Paddy O’Loughlin
Paddy O’Loughlin
@paddyoloughlin.bsky.social
Irish Programmer
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
New Gist: Waving the Ban Hammer
Patrick O'Donovan has proposed a National ID system, a Meta-endorsed regulation model and a mass surveillance machine, all in one.

It's government by Dunning-Kruger.
www.thegist.ie/the-gist-wav...
The Gist: Waving the Ban Hammer
Patrick O'Donovan has proposed a National ID system, a Meta-endorsed regulation model and a mass surveillance machine, all in one. This is the Gist.
www.thegist.ie
December 9, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
Renewable generation and discharging storage equalled 73% of yesterday's electricity demand, with a peak of 87% at 05:00. Fossil fuel generation (mostly gas) equalled 25% of demand. 3% of generation was exported, 5% of demand was met by imports.
December 10, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
i read stuff like this and can genuinely angry at guys like jd vance who insist that this country belongs to some narrow vision of the "native born"
December 9, 2025 at 11:58 PM
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Not sure about this new Fahrenheit 451 remake. Rather than burning books, they've banned sick burns. It's a disstopia.
December 9, 2025 at 2:15 PM
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This is fine according to the British government but elderly women holding signs supporting Palestine. That’s simply unacceptable
Loyalist paramilitary groups are heavily infiltrated by state agents and low level informants. How, 31 years after their ceasefires have they managed to recuit & maintain 12,500 members under the supposed 'watch' of the state? The state is facilitating the build up of asymmetric terror. [2/n]
Loyalist paramilitary groups in NI 'have 12,500 members'
Briefings, based on PSNI and MI5 intelligence, have been obtained by BBC NI's Spotlight.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 9, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
I see Elon Musk is personally suing (along with X Holdings Corp) the Irish media regulator Coimisiún na Meán, in High Court proceedings filed yesterday. Hearing is due January 23rd.
December 9, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
shout out to @shamimmalekmian.bsky.social for correctly identifying the other guy in this photo: it's Gareth Sheridan's business partner, Serguei Melnik, interim CEO of Nutriband during his presidential run, and one of two members of his board linked to money laundering
"Gareth Sheridan went to Tucker Carlson's Christmas party" is already crazy, but "Gareth Sheridan took a photo with the world's most famous antisemitic conspiracy theorist, then voluntarily posted it on the Internet" is blowing my fucking mind
December 9, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
men would rather go back to raccoon city than go to therapy
first look at Leon in Resident Evil Requiem via PlayStation Network updated key art www.ign.com/articles/con...
December 9, 2025 at 3:45 PM
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The ancient curse returns.
December 9, 2025 at 4:05 PM
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life passes you by and you don’t even notice yourself graduating from being the son in Little Miss Sunshine to being the uncle in Little Miss Sunshine
December 9, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
A sad universal truth in this country is that once someone with a public profile is shown as the bad guy everyone suspected he was, nobody who platformed, boosted, helped or defended that person will be expected to experience accountability or even a nanosecond of soul searching
December 9, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
No disrespect to @deanbuckley.bsky.social, who is a genuinely good journalist, but it is absolutely mental that he's the one who has had to pick up this Gareth Sheridan shit, as opposed to seeing some accountability from the much more high profile people who initially gave him positive attention
December 9, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
Collusion is both active - obtaining arms and intelligence, and passive - not investigating shootings and bombings if they were carried out by the right people. The latter deliberately kept people out of prison enabling them to murder. No hard records of collusion = no collusion is purposely narrow
December 9, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
The latest Kenova report details how MI5 prevented Stakeknife investigations, but we continue to see claims of "lawfare" being used against the UK in conflict legacy cases. The manifest failings in many Troubles investigations is what is driving current legal actions:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cv...
MI5 tried to cover up truth over 'Stakeknife' spy in IRA, report says
Freddie Scappaticci was linked to 14 murders and 15 abductions; he worked in a ruthless IRA unit known as the
www.bbc.co.uk
December 9, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
It was only posted to Twitter, so I grabbed it before it (hopefully) gets deleted.
December 9, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
When it comes to government digital services, paid for with my tax money to process my personal data, it's true that I am interested more in privacy than other issues.
Mr O’Donovan said the Public Services Card “floundered because some interest groups outside of the House, interested more in privacy than other issues, got their way”. Funny way to characterise something which the independent regulator found illegal, imposing a €550,000 fine on the state.
Plan to verify people’s ages on line with Government ID a ‘disproportionate response’
Civil liberty and digital privacy campaigners question legal basis for proposed digital wallets
www.irishtimes.com
December 9, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
People were asking if there’s Solitaire behind the dark patterns and… not really? It’s more dark patterns - the Solitaire framing gives them a bunch of unrevealed cards they can determine the value of as needed to either make you win (feels good) or lose (forcing you to spend money to keep going)
December 8, 2025 at 5:05 PM
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In case you were wondering what it’s like to boot a free to play mobile game in 2025
December 8, 2025 at 3:20 PM
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Ok. So I have a law degree but am not a lawyer. I have a very good lawyer who is also a friend. Several years ago I sought his advice about a thing.
He took off his jacket… “as your friend, I agree with you that all this is awful and unfair.”
December 9, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
Interesting court report. High Court judge refers to use of AI by a company director representing themselves in a liquidation to churn out correspondence and submissions as an “abuse of process”. m.independent.ie/business/iri...
Use of AI by director of insolvent company in court proceedings criticised
A company director being pursued for €765,000 following the collapse of her packaging firm has been using artificial intelligence to “churn out reams” of legal papers, the High Court has heard.
m.independent.ie
December 9, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
Wild that even all these years later the episode still resonates. (Do wish they had gotten my name right though).
apple.news/Agea33fXtRhK...
39 Years Later, Star Trek's Greatest Data Episode Remains an Untouchable Sci-Fi Gem — CBR
Data is one of the most beloved characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and his early defining episode is no less powerful decades later.
apple.news
December 9, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
Senator Frances Black has said she is "really concerned" that questions about the timeline for the enactment of the Occupied Territories Bill are being met with "vague answers and no detail" from government leaders. jrnl.ie/6896610
jrnl.ie
December 9, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
“I brought this horrid creature into the world, and now I must take him out!” Winfrey said
Oprah Pursues Dr. Phil On Ship Through Arctic
THE ARCTIC CIRCLE—With a vow to destroy the abomination she had created if it was the last thing she ever did, television host Oprah Winfrey has spent weeks on a ship pursuing Dr. Phil through the Arc...
theonion.com
December 9, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
"Gareth Sheridan went to Tucker Carlson's Christmas party" is already crazy, but "Gareth Sheridan took a photo with the world's most famous antisemitic conspiracy theorist, then voluntarily posted it on the Internet" is blowing my fucking mind
December 8, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Reposted by Paddy O’Loughlin
Standing at the Antiques Roadshow table trying to maintain a neutral expression masking that I’m fully expecting to be told that, given the right auction, I should consider myself a very very wealthy man
December 8, 2025 at 11:35 PM