#programmers for hire UK

[charile0]

Find Top Programmers for Hire in the UK: How to Hire the Right Coder for Your Project

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So whether you're planning a new build or upgrading existing software, now is the time to hire for programmer roles that fit your vision and budget.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Amazon's bestselling "bitter lemon" energy drink was bottled delivery driver piss

Today (Oct 20), I'm in Charleston, WV at Charleston's Taylor Books from 12h-14h.

For a brief time this year, the bestselling "bitter lemon drink" on Amazon was "Release Energy," which consisted of the harvested urine of Amazon delivery drivers, rebottled for sale by Catfish UK prankster Oobah Butler in a stunt for a new Channel 4 doc, "The Great Amazon Heist":

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-great-amazon-heist

Collecting driver piss is surprisingly easy. Amazon, you see, puts its drivers on a quota that makes it impossible for them to drive safely, park conscientiously, or, indeed, fulfill their basic human biological needs. Amazon has long waged war on its employees' kidneys, marking down warehouse workers for "time off task" when they visit the toilets.

As tales of drivers pissing – and shitting! – in their vans multiplied, Amazon took decisive action. The company enacted a strict zero tolerance policy for drivers returning to the depot with bottles of piss in their vans.

That's where Butler comes in: the roads leading to Amazon delivery depots are lined with bottles of piss thrown out of delivery vans by drivers who don't want to lose their jobs, which made harvesting the raw material for "Release Energy" a straightforward matter.

Butler was worried that he wouldn't be able to list his product on Amazon because he didn't have the requisite "food and drinks licensing" certificates, so he listed his drink in Amazon's refillable pump dispenser category. But Amazon's systems detected the mismatch and automatically shifted the product into the drinks section.

Butler enlisted some confederates to place orders for his drink, and it quickly rocketed to the top of Amazon's listings for the category, which led to Amazon's recommendation engine pushing the item on people who weren't in on the gag. When these orders came in, Butler pulled the plug, but not before an Amazon rep telephoned him to pitch him turning packaging, shipping and fulfillment over to Amazon:

https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-let-its-drivers-urine-be-sold-as-an-energy-drink/

The Release Energy prank was just one stunt Butler pulled for his doc; he also went undercover at an Amazon warehouse, during a period when Amazon hired an extra 1,000 workers for its warehouses in Coventry, UK, in a successful bid to dilute pro-union sentiment in his workforce in advance of a key union vote:

https://jacobin.com/2023/10/the-great-amazon-heist-oobah-butler-review

Butler's stint as an Amazon warehouse worker only lasted a couple of days, ending when Amazon recognized him and fired him.

The contrast between Amazon's ability to detect an undercover reporter and its inability to spot bottles of piss being marketed as bitter lemon energy drink says it all, really. Corporations like Amazon hire vast armies of "threat intelligence" creeps who LARP at being CIA superspies, subjecting employees and activists to intense and often illegal surveillance.

But while Amazon's defensive might is laser-focused on the threat of labor organizers and documentarians, the company can't figure out that one of its bestselling products is bottles of its tormented drivers' own urine.

In the USA, the FTC is suing Amazon for its monopolistic tactics, arguing that the company has found ways to raise prices and reduce quality by trapping manufacturers and sellers with its logistics operation, taking $0.45-$0.51 out of every dollar they earn and forcing them to raise prices at all retailers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/25/greedflation/#commissar-bezos

The Release Energy stunt shows where Amazon's priorities are. Not only did Release Energy get listed on Amazon without any quality checks, the company actually nudged it into a category where it was more likely to be consumed by a person. The only notice the company took of Release Energy was in its logistics and manufacturing department – the part of the business that extracts the monopoly rents at issue in the FTC case – which tracked Butler down in order to sell him these services.

The drivers whose piss Butler collected don't work directly for Amazon, they work for a Delivery Service Partner. These DSPs are victims of a pyramid scheme that Amazon set up. DSP operators lease vans and pay to have them skinned in Amazon livery and studded with Amazon sensors. They take out long-term leases on depots, and hire drivers who dress in Amazon uniforms. Their drivers are minutely monitored by Amazon, down to the movements of their eyeballs.

But none of this is "Amazon" – it's all run by an "entrepreneur," whom Amazon can cut loose without notice, leaving them with unfairly terminated employees, outstanding workers' comp claims, a fleet of Amazon-skinned vehicles and unbreakable facilities leases:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/17/revenge-of-the-chickenized-reverse-centaurs/

Speaking to Wired, Amazon denied that it forces its drivers to piss in bottles, but Butler clearly catches a DSP dispatcher telling drivers "If you pee in a bottle and leave it [in the vehicle], you will get a point for that" – that is, the part you get punished for isn't the peeing, it's the leaving.

Amazon's defense against the FTC is that it spares no effort to keep its marketplace safe. As Amazon spokesperson James Drummond says, they use "industry-leading tools to prevent genuinely unsafe products being listed." But the only industry-leading tools in evidence are tools to bust unions and screw suppliers.

