David Firth

Apparently my Erdős number is 3. I never knew this!

PSA for those - like myself - getting started with #rstats on #codeberg James Balamuta @coatless.bsky.social put together incredibly useful videos about the CI tools #Forgejo Actions and Woodpecker CI www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XqN...

🚨We are looking for an early-career 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺! 💻This is a permanent post based in Aberdeen, with some flexibility to work from Dundee or Edinburgh, or remotely from home. ✅Further info: bioss.current-vacancies.com/Jobs/Advert/...

Great read as always from @warringfictions.bsky.social - this time on scarcity and fairness (parables.substack.com/p/scarcity-a...)

BREAKING: Willie Nelson endorses James Talarico: “I've gotten to know James Talarico. He's a good man, who will be a good senator for the state of Texas. Please vote and vote for James Talarico.“

The Jean-Mattéo Bahoya deal went through with about six minutes to spare on deadline day. Spoke to the Leeds United winger, club execs and staff members to find out what happened. #lufc www.leedsunited.com/en/news/dead...

So much of the right these days have a massive patriotism problem. This guy: - is a tax exile (left long before this govt) - hates his own country while complaining he doesn’t get big enough subsidies from it - laments the manufacturing hit from a Brexit he supported www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Nice campaign by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products. Enjoy!

41 Fellows of @royalsociety.org have written to their President to say the increasing capability of AI systems is an ‘emergency’ that the Royal Society should convey to the Government and media www.thetimes.com/article/e859...

a great letter in the times today. perhaps worth sharing in these troubled times. #RNLI #heroes

I know this isn't terrorism. You know this isn't terrorism. The authorities know this isn't terrorism. But, once again, they have labelled protesters "terrorists", as part of the long-running programme to ensure that no one dares protest about anything any more. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Love it. Especially "no it was Firth" 😂

So often what are called “culture wars” are one set of people saying “please can we live without perpetual persecution” and another saying “no, f*** you” but the press considering the latter group have “legitimate concerns” and must be perpetually platformed

These ratio outcome variables are a plague in the sciences. If your analysis treats 1/2 and 10/20 as the same evidence, then you have discarded uncertainty in the outcome. Model what you measure, not what you construct. Use the denominator as an exposure instead.

I have signed this petition. If you're a UK resident, I think you should do so too

Okay Clacton. Let’s go.

There now follows a party election broadcast by the Count Binface Party, And if I do say so myself, it's a banger. #VoteBinface #Clacton

There's lots of stuff LLMs can't do, but if you want to disbelieve all the recent math, you have to believe a bunch of Fields Medalists with long track records are just straightforwardly lying about the thing they care most about. Here's a recent blog by Gowers: gowers.wordpress.com/2026/05/08/a...

The Tour de France completed it's 113th edition yesterday. By why do cyclist keep making moves they know are destined to fail? Not for nothing is grand tour cycling often referred to as "Chess on Wheels". Check out my latest substack. open.substack.com/pu...

We were deeply saddened to hear of the sudden death of Professor Adrian Bowman, a distinguished statistician, longstanding RSS fellow, and valued contributor to the Society for almost five decades. Adrian's contributions to statistics, teaching, and the RSS will have a lasting impact.

Exactly this. Starmer and Reeves ended the destructive misrule that had characterised the previous 14 years, but they were elected to change politics and the economy rather than stabilise it in a bad place.

I live in Clacton and have been posting this plea everywhere today.

As heatwaves sweep across Europe, climate change is once again front and centre. But 10 years after the Paris Agreement, what do the numbers say? Both the modest improvements and significant challenges show the importance of stats in understanding climate progress. Read the latest CCTF explainer👇

Fluffing or just plain fibbing? Read it and you choose!

Chris Mason should just go on and work for GB News now His hero worship for Nigel Farage is now just an open joke

Zia Yusuf claims Farage is bravely "bringing forward" the judgment of "the ultimate authority": the people of Clacton. Two problems here: 1) He's insisting they judge *before* the full evidence has been heard, not *after*; 2) No constituency can exempt its MP from rules designed to protect us all

He literally took undeclared donations from a criminal - never mind “breaking rules” Farage has tried to ignore them entirely for personal gain. And he’s done it over and over again www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Following the decision of Statistics and Computing to charge (high!) APCs to *all* accepted papers, I decided to resign from the Editorial Board. (Sorry to the let EiC down, he's doing a super job).

The small army of goalkeepers got me

One of the lessons of the last two years is that Labour urgently needs to stop being afraid of its own shadow. Burnham should appoint whoever he thinks would be the best Chancellor and throw his authority behind them. The Daily Mail will try to kill them anyway. So just govern.

Beckenbauer 😂 m.youtube.com/watch?v=PjV9...

BBC article about Brian Ripley of the #RStats Core team given this week's excellent news concerning 2026 Rousseeuw Price for Statistics recognition for him and the core team. www.bbc.com/news/article...

It's just one long stream of BS from these fossil fuel-backed clowns. Adopting their policies would destroy a million jobs (see next post) while creating almost none in return. Total environmental and social vandalism. The absolute state of "conservatism". www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

The UK Statistics Authority has written to Kemi Badenoch today, following our fact check of her inaccurate claim that the total welfare bill is now higher than income tax receipts “for the first time ever”. We hope she will correct the record soon.

It’s the utter shamelessness that is so striking If not those leading Leave then who should have plans? He can’t blame the utter mess of the Brexit HE delivered on anyone else That was HIS plan. A terrible one Helped along by political weakness & knee-jerk voting And we are all paying the price.

#OTD 1912 Alan Turing b (d 7 Jun 1954). OBE FRS. Father of AI & pioneering work in theoretical computer science & information theory. His contributions to probability & statistics are almost unknown, as most of these papers were classified until 1980s, & 2 were only declassified in 2012.

It's the 10th anniversary of the dumbest moment in modern British history so let's celebrate some of the idiots who made it happen. First up ... Jacob Rees-Mogg and his promise of cheap food and wine... In fact food prices have increased some 12% as a direct result of Brexit (LSE) 1/5

Makerfield is - of course - hugely important, and perhaps Nigel Farage may be encouraged to fade away & spend more time with his £5 million "personal security" £££ & other donations - but today's biggest news is this: the real cost of Brexit to all of us. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Reform have now lost six by-elections in a row in England, Scotland and Wales. Their national poll rating is 26% – below Labour in 1983 – and Farage’s approval rating is -37. They’re very far from the voice of the people and need to stop being treated as such.

Since I did do my PhD in cyanobacteria growth and treatment optimization modeling AND work in the water treatment industry, I’m gonna share my theory as to what’s happening here and how to fix it. People are focusing on the painted bottom of the pool increasing residual heat, and while that 1/19

At 6pm this evening, at Broadway House, RSS President Sir John Aston will give this year's President's Address on the theme 'Statistics in Times of Crisis'. Free to attend and followed by a drinks reception. We hope to see many of you there. Full details: rss.org.uk/training-eve...

Exactly 10 years ago today, Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right man. She was just 41 years old. One of many victims of far-right terrorism. R.I.P. 💔