Francis Irving
@flourish.org
Sea. Sunlight. Calm. Trees. Laughter.
https://www.flourish.org/
https://www.flourish.org/
Reposted by Francis Irving
It's great to have such cross party support!
Leaving AI unregulated is extremely unpopular, but still the government hasn't acted.
If you're in London tomorrow, join this peaceful protest at Downing Street to make your voice heard!
Leaving AI unregulated is extremely unpopular, but still the government hasn't acted.
If you're in London tomorrow, join this peaceful protest at Downing Street to make your voice heard!
September 15, 2026 at 2:18 PM
It's great to have such cross party support!
Leaving AI unregulated is extremely unpopular, but still the government hasn't acted.
If you're in London tomorrow, join this peaceful protest at Downing Street to make your voice heard!
Leaving AI unregulated is extremely unpopular, but still the government hasn't acted.
If you're in London tomorrow, join this peaceful protest at Downing Street to make your voice heard!
I wrote a post a few months ago about what it felt like to agree with *everyone* on AI, but not sure what matters most because it depends on what happens.
I've changed my mind since, both because of what's happened, and what I've learnt about LLM training.
www.flourish.org/2026/09/upda...
I've changed my mind since, both because of what's happened, and what I've learnt about LLM training.
www.flourish.org/2026/09/upda...
Why I've changed my view on AI in the last 3 months - Francis Irving
www.flourish.org
September 10, 2026 at 7:07 PM
I wrote a post a few months ago about what it felt like to agree with *everyone* on AI, but not sure what matters most because it depends on what happens.
I've changed my mind since, both because of what's happened, and what I've learnt about LLM training.
www.flourish.org/2026/09/upda...
I've changed my mind since, both because of what's happened, and what I've learnt about LLM training.
www.flourish.org/2026/09/upda...
Think this technology needs a bit of improvement to *actually* help people (understatement)
September 5, 2026 at 9:26 AM
Think this technology needs a bit of improvement to *actually* help people (understatement)
Copy of Lizzy Maggie's Landlords Game, which capitalism literally stole and lied about to make Monopoly. The Georgist original had a second round with a Land Value Tax where one player didn't always run away with all money. Copy in Young V&A, London.
September 1, 2026 at 9:16 AM
Copy of Lizzy Maggie's Landlords Game, which capitalism literally stole and lied about to make Monopoly. The Georgist original had a second round with a Land Value Tax where one player didn't always run away with all money. Copy in Young V&A, London.
Starting a new Le Guin novel
August 30, 2026 at 9:58 AM
Starting a new Le Guin novel
I've written a review of three books by Ursula Le Guin to try and explain why I find her the person who most feels what is going on in our times.
www.flourish.org/2026/08/ursu...
www.flourish.org/2026/08/ursu...
Ursula Le Guin is the only person who understands what is going on - Francis Irving
www.flourish.org
August 15, 2026 at 2:22 PM
I've written a review of three books by Ursula Le Guin to try and explain why I find her the person who most feels what is going on in our times.
www.flourish.org/2026/08/ursu...
www.flourish.org/2026/08/ursu...
I vibe coded three personal apps that I'd wanted for a while. They work on mobile and web, sync offline first between them, and are polished.
This write up describes why, how, and what I learnt.
www.flourish.org/2026/08/pers...
This write up describes why, how, and what I learnt.
www.flourish.org/2026/08/pers...
Vibe coding personal apps in mid-2026 - Francis Irving
www.flourish.org
August 13, 2026 at 9:17 PM
I vibe coded three personal apps that I'd wanted for a while. They work on mobile and web, sync offline first between them, and are polished.
This write up describes why, how, and what I learnt.
www.flourish.org/2026/08/pers...
This write up describes why, how, and what I learnt.
www.flourish.org/2026/08/pers...
Tempted as kinda half serious / half joking piece of impishness, to tell any recruiter who calls that I want a coding job that *doesn't* use AI at all and can they find me one. And feel the emotion of their reaction.
August 10, 2026 at 11:29 AM
Tempted as kinda half serious / half joking piece of impishness, to tell any recruiter who calls that I want a coding job that *doesn't* use AI at all and can they find me one. And feel the emotion of their reaction.
"Is this an emotionally safe space?" he cried out into the void. 'course it's not what are you even asking, too many people watched watched'. « let's fake it, put an internet-mask on, they won't know ». ‹ yeah, and diss that other place, then they'll like us ›. "I honour that, but not here/now".
