alanrew.bsky.social
Alan Rew
@alanrew.bsky.social
3.8K followers 5.1K following 15K posts
UK-based retired software developer. Art, Photography, Science, Music, Economics, Politics, Geology, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science, Architecture, Archaeology I can't send/receive DMs here. Signal: alan.285
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alanrew.bsky.social
Alan Rew @alanrew.bsky.social · Sep 7
I now have a Signal account. Address in bio. Signal accounts are free: just download the app to get started.
alanrew.bsky.social
Alan Rew @alanrew.bsky.social · Sep 6
Apologies to anyone who's sent me a DM recently: I can't read or send DMs here. I don't trust the security of the third-party verification company. I'm looking at alternatives for private chat.
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Reposted by Alan Rew
implausibleblog.bsky.social
Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 2d
Gary Neville, "Brexit has had a devastating impact on this country"

"The messaging is getting dangerous"

"All these idiots out there spreading hate speech in any form, abuse in any form, we must stop promoting them"

"And get back to a country of love, peace and harmony"

"And become a team again"
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alanrew.bsky.social
Alan Rew @alanrew.bsky.social · 18m
UK *clinically vulnerable* people under 75, currently denied a COVID vaccination, who are now looking at £100 private vaccinations: this post suggests a Government U-turn on vaccination eligibility may be imminent.
#covid #vaccination
cvcev.bsky.social
Clinically Vulnerable Families 💙💜💗 @cvcev.bsky.social · 13h
🚨 BREAKING: Labour MPs back calls to restore NHS Covid vaccines for all Clinically Vulnerable people!

After pressure from CVF members and supporters - a rapid U-turn appears to be underway.

WELL DONE!

#KeepCovidBoosters campaign a HUGE success!
Case Ref: 1 message Beccy Cooper MP @drbeccycooper.co.uk> Mon, 6 Oct 2025 at 00:50 Dear Thank you very much for contacting me about your concerns regarding access to Covid-19 vaccination for Clinically Vulnerable people. Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to your email. I am pleased to be able to confirm that the new Labour government is committed to strengthening our public health response and reducing health inequalities. Labour's recent commitments and statements have made clear that the principle of universal and fair access to vaccines particularly for those who are medically at-risk must be central to our national strategy. In Parliament, Labour MPs have called for a rapid review of JCVI eligibility criteria and for the reinstatement of free Covid-19 vaccination for all Clinically Vulnerable people, in line with the existing approach to NHS flu vaccinations. Many have highlighted, as you do, that the logic and evidence for including all at-risk groups in annual booster rollouts are overwhelming, given the ongoing pandemic context and emergence of new variants. Our party's manifesto commits to taking advice from clinicians and scientists and to working closely with NHS England to ensure that support for the most vulnerable is not withdrawn on cost grounds especially when this may lead to greater suffering and increased NHS pressure. There is widespread concern across Parliament about the risk of deepening health inequality and placing the cost burden of essential preventative care onto those least able to shoulder it. Thank you again for taking the time to share your concerns so powerfully. Best wishes, Dr Beccy Cooper MP Member of Parliament for Worth Parliamentary Office: House of C Telephone: 01903 496390 betw Clinically Vulnerable Families [LOGO]
Reposted by Alan Rew
cvcev.bsky.social
Clinically Vulnerable Families 💙💜💗 @cvcev.bsky.social · 13h
🚨 BREAKING: Labour MPs back calls to restore NHS Covid vaccines for all Clinically Vulnerable people!

After pressure from CVF members and supporters - a rapid U-turn appears to be underway.

WELL DONE!

#KeepCovidBoosters campaign a HUGE success!
Case Ref: 1 message Beccy Cooper MP @drbeccycooper.co.uk> Mon, 6 Oct 2025 at 00:50 Dear Thank you very much for contacting me about your concerns regarding access to Covid-19 vaccination for Clinically Vulnerable people. Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to your email. I am pleased to be able to confirm that the new Labour government is committed to strengthening our public health response and reducing health inequalities. Labour's recent commitments and statements have made clear that the principle of universal and fair access to vaccines particularly for those who are medically at-risk must be central to our national strategy. In Parliament, Labour MPs have called for a rapid review of JCVI eligibility criteria and for the reinstatement of free Covid-19 vaccination for all Clinically Vulnerable people, in line with the existing approach to NHS flu vaccinations. Many have highlighted, as you do, that the logic and evidence for including all at-risk groups in annual booster rollouts are overwhelming, given the ongoing pandemic context and emergence of new variants. Our party's manifesto commits to taking advice from clinicians and scientists and to working closely with NHS England to ensure that support for the most vulnerable is not withdrawn on cost grounds especially when this may lead to greater suffering and increased NHS pressure. There is widespread concern across Parliament about the risk of deepening health inequality and placing the cost burden of essential preventative care onto those least able to shoulder it. Thank you again for taking the time to share your concerns so powerfully. Best wishes, Dr Beccy Cooper MP Member of Parliament for Worth Parliamentary Office: House of C Telephone: 01903 496390 betw Clinically Vulnerable Families [LOGO]
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Reposted by Alan Rew
stephenkb.bsky.social
Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 9h
No, it's not. It's all a lie. The blunt truth is across the 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021 Census *every* ethnic group in the UK has become *less* geographically segregated and *all* groups, majority and minorities, are more likely to interact with people not like them.
igmansfield.bsky.social
Iain Mansfield @igmansfield.bsky.social · 9h
Outstanding piece by Stephen Daisley.

