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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 2d

Age has reached me. I now need reading glasses.

Me, but wearing glasses. They have rectangular-ish black frames.

Reposted by William Barter

James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 4d

Not to make light of the editorial failure, but look how far Twitter lies now permeate in to normal discourse. We think we know about the racism but the utter contempt for truth since Musk bought the platform is deliberate & very dangerous. You can’t foment racism with fact checkers in the building.

Zoë Crowther @zoecrowther.bsky.social · 5d

Oh my god.

Have I Got News For You just referred to this completely false claim as a fact!!

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 11d

Welcome to the Panopticon!

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 11d

Larry Ellison envisions a surveillance state in which techbros rule. '“Citizens will be on their best behavior, because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on,” Ellison said in an hour-long Q&A during Oracle’s Financial Analyst Meeting last week.'

Larry Ellison predicts rise of the modern surveillance state where ‘citizens will be on their best behavior’ | Fortune

Oracle's Larry Ellison believes citizens and police alike will be under constant surveillance of each other.

fortune.com

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 12d

[not an amazing story full of insight, but I do think it captures something about how he did inspire random people as he met them]

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 12d

I remember getting a random message from a friend when we were at uni who was excited that she'd met Ming, and found him to be kind, smart, and funny.

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 12d

Oh no - Ming Campbell has died. A really nice guy.

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 12d

Only if you have a phone. Unless the government plans to buy everyone a phone...

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 13d

But it’s weird to announce a “digital-ID” scheme when you are going to have to have a paper counterpart from day 1.

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 13d

I’m intrigued by digital-only ID. How will this work for people without smartphones or for those who struggle to use them?

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 13d

How will it work for people without smartphones or those who struggle to use them? How will the government avoid mandating people buy smartphones?

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 13d

Just noting that a *digital* ID scheme runs into massive problems here.

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Reposted by William Barter

Auschwitz Memorial @auschwitzmemorial.bsky.social · 13d

25 September 1942 | A German Sinti girl, Theresie Hellberg, was born in Rostock.

In #Zigeunerlager (Gypsy camp) in #Auschwitz II-Birkenau from 15 March 1943.
No. Z-3915
She perished in the camp on 28 March 1943.
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The fate of the Roma in Auschwitz:
Podcast: https://youtu.be/eb31osDbyk0

"On Auschwitz" (7): the fate of Roma and Sinti in Auschwitz

YouTube video by Auschwitz Memorial / Miejsce Pamięci Auschwitz

youtu.be

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Reposted by William Barter

Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 14d

I am coming to Otley soon

otleycourthouse.org.uk/events/robin...

Robin Ince: The Universe And The Neurodiverse - Otley Courthouse

Lauded comedian and science communicator who hosts Radio 4's multi-award winning Infinite Monkey Cage with Professor Brian Cox.

otleycourthouse.org.uk

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 15d

Vaughan Williams. Quarter zips.

The Ineffable Horror of Joe Muggs @joemuggs.bsky.social · 16d

What’s the most Tory-coded thing you actively love?

Me: Essex. Elgar. Country pubs.

William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 15d

Being non-partisan, unbiased, and information- and knowledge-led now feels like a partisan position. I think that's part of the issue the BBC has.

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 17d

Quietly self-radicalising by listening to Grace Petrie on repeat.

Reposted by William Barter

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 20d

No comment. Anyway, they still could come in useful.

newsthump.com/2025/09/18/m...

Man decides to keep box of cables he’s had since 2002 for another year

A man has looked at the box of cables he’s had for more than twenty years and decided to hang on to them.

newsthump.com

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 20d

My back hurts

Richard Gadsden @po8crg.gadsden.online · 20d

Apart from the obvious (why does everyone skip from boomers to millennials and leave us out), what's your most Gen X complaint?

erika @yeeeerika.bsky.social · Jan 13

i don't want to hear your most boomer complaint. what's your most millennial complaint?

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 20d

[I just DMd you on another forum]

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 20d

That's certainly a very plausible read.

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 20d

This annoyed me recently: the local council won't spruce up everywhere. Just the bits you ask them to. Which is another example of my point about hiding public services behind a tech barrier.

Sign saying "We're going to spruce up parts of this neighbourhood soon... Tell us which areas you think could do with a cleanup"

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 20d

Yes - similarly funding for SEND provision should be centralised.

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 20d

The leader is now running the Welsh rugby union organisation, so it shows we also have a problem with retaining talent.

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 20d

This is exactly right. My instinct is that any reform should be that some statutory duties should be funded by the centre. Otherwise the zero sum game destroys local civic amenities and services.

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 20d

It certainly feels like a race to the bottom in terms of cost and one-size-fits-all in the public sphere, which just doesn't work. The tech revolution has left people behind and the state does need to cater for people who get confused with filling in a form on their phone.

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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 20d

...which means that people feel cheated out of the spaces and services that are still there. I often think that the big fights over having people in ticket offices or guards ono trains are actually far more broadly relevant than we realise.

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