August 2, 2026 at 5:55 AM
"Is this an emotionally safe space?" he cried out into the void. 'course it's not what are you even asking, too many people watched watched'. « let's fake it, put an internet-mask on, they won't know ». ‹ yeah, and diss that other place, then they'll like us ›. "I honour that, but not here/now".
Going to stop procrastinating about where to post short things, and do it here. It's relatively peaceful, and has the indie video games kids on it. Most importantly it has custom feed algorithms - and I'm really liking the look of projects like @greenearth-social.bsky.social which must be here.
August 2, 2026 at 5:50 AM
Going to stop procrastinating about where to post short things, and do it here. It's relatively peaceful, and has the indie video games kids on it. Most importantly it has custom feed algorithms - and I'm really liking the look of projects like @greenearth-social.bsky.social which must be here.
Realised that even years ago I got emotional warmth from luxury crafters like Eleanor Pritchard who still hand-weave because they show that people will still hand-X centuries after being automated, it reminds me of the Luddites www.eleanorpritchard.com
August 2, 2026 at 5:49 AM
Realised that even years ago I got emotional warmth from luxury crafters like Eleanor Pritchard who still hand-weave because they show that people will still hand-X centuries after being automated, it reminds me of the Luddites www.eleanorpritchard.com
Reposted by Francis Irving
We’ve got a vacancy in a unique and hugely valuable role, managing the day-to-day running of our digital services, focusing in particular on WhatDoTheyKnow, which helps millions of people each year find out something useful.
Please do share with your networks to help us find the right person!
Please do share with your networks to help us find the right person!
WE'RE HIRING!
Data protection, media law, online communities, and FOI: if that sounds like your jam, you might be just the person we're looking for as mySociety's new Digital Service Manager.
See the details and apply here: apply.workable.com/mysociety/j/...
And please do share!
Data protection, media law, online communities, and FOI: if that sounds like your jam, you might be just the person we're looking for as mySociety's new Digital Service Manager.
See the details and apply here: apply.workable.com/mysociety/j/...
And please do share!
July 13, 2026 at 2:30 PM
We’ve got a vacancy in a unique and hugely valuable role, managing the day-to-day running of our digital services, focusing in particular on WhatDoTheyKnow, which helps millions of people each year find out something useful.
Please do share with your networks to help us find the right person!
Please do share with your networks to help us find the right person!
This quote is from a London Politico post www.politico.eu/newsletter/l...
It's quite sweet - I spent about 8 years travelling almost weekly to London as part of running a digital startup in Liverpool. Excellent that some people who've been in London for life will finally experience this.
It's quite sweet - I spent about 8 years travelling almost weekly to London as part of running a digital startup in Liverpool. Excellent that some people who've been in London for life will finally experience this.
June 29, 2026 at 11:30 AM
This quote is from a London Politico post www.politico.eu/newsletter/l...
It's quite sweet - I spent about 8 years travelling almost weekly to London as part of running a digital startup in Liverpool. Excellent that some people who've been in London for life will finally experience this.
It's quite sweet - I spent about 8 years travelling almost weekly to London as part of running a digital startup in Liverpool. Excellent that some people who've been in London for life will finally experience this.
Finally wrote a blog post - about the emotional frustration of agreeing with everyone about AI, when what matters most depends on exactly how the technology plays out. www.flourish.org/2026/06/agre...
On the frustration of agreeing with everyone about AI - Francis Irving
www.flourish.org
June 17, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Finally wrote a blog post - about the emotional frustration of agreeing with everyone about AI, when what matters most depends on exactly how the technology plays out. www.flourish.org/2026/06/agre...
The final Land Talks of the season is the week after next!
The full lineup of speakers is up, and is too varied to compress into this post. Everything from co-ops and buyouts to freeing planning and land-value capture.
Get your ticket here, if you're near London:
luma.com/hkyckwm8
The full lineup of speakers is up, and is too varied to compress into this post. Everything from co-ops and buyouts to freeing planning and land-value capture.
Get your ticket here, if you're near London:
luma.com/hkyckwm8
Land Talks #6: Start-Up Nation, Doubling Homebuilding & The Battersea Job · Luma
🗺️ Where Fresh Thinking Meets Britain’s Oldest Bottleneck
Land is key to economic growth and equality of opportunity, yet in Britain we’ve done almost nothing…
luma.com
April 29, 2026 at 6:16 PM
The final Land Talks of the season is the week after next!
The full lineup of speakers is up, and is too varied to compress into this post. Everything from co-ops and buyouts to freeing planning and land-value capture.
