Ally Green
@allygreen.bsky.social
Climber, cyclist, critical materials specialist. Likes gardening. Big fan of night trains. May very occasionally write about metals and the energy transition. Based near Toulouse, France.
Pinned
Ally Green
@allygreen.bsky.social
· Feb 20
Climbing in Kalymnos and there are sooo many cats including this one who thinks he is king of the crag. NB real photo not AI or photoshopped!
Reposted by Ally Green
Bluesky teacher hivemind, I'm looking for examples of concepts in any subject that learners find tricky to grasp, and the creative, amusing, concrete or multisensory ways you've come up with to teach them. It's for a book I'm writing atm. Thanks in advance! Please repost. #EduSky
September 9, 2026 at 4:19 PM
Bluesky teacher hivemind, I'm looking for examples of concepts in any subject that learners find tricky to grasp, and the creative, amusing, concrete or multisensory ways you've come up with to teach them. It's for a book I'm writing atm. Thanks in advance! Please repost. #EduSky
Reposted by Ally Green
Big fan of how Russia can shut down a major UK port for half a day with just 5kg of cocaine and 100 severely divorced men.
September 7, 2026 at 7:52 AM
Big fan of how Russia can shut down a major UK port for half a day with just 5kg of cocaine and 100 severely divorced men.
Bit of unwanted Friday night excitement ... Had to call the pompiers due to the electricity junction box threatening to go up in flames.
August 28, 2026 at 7:09 PM
Bit of unwanted Friday night excitement ... Had to call the pompiers due to the electricity junction box threatening to go up in flames.
Reposted by Ally Green
The difference in utility between the use of ML to tackle big data problems that would otherwise be intractable & the use of LLMs to produce pointless slop is so large they cannot both be usefully described as “AI“.
The first is making real progress, the second is dragging us towards the abyss.
The first is making real progress, the second is dragging us towards the abyss.
I‘m far from an AI doomer, but it is amazing how many serious voices — on LinkedIn, no less! — are sharing stories about how AI slop is quickly becoming one of the top problems they see in academic writing and research
“AI will 10x our research!” doesn’t seem to be surviving encounters with reality
“AI will 10x our research!” doesn’t seem to be surviving encounters with reality
August 18, 2026 at 11:14 AM
The difference in utility between the use of ML to tackle big data problems that would otherwise be intractable & the use of LLMs to produce pointless slop is so large they cannot both be usefully described as “AI“.
The first is making real progress, the second is dragging us towards the abyss.
The first is making real progress, the second is dragging us towards the abyss.
Big turnout in Toulouse!
August 12, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Big turnout in Toulouse!
Another terrible Brexit outcome. There is a gofundme page linked in the article if you want to send a few £/€ to help with their legal fees.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
British man with dementia told to leave Sweden after losing migration case
Horace Mason, 74, who has lived in Sweden for 25 years, faces being deported after court ruling
www.theguardian.com
August 12, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Another terrible Brexit outcome. There is a gofundme page linked in the article if you want to send a few £/€ to help with their legal fees.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
On a Eurostar somewhere between London and the tunnel and apparently it's raining??? (Water running across the windows). But also sunny?! Weather gone mad
July 30, 2026 at 5:32 PM
On a Eurostar somewhere between London and the tunnel and apparently it's raining??? (Water running across the windows). But also sunny?! Weather gone mad
Reposted by Ally Green
We need to start treating climate change deniers as terrorists.
July 25, 2026 at 8:05 AM
We need to start treating climate change deniers as terrorists.
Reposted by Ally Green
La une du Times est incroyable - une photo d'un monde qui brûle sous un gros titre sur la "menace" de net zéro...
July 25, 2026 at 6:34 AM
La une du Times est incroyable - une photo d'un monde qui brûle sous un gros titre sur la "menace" de net zéro...
Reposted by Ally Green
So, people like me (old softish Left) had our values dismissed because McSweeney thought we would put up with it indefinitely - where else were we going to go? And Starmer allowed it all, he used none of the power of his office to reign McSweeney/Mahmood in. It is *completely* on him.
July 18, 2026 at 11:41 AM
So, people like me (old softish Left) had our values dismissed because McSweeney thought we would put up with it indefinitely - where else were we going to go? And Starmer allowed it all, he used none of the power of his office to reign McSweeney/Mahmood in. It is *completely* on him.
I’m old enough to remember the Major government (and not in a good way) but it’s impossible to deny that he has aged like fine wine.
John Major resembles a fine wine. He improves with age.
July 18, 2026 at 11:44 AM
I’m old enough to remember the Major government (and not in a good way) but it’s impossible to deny that he has aged like fine wine.
So Burnham and his team are fucking idiots and the honeymoon will last about a nanosecond.
This suggests they’re going to ditch net zero as well which will be ruinous for the environment, for British industry and for the economy.
July 15, 2026 at 6:20 PM
So Burnham and his team are fucking idiots and the honeymoon will last about a nanosecond.
TGV network in France having a terrible day with dozens of trains delayed by between 1 and 4 hours (due to heat/fires). My train officially delayed 1h but we are at least 1h30 behind schedule and I will miss the last train home.
July 12, 2026 at 3:53 PM
TGV network in France having a terrible day with dozens of trains delayed by between 1 and 4 hours (due to heat/fires). My train officially delayed 1h but we are at least 1h30 behind schedule and I will miss the last train home.
Back to Paris after 10 days in Tromsø and Bergen. It's ridicukously hot,obviously, but even more striking is how parched all the vegetation looks. Every patch of grass is burnt brown and trees are losing leaves already.
July 12, 2026 at 8:56 AM
Back to Paris after 10 days in Tromsø and Bergen. It's ridicukously hot,obviously, but even more striking is how parched all the vegetation looks. Every patch of grass is burnt brown and trees are losing leaves already.
