David S

He/him. Bikes bikes bikes. Woke is not an insult. London, UK

Profile photo: a 1982 Ferrari formula 1 car with Didier Pironi driving.

Blog: https://pioswibble.wordpress.com
Tumblr: https://f1sparks.tumblr.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pionir
Location: UK

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pionir_at_masto.bike@momostr.pink

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Last Notes

2026-04-20 11:20:29 UTC

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While I don't think AI is a replacement for critical thinking, surely courses should be outcome based where the outcome is understanding + *applying* that understanding. If AI is a shortcut to understanding, we need ways to measure that. The real question is how but without letting use of AI mask a lack of it. Exams might be part of the answer, but shouldn't problem solving using available tools also be? One thing is for sure, AI won't be uninvented

2026-04-19 07:29:54 UTC

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Very interesting but I'm not convinced allowing mega corporations to own and control more of people's lives is necessarily better than state subsidies. Imagine techbros being given that opportunity. To coin the Tony Benn phrase, how can I get rid of you?

2026-04-17 08:50:54 UTC

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Maybe I'm a LuddAIte then
#luddaite

2026-04-15 08:46:14 UTC

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How does/did it compare to shared ownership schemes? My wife bought a flat in 2006 using shared ownership with a low income she otherwise wouldn't have been able to get anything with, so that scheme worked (for her). It was a 25% share, and a 10% deposit of that 25%. Of course the housing association rent and management fees were still painful on a low salary...

2026-04-11 17:18:09 UTC

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Part of the problem is constrained budgets meaning fill and patch fixes which breakup again the next winter. Add to that value engineered contracts where contractors don't have much incentive to provide high quality permanent fixes and here we are.
I think satnav making new rat-runs also plays a part, putting more traffic volume down residential roads which previously didn't see it, and presumably on roads not built for it.

2026-04-09 21:45:29 UTC

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I'm sorry, I can't let you do that Chris

2026-04-03 11:30:23 UTC

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does that include the graduate tax or just gross salaries?

2026-04-01 19:26:46 UTC

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Lots of research has been going on - we just need to scale up!
This is a good place to start on some of the projects from 8 years ago by Fully Charged.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEQQl-qpkCc

2026-03-28 20:36:58 UTC

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I never thought researching the ownership structure of potential care homes would be on the checklist for my parents.

2026-03-28 20:21:46 UTC

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wtf?

2026-03-28 16:03:43 UTC

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I'm always amazed that exponents of free markets claim when they fail to produce expected outcomes for customers, say like the water industry, it's because they aren't regulated enough! You can't have it both ways!

2026-03-26 22:18:37 UTC

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is the London line vs London earnings?

2026-03-20 14:20:33 UTC

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Here's a though experiment. If she defected to GPEW with a few other socialist MPs, would that setup the Greens for success or tar them with the same brush?

2026-03-14 19:29:36 UTC

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I would agree. My mum (in her 80s) took me by surprise last week by saying how much she liked what Hannah Spencer said on the news, "and if the greens are all like her, I'll definitely vote for them". I think many are willing to give them a try.
For background, her father was a very racist, right wing Daily Express reading Tory, although she's always supported the Lib Dems and while she's disliked the Tories, she's never voted Labour either.

2026-03-10 08:40:39 UTC

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as I saw recently in a comment on here, the sun and wind don't need to pass through the Strait of Hormuz

2026-03-01 12:19:05 UTC

Assuming these numbers are vaguely accurate, I'm struggling to see a logical pattern. Perhaps Reform had already cannibalised a large proportion of Tory membership, or Tories are doubling up membership with reform? The green surge seems easier to explain, again perhaps overlapping membership with Labour? A longer term graph would hopefully show more but I'm coming up empty
Thoughts @npub12pw…zvxn?
https://www.pollcheck.co.uk/party-memberships

2026-03-01 11:09:13 UTC

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Ah but they will argue it's not privatisation to blame but a lack of a strong regulator. Of course they'll then argue to water down the regulator in due course...