Get your ticket here, if you're near London:
luma.com/hkyckwm8
The full lineup of speakers is up, and is too varied to compress into this post. Everything from co-ops and buyouts to freeing planning and land-value capture.
Get your ticket here, if you're near London:
luma.com/hkyckwm8
Reposted by Francis Irving
I'm very pleased to be on the bill for the next Land Talks
Come hear me talk about Croydon and rules based planning and 5 other excellent speakers in a pub
6pm, 11th May
luma.com/hkyckwm8
Come hear me talk about Croydon and rules based planning and 5 other excellent speakers in a pub
6pm, 11th May
luma.com/hkyckwm8
Land Talks #6: Start-Up Nation, Doubling Homebuilding & The Battersea Job · Luma
🗺️ Where Fresh Thinking Meets Britain’s Oldest Bottleneck
Land is key to economic growth and equality of opportunity, yet in Britain we’ve done almost nothing…
luma.com
April 17, 2026 at 2:19 PM
I'm very pleased to be on the bill for the next Land Talks
Come hear me talk about Croydon and rules based planning and 5 other excellent speakers in a pub
6pm, 11th May
luma.com/hkyckwm8
Come hear me talk about Croydon and rules based planning and 5 other excellent speakers in a pub
6pm, 11th May
luma.com/hkyckwm8
Had lots of fun at @modjam.bsky.social an alternative controllers games mod jam at Newspeak House.
I modded Doom to have voice control. Video and details here:
frabcus.itch.io/voice-doom
It was especially satisfying being able to lengthen out notes and stop precisely at an exact time.
I modded Doom to have voice control. Video and details here:
frabcus.itch.io/voice-doom
It was especially satisfying being able to lengthen out notes and stop precisely at an exact time.
April 6, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Had lots of fun at @modjam.bsky.social an alternative controllers games mod jam at Newspeak House.
I modded Doom to have voice control. Video and details here:
frabcus.itch.io/voice-doom
It was especially satisfying being able to lengthen out notes and stop precisely at an exact time.
I modded Doom to have voice control. Video and details here:
frabcus.itch.io/voice-doom
It was especially satisfying being able to lengthen out notes and stop precisely at an exact time.
I've always been a bit suspicious of index funds - I use them, but it feels intuitively like there's a moral hazard if *everyone* uses them, which increasingly they are.
This Economist article summarises a paper by Gabaix/Koijen on what the problems seems to be.
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
This Economist article summarises a paper by Gabaix/Koijen on what the problems seems to be.
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
Is passive investment inflating a stockmarket bubble?
A widely circulated working paper suggests so
www.economist.com
April 5, 2026 at 9:43 AM
I've always been a bit suspicious of index funds - I use them, but it feels intuitively like there's a moral hazard if *everyone* uses them, which increasingly they are.
This Economist article summarises a paper by Gabaix/Koijen on what the problems seems to be.
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
This Economist article summarises a paper by Gabaix/Koijen on what the problems seems to be.
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
Land Talks #5 is soon! I'm running another evening of lightning talks about land policy.
This one's got quirky stuff about the impact of driverless cars on land, and crunchy stuff about how liberalising planning can reduce trust and cause more problems.
luma.com/avdjw348
Come along!
This one's got quirky stuff about the impact of driverless cars on land, and crunchy stuff about how liberalising planning can reduce trust and cause more problems.
luma.com/avdjw348
Come along!
Land Talks #5: Phantom Cabs, Books on Fire & The Trust Deficit · Luma
🗺️ Where Fresh Thinking Meets Britain’s Oldest Bottleneck
Land is key to economic growth and equality of opportunity, yet in Britain we’ve done almost nothing…
luma.com
March 15, 2026 at 9:38 PM
Land Talks #5 is soon! I'm running another evening of lightning talks about land policy.
This one's got quirky stuff about the impact of driverless cars on land, and crunchy stuff about how liberalising planning can reduce trust and cause more problems.
luma.com/avdjw348
Come along!
This one's got quirky stuff about the impact of driverless cars on land, and crunchy stuff about how liberalising planning can reduce trust and cause more problems.
luma.com/avdjw348
Come along!
Reposted by Francis Irving
Speaking at Land Talks next week - come along! luma.com/ba8uvclo
Land Talks #4: Land-For-Flats, A New Forest City, Undead Property Taxes & More! · Luma
🗺️ Where Fresh Thinking Meets Britain’s Oldest Bottleneck
Land is key to economic growth and equality of opportunity, yet in Britain we’ve done almost nothing…
luma.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:10 AM
Speaking at Land Talks next week - come along! luma.com/ba8uvclo
Excited to announce we're running a second season of Land Talks! Evenings of lightning talks in London about radical land policy.