Reposted by Ally Green
“Comte Tête-de-Poubelle” has killed me. Proust could never
July 9, 2026 at 1:23 PM
“Comte Tête-de-Poubelle” has killed me. Proust could never
Operation 'escape the heatwave' has been a resounding success, with hiking friendly temps and plenty of 24-hour sunshine. We leave Tromsø for Bergen tomorrow.
July 7, 2026 at 12:40 PM
Operation 'escape the heatwave' has been a resounding success, with hiking friendly temps and plenty of 24-hour sunshine. We leave Tromsø for Bergen tomorrow.
Reposted by Ally Green
The decision on Le Pen brings the most chaos for RN possible. Banning her would have been clean, not banning her and not putting her under house arrest, also clean.
Le Pen previous comment on running for president with electronic bracelet: "It's impossible to campaign under those conditions. [...] How can I be expected to campaign without going out in the evenings to meet my voters at rallies?"
www.franceinfo.fr/politique/ma...
www.franceinfo.fr/politique/ma...
"On ne peut pas faire campagne dans ces conditions" : Marine Le Pen affirme qu'elle ne se présentera pas à la présidentielle 2027 si elle doit porter un bracelet électronique
La cheffe de file du RN connaîtra le 7 juillet la décision de la cour d'appel de Paris dans l'affaire des assistants parlementaires de son parti. En première instance, elle avait notamment été condamn...
www.franceinfo.fr
July 7, 2026 at 12:16 PM
The decision on Le Pen brings the most chaos for RN possible. Banning her would have been clean, not banning her and not putting her under house arrest, also clean.
Heading off on the ultimate 'escape the summer heat' expedition, all the way to the Arctic for some midnight sun (and no doubt rain too) in Tromsø.
June 30, 2026 at 1:11 PM
Heading off on the ultimate 'escape the summer heat' expedition, all the way to the Arctic for some midnight sun (and no doubt rain too) in Tromsø.
Enforced day in Toulouse and of course it's going to be 38C again, so I am heading to an airconditioned climbing wall to work - and of course climb a bit ;)
June 26, 2026 at 6:51 AM
Enforced day in Toulouse and of course it's going to be 38C again, so I am heading to an airconditioned climbing wall to work - and of course climb a bit ;)
Early morning on the Teleo in Toulouse. There are clouds!!!
June 26, 2026 at 5:20 AM
Early morning on the Teleo in Toulouse. There are clouds!!!
At 10am this morning, @meteociel.fr ’s max temp list already showing at least 14 stations in France above 36 degrees. Most of these recorded all-time highs in the 42-44C range yesterday and some will break those records again today. This is absolutely insane!
June 24, 2026 at 8:38 AM
At 10am this morning, @meteociel.fr ’s max temp list already showing at least 14 stations in France above 36 degrees. Most of these recorded all-time highs in the 42-44C range yesterday and some will break those records again today. This is absolutely insane!
I have many thoughts about this, but first and foremost, who on earth agreed to pay this ridiculous person for such poorly written and badly argued guff?
Camilla Long says Labour can only win public - esp Reform vote if it does things Labour MPs & progressive voters will hate
Nothing on the content what "committing to a series of policies" means. (How much harder they would be than current policy?)
No indication what level of immig is not too high
Nothing on the content what "committing to a series of policies" means. (How much harder they would be than current policy?)
No indication what level of immig is not too high
June 21, 2026 at 8:14 AM
I have many thoughts about this, but first and foremost, who on earth agreed to pay this ridiculous person for such poorly written and badly argued guff?
This is bonkers isn’t it? Quite apart from ethical and practical issues, it seems like this is policy driven by educationalists who want to extend the sort of high-control policies that are common in UK schools to cover young people’s entire lives. It is horrifyingly illiberal.
All online services – not just social media platforms – should be banned from having access to children if they make use of harmful features & functionalities
And when we say children, that should be under 18s, not just under 16s, writes the Children's Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza
And when we say children, that should be under 18s, not just under 16s, writes the Children's Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza
Under 18s should be protected from online harm, not just under 16s
All online services – not just social media platforms – that use harmful features and functionalities should be banned from access to children.
www.politicshome.com
June 15, 2026 at 12:24 PM
This is bonkers isn’t it? Quite apart from ethical and practical issues, it seems like this is policy driven by educationalists who want to extend the sort of high-control policies that are common in UK schools to cover young people’s entire lives. It is horrifyingly illiberal.
www.maptap.gg June 7
99🎯 96🔥 83✨ 96🔥 72🤗
Final score: 865
Not terrible. Admittedly had some help from my OH on the last question.
99🎯 96🔥 83✨ 96🔥 72🤗
Final score: 865
Not terrible. Admittedly had some help from my OH on the last question.
🎯MapTap Daily Geography Game
Play MapTap - the daily geography game! Find 5 world locations on a 3D globe with historical stories. Free browser-based daily game for geography lovers.
www.maptap.gg
June 7, 2026 at 7:18 AM
www.maptap.gg June 7
99🎯 96🔥 83✨ 96🔥 72🤗
Final score: 865
Not terrible. Admittedly had some help from my OH on the last question.
99🎯 96🔥 83✨ 96🔥 72🤗
Final score: 865
Not terrible. Admittedly had some help from my OH on the last question.
Battle officially won. I told them (and my boss) that I was quite happy being uncontactable during travel and they backed right down.
Work IT department really struggling to understand that they can ask me as many times as they like to use my personal phone for work purposes - but the answer will always be no. We're now at the citing local employment law and cc'ing my boss stage.
June 6, 2026 at 7:53 AM
Battle officially won. I told them (and my boss) that I was quite happy being uncontactable during travel and they backed right down.