Graphic with blue background with 18 longlisted jackets for the three awards, and logos in white font. More info at www.jhalakprize.com
The news is out! When I started this mad, bad, dangerous prize a decade ago, I never thought it would grow to three awards. But here we are: still shouting about future classics and current #mustreads
#jhalakprizeat10
Trans pupils are being failed. The Government’s draft ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ guidance is a threat to the safety and wellbeing of trans+ kids at school and college.
Is this dignity? Trans+ students will be banned from toilets and changing rooms that reflect their gender. Schools and colleges will be allowed to refuse a child or young person’s request to socially transition.
Is this respect? Trans and non-binary students will be encouraged to not come out. The proposals label all trans and non-binary children as ‘gender questioning’.
Reminder: trans kids need our help.
📚 The government’s proposed changes to ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ would fail trans pupils.
🏫 The draft safeguarding guidance would turn teachers into gender cops.
⏰ Act now, there’s not long left.
www.theproudtrust.org/about-us/blo...
Trans Day Of Give My Game Visibility Please And Thank You
Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris as Rosemary and Thyme.
“Transuranic heavy plants may not be used where there is life."
You can also pick up an audiobook / digital version of Mario's Butt, and an audiobook version of Uncomfortable Labels too.
Mario's Butt Audiobook: laurakbuzzstore.com/collections/...
Uncomfortable Labels Audiobook: laurakbuzzstore.com/collections/...
Following the collapse of Unbound, I'm selling the last remaining physical copies of "Things I Learned From Mario's Butt" and "Who Hunts The Whale".
Signed Copies of both available now!
Mario's Butt: laurakbuzzstore.com/collections/...
Who Hunts the Whale: laurakbuzzstore.com/collections/...
The further you are from a sound's source, the less well you can hear it compared to local background noises.
Even if a speaker is loud, their voice at any distance 2-100+ meters is less clear and loud than a mic which is 5-10cm from their mouth.
Shouting distorts lipreading and the speech sound
"Books are being challenged in Scottish schools. Librarians fear a 'chilling effect' on freedom of speech"
A third are LGBTQ+
www.theferret.scot/books-scotti...
The AI bubble RAM crisis is caused for non-existent problems by non-existent money for a non-existent infrastructure to meet non-existent demand to make non-existent business and will utterly destroy real business based on real demand and real infrastructure built with real money for real problems.
douglas adams was our most accurate futurist
Cartoon. Person says to other person „We invented a robot that answers questions.“, adding, „we just have to feed it 10 baby giraffes a day“. The other person asks „But it answers the questions correctly?“ Person responds „Oh my goodness, no. No no no no no.“ By Aram J. French Appropriated due to missing alt text
This new schools guidance is even worse than Section 28. I feel sick.
There's a crochet one too: www.ravelry.com/patterns/lib...
If anyone's following along, now streetmap.co.uk has disappeared, a very similar (arguably easier to use) site with #ordnancesurvey #maps (1:25k and 1:50k and larger scales) is:
https://www.sysmaps.co.uk/sysmaps_os.html
#uk
The idea of ‘earned settlement’ is racist and classist. 📣 So, why are we calling on allies to complete the Government’s ‘Earned Settlement’ consultation?
Find out more: migrantsrights.org.uk/2026/01/29/e...
#HostileEnvironment #Migration
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open, period.
Titled "Careless laws cost rights", has "Ghostbusters" logo-style pictures of people using different mobility aids coming through "banned" (general prohibition) signs. From left, a child using a manual wheelchair with power attachment, two adults on a tandem mobility scooter, a person using a powerchair with a pram attached to the front, a person using a manual wheelchair with an e-assist handcycle attachment, a child using a powerchair. Subtitle "New mobility aid laws must provide equal mobility rights for all" and hashtag MobilityJustice.
Current rules about mobility aids are complicated, confusing & don't make much sense.
These two resources look at existing rules, the consequences they have for Disabled people, & options for possible changes.
wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/consideratio...
wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/wp-content/u...
NHS Trust Spent Millions on Controversial ‘Spy Camera’ Tech Despite Damning Internal Report
Transparency was lacking ‘from the start’ in leaked documents
Damning reporting on Oxevision from @harriepw at @novaramedia.com
novaramedia.com/2026/01/15/n...
Good job prompting to get some care. Best wishes for recovery.
International Twist Your Seatpost Day
www.guyjeanbikes.com/2026/01/02/international...
Happy International Twist Your Seatpost Day to all who celebrate! And that should include everyone who has a seatpost.
It’s very simple to play along:
Loosen your seatpost clamp […]
This made me get up and sort out bins just in time
The Levy Review is a “missed opportunity to give all trans people timely and local access to gender affirming hormones on the basis of informed consent - the most effective way to clear long waiting lists,” says Tammy Hymas of @transactualuk.bsky.social
www.wearequeeraf.com/levy-review-...
RE: https://mastodon.social/@bitboxer/113488282272850633
Important Christmas reminder: download all the manuals from all the devices your family got this year and store them in a folder. Thank me in half a year if you need them 😉
I am looking forward to #DuvetTheyKnowItsChristmas (Capitalise each word of hashtag to maximise accessibility) - 15 years, gosh!
A good cause as well as a good laugh and brilliant Christmas stories.
The open letter is here and still open, but use the email at the top to do so. tinyurl.com/bbcwaccampaign
Happy family-tech-support-mas to my fellow geeks who observe this fascinating holiday tradition. Scholars believe that today’s festive new phone transfers, Bluetooth hearing aid pairings and wifi extender setups date back to the 1980s teenager fixing the 12:00 VCR, and possibly even further.
I would love to read the news and have some kind of non-despair about literally anything. Going to try my best to achieve localised pockets of non-shittiness within my tiny realm of control.
I get that some gamers don't care about gen'AI' effect on the people it takes from, or the planet, but you'd think they'd care that RAM prices have sextupled.
Blake looking confused .. as usual
Avon looking crazy … as usual (for series D, anyway)
Happy Gauda Prime Day to Servalan and anyone else who celebrates. #Blakes7 #GaudaPrimeDay