Come along to the first one two week's tomorrow (Monday):
luma.com/ba8uvclo
Or follow us on Luma for updates as we announce speakers for all of them!
Come along to the first one two week's tomorrow (Monday):
luma.com/ba8uvclo
Or follow us on Luma for updates as we announce speakers for all of them!
Land Talks #4: Land-For-Flats, A New Forest City, Undead Property Taxes & More! · Luma
🗺️ Where Fresh Thinking Meets Britain’s Oldest Bottleneck
Land is key to economic growth and equality of opportunity, yet in Britain we’ve done almost nothing…
luma.com
February 1, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Excited to announce we're running a second season of Land Talks! Evenings of lightning talks in London about radical land policy.
Come along to the first one two week's tomorrow (Monday):
luma.com/ba8uvclo
Or follow us on Luma for updates as we announce speakers for all of them!
Come along to the first one two week's tomorrow (Monday):
luma.com/ba8uvclo
Or follow us on Luma for updates as we announce speakers for all of them!
Pleased with Vynn and my new episode of our podcast "Imagine an apple".
We talk with Jess - who organises JessCamp where Vynn and I met! - about the inner experience of meditation.
We talk with Jess - who organises JessCamp where Vynn and I met! - about the inner experience of meditation.
January 14, 2026 at 9:52 PM
Pleased with Vynn and my new episode of our podcast "Imagine an apple".
We talk with Jess - who organises JessCamp where Vynn and I met! - about the inner experience of meditation.
We talk with Jess - who organises JessCamp where Vynn and I met! - about the inner experience of meditation.
I've had fun running Land Talks this last year, and we're ending it with a pub quiz.
If you're in London two week's on Tuesday, and fancy a more relaxing and social evening, with people who want to improve Britain's land system, see you there!
luma.com/c5944qgc
If you're in London two week's on Tuesday, and fancy a more relaxing and social evening, with people who want to improve Britain's land system, see you there!
luma.com/c5944qgc
Land Talks 2025 Christmas Quiz · Luma
Jingle all the way through the most wonderful Land Talks Christmas quiz where we celebrate the inaugrial year of Land Talks and look ahead to 2026.
Alys and…
luma.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:44 PM
I've had fun running Land Talks this last year, and we're ending it with a pub quiz.
If you're in London two week's on Tuesday, and fancy a more relaxing and social evening, with people who want to improve Britain's land system, see you there!
luma.com/c5944qgc
If you're in London two week's on Tuesday, and fancy a more relaxing and social evening, with people who want to improve Britain's land system, see you there!
luma.com/c5944qgc
Really happy to interview @michaelashcroft.com on my podcast "Imagine an apple" about the inner experience of Alexander Technique.
What is it like to experience “open awareness”? What’s the difference between doing and non-doing?
Really enjoyed this one!
zencastr.com/z/ST9vDWiJ
What is it like to experience “open awareness”? What’s the difference between doing and non-doing?
Really enjoyed this one!
zencastr.com/z/ST9vDWiJ
Alexander technique with Michael Ashcroft by @Francis Irving
What is it like to experience “open awareness”? What’s the difference between doing and non-doing? What is “thinking”?
Welcome to another episode of “Imagine an apple”.
In this episode, Vynn and Fra...
zencastr.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Really happy to interview @michaelashcroft.com on my podcast "Imagine an apple" about the inner experience of Alexander Technique.
What is it like to experience “open awareness”? What’s the difference between doing and non-doing?
Really enjoyed this one!
zencastr.com/z/ST9vDWiJ
What is it like to experience “open awareness”? What’s the difference between doing and non-doing?
Really enjoyed this one!
zencastr.com/z/ST9vDWiJ
New season of my podcast "Imagine an apple" starting. Today is my co-host Vynn interviewing me about my new favourite book...
zencastr.com/z/MlzU79lP
(more in thread)
zencastr.com/z/MlzU79lP
(more in thread)
"Pristine Inner Experience" by Hulburt (a review) by @Francis Irving
How does Hurlburt’s method of sampling what is happening in our minds work? What have we learnt from it about the variety of our everyday inner worlds - from thinking without symbols, to schizophrenia...
zencastr.com
October 5, 2025 at 4:15 PM
New season of my podcast "Imagine an apple" starting. Today is my co-host Vynn interviewing me about my new favourite book...
zencastr.com/z/MlzU79lP
(more in thread)
zencastr.com/z/MlzU79lP
(more in thread)