Pete Birkinshaw
@binaryape.bsky.social
Hat-wearing devourer of chickpeas, Manchester vegan, manager of identities, developer of obscure software, Green inactivist, Elixir & Ruby coder, watcher of K-dramas, daft-apeth.
Alignment: Quixotic-Good
https://binary-ape.org
Alignment: Quixotic-Good
https://binary-ape.org
Pinned
Pete Birkinshaw
@binaryape.bsky.social
· Jul 30
I'm going to list Korean romcoms I've watched so far [copied from my old thread elsewhere]
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
Big news! The groundhog is back at my sister's and she gave him a plum
November 25, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Big news! The groundhog is back at my sister's and she gave him a plum
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’
The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’
The long read: Still largely viewed as a peaceful philosophy, across much of south-east Asia, the religion has been weaponised to serve nationalist goals
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:22 AM
The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’
Digital independence proposal for EU Parliament
Get us off Microsoft! Lawmakers press EU Parliament to change in-house IT.
“We cannot afford this level of dependence on foreign tech,” lawmakers say in letter obtained by POLITICO.
www.politico.eu
November 25, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Digital independence proposal for EU Parliament
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
As every year at Christmas, some Japanese theaters will screen "Tokyo Godfathers" ;o;
www.shin-bungeiza.com/schedule#d20...
www.shin-bungeiza.com/schedule#d20...
November 25, 2025 at 10:18 AM
As every year at Christmas, some Japanese theaters will screen "Tokyo Godfathers" ;o;
www.shin-bungeiza.com/schedule#d20...
www.shin-bungeiza.com/schedule#d20...
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
Also, read our official press release @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social, including a video summary of our study! www.ab.mpg.de/793308/news_...
Orangutans can’t master their complex diets without cultural knowledge
A new study highlights how orangutans' dietary knowledge is culturally accumulated, essential for their independence and survival.
www.ab.mpg.de
November 24, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Also, read our official press release @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social, including a video summary of our study! www.ab.mpg.de/793308/news_...
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
![R. H. Bing (October 20, 1914 – April 28, 1986)[1] was an American mathematician who worked mainly in the areas of geometric topology and continuum theory.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cyyd366g3hrxp5rynixm2mm3/bafkreid62wy3dekb2kzbisjfdlimlb35j4rlgew5iof7vi32byfszmg26a@jpeg)
![Bing's father was named Rupert Henry, but Bing's mother thought that "Rupert Henry" was too British for Texas. Thus she compromised by abbreviating it to R. H.[5] Consequently, R. H. does not stand for a first or middle name.
When Bing was applying for a visa, he was requested not to use initials. He explained that his name was really "R-only H-only Bing", and ended up receiving a visa made out to "Ronly Honly Bing".](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cyyd366g3hrxp5rynixm2mm3/bafkreigmfj53q4uy33spga2bxdkllqm3ag5sffovg5g7ddmu3vqzkb6k24@jpeg)
All the mostly polite arguing about Rogue One and ranking Star Wars films on Bluesky today seems like a good healthy pointless use of social media, we’re doing things right.
November 24, 2025 at 9:00 PM
All the mostly polite arguing about Rogue One and ranking Star Wars films on Bluesky today seems like a good healthy pointless use of social media, we’re doing things right.
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
Since most search engines don't work well for this, I'd recommend Kagi. They've got a lot of tooling to filter out AI slop and provide real, high quality results.
Probably the only decent search engine nowadays.
Probably the only decent search engine nowadays.
Today, we're launching SlopStop: Community-driven AI slop detection in Kagi Search.
Join our collective defense against AI-generated spam and content farms:
blog.kagi.com/slopstop
Join our collective defense against AI-generated spam and content farms:
blog.kagi.com/slopstop
November 22, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Since most search engines don't work well for this, I'd recommend Kagi. They've got a lot of tooling to filter out AI slop and provide real, high quality results.
Probably the only decent search engine nowadays.
Probably the only decent search engine nowadays.
Software “writing rubbish to disk”, thank goodness we defeated that
November 24, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Software “writing rubbish to disk”, thank goodness we defeated that
He should be heavily taxed for using “Damascene conversion” to refer to doing up a house, nevermind its value. Saint Paul was not a successful property flipper
‘I own a £2m farmhouse - Reeves’ mansion tax is punishment for being well-off’
‘I own a £2m farmhouse - Reeves’ mansion tax is punishment for being well-off’
‘I own a £2m farmhouse - Reeves’ mansion tax is punishment for being well-off’
www.independent.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 3:00 PM
He should be heavily taxed for using “Damascene conversion” to refer to doing up a house, nevermind its value. Saint Paul was not a successful property flipper
I’m a little disappointed that the waiting time to get a proper allergy test/diagnosis is a year. A year feels like a long time to be rolling dice.
November 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM
I’m a little disappointed that the waiting time to get a proper allergy test/diagnosis is a year. A year feels like a long time to be rolling dice.