In her landmark Yale Law Review paper, "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox," FTC Chair Lina Khan makes a brilliant argument that Amazon's alleged benefits to "consumers" are temporary at best, illusory at worst:

https://www.yalelawjournal.org/note/amazons-antitrust-paradox

In Butler's documentary, Khan's hypothesis is thoroughly validated: here's a company extracting hundreds of billions from merchants who raise prices to compensate, and those monopoly rents are "invested" in union-busting and countermeasures against investigative journalists, while the tools to keep you from accidentally getting a bottle of piss in the mail are laughably primitive.

Truly, Amazon is the apex predator of the platform era:

https://pluralistic.net/ApexPredator

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/20/release-energy/#the-bitterest-lemon

My next novel is The Lost Cause, a hopeful novel of the climate emergency. Amazon won't sell the audiobook, so I made my own and I'm pre-selling it on Kickstarter!

[1nk20ul]

I would love to know the birthdays of the other tma characters (particularly Gerry, Micheal Shelley, and Tim)

TMA Birthdays Revealed (Continued)

You've got it.

Let's go in the order that you requested, starting with Gerry Keay.

(This is a continuation of my previous post, where I determine Jon and Martin's birthdays to the best of my ability. Make sure to check it out if you haven't yet!)

Spoiler alert: Gerard is one of the few characters for whom we have an objectively correct/confirmed answer. Just like last time, I'll list all of the results in the tags as a TLDR. Let's begin!

As I said, Gerry's birthday is shockingly the easiest to find out of everyone in the entire main series. However, none of our clues are actually found in Archives. Rather, it's the Magnus Protocol ARG that flat-out gives us this answer. Compared to last post, I feel like I'm being spoiled.

For those unaware, chdb.xlsx (Child_Database.Excel) is a 250-row list of participants in the Magnus Institute's Gifted Child programme. Of these, last names like Dyer, Nolan, Barker, Baldwin, etc. appear, although it's possible some are simply a coincidence.

One we know is not. Behold:

(Yes, his last name is spelled Kaey in this dataset. It's an easy typo to miss in a 250-row document. Don't worry about it.)

According to Chdb, Gerry's birthday is 4th February, 1988. For those paying attention to my original Birthday post, this is exactly two days after my calculation for Jon's birthday, down to the year. This pleases me.

I'll even throw in a bonus for you. Based on his data, he is quite empathetic - yet not very susceptible to peer pressure! You're welcome, Gerrianators.

Let's move to Michael Shelley.

Unfortunately, we're not as lucky this time. Michael's age is just as twisted up as what became of him. Here's what we know:

Michael worked with Eric Delano prior to Eric's resignation in 1990, but was also hired to replace Fiona Law during or after 2003.

Michael's death was sometime between 2009-2011, however was supposedly already distorted in 2006.

Jonny joked on Twitter that Michael "is 92 at all points in the timeline."

There is virtually nothing to go off of here... The month and day are an absolute mystery to us as well. So congrats! His birthday is 92.

Thankfully, Tim is a little bit easier on us.

We need to use Danny Stoker's death as a starting point here. We know that Danny died in 2013 at no younger than 21 years old. Beforehand, Tim spent the previous 5 years at Victory House Publishing. Before that, in 2007, he completed his First in Anthropology at Trinity College. As a Bachelors degree typically takes three years to complete, we can assume Tim was most likely 18 in 2004. The birth year is easy to calculate from there.

For month, all we can do is process of elimination. Let's start with when his birth month isn't. Since the tapes contain no mention of a birthday party like Jon and Martin had prior to MAG 40 (when shit hits the fan), we know that it is less likely to be between September to mid-March, although this is mainly a mix of speculation and educated guessing. We can at least confirm the September cutoff, though, by cross-referencing age requirements for schooling in the UK. Unfortunately, this is where our luck ends. All in all, I think we still did quite well here.

Our final result is April-August 1986. He died at 31 years old. Bonus: He is anywhere from 1-6 years older than his brother. This is not a surprise to absolutely anyone.

A recap of our final results:

Gerard Keay - 4th February, 1988

Michael Shelley - Permanently 92 years old

Timothy Stoker - April-August, 1986

Thanks again, everyone. I have a wonderful time making these, it's great fun! I have a few more posts in mind that I'd like to make, so feel free to leave an Ask. See you next time!

[beardedmrbean]

There has been a sharp rise in plots by the Iranian regime to kidnap or assassinate dissidents, journalists and political foes living abroad, according to reports by Western intelligence agencies.

These attempts have escalated dramatically since 2022, with even US President Donald Trump among the alleged targets. In the UK, police are questioning a number of Iranians arrested earlier this month on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. The BBC understands the alleged target was the Israeli embassy in London.

And court documents from Turkey and the US - seen by BBC Eye Investigations and BBC Persian - contain evidence that Iran has been hiring criminal gangs to carry out killings on foreign soil, allegations the Iranian regime has previously denied. Iranian officials did not respond to a fresh request for a comment.

One name repeatedly surfaced in these documents: Naji Sharifi Zindashti, an Iranian criminal boss, known for international drug smuggling.

His name appeared in a Turkish indictment in connection with the 2017 killing in Istanbul of Saeed Karimian, the head of a Persian TV network that broadcast Western films and programmes to Iran.

