Ian Betteridge

https://social.vivaldi.net/@ianbetteridge

Journalist, anti-capitalist, degrowther, your pal. I work for the company. But don't let that fool you, I'm really an okay guy. The Eye of Sauron, but for headlines.

Website: https://ianbetteridge.com

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nprofile1qqswxgmzyre2p3phyhvnw43xcq0heu0h5tkcpasqsn2ll60d5ngxgtqprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmntvr5xj9

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Last Notes

2026-03-29 11:04:11 GMT

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I was at the tale end of my Grammarly subscription when this came out. I immediately thought “nice idea, getting some people in to consult on critiquing.” Of course, the idea that they would use people’s names without even consulting them, let alone paying them, didn’t occur.
“They can’t be that stupid.”
Oh yes, they can.

2026-03-23 11:45:25 GMT

And it's ALCS payments day. If you have ever written anything – fiction or non-fiction – it's well worth registering with them. It's not big money, but any money for writing is always great.

2026-03-16 23:33:25 GMT

The freedom stack: https://www.ianbetteridge.com/the-freedom-stack/
There is a sentence near the beginning of Arielle Roth’s remarks to the Media Institute’s Communications Forum luncheon, delivered in Washington on 25 February, that is worth sitting with before we do anything else with it.
“Every major advancement in communications technology has shifted who

2026-03-16 21:50:07 GMT

The US government’s argument for "internet freedom" boils down to this: American tech platforms should be free to do what they want, anywhere in the world – as long as they do what King Donald commands.
https://www.ianbetteridge.com/the-freedom-stack/

2026-03-15 11:23:37 GMT

I am VERY tempted to write another long post about how the decision in the 1970s not to establish a Norway-style sovereign wealth fund in favour of simply using the oil money to prop up finances at the time, has done more damage to the UK than any other decision in history. LONG THREAD, SORRY.

2026-03-10 02:19:25 GMT

Zen fascists will control you: https://www.ianbetteridge.com/zen-fascist-wi/
In 1979, a punk band from San Francisco recorded a song about the Governor of California. It was a joke, mostly. Jerry Brown was a Democrat, a Buddhist, a man who dated Linda Ronstadt and discussed limits and simplicity at a moment when America was in no mood for either.

2026-03-10 00:11:15 GMT

I think this post has been in my drafts folder for about three years, occasionally being reworked, and finally – FINALLY – I've finished it. Joni Mitchell, Jello Biafra, and Peter Thiel all feature. Warning - it's REALLY LONG.
https://www.ianbetteridge.com/zen-fascist-wi/

2026-03-09 21:34:04 GMT

Oh this is a magnificent bit of trolling (and not, as should be obvious, the real Thanet District Council). The flagshaggers are foaming at the mouth in the comments.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DVeMibtCIRD/

2026-03-09 00:42:40 GMT

Ten Blue Links, "cough cough cough" edition: https://www.ianbetteridge.com/ten-blue-links-cough-cough-cough-edition/

2026-02-28 14:09:52 GMT

Ten Blue Links, "Cometh the hour, cometh the man-baby" edition: https://www.ianbetteridge.com/ten-blue-links-cometh-the-hour-cometh-the-man-baby-edition/

2026-02-27 16:44:11 GMT

It’s not a bubble.
But somehow, OpenAI has now raised around $160 BILLION in funding. To put that into context, that’s about as much as all VC funding in the US in 2023, across every business.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/27/openai-raises-110b-in-one-of-the-largest-private-funding-rounds-in-history/

2026-02-26 20:53:30 GMT

From the department of "No Shit, Sherlock"
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/26/drop-in-overseas-workers-uk-hospitals-and-care-homes

2026-02-26 07:21:16 GMT

The best decision I made in my working life was dropping to a four day week. Seriously, if you can make it work economically, do it.

2026-02-24 18:16:32 GMT

File under “things I never want to do”
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/126/973/270/589/724/original/06d106c53cfbe64e.jpg

2026-02-22 12:51:14 GMT

RE: https://tldr.nettime.org/@tante/116114302610914873
Yeah, this. Repeat after me: the job of a reporter is not to breathlessly repeat whatever crap comes out of techbros mouths. It’s to investigate it, and report appropriately.
#note194t…qwlc

2026-02-21 11:14:27 GMT

RE: https://mastodon.social/@glynmoody/116108231435013218
Tampering with snapshots is very, very bad. I'd encourage everyone to find and use alternatives.
#note19mh…kgxs

