Hopeful technologist. Community tech, careful innovation, socially progressive tech policy. https://www.careful.industries https://hopeful.technology https://buttondown.email/justenoughinternet DMs don't work but hello@careful.industries will find mehttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlutianjmc26I'm calling it. Yesterday morning was the only time when speculating about the Labour leadership contest would be in any way fun and now - unless someone comes up with a way to give Gordon Brown emeritus status - it will all be tawdry and awful and depressing and full of substandard gossip.15 May 2026 07:42 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlutianjmc26https://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mluna6nl4s2xThis is like a case study in how not to do it. Gates Foundation subsidises Anthropic to the tune of $200m to fund "public benefit" https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center/press-releases/2026/05/ai-anthropic-partnership15 May 2026 05:51 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mluna6nl4s2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlukaj645c2x"They are arguably the modern-day railroad,” Schulte said. “It makes sense for them to issue longer maturities because AI is a long-term infrastructure." https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/5fe066a7-e673-4e58-9325-c330228eb71b I'm v sympathetic to long-term infra development, but what if hyperscale AI is as flying cars are to railways?15 May 2026 04:57 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlukaj645c2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mltmyfewkk2xTalked to some funders today about how to make tech more equitable and pointed out that it starts with the lobby. https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/08c0f736-c275-4fe5-ad5e-6e21fc149fbe14 May 2026 20:14 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mltmyfewkk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlthpekkss2xEven when school half-terms seem to be only 30 seconds long from a parental perspective, there is no length of half term that is not one week too long for a teenager14 May 2026 18:39 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlthpekkss2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlsoxxjjsk2tIn spite of having walked past it a million times, I only just noticed this slightly weird sticker on the window of the red phone box in Parliament Sq. "Future generations", eh?14 May 2026 11:16 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlsoxxjjsk2thttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mls6u5t3w22dI've done a very good job of swearing off politics for ages but, as an erstwhile Labour member, I'd be lying if I wasn't feeling a slight frisson as we enter the shag/marry/avoid stage of leadership speculation, because what is it if not a fandom for dorks14 May 2026 06:28 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mls6u5t3w22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mls3dvtep22dRan my eyes over these words quickly, parsed it as Streetfighter, consider this would be much more fun as a platform game, although not sure Starmer would have much range of motion for eg roundhouse kicks14 May 2026 05:25 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mls3dvtep22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlqsrzabs22dugh https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/13/one-in-seven-prefer-ai-chatbots-to-seeing-doctor-uk-study?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other I mean, I say ugh, and now I think about it *I may have done this myself* the other day because I was in a hurry and it is so impossible to google anything now.13 May 2026 17:19 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlqsrzabs22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlqlt56sx22zNot enjoying the nostalgic 2020 mood music of domestic political instability + people quarantined on a cruise ship.13 May 2026 15:15 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlqlt56sx22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlqdb3gqf225Hello Delay Repay, my old friend.13 May 2026 12:41 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlqdb3gqf225https://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlnuosciuk24I have likely missed the serious discourse on this. I'm a big fan of Jess Philips, but the technology does not exist to stop children taking naked pictures of themselves. Or, in so far as it does, the technology is "not letting children have cameras". [contains quote post or other embedded content]12 May 2026 13:15 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlnuosciuk24https://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mln2uo2n2c2jGood morning from this annotation on Google Maps, which may be trying just a bit too hard12 May 2026 05:33 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mln2uo2n2c2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlmctnrm6s2jWell don't we all love to make a hot water bottle to take to bed in *MID MAY*11 May 2026 22:23 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlmctnrm6s2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mllewoaaes2oWhat other jobs are there besides PM in which the incumbent gets to say, "there is no vacancy! I'm not going anywhere!"11 May 2026 13:28 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mllewoaaes2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mll3jzpyxk2g"ebike fires made up nearly 1/3 of all lithium-ion battery fires nationally [with] retrofitted and converted ebikes ... disproportionately involved ... There were 520 callouts to fires involving ebikes in 2025, compared with 149 in 2022." https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/may/11/uk-firefighters-lithium-ion-battery-fires-ebikes11 May 2026 10:40 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mll3jzpyxk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlkshg5jf22hWriting an application for something, and it is extraordinary how working in UK policy since 2015 translates as working with 6 different governments. The most surprising thing being how nostalgic I am for Theresa May (who I felt was far too out there at the time, with too many right-wing policies).11 May 2026 07:57 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlkshg5jf22hhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlhaa3m3ik2zFor Lent this year (mid-Feb till early April) I stopped reading the news and it's the best thing I've done for ages. I look at the FT perhaps every other day now. On Thurs night, I went to bed at a normal time and didn't check my local council election results till mid-afternoon on Friday.09 May 2026 21:53 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlhaa3m3ik2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlh4kefq622oHow can looking at so many pictures of people I have never met be so much like looking in the mirror? [contains quote post or other embedded content]09 May 2026 20:47 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlh4kefq622ohttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mleimd4cdk2dWe're watching Race Across the World and I keep thinking about how much all the friendly café owners etc would get into trouble if they were in the UK, offering the odd casual shift to people off the telly who don't have the right paperwork08 May 2026 19:45 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mleimd4cdk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlecljxv3222At this point, not sure I need another email from a rail company explaining that "British railways are changing" (esp not from Gatwick Express)08 May 2026 17:57 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlecljxv3222https://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mld4fuycd223Spent yesterday with a load of people working in digital across the public sector and was reminded that I could never be a civil servant, a lot of people work really hard, often in thankless conditions, and that ministerial teams need to stop drinking the Tony Blair Inst koolaid08 May 2026 06:34 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mld4fuycd223https://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlcysj6wss23I'm currently working on an AI safety review and the extent to which "tech bro makes car, the wheels fall off" is an extended metaphor for the last decade is not to be under-estimated [contains quote post or other embedded content]08 May 2026 05:30 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlcysj6wss23https://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlblgm7yk22gOn a chaotic and fascinating Manchester-to-London train. Currently running an hour late. Was preciously told to get off at Nuneaton and "return to Manchester". Will we ever get to Euston? Who knows! But the shop is still open in coach B, so go for your life with the meal deal.07 May 2026 15:58 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlblgm7yk22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlbgq6jk322xFor the first time in weeks I'm doing some leisurely Bluesky scrolling and I am *very struck* by the massive difference in tone between my group chats and what I'm reading from the progressive political commentators.07 May 2026 14:34 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbgq6jk322xhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlbelmqao22xIf you have a desk-based, computer-based job, what's your typing like? Can you touch type? I'm currently sitting on a train watching someone type on a laptop using only their splayed index fingers in an absolutely RSI-nightmare inducing fashion. Want to give them some tips on median nerve flossing.07 May 2026 13:55 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbelmqao22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social/post/3mlb76ohjws2xThe sound of 500 people talking about hope ❤️ (sound on!)07 May 2026 12:19 +0000at://did:plc:dvvvi2lfda3eq46zikkozitb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlb76ohjws2x