2026-02-28 10:40:16 UTC

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Non compete is I think absolutely valid, but only with suitable recompense and should only be valid for a limited period of paid gardening leave - Formula is a useful example. The more critical the person and their knowledge, the longer the gardening leave, the more they get paid for not working for a competitor.
I've had a clause saying I can't work for a competitor even after my notice period ended which was clearly a big restriction on me, but hey, I needed the job!

2026-02-26 20:34:42 UTC

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I thought they'd split up quicker than an 80s supergorup

2026-02-22 10:48:42 UTC

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Imagine the quantity of wind, solar and batteries that could be deployed for the cost of half a Hinckley Point C... FFS!

2026-02-21 10:08:51 UTC

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I did not really like much of his output, but I would argue Sign O' The Times was better ;)

2026-02-16 20:42:47 UTC

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like every decade, there was lots of dross in the 80s, but also some absolutely amazing music

2026-02-15 10:37:47 UTC

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As I've posted before, "doctors/engineers etc should pay for their training because they benefit from higher salaries when plumbers or bus drivers don't" ignores the fact that plumbers and bus drivers will eventually use healthcare, drive their vehicles on roads & bridges etc.
It's really just an arbitrary political decision where to draw the line to cease funding education - 16, 18, 21 or older
Society needs skills from further education so imho should fund it

2026-02-09 06:50:02 UTC

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I don't thing the senior managers wanting return to office are that close to retirement

2026-02-08 10:41:38 UTC

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I like the idea of a citizens 2nd house, but there's also a question of those in roles that require continuous learning (say medical or IT fields) being left behind by their peers and disadvantaged as a result. Of course, the same is true of maternity leave, so a solution to address this might benefit women too!

2026-02-07 20:15:29 UTC

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Mind you it's par for the course from Broadcom. They're screwing existing customers hard on licencing renewals. Last year they pulled a 1yr renewal off the table (with only a month to go) and insisted on a 3yr deal on a higher unit cost.
We now have no Broadcom software in our estate - Citrix, Symantec, Vmware all ripped out and tens of millions of revenue down the toilet (for Broadcom).
As the saying goes, you only lose a repeat customer once!

2026-02-07 18:02:01 UTC

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surely any patents relating to Ethernet have expired by now?

2026-01-28 17:02:34 UTC

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means testing pensions just encourages people not to bother saving though?

2026-01-27 20:08:53 UTC

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Again I think the answer is the opposite of what will happen. Heavy government investment in green transition project, training and apprenticeships to support and giving young people both a stake in thr future and a vision there's a future waiting for them. But it won't happen, because capitalism

2026-01-22 20:07:14 UTC

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Are there any stats around whether theres a mass exodus of higher earners?
BTW what's the threshold to qualify?

2026-01-18 10:57:10 UTC

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https://european-alternatives.eu/

2026-01-16 08:11:24 UTC

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I refer you to my previous gag
"the route goes down the west coast of Northern England"
"is that wise?"
"No it's Morecambe"

2026-01-13 21:03:58 UTC

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can individuals be short sellers? I thought it was reserved for the likes of hedge funds with large portfolios

2026-01-07 16:07:01 UTC

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I'm starting to wonder if this is the blueprint
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupied

2026-01-07 09:06:20 UTC

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I find it increasingly hard to tell my kids (and meant it) that if they study hard and work hard they can get the lifestyle they dream of.
At my old company (quite a well known brand) the regular staff achieving the highest (superstar) performance rating got a lower %age pay rise and bonus than the lowest (E.g. not going their job) performance rating at board level.
The hard work gets rewarded myth well and truly busted. Apparently though, it was fair because "industry standard"

2026-01-04 09:51:39 UTC

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I dont think so no. However I think another question is whether degrees should be universal or just for the cleverest students.
If universal, then perhaps government should fully fund them (E.g. Bring back grants). The cut off of free schooling at 18 seems even more arbitrary now.
The old argument of "why should a bus driver fund someone's uni degree" is still flawed (he needs the engineer to design the roads etc)
Society benefits, so why not fund?

2025-12-24 09:31:55 UTC

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But big tech won't necessarily be completely innoculated. There will still be bills to pay for GPUs, companies providing connectivity etc. So the likes of nvidia will take the hit unless of course they've done the sensible thing and insisted on payment up front...

