Andrew Cherry
@kolektiv.xyncro.com
Tech-person, primarily software, occasionally hardware. Somewhat of the left. Dog-dad (also actual child-dad). He/Him. European.
Pretty disappointed in all of the stuff around "give young people a job and training rather than benefits". I mean, yes, obviously that's better, but there needs to be something on offer. Jobs aren't going to magically appear if you remove benefits or make them less accessible.
September 28, 2026 at 11:44 AM
Pretty disappointed in all of the stuff around "give young people a job and training rather than benefits". I mean, yes, obviously that's better, but there needs to be something on offer. Jobs aren't going to magically appear if you remove benefits or make them less accessible.
Reposted by Andrew Cherry
Mary Beard, Chair of the Booker Prize 2026 judging panel, on why she dislikes the phrase ‘I really love reading’.
This clip is provided courtesy of the Southbank Centre, and you can watch the full Booker Prize 2026 shortlist event on their YouTube channel: https://youtube.pulse.ly/axkmrdaxr9
This clip is provided courtesy of the Southbank Centre, and you can watch the full Booker Prize 2026 shortlist event on their YouTube channel: https://youtube.pulse.ly/axkmrdaxr9
September 26, 2026 at 1:55 PM
Mary Beard, Chair of the Booker Prize 2026 judging panel, on why she dislikes the phrase ‘I really love reading’.
This clip is provided courtesy of the Southbank Centre, and you can watch the full Booker Prize 2026 shortlist event on their YouTube channel: https://youtube.pulse.ly/axkmrdaxr9
This clip is provided courtesy of the Southbank Centre, and you can watch the full Booker Prize 2026 shortlist event on their YouTube channel: https://youtube.pulse.ly/axkmrdaxr9
BRB, off to start a company based on pure nihilism and hastening the inevitable decay of civilisation into heat death and mulch. Calling it Entropic.
September 23, 2026 at 6:18 PM
BRB, off to start a company based on pure nihilism and hastening the inevitable decay of civilisation into heat death and mulch. Calling it Entropic.
Reposted by Andrew Cherry
1/23
Sorry, this will be long...
There is a lot of shouting about what happened in the Channel yesterday.
So I want to go back to basic law. Not immigration policies or political rhetoric.
At sea, the starting point is simple:
Preservation of life comes first under all maritime conventions.
Sorry, this will be long...
There is a lot of shouting about what happened in the Channel yesterday.
So I want to go back to basic law. Not immigration policies or political rhetoric.
At sea, the starting point is simple:
Preservation of life comes first under all maritime conventions.
Worrying scenes in the Channel today, for all interested in asylum policy and maritime tactics.
A small boat from Normandy spent more than 30 hours at sea. Those on board now on their 2nd rescue vessel as Border Force forced to play cat and mouse with far-right activists who have their own boat.
A small boat from Normandy spent more than 30 hours at sea. Those on board now on their 2nd rescue vessel as Border Force forced to play cat and mouse with far-right activists who have their own boat.
September 22, 2026 at 8:48 PM
1/23
Sorry, this will be long...
There is a lot of shouting about what happened in the Channel yesterday.
So I want to go back to basic law. Not immigration policies or political rhetoric.
At sea, the starting point is simple:
Preservation of life comes first under all maritime conventions.
Sorry, this will be long...
There is a lot of shouting about what happened in the Channel yesterday.
So I want to go back to basic law. Not immigration policies or political rhetoric.
At sea, the starting point is simple:
Preservation of life comes first under all maritime conventions.
Man, just imagine how much cooler and more successful Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, and so on would have been if they had been smart enough to realise they needed to bet on everything.
/s
/s
September 17, 2026 at 9:05 AM
Man, just imagine how much cooler and more successful Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, and so on would have been if they had been smart enough to realise they needed to bet on everything.
/s
/s
Paging @cstross.bsky.social... It seems your imagination has escaped containment again...
As the government bans social media for kids further evidence emerges that it's a minority of retired adults we should really be concerned about.
www.devonlive.com/news/devon-n...
www.devonlive.com/news/devon-n...