2026-02-19 21:21:45 GMT

Yeah, right, I am REALLY going to let the US government inspect all my internet use.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/feb/19/us-builds-website-that-will-allow-europeans-to-view-blocked-content

2026-02-19 19:36:30 GMT

Best thing about working a four day week: really irritating your colleagues by saying “It’s FRIIIIDAY! Well it is for me”

2026-02-18 15:00:30 GMT

Best. Headline. Ever.
https://thehmm.nl/bombardiro-bodies-masculinity-fascism-marinetti-and-a-millennial-transmasc-in-the-age-of-italian-brainrot/

2026-02-16 20:32:41 GMT

99% of new US power generation capacity in 2026 is predicted to be from renewables. This is what has the oil, gas and coal industries so spooked.
https://environmentamerica.org/maine/center/updates/new-forecast-solar-wind-and-battery-storage-to-dominate-in-2026/

2026-02-15 13:22:21 GMT

Lord this was good.
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/074/852/596/096/990/original/1fb242ee7c160094.jpg

2026-02-10 16:57:28 GMT

On of the great things about blogging is easy discovering something you wrote that looks a bit ahead of its time. Such as this piece, on AI slop before it was called slop.
https://www.ianbetteridge.com/the-information-grey-goo/

2026-02-10 06:52:58 GMT

And this is why you don't let billionaires - or any company - own platforms.
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/045/011/192/151/771/original/d84945c66081cadf.png

2026-02-08 17:02:32 GMT

It's real, folks.
https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/technology/sf-billionaires-march-founder-revealed-derik-kauffman/article_1842be47-58a5-430c-b322-dff8910aa98f.html

2026-02-04 19:18:47 GMT

Oh this is absolute genius.
https://www.abbyhaddican.com/times-new-resistance

2026-02-04 19:00:59 GMT

The key question for me about Starmer/Mandelson: Does Starmer have to good sense to sack Morgan McSweeney, blaming it effectively on him? Or is he daft enough (or weak enough) to try and hold on to him?

2026-02-04 17:25:22 GMT

Remember that David Lammy wanted to do away with most jury trials? This is why. Jurors have an absolute right to acquit, which a judge (in practice) does not.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/04/palestine-action-activists-cleared-aggravated-burglary-israeli-defence-firm-elbit-systems-filton

2026-02-04 17:17:43 GMT

Lockdown mode is great, and one of the reasons I would still recommend Apple products if you're handling sensitive data, sources etc.
https://www.404media.co/fbi-couldnt-get-into-wapo-reporters-iphone-because-it-had-lockdown-mode-enabled/

2026-02-02 21:35:06 GMT

RE: https://mastodon.social/@macrumors/116003152694932392
No, do not throw away perfectly good, working AirTags to get the latest greatest model.
#note1zca…x6uw

2026-02-01 20:32:13 GMT

RE: https://mas.to/@carnage4life/115997245220460425
This is a great read for anyone (like me) who loves a bit of corporate politics.
#note10h2…75ev

2026-02-01 18:40:10 GMT

Wut?
"The DRC has no billionaires, yet 75% of its population lives in extreme poverty" has to be one of the most stupid statements I have ever read.
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/996/820/321/676/460/original/ab7610de54ed7e98.png

2026-02-01 14:28:36 GMT

Please tell me this is satire.
https://marchforbillionaires.org

2026-01-31 20:45:37 GMT

This will not end well.
https://www.theverge.com/tech/871641/spacex-fcc-1-million-solar-powered-data-centers-satellites-orbit

2026-01-27 23:26:23 GMT

I know this is very, very nerdy of me, but I'm really enjoying CachyOS

2026-01-26 20:58:09 GMT

Ten Blue Links, "Greenland isn't green" edition: https://www.ianbetteridge.com/ten-blue-links-greenland-isnt-green-edition/

2026-01-23 19:02:37 GMT

Oh THAT’S where Nigel is.
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/945/960/537/928/312/original/bc0fa60ae100fcc1.jpg

2026-01-18 22:22:46 GMT

“Leave Greenland Alone” is my new jam
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jan/18/leave-greenland-alone-us-anthem-heckler-at-nba-london-game-draws-cheers
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/918/435/878/504/805/original/876c56144fdc0937.jpg

2026-01-18 20:53:08 GMT

This Guardian profile of the “Ten British dotcoms to watch” from (gulp) nearly 19 years ago is giving me many feels.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/jul/30/dotcoms

2026-01-18 19:46:01 GMT

Ten Blue Links, “featuring Peter Thiel, again!” edition: https://www.ianbetteridge.com/ten-blue-links-featuring-peter-thiel-again-edition/

