Husband. Proud dad to 17yo boy. Codeclub leader, CoG at 3 fab schools. Digital Making advocate. RPi Certified Educator. Delivers bread.
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Gary Lineker is up for "Presenter of the Year" at this year's National TV Awards. I can imagine that if he won it would "ruffle a few feathers". It's alright, you can skip past Mrs Brown's Boys. You know you want to. Vote here. nationaltvawards.com/vote
I realised yesterday that my days off that week are the Wed & Thu (29th & 30th) but I'd only booked the Saturday & Sunday off. Having decided that it would be silly to go into work just for 1 day (Fri), I have now rectified that, so now planning to get to Cambridge for lunchtime I think 😊
Expect your mobile to go off 3pm Sunday! Be prepared for a test of the Govt's emergency alert system. Full info... www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2025/09... LIVING WITH DOMESTIC ABUSE? If you've a hidden mobile, you the link above has details of how to opt out of the alert. Pls share
We're recruiting for an Operations and Infrastructure lead. This could be you if you're the kind of person who cares about sustainable travel (and particularly cycling) in Oxford and is keen to support the running of Cyclox so we can be even more effective. www.cyclox.org/index.php/wo...
Results so stunningly clear they inspired this classic xkcd (xkcd.com/2400/):
Yeah, we pretty much binge-watched Lucifer. Very cheesy, but good, likeable characters.
Sacked, Expelled, or in the Dock: All the Reform UK Councillors Nigel Farage Has Lost in Just Four Months Party faces questions over candidate screening after string of resignations, expulsions and criminal investigations
And far too often we still think physics is just quantum mechanics and cosmology - far away mysterious things that don't relate to our everyday life. That's nonsense. Why it is tiring to walk slowly, what limits the height of a tree, why do baby ducks swim in a tight line? Physics will tell you!
If you have anyone ask: what has this Labour government done so far to provide immediate help to people? Here is the answer: 1. Minimum Wage Hike The National Living Wage and NMW increased by 7% to £12.21/hour, this benefits over 3m lowest-paid full-time workers with an extra £1.4k/year pay rise.
delightfully, Boots Theory has its own wiki page and has been cited in actual economic analysis
Bloody Foreigner. Coming over here, with their 50th anniversary tour.
Just doing a call out on the off chance but if anyone is looking for someone to do any of the following freelancically: copywriting/script-editing/TV writing/social media creativity/PR work I would love to be of service and earn some money, my email address is mollie.goodfellow@gmail.com xxx
Once tax, NI, sick pay, & pension contributions are taken into account the company is still probably better off.
For much of this year depression has burgled almost everything about me. I’ve made this photo to show that I’m still here, even if I’m in tiny bits: old marbles, Roman beads, a tiny 17th C fox, 1930s toy flowers, a medieval key. Making this helped my brain, looking at the details might help yours…
It's disappointing that the government's plan to get people moving is focused around "Go for a jog" rather than, as the evidence suggests, building environments that encourage everyday incidental exercise: the ability to walk to amenities liveapp.inews.co.uk/category/388...
I'm just hoping that Walton St is open by next weekend, otherwise things are going to get interesting 😬
UK painter Melissa Scott-Miller, known for her London streetscapes #WomensArt
Unfortunately, the amounts paid to nurseries aren't really enough to cover costs, and nurseries are finding recruitment difficult.
I guess this is what we're going to have to get used to... NHS Worker (and British citizen of Filipino origin) with 15 years of service abused whilst walking with her family in W Yorkshire. She's leaving the country and I'm sorry. The tone from the top is always heard at the bottom.
streaming shows should handle audio like games with different volume sliders for music, sounds and dialog, they have demonstrated they cannot be trusted with mixing
One of the good things about having a rather dull, simple job is that long, boring meetings are not part of it. And Sundays are made for being lazy ;-)
This is seriously the nucleus of the whole present era of transphobia in which we find ourselves: in order for any of it to make sense, we must suppose that the idea of being transgender popped into existence 10 years ago (and it's a rolling 10 years, like Bart Simpson's date of birth).
