More talk about the UK rejoining the EU?

Excellent, right idea, but less talk, more action, please!

Interesting: Ofcom, PornHub, and the OSA:

> The process relies on signals from a third-party (Apple) that suggest UK iOS/iPadOS users attempting to access Pornhub may have completed Apple’s age checks. Ofcom’s investigation will examine how Aylo integrated these signals as part of an age assurance process and whether it conducted the necessary due diligence and testing before adopting this process. Given the relevant duties under the Act apply to the service provider, this investigation will consider Aylo’s implementation of its age assurance process and will not make a determination on how Apple operates its age checks.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-aylos-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance

#OnlineSafetyAct

I have just found out that Juan Tamariz - a magician who had a strong influence on me - died last month :(

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Tamariz

I think that I am changing my opinion on "smart" appliances.

Now that I am thinking more about electricity demand shifting, and moving usage to hours when I am asleep, being able to conveniently turn something on without me being in front of it would be welcome.

On-device controls are not intuitive, and are all (in terms of the appliances that I have) delay based, rather than absolute time based.

I'd prefer local communication, with no need for a third party server, for sure.

(Smart plugs and finger bots can only go so far.)

The idea that only *contributors* should have a say on whether a Free software project should permit genAI slop is indicative of a mindset in which *users* do not matter.

Genuine question: what are people seeing in an "agentic operating system", that I am obviously missing?

Geeky t-shirt search!

@nprofile1q...'s toot has reminded me that, as a lawyer, I need to look smart and professional.

So, if you make tech geeky* t-shirts, which are available in the UK without daft shipping costs, please do let me know!

Or, if you have a favourite such t-shirt from an independent artist/maker, please do share.

* other sorts of geekery also considered

One thing I heard a lot about, and hear nothing about now: VR headsets.

I thought that they were the future - of gaming, especially - but, unless I have completely missed something, they seem to have fizzled out.

High price and limited, novelty value, perhaps?

I am a terrible electrician, which shocked my wife.

Any phone can be a folding phone if you fold it hard enough.

There is a proposal for F-Droid to adopt an interim AI policy, along the lines of Debian's pro-AI policy.

I am not in favour of this.

In particular, I don't want to see genAI code in either F-Droid's own software, or in apps in F-Droid's repository:

https://gitlab.com/fdroid/admin/-/work_items/699#note_3771382103

Mine is, of course, just one voice. But I will continue to push for human-written FOSS apps, for human users.

(Yes, I am an F-Droid board member. Yes, I'm a volunteer, like everyone else. Yes, others seem to have different views. I do what I can.)

# Man sentenced following first UK seizure of SMS blaster fraud equipment used to spam members of the public

This stemmed from a seizure in 2024, which seems like an awfully long time ago.

A five year sentenced, reduced based on a guilty plea.

https://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/news/city-of-london/news/2026/september/man-sentenced-following-first-uk-seizure-of-sms-blaster-fraud-equipment-used-to------------------------spam-members-of-the-public/