Fitz Ali

a decorative elaborate wall display of five swords

a denuded wall where only hooks are

so someone broke into my apartment at night and stole all of my swords and im kind of. in shock

👀👇

I like Adam’s idea of the “last 20%” of innovation. Andreessen is a good example of a guy that built an easy 20% (the Mosaic/Netscape browsers) while thinking he built the difficult 20% (the infrastructure of the modern internet).

‘if so many people are just freelancers, it doesn’t provide you with continuity, so there ends up being a bit of a skills problem. How do you make sure that people are trained and get ongoing training?‘

The point of making jobs freelance is to AVOID taking any responsibility for your workers.

Sometimes a holiday just needs to be a day in the garden with a good book

Disabilities awareness group ‘trapped’ after lift broke down during Leinster House visit A group of people with disabilities who were invited to Leinster House to deliver training on accessibility ended up “trapped” and “embarrassed” after a lift broke down in the parliamentary complex.

Disabilities awareness group ‘trapped’ after lift broke down during Leinster House visit. '..."accessible" toilets that weren’t large enough for wheelchairs, buses refusing to drop off people with mobility issues & a broken-down lift that left members “stranded”.'

www.independent.ie/irish-news/p...

Why Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale failed as feminist television Hulu’s adaptation misrepresents the themes of Atwood’s biting feminist dystopia.

Interesting take that I’m inclined to agree with - loved the book, but largely lost interest in the series mid way through the second season.https://theconversation.com/why-hulus-the-handmaids-tale-failed-as-feminist-television-258122

Wondering why, after many weeks of drought, Ireland is suddenly getting dumped with non-stop rain? There's an anomalous patch of super heated sea right off our coast.

It's a new world of extreme swings. And unless we act, RIGHT NOW, this is only a taste of what's coming.

#ClimateBreakdown.

Ah big congrats Lucy!

The Age of Neofascism and Its Distinctive Features | Gilbert Achcar / جلبير الأشقر With each passing day and at an accelerating pace in recent years, it becomes increasingly obvious that we are witnessing a new era of rise of the far right on a global scale, similar to the era of th...

In many ways, neofascism is more dangerous than 20th century fascism was.

For one thing, it's taking hold at the worst possible juncture: when avoiding climate + ecological armaggedon is paramount.

A core aim of fascism now is crushing all attempts to do so.
gilbert-achcar.net/age-of-neofa...

My forthcoming column this week in the Sunday Times is about the exact opposite of this… because we shouldn’t ‘relax’, actually

Until we, ie society, start offering farmers and other landowners the possibility of decent livelihoods through rewilding + High Nature Value farming, the haemorrhage of nature

WILL NOT STOP

Parliamentary inquiry urges government to 'abandon data mining exception for AI training' in new Bill The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee has suggested that the ’opt-out’ regime stands to damage the UK's reputation.

Good.

www.thebookseller.com/news/parliam...

Protest Meta's Theft of Irish Writing I've just signed this petition protesting Meta's theft of Irish writing, which they've used to build their AI tool. Will you sign too?

I've just signed this petition protesting Meta's mass theft of Irish writing, which they've used to build their large language model ‘AI’. Their trawl includes fourteen of my titles. If you live in Ireland and care about the arts, please sign.

my.uplift.ie/petitions/pr...

HELP NEEDED!
I'm in need of a rapper who can run a rap/hip hop workshop to teach people how to write rap. The person I had is now unavailable and the event is already advertised. Dublin gig, well paid. Please share!

#Speirgorm #Speirghorm

Sunday lunchtime - first time throwing the doors open in 2025

Why Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons — and what that means in an invasion by Russia Three decades ago, the newly independent country of Ukraine was briefly the third-largest nuclear power in the world. A lot has changed since then.

A reminder that Ukraine was once the third largest nuclear power in the world and voluntarily gave up those weapons. In exchange, the U.S., the U.K. and Russia guaranteed Ukraine's security in a 1994 agreement known as the Budapest Memorandum.

www.npr.org/2022/02/21/1...

I filled most of the middle questions of this consultation out with (paraphrasing) "I believe these questions are here to deliberately discourage me from responding. I have made my stance clear on AI at the start of this consultation." Do not let them discourage you from having your say.

Chillingly recognisable.

A major book festival in the UK used to pay speakers for *ticketed* events with audiences of up to a thousand with a case of wine. It didn’t matter if you didn’t drink wine, that was the ‘fee’.

Okay, that’s enough of that. Time for Dolly to run for president.

Creatives in Ireland, we need to keep an eye on this too. The EU has been taking a more protective approach, but Ireland’s copyright rules were changed a while back to make it easier to harvest data for research and no creative professionals were invited to join our national ‘AI council’.

a man wearing a hat that says ' biker ' on it is stirring something in a pot Alt: Character from The Bear wearing a baseball hat that says ' biker ' on it is grating Parmesan into a pot.

My week ended with having an article accepted in a journal I really admire. It begins with a trip to work with scholars and students. This morning the airport barista comped my coffee bec I ‘gave good vibes’. Feeling lucky & grateful.

It's not a demolition site it's a mass grave. It's not a demolition site it's a crime scene. It's not a demolition site its a homeland. It's not a demolition site it's Palestine. It's not a demolition site it's a genocide.

Unsolicited writing advice, no. #174467:
All traditionally published books have a unique ISBN number, which gives them the right to sell books in bookshops, have them in libraries, and join the ALCS (the organization that collects money on behalf of authors for secondary copyright usage). (1/2)

LGBTQ+ Tour Research Project | Decorative Arts & History | National Museum of Ireland Welcome to the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin & Castlebar covering Archaeology, Decorative Arts, Folk & Country Life, & Natural History.FREE Exhibitions

The NMI developing an LGBTQ+ tour for National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks. They are seeking a researcher to work with us on drafting a script for the tour -deadline for applications is 14th February 2025 #history #lgbtihistories #queerhistories

www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museum...

The same company/family run Hotel Doolin and The Armada in Clare, they are the absolute real deal never missing a chance to support their communities whatever way they can: this from them this morning-

LA fires root cause is fossil fuels says climate expert We spoke to Dr Varun Sivaram, a senior fellow for energy and climate at the Council on Foreign Relations and Dr Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist and the author of “Being the Change: Live Well and Spa...

Don't be a climate dunce...

Don't listen to Farage, Reform, Badenock, & the flat Earthers. Climate change is here, real, and burning down movie stars' homes.

Listen to a NASA scientist...

Thanks @susandrjonesarts.bsky.social yes a great thread