Adrian Bowyer
@adrianbowyer.bsky.social
No worthwhile human achievement has ever been instigated on the basis of demonstrable cost effectiveness.
https://adrianbowyer.com
📍Europe
https://adrianbowyer.com
📍Europe
Pinned
Most areas of human thought are wrong because they assume they're right. Science is mostly right because it assumes it is wrong.
Most ways of achieving things fail because they assume they'll work. Engineering mostly works because it assumes things will go wrong.
Most ways of achieving things fail because they assume they'll work. Engineering mostly works because it assumes things will go wrong.
Literally every economist who wasn't actually a swivel-eyed babbling libertarian loon* said before the Brexit referendum that this would happen.
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* A surprisingly small proportion.
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* A surprisingly small proportion.
Estimates of the economic costs of Brexit continue to grow. Now showing UK economy between 6 and 8 percent smaller than it would have been. That in turn means £60bn lost tax revenue every year. Think what a difference that would have made to tax & spend decisions …
February 18, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Literally every economist who wasn't actually a swivel-eyed babbling libertarian loon* said before the Brexit referendum that this would happen.
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* A surprisingly small proportion.
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* A surprisingly small proportion.
The first oil refinery in the World was in Romania.
But this success illustrates the necessity of using the extra growth and profits from the green transition to redeploy those who would otherwise be left behind.
But this success illustrates the necessity of using the extra growth and profits from the green transition to redeploy those who would otherwise be left behind.
Romania has decoupled economic growth from pollution faster than anywhere else in EU. Its net greenhouse gas emissions intensity fell 88% between 1990 & 2023, so each euro’s worth of economic activity heats planet 10 times less. Emissions have plunged by 75%. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘The trend is irreversible’: has Romania shattered the link between economic growth and high emissions?
Emissions have plunged 75% since communist times in the birthplace of big oil – but for some the transition has been brutal
www.theguardian.com
February 18, 2026 at 9:55 AM
The first oil refinery in the World was in Romania.
But this success illustrates the necessity of using the extra growth and profits from the green transition to redeploy those who would otherwise be left behind.
But this success illustrates the necessity of using the extra growth and profits from the green transition to redeploy those who would otherwise be left behind.
Wuthering Heights = Wuthering Volumes/(Wuthering Lengths x Wuthering Widths)
February 17, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Wuthering Heights = Wuthering Volumes/(Wuthering Lengths x Wuthering Widths)
When (on the right) you've lost the Telegraph, you've really lost.
An extraordinary new column in the Daily Telegraph (no, that's not a typo!) by Ambrose Evans Pritchard.
Yes, it includes two charts by Carbon Brief, sure.
But stay for the concluding few paragraphs about the electoral suicide of climate denial...
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
Yes, it includes two charts by Carbon Brief, sure.
But stay for the concluding few paragraphs about the electoral suicide of climate denial...
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
February 17, 2026 at 8:06 PM
When (on the right) you've lost the Telegraph, you've really lost.
When my father founded an engineering firm in the 1960s they had a room full of drawing boards, but only one draughtsman.
An important potential client was to walk through, so they sent him to the pub to drag back men and women to sit there and play with the T-squares and pencils...
An important potential client was to walk through, so they sent him to the pub to drag back men and women to sit there and play with the T-squares and pencils...
its insane that drafting as an occupation used to just involve countless huge rooms of dads in shirts and ties, scattered all over the country, leaning over tables with their asses perked up all day as their 9-5 job
February 17, 2026 at 5:26 PM
When my father founded an engineering firm in the 1960s they had a room full of drawing boards, but only one draughtsman.
An important potential client was to walk through, so they sent him to the pub to drag back men and women to sit there and play with the T-squares and pencils...
An important potential client was to walk through, so they sent him to the pub to drag back men and women to sit there and play with the T-squares and pencils...
Reposted by Adrian Bowyer
"There is also an awkward truth Detroit executives will only whisper: Many dealers actively sabotaged EV sales. Car dealerships make most of their money on parts and service. EVs need far less maintenance...For a dealer, every EV sold represents years of lost...income." www.thefp.com/p/the-car-wo...
The Car World Is Going Electric, Without America
After $50 billion in squandered investments, will U.S. auto companies finally get serious—or just watch while China wins, asks Michael Dunne.
www.thefp.com
February 17, 2026 at 4:56 PM
"There is also an awkward truth Detroit executives will only whisper: Many dealers actively sabotaged EV sales. Car dealerships make most of their money on parts and service. EVs need far less maintenance...For a dealer, every EV sold represents years of lost...income." www.thefp.com/p/the-car-wo...
