and worried)

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michael veale @michae.lv · 5d

i however think that universities should speak as institutions about the things they institutionally (hopefully) know about, like running teaching and research orgs. gaza has no universities left. universities know about being universities. they can and should condemn that.

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michael veale @michae.lv · 5d

i think it’s a /wise/ policy for universities as institutions to not speak as if they aggregate values of their staff (they’re so so bad at aggregation and it backfires so often). the state requiring it is however mad, more so given the nebulous (undefined?) ‘university representatives’ wording.

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Evelyn Douek @evelyndouek.bsky.social · 5d

Nothing says "free speech" like "you shall abstain from speech relating to societal and political events"

Screenshot from proposed University compact reading: 4 - INSTITUTIONAL NEUTRALITY
Signatories shall maintain institutional neutrality at all levels of their administration. This requires policies that all university employees, in their capacity as university representatives, will abstain from actions or speech relating to societal and political events except in cases in which external events have a direct impact upon the university.
Policies requiring institutional neutrality must apply with equal force to all of the university’s academic units, including all colleges, faculties, schools, departments, programs, centers, and institutes

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michael veale @michae.lv · 5d

Note: including mainland China.

Ciaran Martin @ciaranm.bsky.social · 5d

“Advanced Data Protection continues to be available everywhere else in the world.”

To put it gently, this is a very odd position for Britain to be in.

support.apple.com/en-gb/122234

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michael veale @michae.lv · 5d

in case useful

bsky.app/profile/mich...

michael veale @michae.lv · May 6

How should legal education respond to AI? Together with 11 UCL Laws colleagues, this paper is our vision for the sector. It's rooted in academic integrity, fundamental competences, and concerns around impacts on learning to learn and intellectual risk taking. (🧵)

discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10...

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Reposted by michael veale

Reuben Binns @rdbinns.bsky.social · 6d

Trying to grow the UK AI sector by building data centers is like trying to grow the university sector by building paper factories.

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michael veale @michae.lv · 6d

you ludd 2 see it

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michael veale @michae.lv · 6d

innovation stifler

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michael veale @michae.lv · 6d

“So, You Thought Spreadsheets Couldn’t Get Harder To Audit”

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