Matthew Aldridge
@mpaldridge.bsky.social
But blue. https://mpaldridge.github.io
Reposted by Matthew Aldridge
Whatever else this government do (and there's plenty of issues with this budget) ministers will always be able to point to this as an incredible important contribution to the country's future. Almost half a million kids taken out of poverty.
Scrapping the two-child limit in full is a monumental decision. Well done to all involved in the Child Poverty Strategy, and everyone who has made the case against the policy.
OBR says scrapping costs £3 billion in 2029-30 and will lift 450,000 out of poverty
OBR says scrapping costs £3 billion in 2029-30 and will lift 450,000 out of poverty
November 26, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Whatever else this government do (and there's plenty of issues with this budget) ministers will always be able to point to this as an incredible important contribution to the country's future. Almost half a million kids taken out of poverty.
My review of the budget is that Deputy Speaker Nusrat Ghani's tie/three-piece suit combo is very cool.
November 26, 2025 at 12:38 PM
My review of the budget is that Deputy Speaker Nusrat Ghani's tie/three-piece suit combo is very cool.
Had to teach for three consecutive hours this morning, which is basically like being a coalminer, or maybe a soldier in a war.
November 26, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Had to teach for three consecutive hours this morning, which is basically like being a coalminer, or maybe a soldier in a war.
Pitchfork end-of-year voting time
November 26, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Pitchfork end-of-year voting time
It’s probably true that some (many?) MAGA grifters on Twitter aren’t even from America, but a little bit of caution/scepticism is warranted. takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/the-twitte...
The Twitter/X account geolocation feature should be treated with scepticism
And surely BBC Verify should actually... verify... things?
takes.jamesomalley.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 7:54 AM
It’s probably true that some (many?) MAGA grifters on Twitter aren’t even from America, but a little bit of caution/scepticism is warranted. takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/the-twitte...
“the underrated crucifer” @secondmentions.bsky.social
Cabbage is affordable, delicious, and astoundingly versatile, @giladedelman.bsky.social writes. The underrated crucifer “is fit for a king”:
The Most Underrated Thanksgiving Vegetable
Embrace cabbage.
bit.ly
November 25, 2025 at 6:34 PM
“the underrated crucifer” @secondmentions.bsky.social
Reposted by Matthew Aldridge
My hot take is that IHT makes absolutely no sense. "Inheritance" is one word.
November 24, 2025 at 11:30 AM
My hot take is that IHT makes absolutely no sense. "Inheritance" is one word.
Reposted by Matthew Aldridge
This is good - I am persuaded.
At least in principle, can’t promise I’ll actually stop writing it the way I have for decades.
At least in principle, can’t promise I’ll actually stop writing it the way I have for decades.
Blogpost by me: Don’t write the binomial coefficient as n! / k! (n-k)! mpaldridge.github.io/blog/binomia...
Don’t write the binomial coefficient as n! / k! (n-k)!
The binomial coefficient $\binom{n}{k}$, pronounced “$n$ choose $k$”, is the number of ways of choosing a collection of $k$ objects from a set of $n$ objects.
mpaldridge.github.io
November 21, 2025 at 10:12 PM
This is good - I am persuaded.
At least in principle, can’t promise I’ll actually stop writing it the way I have for decades.
At least in principle, can’t promise I’ll actually stop writing it the way I have for decades.
Reposted by Matthew Aldridge
a significant reason Mamdani can get away with this and other Dems can’t is less that he’s charmed Trump and more that he’s charmed you, dear reader, which is why you’re not yelling at him for being a collaborator or an appeaser right now
November 21, 2025 at 9:46 PM
a significant reason Mamdani can get away with this and other Dems can’t is less that he’s charmed Trump and more that he’s charmed you, dear reader, which is why you’re not yelling at him for being a collaborator or an appeaser right now
Blogpost by me: Don’t write the binomial coefficient as n! / k! (n-k)! mpaldridge.github.io/blog/binomia...
Don’t write the binomial coefficient as n! / k! (n-k)!
The binomial coefficient $\binom{n}{k}$, pronounced “$n$ choose $k$”, is the number of ways of choosing a collection of $k$ objects from a set of $n$ objects.
mpaldridge.github.io
November 21, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Blogpost by me: Don’t write the binomial coefficient as n! / k! (n-k)! mpaldridge.github.io/blog/binomia...