2026-01-18 19:44:12 GMT

I love that @npub1l77…cjyv used a pic from the "Watchmen" TV series in this.
https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/01/schrdingers-mask/

2026-01-18 19:33:36 GMT

Oh come on MG…
https://spyglass.org/openai-ads-in-chatgpt/

2026-01-18 18:50:19 GMT

Oh come on, someone must want a mechanical scorpion from the Natural History Museum for free!
https://www.freecycle.org/posts/100756872

2026-01-18 14:03:05 GMT

I’m shocked, shocked I tell you
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/greenland-freedom-city-rich-donors-push-trump-tech-hub-up-north-2025-04-10/

2026-01-17 18:07:19 GMT

Putin couldn't wish for a better US president than Trump if he paid for one.
Hmm.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/jan/17/hands-off-greenland-protests-denmark-us-donald-trump-europe-latest-news-updates?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with%3Ablock-696bb8d28f08fe8c0be1ae24#block-696bb8d28f08fe8c0be1ae24

2026-01-17 15:11:57 GMT

Still makes me grin when I see this @npub1fdr…lvhs
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/911/078/444/203/662/original/0a35a85b6b122e1f.png

2026-01-17 14:35:25 GMT

“IT IS NOW APPARENT THAT THE IMPERIALIST HAS NO SYMPATHY FOR ANYRODY BUT HIMSELF!”
Words from yesterday, words for today.
I highly recommend going to the “Nigerian Modernism” show at Tate Modern
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/910/936/020/942/424/original/5f1850ea3f20cfa6.jpg

2026-01-12 12:45:58 GMT

I would love to find out why the British government, countless brands and god knows how many journalists still think X is a place they should be, given Musk's out-and-out racism.
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/882/194/171/314/523/original/99bfaf82c7dc66f0.png

2026-01-11 14:16:38 GMT

Of ants, Saul Bass, and lost dreams of a cybernetic ecology: https://www.ianbetteridge.com/of-ants-saul-bass-and-lost-dreams-of-a-cybernetic-ecology/

2026-01-10 11:22:14 GMT

Ten Blue Links – "Platforms, promises and bad habits" edition: https://www.ianbetteridge.com/ten-blue-links-platforms-promises-and-bad-habits-edition/

2026-01-09 13:50:26 GMT

Now this is how you exit a "smart" tech business. Bose is open-sourcing the API for SmartTouch speakers, moving as much functionality as possible to an app, and extending support.
https://www.theverge.com/news/858501/bose-soundtouch-smart-speakers-open-source

2026-01-07 17:50:10 GMT

Traitor says what now?
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/jan/07/pmqs-live-uk-politics-latest-news-keir-starmer-kemi-badenoch-labour-nigel-farage?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-695e75338f08d5605e6e7491#block-695e75338f08d5605e6e7491

2026-01-05 20:24:47 GMT

What the AI/robotics "abundance" boosters forget: We already live in a world of material abundance. What is scarce is not goods or productive capacity, but access, security, and bargaining power. AI does not solve that problem; it merely increases the surplus whose distribution is already unequal.

2026-01-04 12:12:08 GMT

Pondering starting an officially licensed Betteridge's Law Judge course, so for just £1000 I train you so that you too can answer question headlines with the word "No".

2026-01-03 21:17:49 GMT

I think I know the answer to this one
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/03/is-there-any-legal-justification-for-the-us-attack-on-venezuela-trump-maduro

2026-01-02 13:49:33 GMT

Listening to @npub1fdr…lvhs's most recent podcast, and sad to say I am a little more pessimistic than Cory. But you really should listen to it.
https://archive.org/download/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_507/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_507_The_Post-American_Internet.mp3

2026-01-02 13:41:47 GMT

RE: https://thepit.social/@peter/115824339431975101
I had heard about this kind of algorithmic theft from workers, but never seen this level of detail about it. Unions, people. Unions.
#note1609…uedu

2026-01-02 12:31:47 GMT

Although "joint birthday and Christmas presents" were the bane of my childhood, it's not the real horror of having a birthday towards the end of the year. That delight is having a few days of being 59, then suddenly knowing you're 60 this year. Sigh.

2026-01-02 12:05:31 GMT

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It's really good. The soundtrack for Zone of Interest is amazing too (by the same person)

2026-01-01 12:23:54 GMT

Watched: Under the Skin 🍿
Finally got around to watching this after it sitting in the queue for far too long – I think I bought it after seeing The Zone of Interest and it’s interesting watching it with that film’s style in mind. Utterly amazing. https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/97370

2025-12-25 12:28:50 GMT

A beautiful story of kindness and love for Christmas day.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxwllqz1l0o

2025-12-22 16:35:57 GMT

Honestly, Jake Paul and Andrew Tate both getting shown up and duffed up in the same week was the best birthday present I could have possible had.

