Tech Brief 23 November 2025 lands with stories coded in frustration, ambition, and the odd bit of British awkwardness. Today, automation in classrooms is under fire, digital identity on professional networks gets a reality check, and cybercrime policing takes a bold new turn. All set against the backdrop of a culture that still values a soldering iron and a bit of DIY. Missed yesterday’s Tech Brief? Catch up here before diving in.
Students Revolt Over AI-Taught University Course
“We could have just asked ChatGPT.” That was the verdict from forty-one students at Staffordshire University, who discovered their coding module was largely delivered using AI-generated material. The clues? Odd file names, strange voiceovers, and a learning experience that felt more like running a script than attending a class. This was supposed to get them ready for cybersecurity jobs, but many say the course left them feeling “robbed of knowledge and enjoyment.” It is a future that feels particularly grim to anyone who once debugged error-prone Acorn lessons or typed endless BASIC into a battered home computer. The row highlights a persistent demand for real, human teaching, even when automation is the cheaper option. The big question now: should government funding buy a teacher or a chatbot? If you have ever wondered whether technology can replace a patient mentor, this story will feel uncomfortably close to home.
LinkedIn Gender Bias Exposed by “Bro Boost” Experiment
Can changing your gender on LinkedIn really multiply your reach? A grassroots experiment says yes. Women who tweaked their profile names and language to sound more “like a bloke” saw sharp rises in engagement, despite LinkedIn’s official denials of any algorithmic bias. The so-called “bro boost” exposes a digital playing field that is just as slanted as offline offices from the 90s. Even now, algorithms can reinforce the same barriers that kept some voices quieter on early web forums and USENET. The revelation has sparked both anger and a wry nostalgia for when the loudest voices on IRC were always assumed to be male. If workplace tech platforms are still replicating the rougher bits of retro web culture, maybe the best response is to call it out and keep the conversation going.
Subpostmasters Told: “No Jury Would Believe the Computer Failed”
Startling research into the Post Office Horizon case shows that subpostmasters, prosecuted on faulty evidence, were told that juries would never believe the organisation’s system could be wrong. For years, a broken IT system generated financial errors, leading to criminal convictions and ruined lives. Technological failure does not get more consequential than this. Unlike a crashed 16-bit game or a forgotten password, the Horizon debacle shows what happens when corporate faith in IT outweighs common sense or testimony from real users. The scandal continues to shape legal reforms and fuels debate about accountability, trust, and who gets to have the final say. If this does not make you want to double-check the ledger, nothing will.
UK Targets “Bulletproof” Hosts as Cybercrime Crackdown Steps Up
Fact: The National Crime Agency and international partners have cracked down on bulletproof hosting providers, businesses designed to shrug off law enforcement, and popular with ransomware gangs. These shadowy networks have powered attacks against NHS trusts, councils, and critical services. The action marks a shift from clean-up to pre-emptive policing. For anyone who ever ran a home FTP or worried their web server might turn rogue, the rise of bulletproof hosting is more familiar than it sounds. As with the Horizon scandal above, trust in your system’s limits really does matter, whether that is physical hardware or the rules behind digital property lines. Clean hands and a backup plan remain the best defences.
From the Wayback Machine
On This Day: 1963 – The BBC aired the first episode of Doctor Who. At 5:15 PM, William Hartnell starred as the Doctor. The TARDIS appeared bigger on the inside, bringing DIY set skills and science fiction to the mainstream. Production relied on black-and-white video, handcrafted effects, creative camera tricks, and a team determined to make teen pop music and adult drama collide on a tight budget. The result was British sci-fi’s best-known legend and a legacy that keeps regenerating with each new decade.
What This Means
Sometimes, it is the unplanned consequences of our best intentions that make the loudest noise. Tech Brief 23 November 2025 asks us to keep questioning who is really in control, and whether the future looks any more human-friendly than it did in those early microclub meetings.
Take a break, dust off your favourite BBC Micro, and keep sending those repair stories. No algorithm required. Stay curious, stay odd.
Missed yesterday’s Tech Brief? Catch up here
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