Reposted by Matthew Aldridge
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves surely the first prime minister and chancellor duo to both play the flute
November 21, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves surely the first prime minister and chancellor duo to both play the flute
FAO @universityofleeds.bsky.social people: As I have discovered this morning, getting free access to the FT is absurdly easy: just start registering an account on the FT website with your UoL email address, and it magically sorts everything out for you. students.business.leeds.ac.uk/digital-lear...
FT.com Subscription | LUBS Student Guide
students.business.leeds.ac.uk
November 21, 2025 at 11:52 AM
FAO @universityofleeds.bsky.social people: As I have discovered this morning, getting free access to the FT is absurdly easy: just start registering an account on the FT website with your UoL email address, and it magically sorts everything out for you. students.business.leeds.ac.uk/digital-lear...
I am pleased that Google Scholar have added some AI search thing. scholar.googleblog.com/2025/11/scho... Not because I expect to find it useful, but rather because it is a sign that more than one person working at Google seems keen that Google Scholar should continue to exist.
I would estimate I worry about once a week about Google Scholar shutting down. hannahshelley.neocities.org/blog/2025_08...
Google Scholar Is Doomed
Academia built entire careers on a free Google service with zero guarantees. What could go wrong?
hannahshelley.neocities.org
November 21, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I am pleased that Google Scholar have added some AI search thing. scholar.googleblog.com/2025/11/scho... Not because I expect to find it useful, but rather because it is a sign that more than one person working at Google seems keen that Google Scholar should continue to exist.
“the eponymous fruit”!
November 20, 2025 at 11:58 PM
“the eponymous fruit”!
I agree with this: takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/municipal-... (It's silly that if Leeds wants a tram system it has to spend 4 decades begging central government for the cash. If Leeds is confident that a tram system actually will be profit-making, it should be able to borrow the money and just do it!)
How municipal bond markets can save Britain
The case for more fiscal devolution to build the infrastructure we need
takes.jamesomalley.co.uk
November 20, 2025 at 5:44 PM
I agree with this: takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/municipal-... (It's silly that if Leeds wants a tram system it has to spend 4 decades begging central government for the cash. If Leeds is confident that a tram system actually will be profit-making, it should be able to borrow the money and just do it!)
My students had to write a short review of the textbook they've been using, and one of them described it as "a bit hand-holdy". I guess I'm supposed to tell them that this is inappropriate as formal academic writing, but, honestly, it was such a joy to read something so obviously not written by AI.
November 19, 2025 at 6:44 PM
My students had to write a short review of the textbook they've been using, and one of them described it as "a bit hand-holdy". I guess I'm supposed to tell them that this is inappropriate as formal academic writing, but, honestly, it was such a joy to read something so obviously not written by AI.
A while ago I wrote up this Bluesky thread as a blogpost mpaldridge.github.io/blog/paintin... – and now I’ve written up that blogpost as a paper arxiv.org/abs/2511.14740. (The contents may be too simple and already-known to be journal-publishable, but at least the Bluesky to arXiv pipeline is real!)
Let X be a random number of items. For each item, paint it red with probability p and paint it blue with probability 1-p. Let R be the number of red items and B be the number of blue items.
A famous result is that if X is Poisson, then R and B are independent (and also Poisson).
A famous result is that if X is Poisson, then R and B are independent (and also Poisson).
November 19, 2025 at 10:41 AM
A while ago I wrote up this Bluesky thread as a blogpost mpaldridge.github.io/blog/paintin... – and now I’ve written up that blogpost as a paper arxiv.org/abs/2511.14740. (The contents may be too simple and already-known to be journal-publishable, but at least the Bluesky to arXiv pipeline is real!)
Reposted by Matthew Aldridge
@secondmentions.bsky.social 'the polarizing spread'
A man in Australia is challenging a state's ban on Vegemite in prisons, claiming that denying him the polarizing spread violates his human rights.
Murderer sues for right to eat Vegemite in prison
A convicted murderer in Australia is challenging a state's ban on Vegemite in prisons, claiming that denying him the polarizing spread violates his human rights.
bit.ly
November 18, 2025 at 1:16 PM
@secondmentions.bsky.social 'the polarizing spread'
UNOFFICIAL #LIFF2025 LETTERBOXD AUDIENCE AWARD
4.52 Sentimental Value 🥇
4.44 The Voice of Hind Rajab 🥈
4.44 Roman Holiday 🥉
4.30 Whitch
4.27 Pillion
4.25 The Testament of Ann Lee
4.15 Nouvelle Vague
4.10 Space Cadet
4.06 It Was Just an Accident
Full details: letterboxd.com/mpaldridge/l...
