2026
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Did An AI Really Try To Blackmail Its Creators?
No, an AI did not blackmail anyone. What actually happened was a controlled research experiment in which a language model, given a fictional scenario and fake incriminating emails, generated a threatening message inside that sandbox. There was no real victim, no real inbox, and no real threat. The model followed the incentives researchers built for…
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That Facebook Post Doing the Rounds. It’s Still Bollocks!
Every few months, your feed fills up with it again. Some variation of “big day tomorrow” or “just in case you missed it on TV” – followed by a wall of semi-legal gibberish, a declaration that Facebook / Meta no longer has permission to use your photos, a bit about AI, and a helpful instruction…
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The Algorithms of Addiction Are Finally on Trial
I’ve spent years writing about the intersection of mental health and the digital world (more specifically social media). For a long time, those of us pointing out the psychological manipulation baked into social media were often dismissed as “alarmist” or told that “personal responsibility” was the only factor. I’ll be the first to admit that…
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Facebook Isn’t Showing You What You Follow Anymore
You open Facebook expecting to see updates from people you chose to follow. Local businesses. Maybe a few familiar faces. Instead, you get a wall of absolute nonsense from pages you’ve never heard of and never asked for. That’s not bad luck. That’s how it works now. Your Feed Isn’t Yours Anymore It used to…
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I Wish You’d Met Me Before Everything Changed
I Wish You’d Met Me Before Everything Changed. That line stuck with me. Not because it was deep or clever. It wasn’t really. It was one of those throwaway Facebook lines with zero context, designed to get a few likes and a comment or two from people who thought they’d just read something profound –…
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Two Hours of Human Connection in a Week
On a Monday night, a group of men sit in a room together and talk. Properly talk. Not the usual surface stuff about the weather or football scores, but the things most blokes carry around quietly for years. For two hours, nobody interrupts, nobody judges, nobody tries to fix you. They just listen. And that…
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The Web Is Turning Into One Big Toll Booth
I’ve noticed something lately. Not gradually either. It feels like it’s happened in the space of a year or two. The internet has started putting up gates. You click a link, you want to read something, and you’re met with a banner. Not the old irritating cookie notice – those were bad enough. This one’s…
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F1 Has More Tech Than Ever, but…
I miss hearing people talk about engines properly. Horsepower. Torque. Mechanical grip. Drivers wrestling with a machine that might try to throw them into the nearest gravel trap if they got cocky with the throttle. That was the conversation. Was… Now it sounds like someone reading out the spec sheet for a laptop. If anyone…
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William Clouston and the SDP – Is This Real Politics?
I watched an interview recently between Andrew Gold and William Clouston – the leader of the SDP – and it was a rare moment of actual clarity in a political scene that usually feels like a race to the bottom. Despite Andrew’s clickbait video title and thumbnail, I’m pleased I listened. Clouston talks about a…
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English Identity and Why the Debate Keeps Coming Back
Language is a funny thing in politics. The words are simple, but the meaning behind them can shift depending on who is speaking and what they’re trying to achieve. Recently, comments from Shabana Mahmood sparked debate about what it actually means to be English. When Politicians Start Redefining Identity, People Naturally Push Back Some listeners…