Technically, and financially, achievable, maybe. Politically, though, that's a different matter.
That's what I thought when I heard the comment on the radio this morning. It sounded like they're just searching for an easy solution so they can avoid having to address the underlying societal issues.
Dear British weather, If you will insist on raining for half the day, could you please do so in the morning when I'm at work, so that I can have an afternoon to get this bloody porch finished? Thank you 🙄
Richard Tice consistently claims to be standing up for "Christian values", on the basis that "we are a Christian nation". If that's your pitch, you can't just tell the Bishops to shut up when they criticise your policies.
That would be a rather cynical view. You're probably correct, though 😏
Cup of tea; half an hour to kill. You know what that means, Bluesky: #Storytime.
Here’s a stat that always makes my toes curl: Over the past decade, the Conservative Party has received over £7.2 million from figures connected to the GWPF - the UK’s most prominent climate science denial group
No, you just need a bigger muffin 😉
There is no way to apply for asylum other than turning up on our shore and asking for it. Starmers position here is abhorrent, illegal and fascistic.
And visa versa 😏
“The ECHR isn’t Brussels meddling. It’s the foundation that protects you from your own government.” – The Bear on why leaving the ECHR would be a really Bad Idea.
Forthcoming statutory guidance could have a profound impact on trans people's lives. I've written to the Women and Equalities Minister to urge her to reject anything that undermines trans people's rights, inclusion, privacy or safety, and for Parliament to have proper oversight.
The thing here, though, is that it sounds like being in or not is the child's decision. While a child can be ill at any time or be worried about starting or going back, many of those absences will relate to parents who don't value schooling as much as they should. Pupils then miss out/ play catch up
From another place
This is where the empty headed Flag shagging leads. Race hate.
📣📚Back to school book giveaway!📚📣 To win a copy of these two fantastic new books for primary subject leads, simply repost & like. Winner announced Friday 5th at 5pm. Uk only. How to Lead it: English by @missis-scs.bsky.social and @triciamoss.bsky.social & Science by @kirstysimkin.bsky.social
Amazing story: one of the organisers of the group putting Union Flags up around Manchester previously did time for being part of a people smuggling gang. manchestermill.co.uk/manchester-f...
Breaking news: Thousands of flags for the patron saint of Palestine put up accross the country as a sign of solidarity with Gaza.
That 'just' seems to cover an awful lot of stuff 😁 Physical Computing is what I love, and especially a bit of toy-hacking. Things like controlling a slot-car set with Microbits, or anything to do with neopixels.
That sounds like a win 😁 I'll be finished work by midday, so I plan to head up straight after. Should be in Cambridge by 3pm.
What if absence and attainment weren't a causal relationship, but in fact both different symptoms of a common problem? I tire a little of reports that state clearly that dropping below x% attendance will drop your average grade by y amount.
RFK Jr. taps his top deputy, Jim O’Neill, to be the new CDC director. Both men appear to wear skinny ties from Otaa. Otaa's ties are made in China from microfiber, a kind of plastic that, under the right conditions, can migrate to your balls.
I'm switching from using hamburger speakers in my Physical Computing CircuitPython course to speakers & amps that can be powered through the board (CircuitPlayground or Raspberry Pi Pico). Here is the tutorial I created for my students. Description shows parts I've chosen. youtu.be/Ozeo8l8PHTA
No it bloody doesn’t, and no they bloody don’t.
Oo, I've heard about this book. Thanks for the link. Since I've been a governor, getting to learn about Inclusion & SEND has been the most interesting part for me, and I'm proud to say that our schools are making great efforts to be inclusive.
Defining disadvantage can be tricky at times. Over 50% of our cohort meet that criteria. Spoke to a couple of students today who have had no opportunity to do much over the summer at all. No money at home No transport to get anywhere No accessible summer programme for them Fixing that is next.
The one BIG issue with all of this is, of course, that this isn't something that *a* school, or even schools in general could decide to do, this would require a complete overhaul of the whole sector, which would have to come from Government.
Yes, and especially now that the goal of attending university is not so clear-cut now. It's no longer the holy grail of Post-18 options, and the advent of things like Degree Apprenticeships makes real-world experience even more worthwhile.