Ethnicity is no barrier to Britishness - it's culture and integration.

That means 'smaller cohorts and aggressive integration policies' - and tackling the institutions that 'have amplified grievance narratives and radical anti-Western ideologies'.
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Reposted by Alan Rew
politicsintheuk.bsky.social
UK Politics @politicsintheuk.bsky.social · 4d
Reminder: British voters still don’t know who gave £850k cash for a house in Clacton where Kremlin gobshite r🐀t keeps his slippers next to a suitcase of rubles. #ukpolitics
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alanrew.bsky.social
Alan Rew @alanrew.bsky.social · 28m
Coordination & communication are 2 things the health service is hopeless at.
Also: rationing COVID jabs reduces UK productivity due to days off work & brain fog (etc).
BUT they're boosting productivity by keeping pubs open late: giving you *more* chance of catching COVID in enclosed spaces!
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Reposted by Alan Rew
bowiesongs.bsky.social
Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 1h
the Valley Advocate (Amherst MA) attempts an "Art Rock" canon, 30 November 1977
Sgt. Pepper to Zappa's Hot Rats, with Bowie, Family, Kansas, Genesis, Tull, King Crimson, Henry Cow, Meat Loaf, Moody Blues, Floyd, Strawbs, Talking heads, Yes, etc
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alanrew.bsky.social
Alan Rew @alanrew.bsky.social · 34m
Government plan to increase productivity by increasing the number of people with hangovers & knackered livers. Brilliant!
theguardian.com
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 1h
Pubs to stay open until early hours in move to boost UK growth
Pubs to stay open until early hours in move to boost UK growth
Exclusive: Plans for England and Wales would help ailing hospitality sector but health experts criticise move Pubs, clubs and restaurants will be able to open into the early hours as part of Labour’s drive for economic growth, a move which critics say will lead to more drunken disorder. Ministers are pushing ahead with plans to allow premises that sell alcohol to extend their opening hours in order to boost “the British night out” and help the hospitality sector. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
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Reposted by Alan Rew
paperghost.bsky.social
Chris Boyd @paperghost.bsky.social · 5h
me: we first met on here, so... *deep breath* will you marry me? jovi: oh god you took me by surprise. of course, YES! :D
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alanrew.bsky.social
Alan Rew @alanrew.bsky.social · 38m
And the private ones at about that price seem to be sold out in many places I've checked. Either the private supply is being severely rationed, or lots of people are (rightly) worried about the real consequences of COVID. It's daft.
Reposted by Alan Rew
scarredforlife.bsky.social
Scarred For Life @scarredforlife.bsky.social · 2d
Get a big 15% discount off our books with the case-sensitive code PRINTPROJECT15 until midnight on Friday October 10th! A trilogy of huge tomes about the dark, weird pop culture of the 70s and 80s...
Also available as colour eBooks!

