Russ Garrett
@russ.garrett.co.uk
Energy data nerd at infrageomatics.com & @openinframap.org, festival operations nerd at emfcamp.org, board member at limehouselabs.org. (he/they)
I'm mostly active on Mastodon: https://chaos.social/@russss
https://russ.garrett.co.uk
I'm mostly active on Mastodon: https://chaos.social/@russss
https://russ.garrett.co.uk
"Notre Dame only cost €600m to refurbish, how can Parliament cost so much?"
Notre Dame is 1/19th the floor area of the Palace of Westminster. If you scale that cost up by 19 times and add inflation it makes the Parliament renovation look pretty good value.
Notre Dame is 1/19th the floor area of the Palace of Westminster. If you scale that cost up by 19 times and add inflation it makes the Parliament renovation look pretty good value.
February 6, 2026 at 1:26 PM
"Notre Dame only cost €600m to refurbish, how can Parliament cost so much?"
Notre Dame is 1/19th the floor area of the Palace of Westminster. If you scale that cost up by 19 times and add inflation it makes the Parliament renovation look pretty good value.
Notre Dame is 1/19th the floor area of the Palace of Westminster. If you scale that cost up by 19 times and add inflation it makes the Parliament renovation look pretty good value.
Reposted by Russ Garrett
It's here! All power assets are now live on my GB Renewables Map ⚡
That's right, it's not just wind farms any more.
Now you can see live and historic data for gas power plants, nuclear, grid batteries, biomass, pumped hydro and even a bit of solar.
That's right, it's not just wind farms any more.
Now you can see live and historic data for gas power plants, nuclear, grid batteries, biomass, pumped hydro and even a bit of solar.
February 5, 2026 at 10:46 AM
It's here! All power assets are now live on my GB Renewables Map ⚡
That's right, it's not just wind farms any more.
Now you can see live and historic data for gas power plants, nuclear, grid batteries, biomass, pumped hydro and even a bit of solar.
That's right, it's not just wind farms any more.
Now you can see live and historic data for gas power plants, nuclear, grid batteries, biomass, pumped hydro and even a bit of solar.
Reposted by Russ Garrett
Did you know that the number of pharmacies in England open after 9pm has decreased by 95% in just three years?
I did some data analysis on this, inspired by needing an out of hours pharmacy over Christmas, and it has been featured in the Financial Times today: as.ft.com/r/4333cab1-6...
I did some data analysis on this, inspired by needing an out of hours pharmacy over Christmas, and it has been featured in the Financial Times today: as.ft.com/r/4333cab1-6...
Number of late-night pharmacies in England plummets
[FREE TO READ] Decline comes after cash-strapped chemists reduced opening hours to cut costs
as.ft.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Did you know that the number of pharmacies in England open after 9pm has decreased by 95% in just three years?
I did some data analysis on this, inspired by needing an out of hours pharmacy over Christmas, and it has been featured in the Financial Times today: as.ft.com/r/4333cab1-6...
I did some data analysis on this, inspired by needing an out of hours pharmacy over Christmas, and it has been featured in the Financial Times today: as.ft.com/r/4333cab1-6...
Reposted by Russ Garrett
I think this needs to be a reminder that the truth is slow but it can be and will be dragged out into the daylight eventually through hard work.
The UK Labour party and the previous Tory administration have made a mockery of evidence based policy design but we will get there.
The UK Labour party and the previous Tory administration have made a mockery of evidence based policy design but we will get there.
"these figures are much higher than the ones in Appleby's report: 46 trans children dying by suicide over a six-year time period, compared with the six trans children Appleby identified over six years."
One in six children who died by suicide were LGBTQ+, new data shows
Amid heated public debate about whether trans children are dying by suicide, campaigners say we need to "take the politics out of policymaking"
www.wearequeeraf.com
January 31, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I think this needs to be a reminder that the truth is slow but it can be and will be dragged out into the daylight eventually through hard work.
The UK Labour party and the previous Tory administration have made a mockery of evidence based policy design but we will get there.
The UK Labour party and the previous Tory administration have made a mockery of evidence based policy design but we will get there.
Reposted by Russ Garrett
After years of our press hand-wringing about the figures as from the "Hamas run health ministry". Utterly shameful. But will we learn anything, hold anyone accountable for our enabling of genocide? Of course not.
Israel accepts health authorities’ Gaza death toll is broadly accurate, saying 70,000 have died
Israeli military’s abrupt U-turn in accepting official figures comes after years of attacking data as ‘Hamas propaganda’
www.theguardian.com
January 30, 2026 at 6:27 PM
After years of our press hand-wringing about the figures as from the "Hamas run health ministry". Utterly shameful. But will we learn anything, hold anyone accountable for our enabling of genocide? Of course not.