Iranian authorities considered Karimian a threat to Islamic values, and three months before his assassination an Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced him in absentia to six years in prison.

US and Turkish officials believed his death was related to a mafia feud.

But when in 2019, Massoud Molavi, a defector from Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), was gunned down in Istanbul, it shed light on Zindashti's alleged role in Karimian's assassination.

Molavi had been exposing corruption at the highest levels of Iran's leadership. The Turkish police discovered Zindashti's gardener had been present at the scene of Molavi's assassination, and that his driver had been at Karimian's murder.

The police suspected the gardener and the driver had been sent by Zindashti.

Zindashti was arrested in connection with Karimian's death but was controversially released after just six months, causing a legal scandal in Turkey. A Higher Court judge ordered his rearrest but by then he had left the country.

He then fled to Iran, raising suspicions that he might have been working for Iranian intelligence all along.

Cengiz Erdinc, a Turkish investigative journalist, claims that when those out of favour with the Iranian regime are killed, Zindashti's men are at the scene. "It is not the first time, but there has always been a connection between organised crime and the intelligence agencies," he says.

Over three decades ago, he was convicted of drug smuggling in Iran and sentenced to death. But rumours suggested his escape from prison, which led him to Turkey, may have been orchestrated by Iranian intelligence.

"If someone sentenced to death in Iran escapes after killing a guard, they're unlikely to make it out alive - unless there's more to the story," says someone who knew Zindashti closely. The BBC is withholding their identity for their own safety.

"The only plausible way for him to return and live freely would be if he had been working for Iran's intelligence services, making his escape appear to be part of a planned cover story for intelligence work with Iran's security agencies and IRGC," they told BBC World Service.

In 2020, Zindashti's name appeared again in a Turkish indictment in connection with the kidnapping of Habib Chaab, an Iranian dissident who was lured to Istanbul, abducted, and later paraded on Iranian state TV.

Chaab was sentenced to death and executed. Zindashti's nephew was arrested in Turkey in connection with Chaab's disappearance. Zindashti has denied having any role.

Then, in 2021, Zindashti was implicated in a plot in the United States. According to Minnesota court documents, communications between Zindashti and a member of the Hells Angels, a Canadian biker gang, were logged in the indictment.

Zindashti allegedly offered $370,000 to have two Iranian defectors assassinated in Maryland. The FBI intervened and arrested two men before the attack could be carried out.

Our investigation into court documents also uncovered that the IRGC and its overseas operations arm, the Quds Force, have been working with criminal organisations like the Thieves-in-Law, a notorious international criminal gang from the former Soviet Union, to carry out kidnappings and assassinations.

US and Israeli intelligence sources say Unit 840 of the IRGC's Quds Force's main responsibility is to plan and establish terror infrastructure abroad.

In March, a New York jury convicted two men associated with the Thieves-in-Law for plotting to assassinate Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American activist. Iranian agents allegedly offered $500,000 for her killing. Just two years earlier, a man with a loaded gun had been arrested near her home in Brooklyn.

Following the 2020 assassination by the US of top IRGC commander General Qasem Soleimani, Iran vowed revenge. Since then, the US says Iran has been plotting to kill former members of the Trump administration involved in Soleimani's death, including former national security adviser John Bolton, and Mike Pompeo, former head of the CIA and secretary of state.

During last year's US presidential election, prosecutors accused Iran of plotting to assassinate Donald Trump, which Iran strongly denied.

In response to these growing threats, the US and UK have imposed sanctions on individuals linked to Iran's intelligence operations, including Zindashti, Iranian diplomats, and members of the IRGC.

Zindashti denies ever working for the Iranian intelligence service.

In 2024, Ken McCallum, the director of MI5 reported 20 credible threats against individuals in the UK linked to Iran.

In one case in West London, a Chechen man was arrested near Iran International, a Persian-language TV station in London. He was convicted of gathering information for Iranian agents.

Last year, Pouria Zerati, a London-based presenter for Iran International, was attacked with a knife. Soon after, two men were arrested in Romania at the request of UK counter-terrorism police.

Sources in the UK security services told the BBC these men were part of the Thieves-in-Law, allegedly hired by Iranian agents.

Sima Sabet, a presenter for Iran International, was one of the targets, but an attempt to blow up her car failed.

"When they realised they couldn't attach a bomb to my car, the agents told the man to finish the job quietly," says Sima, who has seen the police file, says. "He asked how quietly, and they replied, 'As quiet as a kitchen knife.'"

After the assassination of four Iranian Kurdish leaders by masked gunmen in a restaurant in Berlin in 1992, German prosecutors blamed the entire Iranian leadership for the killings. The attack was carried out by Iranian agents and members of the Iran-backed Lebanese Shia Hezbollah movement.

An international arrest warrant was issued for Iran's intelligence minister, and a court declared that the assassination had been ordered with the knowledge of Iran's Supreme Leader and president.

Since then, it seems the Iranian regime has been hiring criminal organisations to carry out kidnappings and killings in an attempt to avoid linking the attacks back to the regime.

But Matt Jukes, the UK's Head of Counter Terrorism Policing, says it is relatively easy for police to infiltrate criminal groups because they are not ideologically aligned with the Iranian regime.