2025-12-20 14:45:42 GMT

Folkestone bookshop haul (with bonus @npub1zq7…g2ym)
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/752/427/913/976/587/original/7f64678ed6bddc66.png

2025-12-16 15:46:13 GMT

Why can't Mozilla concentrate on making Firefox a better browser?
I'm not against AI in browsers. But it is to be off by default and privacy protected. Sigh.
https://www.theverge.com/tech/845216/mozilla-ceo-anthony-enzor-demeo

2025-12-10 21:07:21 GMT

Dumb, dumber and dumberer.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/dec/10/calibri-is-this-really-the-worlds-wokest-font

2025-12-08 20:21:18 GMT

Sadly, No.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/dec/08/doctor-who-war-between-the-land-and-the-sea-reaction

2025-12-08 20:19:21 GMT

RE: https://mastodon.social/@girlonthenet/115684185575326791
He had better have a ticket.
#note16qk…dvax

2025-12-08 12:25:00 GMT

Absolutely lovely set of photos from the Traveller community’s London Christmas drive – something I've been lucky enough to see on a couple of occasions.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2025/dec/08/the-traveller-communitys-london-christmas-drive-in-pictures

2025-12-07 17:51:12 GMT

Does anyone seriously believe a single word that comes out of the mouth of anyone connected with X?
https://www.politico.eu/article/x-axes-european-commissions-ad-account-after-e120m-eu-fine/

2025-12-06 15:40:40 GMT

I mean how did the leadership who caved in to the threats from evil bigots expect to enforce this? Are group leaders expected to check genitals?
Actually, maybe that’s what the transphobes want: to be the ones getting to fondle little kids to “check their sex".
https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/12/05/girlguiding-leaders-trans-ban/

2025-12-03 21:18:31 GMT

If you fancy something awe inspiring and wonderful to watch, this is it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002l79g/once-upon-a-time-in-space-series-1-2-the-russian-thing

2025-12-02 08:09:02 GMT

Orion’s up, EV prices are down, and the lawyers are limbering up. This week’s Ten Blue Links has range. Read it before the ads read you.
https://www.ianbetteridge.com/ten-blue-links-orion-rising-ev-prices-falling-and-ads-arriving-edition/

2025-12-02 07:26:37 GMT

Guilty secret: I have never seen a Tom Stoppard play. Even if you haven't either, read this, because Patrick Marber is a fantastic writer.
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/dec/01/patrick-marber-tom-stoppard-theatre-colossus-jaws-cigarettes

2025-12-02 07:11:21 GMT

This, of course, is bang on. China is already ahead in EVs, and rather than compete with that, German automakers are demanding “more time”. The fossil-fuel era of driving is over.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/02/china-volvo-polestar-eu-2035-petrol-car-sweden-germany

2025-11-29 13:39:58 GMT

Always worth remembering when Trump talks about sinking boats of drug dealers, that he pardoned Ross Ulbricht, who was convicted of enabling the import of millions of dollars of drugs.

2025-11-29 13:02:53 GMT

If by some miracle the whole AI industry falls apart because some tech bros decided to spend trillions on compute without spending maybe tens of millions a year on licensing art, I will laugh so hard I'll be in danger of a ruptured spleen.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/openai-loses-key-discovery-battle-why-deleted-library-of-pirated-books-1236436363/

2025-11-29 12:27:05 GMT

AI computing is now all about megawatts and gigawatts, like a competition to trash the planet first. Feels like a wild expansionist race to be the company with the biggest e-peen.

2025-11-28 09:42:00 GMT

Every now and then, I like to open up a fresh Twitter account and see who it recommends I should follow. And every time, this is the kind of dreck it shows me
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/627/101/783/753/677/original/7988c5b5ddf74011.png

2025-11-27 22:31:11 GMT

Granpa Elon is off his meds again.
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/624/028/878/712/587/original/8ee9781c614fb066.jpeg

2025-11-25 09:09:00 GMT

The AI bubble is looking a lot like 1999, but with more GPUs and less revenue. In this week's edition: the coming pop, the end of entry-level jobs, and why Tim Berners-Lee can't fix the broken web with a memoir.
https://www.ianbetteridge.com/ten-blue-links-pop-goes-the-bubble-edition/