4.52 Sentimental Value 🥇
4.44 The Voice of Hind Rajab 🥈
4.44 Roman Holiday 🥉
4.30 Whitch
4.27 Pillion
4.25 The Testament of Ann Lee
4.15 Nouvelle Vague
4.10 Space Cadet
4.06 It Was Just an Accident
Full details: letterboxd.com/mpaldridge/l...
LIFF2025: Unofficial Letterboxd Audience Award
I collected all the ratings under the hashtags "liff2025" and "liff" (and a few others) from between 30 October and 16 November 2025. I kept only the films that received 5 ratings or more. This left 5...
letterboxd.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:58 PM
UNOFFICIAL #LIFF2025 LETTERBOXD AUDIENCE AWARD
4.52 Sentimental Value 🥇
4.44 The Voice of Hind Rajab 🥈
4.44 Roman Holiday 🥉
4.30 Whitch
4.27 Pillion
4.25 The Testament of Ann Lee
4.15 Nouvelle Vague
4.10 Space Cadet
4.06 It Was Just an Accident
Full details: letterboxd.com/mpaldridge/l...
4.52 Sentimental Value 🥇
4.44 The Voice of Hind Rajab 🥈
4.44 Roman Holiday 🥉
4.30 Whitch
4.27 Pillion
4.25 The Testament of Ann Lee
4.15 Nouvelle Vague
4.10 Space Cadet
4.06 It Was Just an Accident
Full details: letterboxd.com/mpaldridge/l...
Sad to hear about the death of Rachel Cooke. I remember reading this piece a few months ago, although now I realise I hadn’t really noticed what it was saying. observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Illness has transformed my appetite, and I can’t even face my favourite fruits | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Sad to hear about the death of Rachel Cooke. I remember reading this piece a few months ago, although now I realise I hadn’t really noticed what it was saying. observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Exonyms are bad! Places should be called by the names used by the people who live there.
(It’s good we say Beijing, Mumbai, Eswatini, but we probably ought to say Firenze, España, Deutschland too. I am not, of course, volunteering to lead by example...)
(It’s good we say Beijing, Mumbai, Eswatini, but we probably ought to say Firenze, España, Deutschland too. I am not, of course, volunteering to lead by example...)
"my least woke opinion is---"
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
November 14, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Exonyms are bad! Places should be called by the names used by the people who live there.
(It’s good we say Beijing, Mumbai, Eswatini, but we probably ought to say Firenze, España, Deutschland too. I am not, of course, volunteering to lead by example...)
(It’s good we say Beijing, Mumbai, Eswatini, but we probably ought to say Firenze, España, Deutschland too. I am not, of course, volunteering to lead by example...)
Probably a good idea Police and Crime Commissioners are being abolished, but former deputy Prime Minister John Prescott running for PCC in Humberside then losing on reallocated second preferences is an underrated weird UK election result.
November 13, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Probably a good idea Police and Crime Commissioners are being abolished, but former deputy Prime Minister John Prescott running for PCC in Humberside then losing on reallocated second preferences is an underrated weird UK election result.
Reposted by Matthew Aldridge
Continuing their long tradition of being the most geometrically adventurous chocolate manufacturer, Toblerone have a range of enneahedral chocolates.
November 12, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Continuing their long tradition of being the most geometrically adventurous chocolate manufacturer, Toblerone have a range of enneahedral chocolates.
Reposted by Matthew Aldridge
I do like how, in the bit of Prescott's memo where he criticises the BBC for editing together different parts of Trump's speech, his own quote of "what Trump actually said" is... edited together from different parts of his speech.
November 10, 2025 at 9:45 AM
I do like how, in the bit of Prescott's memo where he criticises the BBC for editing together different parts of Trump's speech, his own quote of "what Trump actually said" is... edited together from different parts of his speech.
infamous!
The infamous balloon festival returns to Ashton Court Estate, with a new deal securing the event "for the foreseeable future"
Bristol Balloon Fiesta dates announced as support secured
The festival has been secured at Ashton Court Estate for the "foreseeable future"
www.bristol247.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:05 AM
infamous!