Reposted by Russ Garrett
Politicians don't do shitty awful things to distract from other shitty awful things they did. They do shitty awful things because they're shitty awful people, and the sheer volume of that shitty awful stuff is absolutely overwhelming, to the point it's a sign we shouldn't let people be politicians.
January 30, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Politicians don't do shitty awful things to distract from other shitty awful things they did. They do shitty awful things because they're shitty awful people, and the sheer volume of that shitty awful stuff is absolutely overwhelming, to the point it's a sign we shouldn't let people be politicians.
Reposted by Russ Garrett
When I was saying the other day that people were pushing meshtastic as a secure messaging option I wasn't joking.
Meshtastic objectively has worse cryptography than signal.
The SIGINT aspects are far worse than Signal Chat also.
Meshtastic objectively has worse cryptography than signal.
The SIGINT aspects are far worse than Signal Chat also.
simplex.chat
meshtastic.org
meshcore.co.uk
SimpleX is a 1 to 1 alternative to Signal with more features that allow people to be truly anonymous. Signal requires phone numbers to make an account. The other two are good when internet is not available.
meshtastic.org
meshcore.co.uk
SimpleX is a 1 to 1 alternative to Signal with more features that allow people to be truly anonymous. Signal requires phone numbers to make an account. The other two are good when internet is not available.
SimpleX Chat: private and secure messenger without any user IDs (not even random)
SimpleX Chat - a private and encrypted messenger without any user IDs (not even random ones)! Make a private connection via link / QR code to send messages and make calls.
simplex.chat
January 26, 2026 at 9:29 PM
When I was saying the other day that people were pushing meshtastic as a secure messaging option I wasn't joking.
Meshtastic objectively has worse cryptography than signal.
The SIGINT aspects are far worse than Signal Chat also.
Meshtastic objectively has worse cryptography than signal.
The SIGINT aspects are far worse than Signal Chat also.
Reposted by Russ Garrett
Worth remembering when looking at the horrific scenes in the US right now that both Reform and the Tories have pledged to bring in ICE-style organisations to the UK if they win power
January 24, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Worth remembering when looking at the horrific scenes in the US right now that both Reform and the Tories have pledged to bring in ICE-style organisations to the UK if they win power
Reposted by Russ Garrett
Wind farm turbines, inter-array cables and export cables are on the renewables map! 🙌
Massive thanks to @russ.garrett.co.uk for allowing me to use the amazing @openinframap.org data for this (which uses OpenStreetMap at its core), this saved me an immense amount of time and energy.
Massive thanks to @russ.garrett.co.uk for allowing me to use the amazing @openinframap.org data for this (which uses OpenStreetMap at its core), this saved me an immense amount of time and energy.
January 22, 2026 at 9:40 AM
Wind farm turbines, inter-array cables and export cables are on the renewables map! 🙌
Massive thanks to @russ.garrett.co.uk for allowing me to use the amazing @openinframap.org data for this (which uses OpenStreetMap at its core), this saved me an immense amount of time and energy.
Massive thanks to @russ.garrett.co.uk for allowing me to use the amazing @openinframap.org data for this (which uses OpenStreetMap at its core), this saved me an immense amount of time and energy.
Reposted by Russ Garrett
Brianna Ghey was targeted by classmates who knew her offline. Online, she made friends and a community, and was making content to help other trans kids like her.
This is a grieving mother pushing for legislation that would have further isolated her trans child, that is supported by transphobes.
This is a grieving mother pushing for legislation that would have further isolated her trans child, that is supported by transphobes.
Mother of murdered Brianna Ghey urges Starmer to ban social media for under-16s
Mother of murdered Brianna Ghey urges Starmer to ban social media for under-16s
Esther Ghey says daughter’s eating disorder and self-harm had been exacerbated by harmful online content
The mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey has urged Keir Starmer to ban social media for under-16s, adding to growing pressure on the prime minister before a crunch vote on the issue on Wednesday.
Esther Ghey wrote to Starmer on Monday explaining in detail how she felt her daughter’s eating disorder and self-harm had been exacerbated by TikTok influencers with whom she had become obsessed. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
January 19, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Brianna Ghey was targeted by classmates who knew her offline. Online, she made friends and a community, and was making content to help other trans kids like her.
This is a grieving mother pushing for legislation that would have further isolated her trans child, that is supported by transphobes.
This is a grieving mother pushing for legislation that would have further isolated her trans child, that is supported by transphobes.