2025-12-24 09:28:56 UTC

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https://masto.bike/system/media_attachments/files/115/773/831/424/689/372/original/9ffd70857a7c64b4.jpg

2025-12-20 20:35:20 UTC

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"Capitalism is great until it runs out of other people's money"

2025-12-19 08:43:59 UTC

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it seems on the face of it like a great idea but seems to depend on the truthfullness of large corporations and many disparate reporting systems, so I'll not hold my breath

2025-12-12 16:42:20 UTC

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My suggestions for consideration for the #VinylCoreCollection
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Depeche Mode - Violator
Jean Michelle Jarre - Oxygène
The Beatles - Beatles For Sale
Genesis - Invisible Touch
Pet Shop Boys - Please
Queen - The Works
Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds
Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Various - Now that's what I call music!

2025-12-10 19:05:06 UTC

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The could do worse than use sport as the fulcrum
https://www.abler.io/en/about/the-icelandic-method/

2025-12-09 18:27:00 UTC

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pfff, it's easy, we walk in and the opening gambit is: "right, so we're rejoining as full members, ditching the pound and using the euro, any questions?"
Of course that'll never happen...

2025-11-26 08:13:23 UTC

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£100-£125k a year in London is not going to allow you to even think you could build up £1m in savings or own your house outright. A bit of false equivalence going on there

2025-11-02 23:22:20 UTC

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Give it a few months until the 2026 financial crisis and we'll be back to 0.5%

2025-10-24 17:21:56 UTC

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my worry is the institutional investors are too happy to track the market and will track it swiftly downwards

2025-10-15 21:29:23 UTC

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does that graph use the usual caveat of adults not working & claiming benefits?
Perhaps more an indicator of stripping away the welfare state over the past 15 years?

2025-10-14 09:42:57 UTC

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I remember an old black and white pathé news film talking about automation in factories giving people more leisure time and showing everyone going fishing iantrad if going to the factory. I don't believe much came of that! The same could have been said about computerisation of paper processes. Workers still just work as much, but differently and perhaps on different wages which is going to be the main impacti think (not sure if up or down yet)

2025-10-10 06:55:06 UTC

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it's a tool that needs an experience head to know when it's spewing garbage vs useful results, so I don't see it taking graduate jobs unless the more experienced (read more expensive) senior workers are happy to go back to doing their graduate level jobs, which doesn't seem like good value to money to me!

2025-10-04 18:10:32 UTC

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I'd be very interested to know how the scheme compares with the French ID card (apart from the biometrics)

2025-09-22 19:21:07 UTC

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I did chuckle at this headline
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/21/wealth-tax-would-be-deadly-for-french-economy-says-europe-richest-man-bernard-arnault

2025-09-17 06:28:03 UTC

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make5it legally binding to accept an asking price offer with say 10% compensation if seller pulls out. Immediate 10% deposit required from buyer and lost if they pull out.
I'd wager gazumping would disappear overnight.

2025-09-13 13:17:02 UTC

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If a foreign secretary can be from the house of Lords, could a prime minister?

2025-09-10 10:55:57 UTC

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I'm optimistic that the story of "look how this has led to a better world elsewhere" will be compelling enough to enough people to halt the gains of the far right, but it needs to be articulated
The Brexit approach of "you'll be worse off if we do Brexit" clearly didn't work, so just saying "you'll be worse off if you vote for these chancers" won't work
That approach only worked for Labour because the chancers were exposed after 10 yrs of damage

2025-09-09 21:45:01 UTC

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but without addressing the fact older generations are generally sitting on more equity than younger generations which are more leveraged, I can't see how this would adjust prices significantly. It would just mean the already crazy prices are even less reachable

2025-09-09 15:32:27 UTC

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and yet...
Total government spending on active travel £261m
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/almost-300-million-to-gear-up-new-walking-wheeling-and-cycling-schemes
One roundabout spending £317m
https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-east/m25-junction-10/

2025-09-07 09:16:24 UTC

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does anyone ask whether continuous growth is even possible?
Other than inflation, well, inflating the economy, surely continuous growth is just a state sponsored Ponzi scheme?