Reposted by Adrian Bowyer
And if you’re wondering “Why is there a blob in the back?” Well, that’s where the first woman president was supposed to go. More than a century later, it remains unsculpted.
February 17, 2026 at 3:38 AM
And if you’re wondering “Why is there a blob in the back?” Well, that’s where the first woman president was supposed to go. More than a century later, it remains unsculpted.
In our current situation this is obviously bad.
But we need more people to stand up and say that, long term, the ideal society is one with 0% employment.
But we need more people to stand up and say that, long term, the ideal society is one with 0% employment.
UK unemployment rate rises to 5.2%, the highest level in nearly five years
UK unemployment rate rises to 5.2%, the highest level in nearly five years
Figure from ONS will be closely watched by Bank of England as it makes interest rates decision
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Business live – latest updates
Unemployment in the UK has risen to 5.2%, the highest level in nearly five years, official figures have revealed.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rate of unemployment was 5.2% in the three months to the end of December, the highest rate since the quarter to January 2021. This was in line with what economists had been expecting and was up from 5.1% in the three months to November. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 1:23 PM
In our current situation this is obviously bad.
But we need more people to stand up and say that, long term, the ideal society is one with 0% employment.
But we need more people to stand up and say that, long term, the ideal society is one with 0% employment.
Google now allows you to set your preferred sources for information. It would be good also to have the opposite: basically a don't-show-me-shite-from-the-Daily-Mail list as well.
February 17, 2026 at 1:14 PM
Google now allows you to set your preferred sources for information. It would be good also to have the opposite: basically a don't-show-me-shite-from-the-Daily-Mail list as well.
Reposted by Adrian Bowyer
Hello bluesky, I'm a theoretical chemist at University of Bayreuth. My group works on atomistic modeling of energy materials with electronic structure methods and ML. I'm hoping to connect to other #compchem and #materials folks!
February 16, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Hello bluesky, I'm a theoretical chemist at University of Bayreuth. My group works on atomistic modeling of energy materials with electronic structure methods and ML. I'm hoping to connect to other #compchem and #materials folks!
Christ almighty! Forgetting, just for a moment, the pedophilia and misogyny, how did Epstein even remember the names of all these fuckers?
Hotel magnate Thomas Pritzker is retiring as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels, after new documents were released detailing the extent of his association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Thomas Pritzker, Named in Epstein Files, Retires as Hyatt Executive Chairman
The hotelier communicated with both Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
on.wsj.com
February 16, 2026 at 11:26 PM
Christ almighty! Forgetting, just for a moment, the pedophilia and misogyny, how did Epstein even remember the names of all these fuckers?
Completely unconvincing: Pitt is 1.8m high, Cruise is 1.7m...
It took only a 15-second clip of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt duking it out on a crumbling rooftop — made by A.I. with a two-sentence prompt and the click of a button — to draw swift outrage, and sizable fear, from Hollywood.
"It’s nothing short of terrifying," one scriptwriter said.
"It’s nothing short of terrifying," one scriptwriter said.
Why an A.I. Video of Tom Cruise Battling Brad Pitt Spooked Hollywood
A 15-second clip created by an artificial intelligence tool owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance appears more cinematic than anything so far.
nyti.ms
February 16, 2026 at 10:41 PM
Completely unconvincing: Pitt is 1.8m high, Cruise is 1.7m...
Reposted by Adrian Bowyer
Si c'est stupide, malveillant, mensonger, cherche la Pam...
February 16, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Si c'est stupide, malveillant, mensonger, cherche la Pam...
So I just mashed some Stilton into some french dressing with a fork to make blue cheese dressing. Is this a thing? Is this how it's supposed to be done? Seemed to work. Tastes good.
February 16, 2026 at 6:16 PM
So I just mashed some Stilton into some french dressing with a fork to make blue cheese dressing. Is this a thing? Is this how it's supposed to be done? Seemed to work. Tastes good.
Polystyrene foam in Molotov cocktails?
Can you think of examples where people use technologies differently from what the developers intended, whether unintentionally or as an act of resistance?
February 16, 2026 at 12:59 AM
Polystyrene foam in Molotov cocktails?
Reposted by Adrian Bowyer
The Higgs boson demonstrated the central magic of science: that we can write down an equation and it can predict something never before suspected in the real world. Peter Higgs in 1964 predicted the Higgs and there, 48 years later, at the LHC, there it was! www.hive.co.uk/Product/Marc...
