Sarah Mackie

'UK porn traffic down since beginning of age checks but VPN use up, says Ofcom'

I see that Captain Obvious is reporting from the front lines again.

As Picard and Dr. Crusher leave the cargo bay in “Symbiosis, you can see Denise Crosby waving goodbye. Filmed after “Skin of Evil”, but airing before, this was Crosby’s last filmed scene. I love that this was snuck in.

Hello Mr. President this is your political consultant speaking I am advising you to please keep posting this shit

McDonald's Pulls Down AI-Generated Holiday Ad After Deluge of Mockery McDonald's Netherlands is catching flak for a stupefying AI-generated video, which was roundly condemned on social media.

It's truly wild to me that this just keeps happening. Coca-Cola runs an AI ad and people overwhelmingly react with disgust. They do it again, and people are disgusted again. Now McDonald's makes an AI ad that's so bad that so many people are furious about it they pull it down.

People hate AI slop!

For the record: there is no coordinated plot against Catholic schools. Humanist Society Scotland – along with many other organisations – simply believes children shouldn’t be forced to participate in religious worship in schools, and should have an independent right to opt out.

A picture of two school children in uniform, taken from behind - overlaid is a screenshot of Kevin McKenna's recent Herald article: Why attacks on Catholic schools echo deeper cultural fault lines: "An influential humanist cartel at Holyrood - mainly comprising SNP and Scottish Greens figures - has been orchestrating and fine-tuning newer ways of undermining one of Scotland's towering cultural and educational success stories. The latest is to remove the Catholic Church's influence over the teaching of relationships and to encourage children to opt out of religious education. As there is no evidence that Catholic schools do anything other than foster the best and truly liberal ideas of modern Scotland, you're left to conclude that these attacks exist on the same terrain as the anti-Semitism engulfing the artisan, professional left. You're left to ponder two questions: Are catholic schools' refusal to bend the knee to civic Scotland's transgender dogma at the root of this?"

Apparently, we’re now part of an “influential humanist cartel” secretly pulling the strings at Holyrood. 😂 If only office Wi-Fi worked as efficiently and seamlessly as Herald columnist Kevin McKenna thinks we do.

Several wind warnings are in force for the coming few days in association with #StormBram ⚠️

Make sure you stay up to date with all the latest info 👉 bit.ly/WxWarning

Stay #WeatherAware⚠️

Westminster and Scotland’s energy, fool me once… Scotland is, by far and away, the most energy rich country of the islands of Britain and Ireland. Moreover it has more in the way of energy resources than just about any other country in Europe, wi…

My latest blog piece, Westminster and Scotland's energy - Fool me once... Scotland must not allow Westminster to squander its vast renewable energy resources the way Scotland's oil and gas were squandered by Westminster.

weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2025/12/08/w...

I have no idea how you reach this headline from the press summary of the judgement unless it's the closest headline to the one you pre-wrote.

Bulk of claims dismissed, rulings in favour of Upton's right to have been using the female changing rooms, findings that Peggie was misleading in evidence...

no idea

Sorry HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WORK WHILE THIS IS HAPPENING 🥹🥹🥹🥹

One of Igor's former masters had made a ticktock man, all levers and gearwheels and cranks and clockwork. Instead of a brain, it had a long tape punched with holes. Instead of a heart, it had a big spring. Provided everything in the kitchen was very carefully positioned, the thing could sweep the floor and make a passable cup of tea. If it wasn't carefully positioned, or if the ticking, clicking thing hit an unexpected bump, then it'd strip the plaster off the walls and make a furious cup of cat. -Pratchett, Thief of Time

these kinds of videos always prompt a certain Pratchett quote in my brain, from Thief of Time

can't stop watching this clip of a tesla Optimus teleoperator taking his headset off before properly logging out the robot

One coercive aspect of communications under Conservative rule was using Civil Service accounts for political purposes.

It’s hugely disappointing to see Labour do the same.

It’s completely inappropriate in a liberal democracy where there should be a strict separation of party from state.

Map of Scotland showing location of road gritter. Most names are puns.Bear Chills, sled Zeppelin, credence clear road survival, thistle gritter through

It's the season to appreciate the names of Scottish road gritters ❄️
#Scotland #Christmas

Bréf til framtíðarinnar Ok er fyrsti nafnkunni jökullinn til að missa titil sinn. Á næstu 200 árum er talið að allir jöklar landsins fari sömu leið. Þetta minnismerki er til vitnis um að við vitum hvað er að gerast og hvað þarf að gera. Aðeins þú veist hvort við gerðum eitthvað.

The Icelanders didn't just commemorate the death of Okjökull in English. You left out the top part of the plaque in Íslenska.

Bronze plaque saying "A Letter to the Future. Ok is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier. In the next 200 years all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it. August 2019. 415ppm CO2"

TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".

can't believe we've been having video games as art discourse again when we've had this since 2010

Cheap, minimally online if at all, doesn't spy on you, doesn't have subscriptions or micro transactions, won't be enshittified, you own it, reminds them of simpler times or childhood, modern pop culture is adversarial and alienating

polpotpie on tumblr poses the question: "What if water didn't have surface tension and whenever you spilled some, the whole floor of your entire apartment was covered in a 2 micrometer deep puddle" teaboot replies: "you've taught me to count blessings I didn't know were mine"

IXION

IXION was released 3 years ago today!

This wonderful space station management sim by French studios Bulwark has consumed several of my nights since then. 🤗

BTW I am currently finishing the layout of an article that looks back at the creation of this game and its spaceships.

Even self-care can turn into another stressful job. This is just a little reminder to take the pressure off when you can. It’s okay to just be sometimes. 🐾

"Finland treats resistance to disinformation almost as a form of civil defence."

THIS IS THE WAY.

this is really grim

Four men in parkas forcing a furious polar bear into a cage.

“And what is the charge? Eating a seal? A succulent Chinese seal? GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY PENIS!”

A red dog sprawled across a brown pet bed in a hardwood floor, looking very cozy and passed out.

Somebody finally discovered the bed warmer we added to their pet bed. 🥰

This is one of the narrow alleys in the southern part of the city. The resident of this alley took great pride in planting all sorts of things across the alleyway and on the side it’s green all around.

Good morning from Haarlem.

#GoodMorningFromHaarlem

Anyone think that geopolitics has got a bit out of hand recently.