It is what he calls a "creeping penetration" by Iran, which the police are trying to disrupt.

[helenvaughans]

A journalist targeted by a Russian spy ring said it had a list of "assassination methods" to kill him that was "beyond any imagination".

Christo Grozev told the BBC the group "fantasised" about his death, and talked about using a sledgehammer and even a "suicide bomber" to target him.

The Bulgarian, who has published several exposés on Russia with colleague Roman Dobrokhotov, said several incidents showed the pair were tracked across Europe and had agents "breathing down our necks".

He was speaking after three Bulgarian nationals were found guilty last week of spying for Russia one of the largest foreign intelligence operations in the UK.

Mr Grozev said that since the court case, Austrian police had reassured his children that this not could not happen again, adding that initially his family had been "shocked".

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme, he said the "list of imagined assassination methods" on his life "reads like a film noir".

He said one of the ways the spies "fantasised about killing me" was hiring an Islamic State group "suicide bomber and having him explode himself next to me in the street".

Mr Grozev said there was also a plan to kidnap him and "send me to a torture camp in Syria" while another man wearing a latex mask resembling him would fly to Russia on a commercial flight and be "arrested in front of cameras for full deniability".

"Another way was bludgeoning me to death using a sledgehammer", he said before adding that "the fantasy and imagination of these wannabe spies is beyond any imagination".

Mr Grozev said failures of Russian intelligence in the past meant that spying was being "outsourced" to non-professional spies.

He told the BBC that the fact they were using "non-professional" spies did not take away from the "intent to kill". The issue was that "wannabe spies" did not necessarily know how to de-escalate situations, he added.

He said he felt lucky to be alive given that he and his colleague were tracked by the spies for so long and the operation had been so well-funded. He and Mr Dobrokhotov were never on the lookout for EU citizens spying on them, but they had expected that Russian operatives would be observing them, he added.

The pair's work includes exposing Russia's role in the nerve agent attacks on then-Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2020 and Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2018.

Jan Marsalek, who instructed the spy ring on behalf of the Russian intelligence services, wrote in a message in December 2020 that Mr Grozev was the "lead investigator in the Navalny case".

A message sent by Marsalek to Orlin Roussev - who ran the UK-based group from a former guest house in Norfolk - said: "Personally I find Grozev not to be a very valuable target but apparently Putin seriously hates him."

After 2020, the spy cell followed the two journalists throughout Europe, spying on them on planes, in hotels and private properties.

On Friday, three spies were found guilty of spying for Russia in one of the largest" foreign intelligence operations in the UK.

In court, it came to light that operatives from the spy ring entered Grozev's flat in Vienna in 2022 "when my son was playing a computer game in his room", the journalist said.

He added: "I just don't want to think about what would've happened if my son decided to go out of his room during their burglary."

On Friday, Vanya Gaberova, 30, Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were found guilty of conspiracy to spy. While the trio had day jobs as a beautician, a healthcare worker, and a decorator, the cell they were part of plotted to kidnap and kill targets, as well as planned to ensnare them in so-called honeytraps.

The methods they used were the sort of thing you would "expect to see in a spy novel", said the Metropolitan Police's Cdr Dominic Murphy.

[cognitivejustice]

Esther Kimani, a computer programmer from Kenya, has won the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering’s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. Her groundbreaking early crop pest and disease detection device wowed the judges, thanks to its remarkable ability to swiftly detect and identify agricultural pests and diseases. This innovative tool can reduce crop losses for smallholder farmers by up to 30% and boost yields by as much as 40%.

Harnessing the power of solar energy, the device employs computer vision algorithms and advanced machine learning to detect and identify crop pests, pathogens, or diseases, and the nature of the infection or infestation. Farmers receive notifications via SMS, making this an affordable alternative to traditional detection methods at just $3 per month—significantly cheaper than hiring drones or agricultural inspectors.

source

[scotianostra]

On 14th January 2016, the Scottish screenwriter, television producer and journalist Robert Banks Stewart died.

Many Doctor Who fans will remember Robert fondly as the creator of the Zygons.

Edinburgh-born Robert Stewart left school at age fifteen and parlayed his skill into a series of newspaper jobs. His career was interrupted by his National Service, during which he was part of Field Marshal Montgomery's staff. Stewart also began writing plays, and worked for the BBC as a radio commentator for Scottish football matches. He finally left the newspaper industry to serve as a foreign correspondent for Illustrated magazine, prompting a move to London. Stewart was twice married and twice divorced; his first wife bore a daughter, while he had three sons with his second wife, Helen.

When his job with Illustrated came to an end in the late Fifties, Stewart joined the Rank Organisation, initially as a story editor on Interpol Calling. He was soon providing scripts for the programme as well, and he began writing prolifically on shows like Danger Man, Ghost Squad and The Saint, as well as several editions of The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre. Stewart's first commission for the BBC came on a 1962 episode of Dr Finlay's Casebook. It was at this stage that he adopted “Robert Banks Stewart” as his professional name, in order to distinguish him from similarly-named writers; Banks was his mother's maiden name. He was also approached to develop ideas for Doctor Who during its formative stages in 1963, though nothing came of this.