2025-11-21 15:12:45 GMT

If you want evidence of what happens when you have right wing political appointments to a statutory body, look no further than this piece of ill thought out, transphobic and homophobic piece of "advice".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0y07959djo

2025-11-18 08:09:00 GMT

The Economist was definitely ahead of the pack with this one.
https://www.economist.com/business/2025/06/25/ai-valuations-are-verging-on-the-unhinged

2025-11-15 10:10:22 GMT

This headline gets a free pass
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/as-no10-tears-itself-apart-are-labour-being-eaten-by-the-greens_uk_6915cd52e4b0295c356ad17b

2025-11-11 12:37:38 GMT

I’m sure the right wing free speech warriors who lauded Lucy Connolly when she called for asylum seekers to be burned alive will be along real soon now to comment. Free speech is for everyone, right? (Sarcasm tag goes here)
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/11/man-interviewed-under-caution-over-bob-vylan-anti-idf-comments-at-glastonbury

2025-11-11 09:09:01 GMT

You can tell that AI companies are *desperate* to keep people paying that all-important $20 a month from the offers you get if you unsubscribe. Perplexity, for example, will offer two month at a dollar a month to get you back. At which point, of course, you cancel.

2025-11-08 21:05:31 GMT

No.
https://www.theverge.com/tech/817277/apple-ipad-killed-the-netbook-cheap-macbook-is-bringing-them-back

2025-11-08 20:45:08 GMT

Just when you thought Meta couldn't get any worse... it does!
"Meta spies on us and then allows predators to use that surveillance to destroy our lives for the same reason that your dog licks its balls: because they can."
https://pluralistic.net/2025/11/08/faecebook/

2025-11-06 13:51:33 GMT

Everyone kind of knew that Musk was deliberately using X to amplify extreme right wing accounts, but seeing actual data confirming it is still shocking
https://news.sky.com/story/the-x-effect-how-elon-musk-is-boosting-the-british-right-13464487

2025-11-06 12:06:58 GMT

The whole “OMG a prisoner has been mistakenly released” thing is such shit. No one gave a toss till it was an asylum seeker released.Last year, 262 prisoners - five a week - were released from prisons/courts before they should have been. Zero front-page reporting.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/06/mistakenly-released-prisoner-billy-smith-turns-himself-in-wandsworth

2025-11-06 10:16:37 GMT

I remain absolutely amazed how, nearly two years down the line, this post on adapting to the new reality of search in the era of AI holds up incredibly well.
https://www.ianbetteridge.com/adapting-to-the-new-reality-of-search/

2025-11-04 08:09:01 GMT

A little bit late this week, but on the other hand, I had an absolutely epic sleep yesterday. Anyway, enjoy.
https://www.ianbetteridge.com/ten-blue-links-toxic-optimisation-edition/

2025-11-01 18:13:39 GMT

Why look here, if it isn't Eric Schmidt (formerly of Google) backing more fossil fuels.
https://www.desmog.com/2025/04/22/ai-energy-demand-can-keep-fossil-fuels-alive-tech-backers-promise-worlds-two-biggest-oil-producers/

2025-10-31 21:50:30 GMT

Hats off to @npub1e0x…xqda for including one of my favourite quotes in this piece.
https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/bray-grokipedia

2025-10-30 23:06:04 GMT

Bloody hell, Newsnight is harrowing tonight. Virginia Guiffre's family in tears at Andrew Mountbatten Windsor having his titles taken away. Difficult but vital watching.

2025-10-30 20:27:15 GMT

I bloody love london. I love being on the lizzie line and hear moody teenagers showing off, Indian accents chatting, Afro-Caribbean mums telling their kids off. I love the sounds, the smells, the crowds.

2025-10-26 11:58:47 GMT

Is there a better example of enshittification than being charge an "e-shipping fee" of $10 for an electronic gift card you're required to purchase as a deposit to book a kid's birthday party at Build-A-Bear?
https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/1of930x/buildabear_charging_me_10_for_eshipping_for_the/

2025-10-25 17:07:03 GMT

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I didn't bother, because I've always had posts expiring after 30 days. From looking at it, I don't think you can, unless it's hidden.

2025-10-25 16:03:07 GMT

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Related: The ability to move instance is one of those things that makes me very happy. I've migrated my follower list, the people who follow me, individual and server block lists, and bookmarks. I know being able to move your own data *should* be commonplace, but it's rare to find anything that implements it so well.

2025-10-25 16:00:45 GMT

Hey lovelies, you will have noted that I've changed instance. Update any appropriate bookmarks etc.