Mike Knell
@blat.at
Middle-aged SRE, he/him. British but currently happily resident in Austria. In a love-hate relationship with amateur radio since 1985. Cat staff member. Big fan of diversity, inclusion, empathy and humanity in general. Not a fan of bigots.
The 10th of January is the tenth anniversary of the death of David Bowie, the event which upset the balance of the cosmos and pitched the world into the darkness that began with the Brexit vote a few months later. Ten years is long enough for the planet to mourn. The turnaround starts here. #bowie
January 9, 2026 at 9:42 PM
The 10th of January is the tenth anniversary of the death of David Bowie, the event which upset the balance of the cosmos and pitched the world into the darkness that began with the Brexit vote a few months later. Ten years is long enough for the planet to mourn. The turnaround starts here. #bowie
Earlier today I followed Apple's repair manual to replace the display on my MacBook Pro having procured original parts via their online parts store. And it worked fine. Hooray for right to repair laws.
Fun fact: One of the internal TORX screws had a completely stripped head. Yep, from the factory.
Fun fact: One of the internal TORX screws had a completely stripped head. Yep, from the factory.
January 9, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Earlier today I followed Apple's repair manual to replace the display on my MacBook Pro having procured original parts via their online parts store. And it worked fine. Hooray for right to repair laws.
Fun fact: One of the internal TORX screws had a completely stripped head. Yep, from the factory.
Fun fact: One of the internal TORX screws had a completely stripped head. Yep, from the factory.
Reposted by Mike Knell
Had forgotten the utter joy of this. And if you feel inspired to donate after watching it, the U.K. Comic Relief website is www.comicrelief.com
The charity vid has always been my favourite thing on the internet, nothing else comes close.
Flight of the Conchords - Feel Inside (and stuff like that) - official Cure Kids long version
YouTube video by CureKidsNZ
www.youtube.com
January 8, 2026 at 12:31 PM
Had forgotten the utter joy of this. And if you feel inspired to donate after watching it, the U.K. Comic Relief website is www.comicrelief.com
Reposted by Mike Knell
These are apparently facial reconstructions of a 2,300-year-old Pazyryk Scythian male and female from the same kurgan in Berel, Kazakhstan and not - as I first thought - that couple I met at a Spiral Tribe soundsystem in 1992 who sold me E that turned out to be paracetamol.
January 8, 2026 at 8:28 AM
These are apparently facial reconstructions of a 2,300-year-old Pazyryk Scythian male and female from the same kurgan in Berel, Kazakhstan and not - as I first thought - that couple I met at a Spiral Tribe soundsystem in 1992 who sold me E that turned out to be paracetamol.
TIL that during the planning for the London Olympics opening ceremony some unfortunate researcher phoned up the Who's manager to ask if Keith Moon might be interested in taking part. They were politely informed that it might prove hard to reach him as he had died in 1978.
January 3, 2026 at 7:29 PM
TIL that during the planning for the London Olympics opening ceremony some unfortunate researcher phoned up the Who's manager to ask if Keith Moon might be interested in taking part. They were politely informed that it might prove hard to reach him as he had died in 1978.
If you want to understand how little sunshine there was here in December, between 1-25 Dec there were only 7.4 more hours of sun than there were at the North Pole.
January 3, 2026 at 6:31 PM
If you want to understand how little sunshine there was here in December, between 1-25 Dec there were only 7.4 more hours of sun than there were at the North Pole.
Just checked the public data and there has been more sunshine in Vienna (specifically, at Hohe Warte) between New Year's Day and 11:00 on the 3rd of January (9.6 hours) than there was in the first _25_ days of December (7.4 hours). Good lord.
January 3, 2026 at 10:46 AM
Just checked the public data and there has been more sunshine in Vienna (specifically, at Hohe Warte) between New Year's Day and 11:00 on the 3rd of January (9.6 hours) than there was in the first _25_ days of December (7.4 hours). Good lord.
Reposted by Mike Knell
Map of Europe if sea levels rose 6000 m
January 2, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Map of Europe if sea levels rose 6000 m
I see Meera Syal got a damehood in the New Year's Honours list. This must represent the final victory of the Rabindranaths over the Kapoors.. sorry, the Robinsons over the Coopers.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rty7...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rty7...
Meet the Coopers from Goodness Gracious Me | Goodness Gracious Me | BBC Comedy Greats
YouTube video by BBC Comedy Greats
www.youtube.com
January 2, 2026 at 12:54 PM
I see Meera Syal got a damehood in the New Year's Honours list. This must represent the final victory of the Rabindranaths over the Kapoors.. sorry, the Robinsons over the Coopers.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rty7...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rty7...
Reposted by Mike Knell
THREAD: my New Year's resolution is that after much thought I am going to take up playing the drums again after a thirty year hiatus caused by never living anywhere I could play a drum kit without infuriating the neighbours and which eventually just became habit. But.. once a drummer, right? 1/n
January 1, 2026 at 6:26 PM
THREAD: my New Year's resolution is that after much thought I am going to take up playing the drums again after a thirty year hiatus caused by never living anywhere I could play a drum kit without infuriating the neighbours and which eventually just became habit. But.. once a drummer, right? 1/n
Ref previous post: I don't think it's bad or anything that a drummer born in the 90s hasn't heard of Keith Moon. Music moves on and drummers keep inventing new stuff and it's good for them to not be beholden to the past. Keith was a god amongst drummers (as is Ringo, don't @ me) but he died in 1978.
