Phil Banting
@philbanting.bsky.social
Christian, married to Miriam, #LibDems, #Remain. Active in Christ Church Selly Park, #Stirchley and beyond. Twitter @philbanting Instagram @philbantingbrum https://www.banting-family.org.uk
Assembler programming (Zilog Z8002, Motorola MC68020, Intel 8096, an in-house-designed RISC processor...)
What skill did you master that you will never, ever use again?
Korn shell scripting
Korn shell scripting
What skill did you master that you will never, ever use again?
Flash animation.
Flash animation.
December 8, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Assembler programming (Zilog Z8002, Motorola MC68020, Intel 8096, an in-house-designed RISC processor...)
Reposted by Phil Banting
My dad abhors any negative comments about immigrants. Asked him recently why he’s so strong on it: ‘Because we’re always happy to take the rich and clever ones. Which means it’s not about disliking immigrants. It’s about disliking the poor and vulnerable. And that’s a bad human instinct.’
December 7, 2025 at 8:31 AM
My dad abhors any negative comments about immigrants. Asked him recently why he’s so strong on it: ‘Because we’re always happy to take the rich and clever ones. Which means it’s not about disliking immigrants. It’s about disliking the poor and vulnerable. And that’s a bad human instinct.’
Buy up all the usual suspects
The opening of this email from Netflix about their acquisition of Warner Brothers does not have me feeling super-confident about how they will treat the classic film archive now in their care. "Franchises" like ... Casablanca? Which is the single classic movie mentioned in a list of TV shows & IP?
December 6, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Buy up all the usual suspects
I unleashed this factoid on two 20somethings yesterday and they seemed surprisingly impressed
When I was born, no human had ever been into space. For anyone under the age of 25, space has been continuously inhabited throughout your lifetime. (Actually that's more about technological progress than the passage of time, but it's still something to bore younger listeners with)
December 6, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I unleashed this factoid on two 20somethings yesterday and they seemed surprisingly impressed
As has been the case for many years, our Christmas dinner will be halal (yes, it can be done with a bit of care). The proportion of Muslim guests around our table will considerably exceed the national average
At Christmas Dinner have your drunk uncle guess the share of population that are Muslim in your Northwestern European country. I’m sure he’ll overshoot. HT @xruiztru
December 3, 2025 at 11:22 PM
As has been the case for many years, our Christmas dinner will be halal (yes, it can be done with a bit of care). The proportion of Muslim guests around our table will considerably exceed the national average
I am one of the handful of people in the universe that doesn't have a Spotify account, so I won't be participating in you-know-what
December 3, 2025 at 11:16 PM
I am one of the handful of people in the universe that doesn't have a Spotify account, so I won't be participating in you-know-what
I have to fess up that my claim to have come 49th in the school steeplechase may be a slight overstatement of my sporting achievements. It was in fact the Junior steeplechase, with no sixth formers taking part. I still got a house point though.
Truly shocking that Rachel Reeves had the audacity to call herself the U14 girls chess champions when she won the U14 girls chess championship but some bloke thought she was talking about something else.
December 3, 2025 at 6:11 PM
I have to fess up that my claim to have come 49th in the school steeplechase may be a slight overstatement of my sporting achievements. It was in fact the Junior steeplechase, with no sixth formers taking part. I still got a house point though.
Clearly I need to get out more
Yesterday, 0 trips were made past Cartland Road on @Route5Brum. 0 headed towards Cannon Hill Park, 0 headed towards Stirchley.
December 3, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Clearly I need to get out more
Check out your 2025 Bluesky Harvest from @anisota.net! anisota.net/harvest/
Anisota's Annual Bluesky Harvest 2025
A recap of your year on Bluesky. Discover patterns, connections, and insights from your journey in the ATmosphere.
anisota.net
December 2, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Check out your 2025 Bluesky Harvest from @anisota.net! anisota.net/harvest/
November 30, 2025 at 8:53 PM
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
November 28, 2025 at 11:05 PM
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
I've only ever used Checkatrade once, and that was to find someone to remove a wasp nest. It was nice to meet a trader who was honest... enough to admit that he wanted payment in cash to avoid paying tax
Reform UK recently launched a new organisation within the party to boost small businesses. The first entrepreneur chosen to champion the cause is Kevin Byrne, founder of Checkatrade But Byrne is a rather interesting pick by Reform. 🤔
hopenothate.org.uk/2025/11/26/r...
hopenothate.org.uk/2025/11/26/r...
