Jonathan Frewin
@jonfrewin.bsky.social
Journalist; truth seeker; enthusiast; currently bringing BBC news to listeners around the world. Devoted Dad and husband. Views my own...
Atmospheric London today
January 25, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Atmospheric London today
Do people who get knocked out of #TheTraitors before the end get sequestered in a hotel so friends and family don’t know they came home / went back to work early? It would kind of give the game away…
January 24, 2026 at 11:51 AM
Do people who get knocked out of #TheTraitors before the end get sequestered in a hotel so friends and family don’t know they came home / went back to work early? It would kind of give the game away…
It’s like a full commercial channel’s ad break before #thetraitors starts…
January 23, 2026 at 8:33 PM
It’s like a full commercial channel’s ad break before #thetraitors starts…
Stephen must secretly be hoping Rachel has the empty chest, as the turret will otherwise be rather awkward later. #thetraitors
January 23, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Stephen must secretly be hoping Rachel has the empty chest, as the turret will otherwise be rather awkward later. #thetraitors
Thought provoking in the context of the UK government consulting on whether to ban social media for under-16s.
I research the harm that can come to teenagers on social media. I don’t support a ban
The appeal of a ban lies in its simplicity. But complex social problems rarely yield to simple technological solutions.
theconversation.com
January 22, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Thought provoking in the context of the UK government consulting on whether to ban social media for under-16s.
The UK only rarely has full term fixed offers, but the best 5 year fix right now is 3.66%. I always find the starkly different mortgage rates in the two countries intriguing, given the Bank of England base rate is 3.75% and the US federal funds rate is 3.5-3.75%
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.09% last week.
6.96% a year ago.
6.96% a year ago.
January 22, 2026 at 6:06 PM
The UK only rarely has full term fixed offers, but the best 5 year fix right now is 3.66%. I always find the starkly different mortgage rates in the two countries intriguing, given the Bank of England base rate is 3.75% and the US federal funds rate is 3.5-3.75%
Share a photograph of mountains that you’ve taken.
January 22, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Share a photograph of mountains that you’ve taken.
I’ve always wondered how a heat pump can extract heat from air that’s colder outside than in, and Chris has a great way of explaining it here.
I mean it is amazing, really, from a human perspective. But think of it like this - there's a LOT more energy in that air (which is 253.15 Kelvin!) than the vacuum of outer space (a mere 2.7 Kelvin or so).
Yes, I know science says it's possible, and people with heat pumps in cold regions swear by them. But on a gut level I will never accept that a heat pump can extract heat from -20C (-4F) air.
January 22, 2026 at 4:10 PM
I’ve always wondered how a heat pump can extract heat from air that’s colder outside than in, and Chris has a great way of explaining it here.
Reposted by Jonathan Frewin
Quick iPhone Safari tab switching PSA, post-iOS software update. If you find the extra screen tap to move between tabs annoying, I discovered swiping up from the address bar lets you switch easily between them.
January 21, 2026 at 7:16 PM
Quick iPhone Safari tab switching PSA, post-iOS software update. If you find the extra screen tap to move between tabs annoying, I discovered swiping up from the address bar lets you switch easily between them.
NATO chief Mark Rutte is quite the Trump whisperer, or so it would seem. There was a very long pause, a sharp intake of breath, and was there a hint of humility on the president’s face when asked if the agreed Greenland deal included ownership, and he simply replied it was a very long term deal?
COLLINS: Does it include the US having ownership of Greenland?
TRUMP: It's a long term deal. It's the ultimate long term deal
COLLINS: How long is it?
TRUMP: Infinite. There is no time limit. It's a deal that's forever.
TRUMP: It's a long term deal. It's the ultimate long term deal
COLLINS: How long is it?
TRUMP: Infinite. There is no time limit. It's a deal that's forever.
January 21, 2026 at 10:43 PM
NATO chief Mark Rutte is quite the Trump whisperer, or so it would seem. There was a very long pause, a sharp intake of breath, and was there a hint of humility on the president’s face when asked if the agreed Greenland deal included ownership, and he simply replied it was a very long term deal?
I’m really interested to see if this call for a general strike in Minnesota on Friday to protest ICE has an impact. I was reminded of Iceland’s Women’s Day Off in 1975 when thinking about it. 90% of women there refused all work that day and it led to meaningful change for women in the aftermath.
Minneapolis AFL-CIO and several Minnesota labor bodies have called for a General Strike on Friday to protest ICE's occupation of the city.
Solidarity actions are planned in several cities as the movement could go national.
paydayreport.com/minneapolis-...
Solidarity actions are planned in several cities as the movement could go national.
paydayreport.com/minneapolis-...
Minneapolis AFL-CIO Calls for General Strike on Friday as Movement Spreads to Other Cities
This weekend, the Minneapolis AFL-CIO endorsed a measure calling for a general strike in response to ICE’s continued operations and raids in Minneapolis on Friday, January 23.
paydayreport.com
January 21, 2026 at 7:36 PM
I’m really interested to see if this call for a general strike in Minnesota on Friday to protest ICE has an impact. I was reminded of Iceland’s Women’s Day Off in 1975 when thinking about it. 90% of women there refused all work that day and it led to meaningful change for women in the aftermath.
Quick iPhone Safari tab switching PSA, post-iOS software update. If you find the extra screen tap to move between tabs annoying, I discovered swiping up from the address bar lets you switch easily between them.