The latter part of the Sixties saw Stewart write for everything from The Avengers to Adam Adamant Lives! to Callan. He was a script editor on Armchair Theatre, and earned his first credit as a producer on Intrigue. At the end of the decade, he travelled to Australia to produce and write for Riptide, until issues with the local labour unions prompted him to return to the UK.

In the early Seventies, Stewart wrote for shows like Jason King, Arthur Of The Britons, The Legend Of Robin Hood and Sutherland's Law, while script editing Harriet's Back In Town and Van Der Valk. In the middle of the decade, he developed three serials for Doctor Who, all featuring Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor. Stewart invented the Zygons for Terror Of The Zygons- set in his native Scotland -- and then the Krynoids for The Seeds Of Doom. He had written most of the storyline for “The Foe From The Future” when Thames Television hired him to script edit Rooms and Armchair Thriller

The producer of Doctor Who during Stewart's time on the show was Philip Hinchcliffe, who subsequently moved to Target. When Hinchcliffe was preparing to leave the police drama, he suggested that Stewart take over, only for Target to be cancelled altogether. Instead, Stewart created two very popular series in a similar vein: first Shoestring, starring Trevor Eve, and then Bergerac with John Nettles. After an unhappy spell in the mid-Eighties as the executive producer of drama for London Weekend Television, Stewart returned to the BBC to produce Lovejoy and develop Call Me Mister. He rounded off the decade as the producer of Hannay and Storyboard.

The Nineties began with Stewart producing another hit, as he helped to launch Catherine Zeta-Jones' career with The Darling Buds Of May. He went on to produce another of his own creations, Moon And Son, before working on McCallum for Philip Hinchcliffe, who was now the Controller of Drama for Scottish Television. Stewart's final scriptwriting credit was for My Uncle Silas at the start of the new millennium. Although he was keen to continue working in television, Stewart was frustrated to find his age a barrier in securing work. Instead, he adapted an unsuccessful television pitch into a novel: The Hurricane's Tail was released by Kaleidoscope Publishing in 2012. Stewart followed it with his 2015 autobiography, To Put You In The Picture, from Miwk Publishing.

Robert Banks Stewart succumbed to cancer just three months later, on this day in 2016 hw was 84.

[luminiferocity]

Here be headcanons

It's happening! Kicking off the first day of 007 Fest 2023 with some MI6 worldbuilding headcanons for Headcanons Day (AKA the HCs crammed into my WIP to make sense of film-world MI6)

Q Branch is just a small part of Six (and everyone else thinks the double-oh programme is more trouble than it's worth)

Q Branch makes no sense. As film!Q is a shorthand for the mission support teams for narrative ease, Q Branch seems to run independently and Q himself is a polymath taking on all the roles.

Eh, I'm okay with genius Q because I love him 🤷 Other Q Branchers are all wildly smart and eccentric in their own ways. That's Q's hiring policy

Most analysis, missions, etc. are run through logical departments with hundreds of staff, which the problem children doubles-ohs and Q Branch build on for their specialist missions

Lots of Six staff don't like the double-ohs and Q Branch by extension – they burn through the budget, cause havoc and get away with multitudes, and a little more secrecy and intelligence in the SIS would be much preferred

Maybe it's for the best that Q Branch is away from HQ up-river at Millbank Pier (based on this excellent post)

Essentially, Mallory has hundreds, maybe thousands, of staff and assets globally, yet it's 1% of his staff that causes 99.9% of his headaches

Heracles isn't the first off-book project and it won't be the last

Mallory was used as a character to hang the Heracles plot on, but it leaves a lot of questions. Why was he even involved? Why isn't it the responsibility of the Defence Science and Technology Lab?

I figure all the UK's intelligence agencies have joint off-book operations like the Heracles research, some farmed out to private contractors, etc. So, Heracles isn't special, it's just that this secret got found out and had big consequences

Maybe Mallory had a hand in Obruchev defecting, so those consequences were extra personal

Also, imagine being Mallory: was Chair of the committee looking into MI6 shadiness, only to get hired as M and get tangled into all this shadiness

Q & Moneypenny besties: great; Q & Moneypenny & Tanner: even better

After Spectre, they didn't know who to trust, except one another. They keep Six running and they're each other's rocks and best bitching buddies

Q, despite what he says, is the most dramatic of the three. Moneypenny, of course, delights in winding Q up. Tanner isn't as catty as those two, except for when the mood strikes and he's the worst

Tanner gets swept up in various antics, often Bond's, along with Q and Moneypenny. However, he's perfected bland-faced innocence and Mallory never gives him grief for it. Q and Moneypenny find this very annoying

[stratoswing]

Hi! We're Stratoswing.

We're an indie game team made up of people from Melbourne and Cardiff. We like to make weird little games.

The Games (found here):

Grata Monstrum:

A village is being plagued by monsters. You’re hired to help them with that, in one way or another. Visual novel with puzzle and turn based combat elements.

Doomsdate: I Accidentally Summoned The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse And Now They Want To DATE Me???

Doomsdate for short.