Pensioners attack traffic lights over wild 'deadly weapon' claims
An online movement say that the sensors on traffic lights can cause heart attacks, brain cancer, anxiety and even sudden death
www.devonlive.com
September 11, 2026 at 8:25 AM
Paging @cstross.bsky.social... It seems your imagination has escaped containment again...
Admittedly, this is the firstest of world problems, but if you're trying to look for images of all the furniture made by some interesting architect/designer, you can't - because all of the results will be of the one most famous thing they did, almost certainly a chair.
September 10, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Admittedly, this is the firstest of world problems, but if you're trying to look for images of all the furniture made by some interesting architect/designer, you can't - because all of the results will be of the one most famous thing they did, almost certainly a chair.
Always reassuring when I see Apple launch a new flagship product and immediately think "yeah I've got no need or desire for that whatsoever". That keynote feels like it saved me money. Of all the things I've wished my phone had, a hinge has never been one.
September 9, 2026 at 11:54 PM
Always reassuring when I see Apple launch a new flagship product and immediately think "yeah I've got no need or desire for that whatsoever". That keynote feels like it saved me money. Of all the things I've wished my phone had, a hinge has never been one.
Reposted by Andrew Cherry
Have seen this Nature piece about the effects of X's algorithm mentioned again and it bears repeating; exposure to a right wing algorithm makes you - measurably and predictably - more right wing, even after you stop using it.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The political effects of X’s feed algorithm - Nature
Among users initially on a chronological feed, 7 weeks of exposure to X’s algorithmic feed in 2023 shifted political attitudes and account-following behaviour in a more conservative direction compared...
www.nature.com
September 8, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Have seen this Nature piece about the effects of X's algorithm mentioned again and it bears repeating; exposure to a right wing algorithm makes you - measurably and predictably - more right wing, even after you stop using it.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Can't help feeling that "Sanctions criticised by target of sanctions, also by friend of target of sanctions" shouldn't really be quite such a a headline statement. Come back when you can show me teeth marks on the dog, yeah?
September 8, 2026 at 10:34 AM
Can't help feeling that "Sanctions criticised by target of sanctions, also by friend of target of sanctions" shouldn't really be quite such a a headline statement. Come back when you can show me teeth marks on the dog, yeah?
Reposted by Andrew Cherry
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Hackers Had A Live Feed Of Every ID This Verification Company Scanned. For Over A Year.
From the very beginning of this recent obsession with identifying everyone online (yes, they like to call it "age" verification, but it always ends up as identity verification), we've been pointing out that it was a huge privacy nightmare waiting to happen. Or maybe it wasn't waiting. Maybe it was already happening. This week a...
www.techdirt.com
September 4, 2026 at 10:19 PM
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Reposted by Andrew Cherry
Dear BBC News,
If you'd like to actually fulfill your mandate to inform the public of the reasons people take small boats please feel free to invite me onto any of your shows. I'm a world expert in this with an award winning book on the topic.
Or you can just have a man stood shouting in the sea.
If you'd like to actually fulfill your mandate to inform the public of the reasons people take small boats please feel free to invite me onto any of your shows. I'm a world expert in this with an award winning book on the topic.
Or you can just have a man stood shouting in the sea.
September 3, 2026 at 9:55 AM
Dear BBC News,
If you'd like to actually fulfill your mandate to inform the public of the reasons people take small boats please feel free to invite me onto any of your shows. I'm a world expert in this with an award winning book on the topic.
Or you can just have a man stood shouting in the sea.
If you'd like to actually fulfill your mandate to inform the public of the reasons people take small boats please feel free to invite me onto any of your shows. I'm a world expert in this with an award winning book on the topic.
Or you can just have a man stood shouting in the sea.
Now obviously this is disgraceful bollocks, out of touch to a previously unfathomed depth, but the use of "cozzie livs" should have everyone class-South of Marie Antoinette storming the barricades of whatever Cotswold idyll she presumably inhabits. If this was France, things would be on fire.
