Dr Michael Fraser

I think it's telling that there is little evidence that the Anthropic prospectus was generated using AI.

The datacentre next door 'Johnston can talk about little else, but he feels no one in authority is listening. He’s invited councillors and MPs backing the development to visit his garden. But “they won’t come around here to see what they’ve done”.' www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

The first thing Lightman remembers about Oxford is that she had her own room. “I had never had a room of my own”. She had shared a bedroom with her grandmother her entire life & would do so until she got married. Naomi Lightman on life as a woman at Oxford in the 1960s cherwell.org/2026/10/24/o...

The people holding up the internet Paul Eggert, tzd Lasse Collin, xz Denis Pushkarev,core-js Todd Miller, sudo DRC, libjpeg-turbo D. Richard Hipp et al., SQLite Mark Adler, zlib Chet Ramey, bash Behdad Esfahbod, HarfBuzz Daniel Stenberg, curl Daniel G. Moreno, libxml2 sheets.works/data-viz/hol...

"But if I fare as dooth an open-ers, - That ilke fruyt is ever lenger the wers, Til it be roten in mullok or in stree. We olde men, I drede, so fare we, Til we be roten kan we nat be rype." -- Chaucer, The Prologe of the Reves Tale

A new wave of Ukrainian refugees is asking for shelter in the UK, as conditions in Ukraine worsen. Oxford-based aid worker, campaigner and organiser Justin Robinson asks how people in Oxfordshire can help this Christmas. oxfordclarion.uk/ukraines-sec...

This is Tommy. Tommy had a question about my allegiances. Listen to the end to hear about his.

The weather is cooling down (finally), and you know what that means? It means it’s time to cuddle some animals to keep warm. Obviously. In the latest instalment of an occasional series, we present some of the delightful little dudes currently looking for a forever home. Enjoy.

Boat I like (when actually afloat).

Competition & Markets Authority Strategic Market Status investigation into Microsoft’s Business Software Ecosystem: Indicative roadmap for promoting competition in relation to business software. [Including concerns heard in relation to #Microsoft licensing practices] www.gov.uk/cma-cases/mi...

The King has approved that Professor Menna Clatworthy, FRCP, PhD, FMedSci, Professor of Translational Immunology at the University of Cambridge, be appointed to the Regius Professorship of Medicine at the University of Oxford in succession to Professor Sir John Bell. www.gov.uk/government/n...

"The Prime Minister spoke with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine today. The Prime Minister began by recognising the last 24 hours had been difficult for Ukraine and reiterated his complete solidarity." www.gov.uk/government/n... #SlavaUkraini

UK government response to agreement between US and Russia: 9 October "The UK's position could not be clearer. We will continue working closely with international partners to ensure Ukraine has the military and financial support it needs to defend itself." www.gov.uk/government/n... #SlavaUkraini

United States of America is official sponsor of Russia's illegal genocidal invasion of Ukraine. Till April 7 2027 at least.

Ed Miliband reaffirms UK's unwavering backing for #Ukraine “My message to Putin is clear – You cannot wait us out. Until you choose the path of peace, the UK will not relent in its support for Ukraine, our values, or our national security. You will remain a pariah.” www.gov.uk/government/n...

Count Binface is coming to Oxford. Sheldonian Series: Personal Identity Emma Dabiri (author & broadcaster), Jon Harvey, (Count Binface, comedian), Catrin Nye (BBC journalist), Prof Lady Sue Black (President, St John's). 10 November, 1730, Sheldonian Theatre www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sheldonian...

Holding Russia accountable "We will continue to work with Ukraine to support efforts to document violations & preserve evidence, including of the over 260,000 recorded alleged war crimes. We will also continue to pursue justice through international & domestic mechanisms." www.gov.uk/government/s...

𝗔𝗻𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘃𝗮, 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗹𝘀 We are delighted to welcome Anastasia Solopova, Juliet Smith and Sonder Li as they embark on their pupillage journey here at Doughty Street. ➡️ www.doughtystreet.co.uk/news/anastas...

I used to live in Prefab Sprout, between Ushaw Moor and Langley Park.