Store link: linktr.ee/scarredforlife
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Reposted by Alan Rew
amnh.org
American Museum of Natural History @amnh.org · 1h
October babies, your birthstone is tourmaline!
Some of the first gemstones mined in the USA, their hue is determined by metals present in each gemstone's crystal structure: Pink tourmalines contain more manganese. Green ones have higher levels of iron, chromium, & vanadium.
A photo of tourmalines on display in the Museum. Smaller stones encircle a larger, central specimen.
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Reposted by Alan Rew
publicdomainrev.bsky.social
The Public Domain Review @publicdomainrev.bsky.social · 1h
Cat beating a drum: one of a motley crew of anthropomorphic animals to be found adorning the lower margins of a finely illuminated "book of hours" produced in late 13th-century England. More here: publicdomainreview.org/collection/m...
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alanrew.bsky.social
Alan Rew @alanrew.bsky.social · 48m
Well done! This is a very positive achievement & I hope it gives your mood a huge boost.
Reposted by Alan Rew
kellyhereid.bsky.social
Kelly Hereid @kellyhereid.bsky.social · 2h
Sheesh - a tsunami big enough to push coral boulders 100s of m inland in the British Virgin Islands around the year 1400, likely sourced from an earthquake on the Puerto Rico Trench.
thirstygecko.bsky.social
Kevin Anchukaitis @thirstygecko.bsky.social · 2h
This is cool - new paper from Hali Kilbourne et al. 'Dating a Medieval Tsunami With Uranium-Series Techniques on Caribbean Corals' agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
Dating a Medieval Tsunami With Uranium‐Series Techniques on Caribbean Corals
Uranium-series analyses provide dates for 15 annually banded coral skeletons on the low Caribbean island of Anegada A subset of the corals was likely washed ashore in a Puerto Rico Trench tsunami...
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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Reposted by Alan Rew
cenmag.bsky.social
C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) @cenmag.bsky.social · 1h
Scientists recently discovered that a MOF studded with zinc hydride can reversibly capture carbon dioxide between 200–300 °C. The finding offers a way to sequester the greenhouse gas without having to cool it, which can be an expensive and energy-intensive process. cen.acs.org/materials/me... 🧪
This MOF is hot to go
A ZnH-studded material that works at high temperatures could snatch CO<sub>2</sub> from industrial exhaust
cen.acs.org
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Reposted by Alan Rew
eryk.bsky.social
Eryk Salvaggio @eryk.bsky.social · 9h
I’ve just learned that John Searle, whose Chinese Room thought experiment is often used to challenge ideas of “understanding” in LLMs, died at age 93 on Sunday. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
John Searle obituary
American philosopher whose Chinese Room thought experiment rebuts the idea that computers can think as humans do
www.theguardian.com
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Reposted by Alan Rew
dereklowe.bsky.social
Derek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social · 8h
I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun in the lab than when I was making MOFs myself (and trying to use them for small-molecule X-ray structure determination). So let me celebrate by posting a few of the MOF crystals I prepared:
Bright green transparent metal-organic framework crystals prepared with copper and a “multipronged” carboxylic acid ligand. The crystals formed blocky roughly rectangular pieces with some very large emerald-like chunks. Pink/red transparent metal-organic framework crystals prepared with cobalt and a “multipronged” carboxylic acid ligand. The crystals formed as a mixture of long rectangular types and aggregated chunks. Purple transparent metal-organic framework crystals prepared with cobalt and a “multipronged” carboxylic acid ligand. The crystals formed long slightly blocky needles. Clear transparent metal-organic framework crystals prepared with zirconium and a “multipronged” carboxylic acid ligand. The crystals formed chunky hexagons.
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Reposted by Alan Rew
dereklowe.bsky.social
Derek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social · 3h
This year's Nobel - commentary and background, with a few more bonus MOF pictures of my own:
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Metal-Organic Frameworks
www.science.org
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Reposted by Alan Rew
dereklowe.bsky.social
Derek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social · 8h
A Chemistry Nobel that many had anticipated: metal-organic frameworks! Writeup coming on the blog later this morning:
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 was awarded jointly to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi "for the development of metal–organic frameworks"
www.nobelprize.org
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Reposted by Alan Rew
kenwhite.bsky.social
Plenary Popehat Power @kenwhite.bsky.social · 18h
These people are evil. Never stop saying so. Don’t be intimidated into shutting up.
flglchicago.bsky.social
Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 20h
Here’s video of the incident
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Reposted by Alan Rew
actualnames.bsky.social
Actual names @actualnames.bsky.social · 7h
Crude Flake

United States, Census, 1870
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jackfifield.uk
Jack Fifield @jackfifield.uk · 7h
If you are mugged on a train and you dare to forget which carriage number it happened in then British Transport Police will refuse to investigate.

Why do we accept this?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Bike thefts at stations 'decriminalised'
The British Transport Police will not investigate many categories of bicycle theft, the BBC learns.
www.bbc.co.uk
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Reposted by Alan Rew
thomasig.bsky.social
Thomas I-G @thomasig.bsky.social · 7h
"Hello, am I through to Prevent? Blue Zafira on the M25, yeah that's the one"
excelpope.net
Andrew R @excelpope.net · 7h
See yer da’s got a new car.
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alanrew.bsky.social
Alan Rew @alanrew.bsky.social · 7h
"Bank of England warns of growing risk that AI bubble could burst"

"The Bank of England has warned there is a growing risk of a “sudden correction” in global markets as it raised concerns about soaring valuations of leading AI tech companies."
Bank of England warns of growing risk that AI bubble could burst
Possibility of ‘sharp market correction has increased’, says Bank’s financial policy committee
www.theguardian.com
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