January 1, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Ref previous post: I don't think it's bad or anything that a drummer born in the 90s hasn't heard of Keith Moon. Music moves on and drummers keep inventing new stuff and it's good for them to not be beholden to the past. Keith was a god amongst drummers (as is Ringo, don't @ me) but he died in 1978.
I am feeling so very old - watching a drumming video where a pro drummer of today is played Baba O'Riley and then asked "Have you ever heard of Keith Moon?"
"I don't... think so?"
"I don't... think so?"
January 1, 2026 at 1:12 PM
I am feeling so very old - watching a drumming video where a pro drummer of today is played Baba O'Riley and then asked "Have you ever heard of Keith Moon?"
"I don't... think so?"
"I don't... think so?"
The obsession with UBI among American progressives is just another example of thinking that every societal problem that exists in the US is something that they have to solve from first principles rather than considering solutions which have been in use elsewhere for decades, such as a welfare state.
December 28, 2025 at 5:56 PM
The obsession with UBI among American progressives is just another example of thinking that every societal problem that exists in the US is something that they have to solve from first principles rather than considering solutions which have been in use elsewhere for decades, such as a welfare state.
Reposted by Mike Knell
A modern fairytale:
Jack the cat went missing from his home in North Holland. He’d got on the last train of the night to Schiphol. Luckily conductor Marcel found him, took him in the cabin then took him home for the night. “I’m responsible for all passengers, including Jack”
nos.nl/artikel/2596...
Jack the cat went missing from his home in North Holland. He’d got on the last train of the night to Schiphol. Luckily conductor Marcel found him, took him in the cabin then took him home for the night. “I’m responsible for all passengers, including Jack”
nos.nl/artikel/2596...
December 27, 2025 at 4:56 PM
A modern fairytale:
Jack the cat went missing from his home in North Holland. He’d got on the last train of the night to Schiphol. Luckily conductor Marcel found him, took him in the cabin then took him home for the night. “I’m responsible for all passengers, including Jack”
nos.nl/artikel/2596...
Jack the cat went missing from his home in North Holland. He’d got on the last train of the night to Schiphol. Luckily conductor Marcel found him, took him in the cabin then took him home for the night. “I’m responsible for all passengers, including Jack”
nos.nl/artikel/2596...
Just discovered that Nigel Farage has only got one ball.
December 26, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Just discovered that Nigel Farage has only got one ball.
Sitting outside a convenience store in Lemesos and there are three pre-teen boys having a belching contest. It's nice how kids here can still make their own entertainment rather than hiding at home all day playing Belch Royale 2025 on Playstation.
December 26, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Sitting outside a convenience store in Lemesos and there are three pre-teen boys having a belching contest. It's nice how kids here can still make their own entertainment rather than hiding at home all day playing Belch Royale 2025 on Playstation.
I believe the term is "mood".
December 25, 2025 at 2:29 PM
I believe the term is "mood".
Dog owners may hate me for this but since when was it okay to walk onto a plane carrying your darling furbaby yap machine without their even having to be in a carrier? I'll bring one of the cats next time, that'll show them.
Wouldn't be an issue but the autistic 7yo is frightened of yappy dogs..
Wouldn't be an issue but the autistic 7yo is frightened of yappy dogs..
December 24, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Dog owners may hate me for this but since when was it okay to walk onto a plane carrying your darling furbaby yap machine without their even having to be in a carrier? I'll bring one of the cats next time, that'll show them.
Wouldn't be an issue but the autistic 7yo is frightened of yappy dogs..
Wouldn't be an issue but the autistic 7yo is frightened of yappy dogs..
Getting on a plane for the first time in a while and I swear so many people have walked past my row heading aft that they must be marching them straight off down the back stairs and back in through the front. They're just going round and round, like the Truman Show.
December 24, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Getting on a plane for the first time in a while and I swear so many people have walked past my row heading aft that they must be marching them straight off down the back stairs and back in through the front. They're just going round and round, like the Truman Show.
I would like to point out that the announcement that the US intends to build what could very much be described as a Potemkin battleship came *exactly* one hundred years and one day after the release of "The Battleship Potemkin". www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_bk...
Battleship "Potemkin" | DRAMA | FULL MOVIE | by Sergei Eisenstein
YouTube video by Mosfilm
www.youtube.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:53 PM
I would like to point out that the announcement that the US intends to build what could very much be described as a Potemkin battleship came *exactly* one hundred years and one day after the release of "The Battleship Potemkin". www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_bk...
You have to love Mark Knopfler. It takes a special kind of dedication to your craft to turn your back on a multi-million pound band like Dire Straits in order to write perfectly formed little ditties about, say, buying shoes. youtu.be/yzBGbsWZxLg
Mark Knopfler - Quality Shoe
YouTube video by Mark Knopfler'sWorld
youtu.be
December 22, 2025 at 11:13 PM
You have to love Mark Knopfler. It takes a special kind of dedication to your craft to turn your back on a multi-million pound band like Dire Straits in order to write perfectly formed little ditties about, say, buying shoes. youtu.be/yzBGbsWZxLg
SOL INVICTUS EST, MOTHERFUCKERS
December 21, 2025 at 3:36 PM
SOL INVICTUS EST, MOTHERFUCKERS