Great news everyone: stuff isn’t really expensive any more. Actually it’s very cheap, you’re all rich now
September 4, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Now obviously this is disgraceful bollocks, out of touch to a previously unfathomed depth, but the use of "cozzie livs" should have everyone class-South of Marie Antoinette storming the barricades of whatever Cotswold idyll she presumably inhabits. If this was France, things would be on fire.
Reposted by Andrew Cherry
Due to the unique way the BBC is funded by you we can have a man stand in the sea wearing a shirt harassing desperate people fleeing Afghanistan
September 3, 2026 at 8:07 AM
Due to the unique way the BBC is funded by you we can have a man stand in the sea wearing a shirt harassing desperate people fleeing Afghanistan
Apropos of nothing whatsoever, I don't think we use the word "boon" anywhere near enough anymore. I'm not sure it's an actual lack of boons - maybe we just stopped recognising them. Anyway, do your part. Grant someone a boon!
September 1, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Apropos of nothing whatsoever, I don't think we use the word "boon" anywhere near enough anymore. I'm not sure it's an actual lack of boons - maybe we just stopped recognising them. Anyway, do your part. Grant someone a boon!
Sigh. Right then, what's the best 1Password alternative? Reasonable integrations, mobile support, a user experience that won't make me weep Linux-UI-flavoured tears, the usual...?
August 31, 2026 at 9:45 PM
Sigh. Right then, what's the best 1Password alternative? Reasonable integrations, mobile support, a user experience that won't make me weep Linux-UI-flavoured tears, the usual...?
My wife happened to be near the door earlier as a leaflet came through, turned out to be from Restore UK. First time she's actually gone back outside, found the person, and made them take it back, stating that even the recycling bin doesn't need that in it. Hard to argue.
August 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM
My wife happened to be near the door earlier as a leaflet came through, turned out to be from Restore UK. First time she's actually gone back outside, found the person, and made them take it back, stating that even the recycling bin doesn't need that in it. Hard to argue.
Reposted by Andrew Cherry
New, from me.
Losing a prestigious stage or affiliation is not the same thing as being censored or deplatformed, and we should stop letting terrible people pretend otherwise.
dmitryopines.substack.com/p/youre-not-...
Losing a prestigious stage or affiliation is not the same thing as being censored or deplatformed, and we should stop letting terrible people pretend otherwise.
dmitryopines.substack.com/p/youre-not-...
You’re Not Censored, But Get Off My Stage
It’s not "deplatforming" when security won’t let me rap with Kendrick.
dmitryopines.substack.com
August 23, 2026 at 5:11 PM
New, from me.
Losing a prestigious stage or affiliation is not the same thing as being censored or deplatformed, and we should stop letting terrible people pretend otherwise.
dmitryopines.substack.com/p/youre-not-...
Losing a prestigious stage or affiliation is not the same thing as being censored or deplatformed, and we should stop letting terrible people pretend otherwise.
dmitryopines.substack.com/p/youre-not-...
I see they're trying the usual logic-free bullshit with regard to academic freedom as they generally try with free speech. Nobody owes you a speaking platform or an academic position; you are free to "research" whatever eugenicist idiocy you want on your own dime, but nobody wants it done on theirs.
August 23, 2026 at 12:23 PM
I see they're trying the usual logic-free bullshit with regard to academic freedom as they generally try with free speech. Nobody owes you a speaking platform or an academic position; you are free to "research" whatever eugenicist idiocy you want on your own dime, but nobody wants it done on theirs.
An article cropping up from a Will Self, and it's been a long time, so I wonder, "Is it *that* Will Self?" Several thousand words in and the second trip to the dictionary, and it is definitely *that* Will Self. For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a bad thing.
August 17, 2026 at 11:32 PM
An article cropping up from a Will Self, and it's been a long time, so I wonder, "Is it *that* Will Self?" Several thousand words in and the second trip to the dictionary, and it is definitely *that* Will Self. For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a bad thing.