Reposted by Russ Garrett
"I've been all right, Jack" is not a great argument for the current dysfunctional ID smorgasbord, which has long caused all manner of damage to vulnerable people in the UK.
Me: We do not need what is a foundational national ID in digital or other form. We have functional IDs that have worked without issue for me for over 5 decades. I remain unconvinced of the necessity & proportionality of a national ID.
www.thetimes.com/article/07af...
www.thetimes.com/article/07af...
Labour’s digital ID ‘will cut red tape and make modern life easier’
Darren Jones, chief secretary to the prime minister, says the voluntary app is a crucial step towards making the state fit for the 21st century
www.thetimes.com
January 17, 2026 at 2:06 PM
"I've been all right, Jack" is not a great argument for the current dysfunctional ID smorgasbord, which has long caused all manner of damage to vulnerable people in the UK.
If you're in the UK and your MP still uses X, you should probably email them and ask why they're publishing on a website which has a feature which at least 96% of the country thinks should not be allowed.
bsky.app/profile/sund...
bsky.app/profile/sund...
1% of people support sexually explicit images of adults without their consent, which 96% oppose
5% support generating 'undressed' images of real adults (images in e.g. underwear, lingerie or bikinis, but not featuring nudity) while 87% oppose this
[10% of Reform support this, 80% oppose]
YouGov
5% support generating 'undressed' images of real adults (images in e.g. underwear, lingerie or bikinis, but not featuring nudity) while 87% oppose this
[10% of Reform support this, 80% oppose]
YouGov
January 9, 2026 at 10:27 PM
If you're in the UK and your MP still uses X, you should probably email them and ask why they're publishing on a website which has a feature which at least 96% of the country thinks should not be allowed.
bsky.app/profile/sund...
bsky.app/profile/sund...
Reposted by Russ Garrett
is a tie between Firefly and Gill Sans
What's your favourite thing that's been made by an absolute cunt?
January 7, 2026 at 12:29 AM
is a tie between Firefly and Gill Sans
Reposted by Russ Garrett
I just published Potato, a new pansharpening package. It aims to render certain kinds of satellite imagery more clearly and accurately than what’s for sale and on satellite maps today: github.com/celoyd/potato/
GitHub - celoyd/potato: A small pansharpening model
A small pansharpening model. Contribute to celoyd/potato development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:39 PM
I just published Potato, a new pansharpening package. It aims to render certain kinds of satellite imagery more clearly and accurately than what’s for sale and on satellite maps today: github.com/celoyd/potato/
Reposted by Russ Garrett
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
December 13, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
Reposted by Russ Garrett
After weeks of development hell, my most ambitious Mentour Pilot script to date has finally seen the light of day. Enjoy! www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0B4...
Litany of LIES! | The Mount Erebus Disaster
YouTube video by Mentour Pilot
www.youtube.com
December 6, 2025 at 8:13 PM
After weeks of development hell, my most ambitious Mentour Pilot script to date has finally seen the light of day. Enjoy! www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0B4...
Reposted by Russ Garrett
Your Party members for the past few months: "Maybe wait until our conference in November before you start calling us transphobic?"
Your Party conference in November: tells trans woman not to call transphobes "transphobic"
Your Party conference in November: tells trans woman not to call transphobes "transphobic"
Yorp conference doing its best to shut down anyone daring to call a transphobe a transphobe.
November 29, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Your Party members for the past few months: "Maybe wait until our conference in November before you start calling us transphobic?"
Your Party conference in November: tells trans woman not to call transphobes "transphobic"
Your Party conference in November: tells trans woman not to call transphobes "transphobic"
Reposted by Russ Garrett
![Comic. Panels up to the 10-year point are grayed out. New panels since the Ten Years comic, which chronicles the first ten years of PERSON 1's journey with cancer: (1) [two people in bed] PERSON 1 (woman): One more chapter? PERSON 2 (man): Don’t we both have to get up early? PERSON 1: Nnnnnggggh PERSON 2: Sure, good point. (2) [many people wearing masks, walking while looking at graphs on their phones] (3) [birds landing on people] PERSON 2 in beanie and scarf: Hah! They like *my* seeds best. PERSON 1 in scarf holding phone with a bird sitting on it: Wait, how do I take a picture of this one? (4) [two people rowing boats with tree landscape] (5) [Person 1 carries overflowing stack of things to Person 2 in bed] PERSON 1: I brought you honey lemon tea, more pillows, a cinnamon roll, Tylenol, another blanket, a– PERSON 2: It was just Appendicitis, I’m really– PERSON 1: *It is my turn to take care of you and I am going to do it right!* (6) [Two people in car] (7) [still in car) PERSON 1: Oh my god. PERSON 2: Oh my god. (8) [car driving] PERSON 1: Pull over! PERSON 2: I am! (9) [both people get out of car] (10) [Large colored panel of aurora borealis over water with both people looking on] (11) [Person 1 sits against tree while Person 2 lies on the ground] PERSON 1: Fifteen years. No sign of the cancer. (12) I *am* having some weird symptoms. Joint pain. Fatigue. I think I’m losing my close-up vision. PERSON 2: Yeah. Me too. (13) PERSON 2: I think we’re getting old. (14) PERSON 1: I guess that’s okay. PERSON 2: It’s all I wanted.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreihwhjblp5lyiwp63ouar7ocfea7evmckytoeo7rkfuoo4gw5rnrra@jpeg)
November 26, 2025 at 10:32 PM
For those in London wondering about the massive laser, it's LIGHT25 at the Business Design Centre, and I suspect the laser is the 1.5kW Kvant Architect.