And funded over & above the standard curriculum.
As a teacher or school leader, how confident would you be that a particular student would not be likely to achieve well at GCSE & another pathway would be more suitable, given that pathway might limit their future prospects? That's a tough call to make.
I know we had different options when I was at school - O-levels, CSEs, and City & Guilds. Were these fairer? Did being put in for CSE Maths (eg) put a limit on your potential?
But, in order to give that 30% an alternative option wouldn't you have to pre-judge that they're going to fail GCSEs? It would have to be done very carefully, otherwise we're just putting a limit on a student's potential.
SEND seems to be an area which crosses over from social into schools very poignantly. Will be very interesting to see what the plans for this look like whilst schools continue to try to navigate what's right for their pupils
Look, the exclusive stuff isn't exciting on an individual basis, but you get a little bit of colour every day, and that's something. www.patreon.com/posts/djbot-...
Giving councils powers to tackle pavement parking is sometimes seen as something which will "never happen". But, it did. In Scotland. We're putting on this webinar to look into the positives and learnings from the Scottish approach. 👇
Please help me share these #giveaways that I'm doing. Thank you! 🙏🏻
In the debate about hotels for asylum seekers. Remember the Conservative government appointed 3 private contractors, Clearsprings, Mears and Serco to handle all asylum-housing needs; between September 2019 and August 2024, they made a combined profit of £383m. That’s the real scandal.
The first large-scale Nazi book burning was on 6 May 1933, when Magnus Hirschfeld's Institut für Sexualwissenschaft in Berlin was attacked by Nazi students. It would take decades for science to recover the knowledge about trans-affirming healthcare that was destroyed that day.
If you'd like to pre-register for Potton Pi and Pints on Saturday, 1st November, please head over to Eventbrite and grab a free ticket. #raspberrypi #raspberryjam #bedfordshire #cambridgeshire #potton www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/potton-pi-...
I'm sure you'll cope without me 🤣 I hope it all goes well, and I'll look out for the next one 🙂
And here go. No transparency or consultation. Already closed 2 and now another 5 to go. “Cllr Jack Bradley, Reform’s cabinet member for education, has unilaterally decided at a closed-doors meeting to shut five adult community education centres” www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-n... we
Same day as Codeclub Conference, otherwise I definitely would have travelled over 🙁
In Kenilworth in Warwickshire, there is an independent bookshop called Kenilworth Books. They just got in touch with me to say they have 3 copies of my book and can order more. I'd love to support them. Perhaps we could even find homes for more than 3? Here: www.kenilworthbooks.co.uk/next-day-boo...
I've just been introduced to this incredibly cool zine for analog(ue) filmmakers – Analog Cookbook from UNC Press! Physical copies are US only, but there's gorgeous digital issues available too! Analog Erotica?? Surely all analog processes & films are erotic by virtue of hand-touch sensibility…
Mapping Israel's influence on the UK parliament. 🔍 "Two names stand out: Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) and Labour Friends of Israel (LFI)... CFI claims 80% of Tory MPs as members. It’s funded 118 current Conservative MPs on 160 trips, spending over £330,000."
A *computer*? In the *home*?? Don't make me laugh! That will never happen! youtu.be/w6Ka42eyudA
Mythic Beasts calculated the total water use for an email account as 145ml per account per year, giving an upper bound to "Delete old emails and pictures as data centres require vast amounts of water to cool their systems." advice. Water companies leak 48.8 litres of water per person per day.
What we're dealing with is the results of collapsing Sure Start, punishing local austerity, an exodus from mainstream schools with no adequate funding of specialist settings, a mental health crisis that ballooned on their watch , and more. Not 'overdiagnosis'. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Day 240 of #365DaysOfSmiles This is Bryson and he's never gonna automatically say "I can't"
Looking for cello teacher who knows Mendelssohn's 2nd sonata. Hardly anyone seems to play it which is odd, as it's brilliant. Also their pianist as I could use a lesson or two too. Does anyone have contacts? We're Oxfordshire but prepared to travel. Both very good amateurs, looking to perform this.