I'm starting to feel that there are some bland, tech/corporate-speak phrases floating around which will be looked on historically with incredulous horror. "Data-driven" is probably one of them. (1/10)
August 17, 2026 at 8:56 PM
I'm starting to feel that there are some bland, tech/corporate-speak phrases floating around which will be looked on historically with incredulous horror. "Data-driven" is probably one of them. (1/10)
That newspapers still let bullshit like this go out should be a source of national shame and a trigger for change and real regulation. A watchdog with actual teeth is needed, not some matey self-regulation bollocks.
From this review-
“Think of all the diligent, decent black academics who have been lumbered with the embarrassment of having Arday as a figurehead” - no, think of *why* black academics are held collectively responsible in ways that white academics are not
“Think of all the diligent, decent black academics who have been lumbered with the embarrassment of having Arday as a figurehead” - no, think of *why* black academics are held collectively responsible in ways that white academics are not
I think functionally all of the post-resignation coverage that was about him rather than Cambridge was excessive (e.g. this poisonous review of a book nobody is going to buy - why)
August 15, 2026 at 10:31 AM
That newspapers still let bullshit like this go out should be a source of national shame and a trigger for change and real regulation. A watchdog with actual teeth is needed, not some matey self-regulation bollocks.
Reposted by Andrew Cherry
From this review-
“Think of all the diligent, decent black academics who have been lumbered with the embarrassment of having Arday as a figurehead” - no, think of *why* black academics are held collectively responsible in ways that white academics are not
“Think of all the diligent, decent black academics who have been lumbered with the embarrassment of having Arday as a figurehead” - no, think of *why* black academics are held collectively responsible in ways that white academics are not
I think functionally all of the post-resignation coverage that was about him rather than Cambridge was excessive (e.g. this poisonous review of a book nobody is going to buy - why)
Jason Arday’s memoir is mawkish, self-aggrandising and hard to believe
The embattled former Cambridge professor’s autobiography, Great and Unfortunate Things, feels precision-tooled to flatter the biases of the sappiest white liberals
www.thetimes.com
August 15, 2026 at 10:21 AM
From this review-
“Think of all the diligent, decent black academics who have been lumbered with the embarrassment of having Arday as a figurehead” - no, think of *why* black academics are held collectively responsible in ways that white academics are not
“Think of all the diligent, decent black academics who have been lumbered with the embarrassment of having Arday as a figurehead” - no, think of *why* black academics are held collectively responsible in ways that white academics are not
Reposted by Andrew Cherry
No, that is not the alternative
The alternative was treating like a normal news story, and not a trial by media - one that was so clearly turbocharged by Arday’s ethnic and social background and the growing resentment in the establishment in the UK of having more black people in high places
The alternative was treating like a normal news story, and not a trial by media - one that was so clearly turbocharged by Arday’s ethnic and social background and the growing resentment in the establishment in the UK of having more black people in high places
The alternative to this is people lying with impunity, with the media knowingly covering it up. It's an awful story. And the media will get a lot of the blame. But those who perpetuated the lies and shielded Arday from facing up to them deserve more of it.
I don’t think there’s ever been a clearer example of the British media bullying someone, who was so clearly vulnerable, to death so shamelessly in my lifetime for engagement and clicks
And now we’ll have to watch the people that did it claim they’re shocked, and horrified
Revolting
And now we’ll have to watch the people that did it claim they’re shocked, and horrified
Revolting
August 14, 2026 at 7:40 PM
No, that is not the alternative
The alternative was treating like a normal news story, and not a trial by media - one that was so clearly turbocharged by Arday’s ethnic and social background and the growing resentment in the establishment in the UK of having more black people in high places
The alternative was treating like a normal news story, and not a trial by media - one that was so clearly turbocharged by Arday’s ethnic and social background and the growing resentment in the establishment in the UK of having more black people in high places
Reposted by Andrew Cherry
Jason Arday is dead. The UK media won’t learn a thing from this. Because they’re racist bastards. He has two children.
August 14, 2026 at 7:18 PM
Jason Arday is dead. The UK media won’t learn a thing from this. Because they’re racist bastards. He has two children.