Chris

Chris

@chrsphr.uk

Mostly Scottish. Map lover, lithophile, tech person and discoverer of many lichens. Vitreous lustre, poor cleavage. he/him 🏳️‍🌈 📍Edinburgh

1K followers572 following15.5K posts

Chris
@chrsphr.uk

tarrifs cut on soy milk yeahhhh thank you woke labour

Brenda O'Neill@guessweredone.bsky.social

[strangest British person alive]: wow every item in my weekly shop is now cheaper, thank you John Healey

Chris
@chrsphr.uk

Microsoft added 84,000 employees since 2020, and it obviously shows in the quality of their products....

Shinobi602@shinobi602.bsky.social

Microsoft is offering buyouts to about 60,000 employees in latest cost cuts, roughly a quarter of its workforce, as the company tries to control its head count while avoiding layoffs ➡️ www.seattletimes.com/business/mic...

Chris
@chrsphr.uk

I've seen so many gays post pictures of Baker Beach, but let me tell you what I am focusing on in those photos...

Chris
@chrsphr.uk

my controversial take is it's completely fine for the government to have educational campaigns around disaster readiness. floods and storms happen!

Sky News@news.sky.com

Government launches new push to prepare UK for emergencies and hostile acts

news.sky.comGovernment launches new push to prepare UK for emergencies and hostile actsThe government will on Thursday launch a new push to prepare the UK to be more resilient for any kind of emergency, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has revealed.

Chris reposted

LiLBazula 👻 🎃
@lilbazza.bsky.social

Comes around earlier every year

Leicester Gazette@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *
Chris
@chrsphr.uk

In South Australia batteries are already flattening the evening demand curve - displacing expensive gas peaked plants and cutting average prices lnkd.in/p/eS_d5uys

lnkd.inSolar created the duck curve. Batteries are now flattening it. This chart shows median wholesale electricity prices in New South Wales during the second quarter of each year. In 2023, prices surged…...Solar created the duck curve. Batteries are now flattening it. This chart shows median wholesale electricity prices in New South Wales during the second quarter of each year. In 2023, prices surged ...
Chris
@chrsphr.uk

I like vibecoding, but I do it because it's fun, not because I have delusions of thinking I'm a software developer

Chris
@chrsphr.uk

For the first time in like 6 years, I'm spending the majority of my workdays in the office, and like, now I've gotten used to it again, it's fine?

Chris
@chrsphr.uk

php is used by nearly a fifth of developers, btw, according to the latest stack overflow developer survey

Jack Fifield@jackfifield.uk

"Cyber correspondent Joe Tidy says he didn't know PHP existed until yesterday morning"

Chris
@chrsphr.uk

Drivers who use their phone in the car?? If you wanted to play with your phone so badly just take the bus.

Chris reposted

Simon Evans
@drsimevans.carbonbrief.org

NEW ANALYSIS: Expensive gas behind "nearly 90%" of rise in UK household electricity bills since 2020 + 77% of the rise in gas bills Contrary to what you've seen in media / political narratives, net-zero is "helping to shelter Britain from the impact of expensive gas", says @acjsissons.bsky.social

Chris reposted

Sadhbh O'Sullivan
@sadhbhosullivan.bsky.social

Replying to @jim.londoncentric.media

reporting this story made it abundantly clear to me that a) AI can be an incredible tool in this way & b) calling everything AI point blank is making people confused and terrified. Generative AI and an algorithmic analysis of patterns, verified by humans, are v different inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...

inews.co.ukDoctors missed my lung cancer - then AI saved my lifeThe NHS is investing billions in revolutionary AI tools for cancer diagnosis - and patients are seeing the benefits
Chris
@chrsphr.uk

v7.3 of the linux kernel dropped at the weekend btw oomfs

spooky teq@quilling.dev

love seeing all my oomfs scramble to update their oomfware , the software community is truly alive

Chris
@chrsphr.uk
FinTwitter@fintwitter.bsky.social

NVIDIA CEO JENSEN HUANG SAYS EVERY COMPANY IN THE FUTURE WILL HAVE TWO FACTORIES, ONE REAL AND ONE DIGITAL, WITH THE DIGITAL FACTORY SO REAL IT MIGHT AS WELL BE REAL