Tom
@pheasant.bsky.social
Blogging the slow rehabilitation of the abandoned allotment we just took on. Also, random likes and rebleets of politics, science, climate, computing, and history. Trying to be pleasant.
Pinned
Tom
@pheasant.bsky.social
· Dec 7
We can all switch out of the US tech ecosystem. Here's how I've switched: mail -> TutaMail, maps -> HereWeGo, messaging -> Viber, cloud storage -> Jottacloud, eBay -> OnBuy, taxi -> Freenow or Bolt. Then there's Instagram -> PixelFed plus the whole fediverse
Great article, worth reading to the end
What ICE is doing on US streets looks terrifying, but don’t forget: it could happen anywhere | Nesrine Malik
What ICE is doing on US streets looks terrifying, but don’t forget: it could happen anywhere | Nesrine Malik
This shocking moment is the outcome of a political, institutional and media environment that is not far off Britain’s, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik
www.theguardian.com
January 19, 2026 at 10:32 AM
Great article, worth reading to the end
Some really good points made here about why Musk should not be expelled from the Royal Academy of Sciences. It's changed my mind on the matter www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
Royal Society president reignites Elon Musk row by defending lack of action
Society should only eject fellows for fraud or other defects in their research, says Paul Nurse
www.theguardian.com
January 14, 2026 at 5:30 AM
Some really good points made here about why Musk should not be expelled from the Royal Academy of Sciences. It's changed my mind on the matter www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
Reposted by Tom
✨ 2026 is a critical year for #TaxJustice
Tax is our social superpower. It funds public services, curbs inequality, and strengthens democracy.
📬 Be part of the movement. Join our email community: 👉https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/w2b9j7
#UNTaxConvention #TaxTheSuperRich
Tax is our social superpower. It funds public services, curbs inequality, and strengthens democracy.
📬 Be part of the movement. Join our email community: 👉https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/w2b9j7
#UNTaxConvention #TaxTheSuperRich
January 12, 2026 at 7:00 AM
✨ 2026 is a critical year for #TaxJustice
Tax is our social superpower. It funds public services, curbs inequality, and strengthens democracy.
📬 Be part of the movement. Join our email community: 👉https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/w2b9j7
#UNTaxConvention #TaxTheSuperRich
Tax is our social superpower. It funds public services, curbs inequality, and strengthens democracy.
📬 Be part of the movement. Join our email community: 👉https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/w2b9j7
#UNTaxConvention #TaxTheSuperRich
Had a fire today. Found an incinerator on an abandoned #allotment nearby and got rid of a few wheel barrow loads of branches we cleared earlier in the year.
January 11, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Had a fire today. Found an incinerator on an abandoned #allotment nearby and got rid of a few wheel barrow loads of branches we cleared earlier in the year.
Interesting about jail breaking tech www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Trump may be the beginning of the end for ‘enshittification’ – this is our chance to make tech good again | Cory Doctorow
The US president is weaponising tech, but his tariffs and Brexit provide a surprising opportunity to gain back digital control of our lives, says science fiction author, activist and journalist Cory D...
www.theguardian.com
January 10, 2026 at 8:13 AM
Interesting about jail breaking tech www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Tom
The Two Ronnies - Swedish Made Simple by Gerald Wiley (9th January 1975)
January 9, 2026 at 6:02 PM
The Two Ronnies - Swedish Made Simple by Gerald Wiley (9th January 1975)
Having lost two loved ones last year, this piece touched me a lot www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Experience: I’m Britain’s best gravedigger
People say my job must make me morbid, but I think the opposite is true, I truly appreciate life
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 8:21 AM
Having lost two loved ones last year, this piece touched me a lot www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Reposted by Tom
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.
The list of organisations here is quite extensive. Means the us is cutting itself off from a lot of inorganic bodies, IPCC, IEF, Global Counterterrorism Forum; etc
This is insane. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States
MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United
www.whitehouse.gov
January 8, 2026 at 3:18 AM
The list of organisations here is quite extensive. Means the us is cutting itself off from a lot of inorganic bodies, IPCC, IEF, Global Counterterrorism Forum; etc
20/6/26 - London - 10 Years since the referendum, join us for the biggest Rejoin EU March yet! Check out the website for all the info, and spread the word! www.marchforrejoin.co.uk/nrmiv
NRM EVENT - NRM IV June 2026 | National Rejoin March
www.marchforrejoin.co.uk
January 6, 2026 at 9:14 PM
20/6/26 - London - 10 Years since the referendum, join us for the biggest Rejoin EU March yet! Check out the website for all the info, and spread the word! www.marchforrejoin.co.uk/nrmiv
Reposting through grow teeth because I hate the boomer, gen Z etc terminology (it's a misleading way of thinking, and using it shows a blinkered mindset). Still, the article itself is important and ingesting - and doesn't mention the B word.