A not quite dating sim, based around bringing about doomsday with your chosen horseman of the apocalypse. Pure visual novel.

The Team:

Storm: Australian programmer and designer. Findable on X / itch.io.

Em: UK based artist of many mediums, also designer. Findable on Artstation / X / / itch.io.

Cal: Australian writer and designer. Findable on X / itch.io.

Keep an eye out for what we get up to next!

[ouromexinfotech]

Omex Infotech adopts SDLC for web development services.

Are you looking for a web development company in India USA, CANADA, the UK, or AUSTRALIA? Hire our web developers & programmers for web development services.

Click here to know more: https://rb.gy/9udgb

[charile0]

Top Tips for Hiring Freelance Programmers in the UK

In the digital age, finding skilled programmers for hire is critical for businesses looking to build robust websites, apps, or software solutions. Whether you’re a startup or an established company, hiring the right coder can make or break your project. Here’s a guide to help you hire programmers in the UK and ensure a successful partnership.

When you hire a programmer, it’s essential to define your project’s scope and requirements. Are you looking for a front-end developer to enhance user interfaces or a back-end web developer to manage server-side logic? Perhaps you need React developers for a dynamic, responsive website. Once you identify your needs, you can begin searching for web developers for hire through reliable platforms.

For businesses seeking top-notch talent, hiring a UK developer ensures a good balance of technical expertise and understanding of local market trends. You can choose to hire a coder online for flexibility or engage a professional from an agency offering front-end web development services. Platforms like hireacoder and others specialize in connecting you with skilled professionals.

If you’re working on a long-term project, it’s important to hire programmers for the project who are not just technically proficient but also align with your company’s values and goals. Freelance platforms or agencies can help you find coders for hire who meet your specific needs, whether it’s for a quick task or an extended project.

Finding the right website developer for hire doesn’t have to be challenging. With clear goals, a detailed project brief, and a reliable platform to connect with talent, you can build your dream team of developers. If you’re saying, "I need a programmer," start your search today and turn your vision into reality.

[developers31]

Uplers offers a fast and reliable way to hire top Unreal Engine developers from India. Their platform connects you with the top 3.5% of AI-vetted UE4/UE5 talent in just 48 hours, making it ideal for game development, AR/VR, simulations, and architectural visualization projects.

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[sbusinesstechnologylondon]

How to Choose the Right IT Course for Your Career Path?

In an increasingly digital world, the demand for IT professionals has never been more pressing. As businesses across every sector undergo digital transformation, skilled Professionals who are capable of managing the complexities of information technology are becoming increasingly vital.

For job seekers and career changers in the UK, this presents a critical question: Which IT course will best align with today's job market and tomorrow's opportunities?

According to the 2025 Tech Recruitment Trends report by Opus Talent Solutions, the demand for IT professionals in the UK continues to grow at a significant pace. The report highlights that roles in artificial intelligence (AI) are expanding at a rate 3.6 times faster than the national job average. In the cybersecurity sector, 71% of employers report being affected by a critical talent shortage—up from 57% in 2024. Meanwhile, skills in cloud computing, particularly with platforms like AWS and Microsoft Azure, remain among the top priorities for hiring managers.

The same report also notes that more companies are shifting away from traditional qualifications and prioritising skill-based hiring. When choosing the right IT course, think beyond your interests—it's about setting yourself up for future success.

To make the most of these trends, it’s essential to understand what an IT course is and why it’s such a valuable investment.

What is an IT Course, and Why is it Important?

An IT course is a structured learning programme designed to teach specific skills and knowledge related to information technology. These courses can vary in format and depth—from short boot camps and online certifications to diploma programmes and university degrees. Depending on your goals, an IT course might focus on programming, systems administration, cloud platforms, cybersecurity, or emerging technologies such as machine learning and blockchain.

With so many options available, understanding your career goals becomes more crucial than ever.

Why is this important? Because the digital skills gap is real and growing. Employers are increasingly prioritising candidates with current, job-ready technical skills over traditional qualifications alone. In fact, the UK's Department for Education and leading private sector partners have highlighted the need for continuous reskilling as a cornerstone of economic competitiveness.

Whether you're looking to enter the workforce, pivot into a more dynamic field, or increase your earning potential, the right IT course can provide the skills and credibility needed to succeed.

Let’s explore the practical advantages of learning IT and how it can reshape your professional future.

What are the Benefits of Learning an IT Course?

Pursuing an IT course offers a multitude of advantages for both your personal growth and professional trajectory.

Improved Employability

An IT course provides practical, up-to-date technical skills aligned with current industry needs.

Helps career changers and entry-level professionals break into the IT job market.

Career Advancement

Completing an IT course can support progression to more advanced or specialised roles and act as a stepping stone toward further qualifications or career specialisations.

Higher Earning Potential

Completing an information and technology course can lead to roles in high-demand areas and offer competitive salaries.

Flexibility and Accessibility

Many information technology courses are now available online, which allow you to study information technology online from anywhere in the UK.

With a variety of course formats, from short certificate programmes to comprehensive diplomas—you can choose the learning path that best fits your schedule and goals.