January 21, 2026 at 7:16 PM
Quick iPhone Safari tab switching PSA, post-iOS software update. If you find the extra screen tap to move between tabs annoying, I discovered swiping up from the address bar lets you switch easily between them.
Twice in the past half hour on the radio I’ve heard news of the oldest cave art being discovered, dating back 68,000 years. Both times I thought they said “the oldest K-Mart”, and was very confused.
January 21, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Twice in the past half hour on the radio I’ve heard news of the oldest cave art being discovered, dating back 68,000 years. Both times I thought they said “the oldest K-Mart”, and was very confused.
Well this is a rare privilege!
January 21, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Well this is a rare privilege!
Reposted by Jonathan Frewin
If true, this would be worth a fortune.
January 21, 2026 at 3:05 AM
If true, this would be worth a fortune.
Reposted by Jonathan Frewin
Yesterday it was cows using tools, today its penguins using satellite imagery.
January 20, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Yesterday it was cows using tools, today its penguins using satellite imagery.
We went to see Sentimental Value, after it won six European Film Awards last night, including best picture. I’m not sure I agree with lead actor Stellan Skarsgard’s description of it as light like a soufflé, but it is a masterful film. Very affecting.
January 18, 2026 at 8:05 PM
We went to see Sentimental Value, after it won six European Film Awards last night, including best picture. I’m not sure I agree with lead actor Stellan Skarsgard’s description of it as light like a soufflé, but it is a masterful film. Very affecting.
Was thinking exactly this watching the show tonight.
I’ve said this before and I don’t think anyone’s ever been able to put my mind at rest… Isn’t it always the people up for murder that enter breakfast last? So if you’re playing the game, you know they were selected and all faithfuls. Amirite? #TheTraitors #TraitorsUK
January 16, 2026 at 11:54 PM
Was thinking exactly this watching the show tonight.
A bit of a milestone as my late 40s vision means i have had to boost the text size on my iPhone! Probably need reading glasses but would prefer monovision contact lenses. Anyone got experience good or bad with those?
January 16, 2026 at 4:58 PM
A bit of a milestone as my late 40s vision means i have had to boost the text size on my iPhone! Probably need reading glasses but would prefer monovision contact lenses. Anyone got experience good or bad with those?
I haven’t seen many articles on whether Donald Trump can try to seize Greenland without explicit Congressional authority (one would assume not but 🤷). Meanwhile this is interesting on bipartisan efforts to explicitly prevent such a move. The first three clicks get to read it for free.
US senators introduce bill to stop military from occupying Nato territories
Legislation would prevent American forces from using congressional funds to annex Greenland
giftarticle.ft.com
January 14, 2026 at 7:50 PM
I haven’t seen many articles on whether Donald Trump can try to seize Greenland without explicit Congressional authority (one would assume not but 🤷). Meanwhile this is interesting on bipartisan efforts to explicitly prevent such a move. The first three clicks get to read it for free.
I met up with a friend for lunch on the Aldwych and thought I might swing by the (I thought secret!) John Soane’s museum on Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Word clearly got out..!
January 14, 2026 at 2:02 PM
I met up with a friend for lunch on the Aldwych and thought I might swing by the (I thought secret!) John Soane’s museum on Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Word clearly got out..!
An atmospheric run through Mayow Park this morning
January 14, 2026 at 12:05 PM
An atmospheric run through Mayow Park this morning
Reposted by Jonathan Frewin
Elon Musk calling accountability for nonconsensual sexual images an "excuse of for censorship" perfectly exposes the lie at the heart of his "censorship industrial complex" crusade. When addressing abusive material of women and children is labeled "censorship," the term has lost all meaning.
Preventing the sharing of sexualised images of children is “censorship” according to Elon Musk.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Musk says X outcry is 'excuse for censorship'
The government is urging Ofcom to use all its powers – up to and including an effective ban – against X.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 10, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Elon Musk calling accountability for nonconsensual sexual images an "excuse of for censorship" perfectly exposes the lie at the heart of his "censorship industrial complex" crusade. When addressing abusive material of women and children is labeled "censorship," the term has lost all meaning.
It is pretty remarkable that a tool to identify and label social media requests to undress pictures of people can be built with about an hour of coding, with what’s claimed to be 98% accuracy. So it shouldn’t be too hard for social media sites with a will, to find a way to stop that sort of thing.
Over the weekend I used Zentropi to build a labeler that blocks requests to use AI to undress or sexualize real people. The labeler itself took maybe 30 minutes to a first solid draft, with another 30 minutes of tweaking. In my testing it's got an F1 of .98 on real examples pulled from X. 🧵 1/6
January 13, 2026 at 8:39 PM
It is pretty remarkable that a tool to identify and label social media requests to undress pictures of people can be built with about an hour of coding, with what’s claimed to be 98% accuracy. So it shouldn’t be too hard for social media sites with a will, to find a way to stop that sort of thing.
Delighted to find again the most frictionless government service in the UK is probably passport renewal. I filled out the easy online form a week ago and posted my daughter’s documents the same day. This arrived this morning!
And we didn’t pay extra for the one week turnaround either.
And we didn’t pay extra for the one week turnaround either.
January 13, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Delighted to find again the most frictionless government service in the UK is probably passport renewal. I filled out the easy online form a week ago and posted my daughter’s documents the same day. This arrived this morning!
And we didn’t pay extra for the one week turnaround either.
And we didn’t pay extra for the one week turnaround either.