The FT has called Ocado ‘The Tesla of grocery’ as if that was either a good thing or Ocado has killed hundreds of people while delivering groceries and funded fascism
November 24, 2025 at 12:58 PM
The FT has called Ocado ‘The Tesla of grocery’ as if that was either a good thing or Ocado has killed hundreds of people while delivering groceries and funded fascism
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
The final straw – the Information Commissioner's Office has decided NOT to investigate the Afghan data leak. It's time to investigate them!
Over 70 organisations and experts back ORG's call for an inquiry into the regulator's chronic failure to enforce data law.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Over 70 organisations and experts back ORG's call for an inquiry into the regulator's chronic failure to enforce data law.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Civil liberties groups call for inquiry into UK data protection watchdog
Campaigners including Good Law Project describe ICO ‘collapse in enforcement activity’ after Afghan data breach
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:19 AM
The final straw – the Information Commissioner's Office has decided NOT to investigate the Afghan data leak. It's time to investigate them!
Over 70 organisations and experts back ORG's call for an inquiry into the regulator's chronic failure to enforce data law.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Over 70 organisations and experts back ORG's call for an inquiry into the regulator's chronic failure to enforce data law.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
The details of over 19,000 people fleeing the Taliban were leaked in the most serious data breach in British history. At least 49 people have been killed as a result.
Yet the ICO shrugs.
This isn't an isolated case. It's part of a broader trend of the ICO not using its enforcement powers.
Enough.
Yet the ICO shrugs.
This isn't an isolated case. It's part of a broader trend of the ICO not using its enforcement powers.
Enough.
November 24, 2025 at 10:19 AM
The details of over 19,000 people fleeing the Taliban were leaked in the most serious data breach in British history. At least 49 people have been killed as a result.
Yet the ICO shrugs.
This isn't an isolated case. It's part of a broader trend of the ICO not using its enforcement powers.
Enough.
Yet the ICO shrugs.
This isn't an isolated case. It's part of a broader trend of the ICO not using its enforcement powers.
Enough.
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
TIL: conchologists
Search is on for the German hairy snail in London
Conchologists, and citizen scientists team up to seek out endangered mollusc species along River Thames
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:25 AM
TIL: conchologists
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
A tech bro, a former Tory PM, a brexiter, a small c conservative historian... that good old leftist bias is going as strong as ever! #r4today
November 24, 2025 at 7:42 AM
A tech bro, a former Tory PM, a brexiter, a small c conservative historian... that good old leftist bias is going as strong as ever! #r4today
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
Anyone who can look at the current underfunded state of UK universities and think there's half a billion quid you can take out of the sector without doing catastrophic damage is just not fit for office.
November 24, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Anyone who can look at the current underfunded state of UK universities and think there's half a billion quid you can take out of the sector without doing catastrophic damage is just not fit for office.
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
Today is Doctor Who Day, which honours the day that Doctor Who premiered on the BBC in 1963.
The TARDIS, The Doctor and many other aspects of the show are thanks to its co-creator, Sydney Newman of Toronto.
This is his story.
🧵 1/12
The TARDIS, The Doctor and many other aspects of the show are thanks to its co-creator, Sydney Newman of Toronto.
This is his story.
🧵 1/12
November 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Today is Doctor Who Day, which honours the day that Doctor Who premiered on the BBC in 1963.
The TARDIS, The Doctor and many other aspects of the show are thanks to its co-creator, Sydney Newman of Toronto.
This is his story.
🧵 1/12
The TARDIS, The Doctor and many other aspects of the show are thanks to its co-creator, Sydney Newman of Toronto.
This is his story.
🧵 1/12
Suspiciously Dark Pattern-like change from No to Yes answers for the I Do Not Need A Bloody TV License Go Away form
November 23, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Suspiciously Dark Pattern-like change from No to Yes answers for the I Do Not Need A Bloody TV License Go Away form
I’m watching the new Fantastic 4 film and it isn’t very good is it? Design is great. Script is… not good.
November 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
I’m watching the new Fantastic 4 film and it isn’t very good is it? Design is great. Script is… not good.
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
oh whoa the models aren't just getting better and better consistently huh
November 23, 2025 at 10:35 AM
oh whoa the models aren't just getting better and better consistently huh
Reposted by Pete Birkinshaw
"So far, rich countries have pledged just $788.8m to the UN’s fund. That’s 44 US cents for each of the 1.8 billion citizens in the Climate Vulnerable Forum nations: the sum total of our “compensation” for the disruption, disaster and death we have caused."
https://bit.ly/4o8Eozo
https://bit.ly/4o8Eozo
There’s a catastrophic black hole in our climate data – and it’s a gift to deniers | George Monbiot
Climate sceptics tell us that more people die of extreme cold than extreme heat. What’s the truth? asks Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:50 AM
"So far, rich countries have pledged just $788.8m to the UN’s fund. That’s 44 US cents for each of the 1.8 billion citizens in the Climate Vulnerable Forum nations: the sum total of our “compensation” for the disruption, disaster and death we have caused."
https://bit.ly/4o8Eozo
https://bit.ly/4o8Eozo