Transferable Skills

Technical skills gained through IT training are applicable across a wide range of industries—from finance and healthcare to media and logistics.

Now that we’ve covered the benefits let’s talk about how to actually choose the right course for your goals.

How to Choose the Right IT Course?

Understand Your Career Goals First

Before enrolling in any course, it’s vital to define your long-term objectives. Ask yourself:

Do you want to enter the tech industry from scratch?

Are you aiming to upskill in your current IT role?

Are you switching from a non-technical field to IT?

Your answers will determine the type and level of course most suitable for you.

Choose the Right Type of Course Format

Selecting the right course format is just as important as choosing the right subject. Your learning style, time availability, budget, and career urgency all play key roles in determining the best fit.

Online Self-Paced Courses – Flexible and affordable learning at your own pace, ideal for independent learners.

Blended Learning (Hybrid) – Combines the flexibility of online study with live mentorship or instructor support for a more guided experience.

Check Accreditation and Credibility

It’s crucial to ensure the course you choose is industry-recognised and aligned with current employer expectations. Choose certifications from trusted awarding bodies such as QUALIFI and OTHM.

With that foundation in place, let’s explore some of the best courses in information technology available in the UK for 2025.

What Are the Top Information Technology Courses in 2025?

QUALIFI Level 5 Diploma in Information Technology

The QUALIFI Level 5 Diploma in Information Technology is a comprehensive IT course designed to develop in-demand technical skills for careers in programming, system administration, and network security.

This information technology course features an industry-relevant curriculum covering key areas such as C#.NET programming, network design, content management systems, and e-commerce (B2B & B2C). It’s an ideal choice for learners looking to gain practical, job-ready skills and advance their careers in the IT sector.

OTHM Level 5 Diploma In Information Technology

The OTHM Level 5 Diploma in Information Technology is a career-focused IT course that builds your confidence and skills in software development, database systems, and organisational information systems. Ideal for those who want to study information technology online, it prepares you for employment or further academic progression in the tech sector.

OTHM Level 7 Diploma in Immersive Software Engineering

The OTHM Level 7 Diploma in Immersive Software Engineering is an advanced information and technology course designed to equip learners with the high-level skills required to design, develop, and evaluate cutting-edge software systems.

This IT course provides a deep understanding of immersive software engineering, focusing on key areas such as Web and Cloud technologies, Security, Automation, Data Analytics, and modern Project Methodologies.

Where Can I Study IT Courses in the UK?

As technology continues to reshape the future of industries across the globe, the question is no longer just what to study—but where. If you're aiming to build a future-ready career in tech, it's essential to choose a trusted provider that offers flexible, industry-relevant Information Technology courses. For learners in the UK and beyond, the School of Business and Technology London (SBTL) stands out as a leading choice.

SBTL offers one of the most accessible and comprehensive pathways to learn information technology online. Whether you're a beginner looking to break into the tech sector or a working professional aiming to upskill, SBTL provides tailored, career-focused learning experiences.

Read more: https://sbusinesslondon.ac.uk/how-to-choose-the-right-it-course-for-your-career-path

[beardedmrbean]

A journalist targeted by a Russian spy ring said it had a list of "assassination methods" to kill him that was "beyond any imagination".

Christo Grozev told the BBC the group "fantasised" about his death, and talked about using a sledgehammer and even a "suicide bomber" to target him.

The Bulgarian, who has published several exposés on Russia with colleague Roman Dobrokhotov, said several incidents showed the pair were tracked across Europe and had agents "breathing down our necks".

He was speaking after three Bulgarian nationals were found guilty last week of spying for Russia one of the largest foreign intelligence operations in the UK.

Mr Grozev said that since the court case, Austrian police had reassured his children that this not could not happen again, adding that initially his family had been "shocked".

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme, he said the "list of imagined assassination methods" on his life "reads like a film noir".

He said one of the ways the spies "fantasised about killing me" was hiring an Islamic State group "suicide bomber and having him explode himself next to me in the street".

Mr Grozev said there was also a plan to kidnap him and "send me to a torture camp in Syria" while another man wearing a latex mask resembling him would fly to Russia on a commercial flight and be "arrested in front of cameras for full deniability".

"Another way was bludgeoning me to death using a sledgehammer", he said before adding that "the fantasy and imagination of these wannabe spies is beyond any imagination".

Mr Grozev said failures of Russian intelligence in the past meant that spying was being "outsourced" to non-professional spies.

He told the BBC that the fact they were using "non-professional" spies did not take away from the "intent to kill". The issue was that "wannabe spies" did not necessarily know how to de-escalate situations, he added.

He said he felt lucky to be alive given that he and his colleague were tracked by the spies for so long and the operation had been so well-funded. He and Mr Dobrokhotov were never on the lookout for EU citizens spying on them, but they had expected that Russian operatives would be observing them, he added.

The pair's work includes exposing Russia's role in the nerve agent attacks on then-Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2020 and Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2018.

Jan Marsalek, who instructed the spy ring on behalf of the Russian intelligence services, wrote in a message in December 2020 that Mr Grozev was the "lead investigator in the Navalny case".