2025-09-05 08:07:09 UTC

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Climate pragmatism should be do all the things all at once, and to hell with the cost

2025-08-31 08:09:05 UTC

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tenner says the "improving transport links" won't include safe cycling infrastructure so Ellie can cycle the 4.5 miles which would take no about 30 minutes (at 9mph).

2025-08-26 10:40:24 UTC

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Only one thing should be 8 days a week...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kle2xHhRHg4

2025-08-25 10:22:34 UTC

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make the paternity/maternity leave allowance interchangeable between mothers and fathers as certain other countries currently do. This is something the government could do right now

2025-08-21 07:39:39 UTC

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is there a comparison between countries that pursued austerity after the global financial crisis and also post covid versus those that forged ahead with green industry capital investment. I'm no economist but I suspect that a pattern might emerge...

2025-08-12 06:13:16 UTC

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not sure they are particularly finding that out. I've read many global businesses want to avoid punitive measure from the tangerine tyrant, so are putting up prices elsewhere around the globe instead, effectively subsidising their US divisions.

2025-08-12 06:10:21 UTC

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no, because salaries will be rubbish so people will leak to other industries when they realise

2025-08-03 08:56:26 UTC

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I can't see the new party affecting much except perhaps moving the Overton window back slightly and countering the pull of the right on Starmer

2025-07-27 10:57:29 UTC

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Shroedingers immigrants, working as cleaners and healthcare workers and stealing jobs yet also somehow scrounge off benefits

2025-07-19 09:33:08 UTC

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the only nuclear energy we should be spending money on is the stuff collected from the sun

2025-07-19 08:11:32 UTC

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Terrestrial TV has lost so much live men's sport to subscription services, isn't it just filling the gap left? :)

2025-07-09 06:54:50 UTC

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considering we've outsource manufacturing and hence pollution to China, we shouldn't really be going on about their energy policy, but... the coral fired power stations are really a short term tactical measure. (autocorrect typo left in as it made me chuckle)

2025-07-02 20:56:40 UTC

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C) increasing spending while simultaneously increasing/enforcing taxes on fossil fuel companies and billionaires

2025-07-01 21:03:10 UTC

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why would they control house price inflation? They see it as a get out of jail free card for the lack of state pension. And so the Ponzi scheme grows...

2025-06-25 08:41:54 UTC

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Lifelong Labour supporter here. Joined the Greens a couple of months ago.

2025-06-22 11:30:30 UTC

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one upside perhaps is governments can ignore that international law that allows companies to sue governments for lost profits? (the name escapes me)

2025-06-19 21:52:01 UTC

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Exhibit A: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-tax-schemes-fred-trump.html
I don't think this was part of his fraud trial/conviction but sets a scene!

2025-05-31 10:20:05 UTC

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So let me get this straight...
They say that you don't need money in the bank to pay for tax cuts because magic future stimulus will pay for them in the future, but paying for stuff now without money in the bank which directly stimulates the economy now and puts money in people's pockets now thus creating tax revenue now is not ok and somehow bad?
Well OK then!

2025-05-29 22:11:52 UTC

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but will people care?

2025-05-12 08:18:18 UTC

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My company has various recruiting freezes in place for various reasons, but the one reason *NOT* in the mix is NI contributions!

2025-05-09 11:07:27 UTC

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I think it's just bad faith marketing to make the more extreme policies more palatable, and a pretty blatent land grab of voters that wouldn't normally give them time of day.
"look you need to accept a higher tax burden because even the rich are being hit and don't worry about the right wing policies, because you'll get those taxes on the rich you've always wanted"
<a few moments later>
"sssshh, let's quietly drop tax rate on higher earners in case they leave the country"

2025-04-29 07:06:58 UTC

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it's also often the case that childcare costs are prohibitive for both parents to work, so one (usually the lower earner which is inevitably the mother) ends up staying at home unless there are "free" carers (E.g. Grandparents).
And then governments wonder why birth rates are dropping...

2025-04-28 21:21:10 UTC

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I wonder when the first union will switch support to Greens...