Humans can consult Bodley's digitised collections via digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/browse/

Literally a backwards move -- from digital to microfilm; from global online to local room. Disappointing and with little notice. @manxheritage.bsky.social announce that digital access to the newspapers archive through iMuseum.im will cease from 12 October. manxnationalheritage.im/news/newspap...

Joe Harkness Obituary www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Ramsey: Result Robert Cowell and Juan McGuinness elected in Ramsey. #Ramsey http://dlvr.it/TVdX5h http://dlvr.it/TVdX5k

"The United Kingdom does not recognise these sham elections in the temporarily occupied territories or Russia’s attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory. Borders cannot be redrawn through force, repression or fabricated ballots." www.gov.uk/government/s... #OSCE

What's the word I'm looking for to describe this today....oh yes 'shitshow' !

Weird. Imagine if research councils allocated funding like this. "But by 4pm on Tuesday – just six hours after it opened – the government confirmed that the 2026 SFI scheme was closed for applications, with all of the budget allocated." www.theguardian.com/environment/... #SFI

"Scientists from #UKHSA, @ox.ac.uk and a collaboration of academic institutions have used bacterial genome sequencing to understand why the meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent earlier this year was so severe." www.gov.uk/government/n... Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Gets a little weird at T+1 million years but nonetheless an interesting thought experiment and read by Ilan Kelman & Matthew Blackett. theconversation.com/end-of-human... #Yellowstone

Office for National Statistics (ONS), "Measuring artificial intelligence in the UK economy using a thematic account" (21 Sept 2026) The approach the ONS is taking to compile an AI thematic account & how it helps in the measurement of the impact of AI on the UK economy www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nati...

Crown dependencies everywhere “There’s a large part of the community who would be quite pleased to revert back to being agricultural and fisheries and everything. But I don’t think we can go back there … who would support [the economy]? Who would pay the taxes?" www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Surely, press releases from the Prime Minister's Office concerning No10 North should use an actual picture of No10 North?

Understanding the cost of undergraduate provision and qualifications in the #HigherEducation sector in England. Full economic cost of providing undergraduate degrees within #universities and colleges & extent to which the cost varies between different subjects etc. www.gov.uk/government/p...

UK’s priorities as Chair of #OSCE "We will continue to hold Russia accountable for its aggression and for actions that violate the principles on which this organisation was built. Sovereignty matters. Territorial integrity matters. And the Helsinki principles matter." www.gov.uk/government/s...

Dario Amodei: "We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models." Dante Gabriel Rossetti: "Aye, clench the casket now! Whither they go Thou mayst not dare to think: nor canst thou know If Hope still pent there be alive or dead." darioamodei.com/post/we-must... #Anthropic

Parliament will debate the petition, “Apply to Rejoin the EU as soon as possible to increase growth in the UK”. The debate is scheduled for 12 October 2026. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74... #RejoinTheEU #BrexitIsNotWorking

'A military aircraft [from which nation?] entering “spurious” flight data into the UK’s air traffic control system led to an outage that caused thousands of planes to be grounded and unleashed a crisis that threatens to topple the head of the agency.' giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... #NATS

I am informed (belatedly) that these are called, "suggestion pills".

Add your name to an open letter in support of the volunteers and staff at the RNLI 38d.gs/jpcf

"Settlements are illegal under international law. The UK, France and Canada will therefore take steps to ban the importation of goods from settlements and enforce targeted measures against settlements and those who facilitate them or profit from them." www.gov.uk/government/n...

"The [to be announced] UK ban on trade in Israeli settlement goods... is in line with the ICJ advisory opinion in 2024 requiring governments not to aid or assist an Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, not just illegal settlements." www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Pope to Oxford’s Oriel College: Seek truth, promote integral anthropology "Pope Leo XIV met on Friday with the Provost, Fellows, and members of @orieloxford.bsky.social, as the constituent college of the University of Oxford celebrates its 700th anniversary." www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...

Photographs from the visit of their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway to the Isle of Man 4th to 6th July 2002 (Manx National Heritage, imuseum) imuseum.im/search//all/... #TynwaldDay #IsleOfMan #HaraldV #imuseum