A message sent by Marsalek to Orlin Roussev - who ran the UK-based group from a former guest house in Norfolk - said: "Personally I find Grozev not to be a very valuable target but apparently Putin seriously hates him."

After 2020, the spy cell followed the two journalists throughout Europe, spying on them on planes, in hotels and private properties.

On Friday, three spies were found guilty of spying for Russia in one of the largest" foreign intelligence operations in the UK.

In court, it came to light that operatives from the spy ring entered Grozev's flat in Vienna in 2022 "when my son was playing a computer game in his room", the journalist said.

He added: "I just don't want to think about what would've happened if my son decided to go out of his room during their burglary."

On Friday, Vanya Gaberova, 30, Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were found guilty of conspiracy to spy. While the trio had day jobs as a beautician, a healthcare worker, and a decorator, the cell they were part of plotted to kidnap and kill targets, as well as planned to ensnare them in so-called honeytraps.

The methods they used were the sort of thing you would "expect to see in a spy novel", said the Metropolitan Police's Cdr Dominic Murphy.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Working with that grassroots media again /s by u/Feisty_Energy_107

Working with that grassroots media again 🙄🤥/s I haven't seen the Channel 5 show Megxit: Inside the Sandringham Summit. (So if anyone has any details or thoughts about it, I'd love to read them.) But some sinners on X, including this one, made the link to Paramount and the channel (channel 5) the programme was on, which I didn't realise. Tentacles everywhere and as I said elsewhere, no wonder the Sussex hires are all PR and communications.HERE IS THE TWEET and the replies.https://ift.tt/N1EhS5v wikipedia:Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited is a British media company and wholly-owned subsidiary of American media conglomerate Paramount Global, as part of its UK and Australia division. Its original and principal activity is the British national television network 5), however it now also consists of four other digital channels and its own streaming service.Nancy Sidley has a small clip from the programme. PRINTER GATE. 🙀Nancy Sidley on X: "I seriously thought this was a joke… 🤣🤣🤣 #PrinterGate https://t.co/EoFAnLej8T" / X post link: https://ift.tt/usLXSnT author: Feisty_Energy_107 submitted: June 04, 2025 at 06:20PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[industry-insightsuk]

Deloitte to Create Hundreds of Tech Jobs Across the UK Through New Technology Centres

According to Deloitte, the firm is adding four new technology centres to its UK operations in Belfast, Cardiff, Manchester and Newcastle. At launch, 750 tech professionals will be involved, aiming to increase the workforce to 1,500 employees over the following three years. With this major commitment, Deloitte is backing regional growth, technology skills and the UK’s aim to be a leading country in technology.

From 1st June 2025, these centres will operate within Deloitte’s Technology & Transformation business. Their main goal is to provide clients with advanced technology, assisting them in modernising and succeeding in today’s fast-changing digital marketplace.

Responding to an Increase in Client Demand

As UK companies are transforming rapidly with new technology, the need for advanced tech services has risen sharply. The new centres from Deloitte will offer custom solutions in business, helping with application development, cloud engineering and AI integration in systems like SAP. Because of this expansion, the firm will be better able to address clients’ needs with onshore specialists.

Rob Cullen said that moving its data operations onshore represents an important step in making Deloitte the biggest onshore technology capability in the UK. “The opening of these centres confirms our work on transforming businesses and developing digital knowledge as well as regional advancement,” Cullen mentioned.

Belfast Leads the Expansion

The biggest of these new centers will be in Belfast, where Deloitte currently has over a thousand employees. The Belfast centre is on track to add another 500 technology experts to its team by 2025.

At the opening of Deloitte’s new office in Belfast, UK CEO Richard Houston, alongside First Minister O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Little-Pengelly, made the announcement.

The large investment in this region underlines how important Northern Ireland is becoming in the UK’s digital sector. As a top delivery location, Deloitte offers local jobs and is helping distributed economic development in Ireland.

Backing the Development of Inclusive and Diverse Career Pools

As part of opening its technology centre, Deloitte is pushing for inclusive hiring strategies. By running a successful pilot in the North East of England, the firm brought veterans, those returning to work and those without tech experience into the team. This way, Deloitte provides opportunities for growth in technology that anyone can access.

“While our centres create jobs, they also help support changes in careers and gaining new skills,” said Richard Bray, Managing Partner for Regions at Deloitte. We want everyone, regardless of where they come from, to be able to join the tech sector.

Deloitte will undertake various training programmes over many years at the new sites. Trainees will be developed into top technology delivery experts who can create and implement advanced business systems for clients in the UK.

Getting a Lift for Britain’s Technology Industry

Gareth Thomas, the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports, said this shows that tech companies consider the UK one of the leading countries to invest in. “With Deloitte’s commitment, our thriving tech sector is supercharged and economic growth increases,” he said. It reflects that our Plan for Change is succeeding and is in line with our future Industrial Strategy in business services.

Looking Ahead

Deloitte has invested a lot in new technology delivery centres to support innovation and talent in the UK. As it seeks to grow its tech team, the company is securing its own growth and assisting clients in preparing for the future with new technologies.

With regional development, hiring inclusively and using innovative thinking, Deloitte is both developing its expertise and helping the UK remain at the top in technology.