November 19, 2025 at 7:08 PM
For those in London wondering about the massive laser, it's LIGHT25 at the Business Design Centre, and I suspect the laser is the 1.5kW Kvant Architect.
Reposted by Russ Garrett
TODAY'S THE DAY! The #OwnOurVenues share offer campaign closes today, and it's your last chance to join us as a co-owner for this phase. Every penny invested goes towards securing venues at risk of disappearing forever.
Time to finish what we started: www.ownourvenues.com
Time to finish what we started: www.ownourvenues.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:43 AM
TODAY'S THE DAY! The #OwnOurVenues share offer campaign closes today, and it's your last chance to join us as a co-owner for this phase. Every penny invested goes towards securing venues at risk of disappearing forever.
Time to finish what we started: www.ownourvenues.com
Time to finish what we started: www.ownourvenues.com
Reposted by Russ Garrett
Earlier this week I spoke to London Centric about the Ringways Map and all things unbuilt London - they’ve dedicated the whole of their latest edition to the story! substack.com/home/post/p-...
Would your home have been under a motorway?
"The most astonishing and destructive thing never to happen to London," says the man who has spent twenty years researching the first true map of the unbuilt Ringways.
substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Earlier this week I spoke to London Centric about the Ringways Map and all things unbuilt London - they’ve dedicated the whole of their latest edition to the story! substack.com/home/post/p-...
Reposted by Russ Garrett
Two more iconic grassroots music venues, The Joiners and The Croft, are now OFFICIALLY community owned buildings. Thanks to the herculean efforts of all involved, these institutions are saved - and with that, the opportunities for bands, music fans, and many more are secure for the next generation.
November 6, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Two more iconic grassroots music venues, The Joiners and The Croft, are now OFFICIALLY community owned buildings. Thanks to the herculean efforts of all involved, these institutions are saved - and with that, the opportunities for bands, music fans, and many more are secure for the next generation.
Reposted by Russ Garrett
It worries me that the alleged drone sightings over the past week or so are causing European leaders to talk about war, and NATO is mobilizing. Troops are being called up. Almost every indication is that the drone sightings are the same bullshit we saw in New Jersey–there may be *nothing* there. 2/
October 3, 2025 at 8:50 PM
It worries me that the alleged drone sightings over the past week or so are causing European leaders to talk about war, and NATO is mobilizing. Troops are being called up. Almost every indication is that the drone sightings are the same bullshit we saw in New Jersey–there may be *nothing* there. 2/
Reposted by Russ Garrett
Wait. The editor of Cotswold Life magazine was also lead vocalist in Inkubus Sukkubus? www.linkedin.com/posts/candia...
This isn’t the happiest of posts to write, but it’s just to let you all know I’ve handed in my notice as editor of Cotswold Life magazine.
After working for 23 years (this month!) on the magazine –… ...
This isn’t the happiest of posts to write, but it’s just to let you all know I’ve handed in my notice as editor of Cotswold Life magazine.
After working for 23 years (this month!) on the magazine – f...
www.linkedin.com
September 20, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Wait. The editor of Cotswold Life magazine was also lead vocalist in Inkubus Sukkubus? www.linkedin.com/posts/candia...
Reposted by Russ Garrett
The world's power networks as mapped on @openstreetmap.bsky.social.
Want to contribute? Check out mapyourgrid.org
Want to contribute? Check out mapyourgrid.org
September 17, 2025 at 11:34 AM
The world's power networks as mapped on @openstreetmap.bsky.social.
Want to contribute? Check out mapyourgrid.org
Want to contribute? Check out mapyourgrid.org