With @codeclub.bsky.social Conference 2025 scheduled for 1st and 2nd November, this #MartyTheRobot from @roboticalltd.bsky.social ensemble could play live! youtu.be/BneZ0Eq_3Po?...
authorsguild.org/news/anthrop...
Oxford journalists have joined a nationwide protest against the killing of 219 journalists in Gaza. Anna Wagstaff, local secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said: “Our colleagues are the only reporters able to broadcast to the world the devastation, death and famine Gazans are facing.”
Oh yes, we do have some that try that, either to avoid cameras or just for vanity. Things like tinted plates, or reflective coatings. Also changing the spacing of the characters. It can lead to fines upto £1000, points on licence, and confiscation of the plate.
I've been to Florida a few times & I quite like driving over there tbh. Last time, we went from Orlando to Jacksonville on the interstate & I quite like the way you can pick a lane that's going a speed you're comfortable with, put it in cruise, and just pootle along.
The max speed limit here (on motorways) is 70mph, but it's not unusual for people to do 80, 90, 100 when they 'think' it's safe, like early Sunday mornings. But, yes, speeding over here is often caught by automatic cameras as opposed to an actual patrol officer.
Reform are a company not a political party. Reform voters don't care. Reform's plans for deportations are unworkable. Reform voters don't care. Nigel Farage is a charlatan who missold Brexit. Reform voters don't care. Etc. etc. Votes won't be stripped away from Reform by trashing them.
Is a party with just four MPs getting too much coverage on the BBC? With me in the studio to discuss this are Nigel Farage, Richard Tice, Lee Anderson and Sarah Pochin.
under this labour government and @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social i, as a trans person, have been stripped of my right to: a fair trial fair laws protection from discrimination protection from torture freedom of speech freedom of lifestyle my bodily autonomy
I should have offered to do a session of some sort really. I did wonder whether something like showing the extended capabilities & available accessories of the Microbit/Pico might be useful.
It was the 'hewwo' that did it 🤣
Doing 100 on a road in the UK can also, technically, lead to prison or losing your license.
Please tell me that last bit was meant to be read in an Elmer Fudd voice, because that's exactly how I read it 😁
That sounds like an excellent topic 😁 I shall make a note to book a space. I'm very lucky in my schools to have access to our brilliant SENCo & teachers to help me make my clubs as inclusive as possible.
On 27th August 2015, The Shepherd's Crown, the last book Sir Terry Pratchett completed before he died, was published. To mark the ten year anniversary, we have a message from Rob Wilkins:
New Pilot Release. Run or download the latest pilot release from here microblocks.fun/download
Oh, great, of course it bloody is 🙄 There's has got to be the worst & slowest user interface of any of the streaming services 😬 Thanks - we'll check it out anyway 👍
What channel/service is this on, please? We love anything with Nicola Walker in.
The snake oil salesman got his way once - the result was a disaster. Don’t let him do it again
Calum Miller, MP for the constituency where Nigel Farage delivered his repatriation speech today, says Oxfordshire is “thriving thanks to overseas talent” – and criticised him for not meeting residents living near Campsfield House detention centre, next to the venue for Farage’s event.
www.tiktok.com/@andywoodtur...
Adam Raine, 16, died from suicide in April after months on ChatGPT discussing plans to end his life. His parents have filed the first known case against OpenAI for wrongful death. Overwhelming at times to work on this story, but here it is. My latest on AI chatbots: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/t...
I'm doing a couple of giveaways to celebrate the upcoming new school year! This first #giveaway is for my @bloomsburyed.bsky.social book on #behaviour. Like and repost to enter (UK only). Winner picked next Saturday. Please share! Thank you. #freebie
As a Child Abuse Survivor I can tell you now. This right-wing reform lot chanting save our kids. Don't care about abused kids. If they did, they would be calling for all the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse to be enforced, not go home illegals.
A word on immigration. Don't prejudge this, just listen to the data, and then consider what the solution is. The UK has a falling birth rate. This means that - unless things change - each generation will be 25% smaller than the one before.