December 4, 2024 at 2:47 PM
The Higgs boson demonstrated the central magic of science: that we can write down an equation and it can predict something never before suspected in the real world. Peter Higgs in 1964 predicted the Higgs and there, 48 years later, at the LHC, there it was! www.hive.co.uk/Product/Marc...
Reposted by Adrian Bowyer
This is the Gov looking for your input on the BBC. It takes a while to complete (15/20 mins) but it’s pretty comprehensive and covers most aspects.
Please share. I’m surprised many people haven’t seen it yet.
www.gov.uk/government/c...
Please share. I’m surprised many people haven’t seen it yet.
www.gov.uk/government/c...
Britain’s Story: The Next Chapter - BBC Royal Charter Review, Green Paper and public consultation
www.gov.uk
February 15, 2026 at 6:19 PM
This is the Gov looking for your input on the BBC. It takes a while to complete (15/20 mins) but it’s pretty comprehensive and covers most aspects.
Please share. I’m surprised many people haven’t seen it yet.
www.gov.uk/government/c...
Please share. I’m surprised many people haven’t seen it yet.
www.gov.uk/government/c...
Reposted by Adrian Bowyer
I realise this marriage proposal is out of the blue, but I saw you use a plural possessive apostrophe correctly on social media.
February 15, 2026 at 7:22 PM
I realise this marriage proposal is out of the blue, but I saw you use a plural possessive apostrophe correctly on social media.
Unhappy the time that needs heros.
😭😭😭 a community member just handed this off to a patroller in our neighborhood
February 15, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Unhappy the time that needs heros.
Reposted by Adrian Bowyer
As for my favourite spoonerized business name, it will never not be this furniture showroom in New Zealand...
July 22, 2025 at 10:42 AM
As for my favourite spoonerized business name, it will never not be this furniture showroom in New Zealand...
Haven't really seen much Olympics, but I just caught a medal ceremony, which left me with just one question: WTF IS WITH THE CUDDLY TOY?
February 15, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Haven't really seen much Olympics, but I just caught a medal ceremony, which left me with just one question: WTF IS WITH THE CUDDLY TOY?
Phrases that fall into desuetude and then suddenly re-emerge decades later #278: "piping hot".
February 15, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Phrases that fall into desuetude and then suddenly re-emerge decades later #278: "piping hot".
Reposted by Adrian Bowyer
Exhausted and dehydrated, I slowly walk the last few steps. “This has to be it,” I think to myself. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and turn the handle, whispering a little prayer as I step through. I open my eyes and the last trickle of hope leaks away. I am still in IKEA.
February 15, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Exhausted and dehydrated, I slowly walk the last few steps. “This has to be it,” I think to myself. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and turn the handle, whispering a little prayer as I step through. I open my eyes and the last trickle of hope leaks away. I am still in IKEA.
Always entertaining to read a good hatchet job. This is a long way along the road towards the very definition* of that term.
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* The late Clive James's review of Princess Daisy for the LRB, which you can read here: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v0...
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* The late Clive James's review of Princess Daisy for the LRB, which you can read here: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v0...
February 15, 2026 at 12:37 PM
Always entertaining to read a good hatchet job. This is a long way along the road towards the very definition* of that term.
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* The late Clive James's review of Princess Daisy for the LRB, which you can read here: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v0...
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* The late Clive James's review of Princess Daisy for the LRB, which you can read here: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v0...
One of the things about the #ClimatEmergency is that it is unfolding slowly when compared to people's memories and sense of time.
In ten years we will have forgotten that we used to take raspberries, strawberries & blueberries in winter, or - who knows? - at any time, for granted.
In ten years we will have forgotten that we used to take raspberries, strawberries & blueberries in winter, or - who knows? - at any time, for granted.
🍓🫐 Noticed a shortage of raspberries, strawberries & blueberries on the supermarket shelf? You could soon.
🇪🇸 🇲🇦 Devastating storms in Spain & Morocco – where we get most of our winter berries – have destroyed polytunnels, flooded farms. 150,000 have been evacuated in 🇲🇦 🧵1/3
🇪🇸 🇲🇦 Devastating storms in Spain & Morocco – where we get most of our winter berries – have destroyed polytunnels, flooded farms. 150,000 have been evacuated in 🇲🇦 🧵1/3
February 15, 2026 at 12:14 PM
One of the things about the #ClimatEmergency is that it is unfolding slowly when compared to people's memories and sense of time.
In ten years we will have forgotten that we used to take raspberries, strawberries & blueberries in winter, or - who knows? - at any time, for granted.
In ten years we will have forgotten that we used to take raspberries, strawberries & blueberries in winter, or - who knows? - at any time, for granted.