Hey, Boomers: Read this. Your vaccinations may be doing double duty! (Gift article)
Vaccines Are Helping Older People More Than We Knew
www.nytimes.com
January 6, 2026 at 9:47 AM
Reposting through grow teeth because I hate the boomer, gen Z etc terminology (it's a misleading way of thinking, and using it shows a blinkered mindset). Still, the article itself is important and ingesting - and doesn't mention the B word.
Reposted by Tom
The @nytimes.com now confirming that, yep, this is exactly what happened www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/w...
January 4, 2026 at 6:27 AM
The @nytimes.com now confirming that, yep, this is exactly what happened www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/w...
This analysis seems spot on
16 hours in, my guess this was all intended basically as a coup to put VP Delcy Rodriguez in power (likely without her knowledge but 🤷).
At least for democracy & human rights, that might be even worse than the "opening shots in a war" scenario.
All speculation, but let me explain:
At least for democracy & human rights, that might be even worse than the "opening shots in a war" scenario.
All speculation, but let me explain:
January 4, 2026 at 7:29 AM
This analysis seems spot on
Cut the two larger Brussels and picked up some kale while I was there at the #allotment. Not too bad for a first effort
January 3, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Cut the two larger Brussels and picked up some kale while I was there at the #allotment. Not too bad for a first effort
Shocking stuff. X and Grok should be banned in the UK. Americans have lost their moral compass. www.readtpa.com/p/grok-cant-...
January 3, 2026 at 6:33 AM
Shocking stuff. X and Grok should be banned in the UK. Americans have lost their moral compass. www.readtpa.com/p/grok-cant-...
Well. Uncannily accurate, I would say
January 2, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Well. Uncannily accurate, I would say
Dug up my horseradish today. Are they supposed to look like this? It's only about 6 months, from a bit of root my dad gave me. I got most of the roots up but I'm a bit worried I now have horseradish for life in that spot! Thread 1/2 #allotment
December 29, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Dug up my horseradish today. Are they supposed to look like this? It's only about 6 months, from a bit of root my dad gave me. I got most of the roots up but I'm a bit worried I now have horseradish for life in that spot! Thread 1/2 #allotment
Reposted by Tom
Revisit the biggest moments in computer science from 2025.
The Year in Computer Science | Quanta Magazine
Explore the year’s most surprising computational revelations, including a new fundamental relationship between time and space, an undergraduate who overthrew a 40-year-old conjecture, and the…
www.quantamagazine.org
December 27, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Revisit the biggest moments in computer science from 2025.
Reposted by Tom
'Allo! 'Allo! (26th December 1985). 'Simple plots are always the best'.
December 26, 2025 at 7:22 PM
'Allo! 'Allo! (26th December 1985). 'Simple plots are always the best'.
Successfully flamed the Christmas pudding, with only minor injuries
December 25, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Successfully flamed the Christmas pudding, with only minor injuries
All I want for Christmas is: www.eurosky.social/register @eurosky.social
Register for a eurosky.social account - one web identity, dozens of apps — eurosky
www.eurosky.social
December 24, 2025 at 5:18 PM
All I want for Christmas is: www.eurosky.social/register @eurosky.social
Reposted by Tom
Announcing eurosky.social accounts - launching January 2026.
✅ Managed by Eurosky, a European non-profit initiative
✅ Hosted on European cloud
✅ Governed by European law
www.eurosky.social/register
✅ Managed by Eurosky, a European non-profit initiative
✅ Hosted on European cloud
✅ Governed by European law
www.eurosky.social/register
Register for a eurosky.social account - one web identity, dozens of apps — eurosky
www.eurosky.social
December 15, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Announcing eurosky.social accounts - launching January 2026.
✅ Managed by Eurosky, a European non-profit initiative
✅ Hosted on European cloud
✅ Governed by European law
www.eurosky.social/register
✅ Managed by Eurosky, a European non-profit initiative
✅ Hosted on European cloud
✅ Governed by European law
www.eurosky.social/register
Reposted by Tom
Every year, people mock this tree. But I love it anyway.
It reminds us that if we stand together in tough times, we can overcome anything.
Merry Christmas from my family to yours. 🎄✨
It reminds us that if we stand together in tough times, we can overcome anything.
Merry Christmas from my family to yours. 🎄✨
December 24, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Every year, people mock this tree. But I love it anyway.
It reminds us that if we stand together in tough times, we can overcome anything.
Merry Christmas from my family to yours. 🎄✨
It reminds us that if we stand together in tough times, we can overcome anything.
Merry Christmas from my family to yours. 🎄✨