Reform UK's small business champion supports Tommy Robinson and peddles conspiracy theories – HOPE not hate
On 10 November, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage launched Small Business for Reform, an organisation within the party. During the launch, Farage declared that “we...
hopenothate.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 11:43 AM
I've only ever used Checkatrade once, and that was to find someone to remove a wasp nest. It was nice to meet a trader who was honest... enough to admit that he wanted payment in cash to avoid paying tax
The sun always shines when I visit my mother... well, usually. But there's a cloud nearer than the horizon: today 2 men turned up and spent hours digging at the edge of the empty ground in front of the metal fence. I'm always afraid that someone will put up a building and spoil the view #NIMBY
November 25, 2025 at 11:28 PM
The sun always shines when I visit my mother... well, usually. But there's a cloud nearer than the horizon: today 2 men turned up and spent hours digging at the edge of the empty ground in front of the metal fence. I'm always afraid that someone will put up a building and spoil the view #NIMBY
Reposted by Phil Banting
Reform MP Danny Kruger tells Shabana Mahmood that "I welcome [her] rhetoric" on asylum seekers, before telling her to "put in her application to join Reform UK"
November 17, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Reform MP Danny Kruger tells Shabana Mahmood that "I welcome [her] rhetoric" on asylum seekers, before telling her to "put in her application to join Reform UK"
We'll happily swap them for academics/researchers who believe in actual, non-junk science
Donald Trump’s administration is considering offering political asylum to British “thought criminals”, The Telegraph understands.
Read more here ⬇️
www.telegraph.co.uk/bluesky-tmg/trump-thought-criminals/
Read more here ⬇️
www.telegraph.co.uk/bluesky-tmg/trump-thought-criminals/
November 16, 2025 at 6:14 PM
We'll happily swap them for academics/researchers who believe in actual, non-junk science
I did vote in the last Police and Crime Commissioner election, but spoiled my ballot paper (via my proxy) with the words “Abolish the post”. I feel vindicated
November 13, 2025 at 1:53 PM
I did vote in the last Police and Crime Commissioner election, but spoiled my ballot paper (via my proxy) with the words “Abolish the post”. I feel vindicated
I missed this anniversary which illustrates how much technology has advanced during my lifetime. When I was born, no human had gone into space. Now, if you're under 25 years old, there has never been a day in your life without a human in space www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Archive on 4 - Out of This World: 25 Years of the ISS - BBC Sounds
East and west collaborate to launch humanity’s first ever international space station.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 8, 2025 at 9:31 PM
I missed this anniversary which illustrates how much technology has advanced during my lifetime. When I was born, no human had gone into space. Now, if you're under 25 years old, there has never been a day in your life without a human in space www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Not wanting to get too philosophical about this, but non-existence is surely a guaranteed way of avoiding any kind of disease
November 7, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Not wanting to get too philosophical about this, but non-existence is surely a guaranteed way of avoiding any kind of disease
It was slightly humbling to have to ask for help to reach an item right at the back of a supermarket shelf. Fortunately there was a beanpole-sized member of staff nearby who could easily pick up the required box of teabags. I imagine this is an everyday experience for some people
November 6, 2025 at 8:11 PM
It was slightly humbling to have to ask for help to reach an item right at the back of a supermarket shelf. Fortunately there was a beanpole-sized member of staff nearby who could easily pick up the required box of teabags. I imagine this is an everyday experience for some people
Reposted by Phil Banting
The lesson is clear: we need brave Muslim immigrants to protect us from knife wielding British-born maniacs. 5pillarsuk.com/2025/11/04/m...
Muslim railway worker praised as ‘hero’ for saving passengers during stabbing attack
FacebookLikeShareTweetEmail An Algerian Muslim railway employee has been praised by police for his ‘bravery’ in saving multiple lives during a mass stabbing attack aboard a train in Cambridgeshire. Sa...
5pillarsuk.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:04 PM
The lesson is clear: we need brave Muslim immigrants to protect us from knife wielding British-born maniacs. 5pillarsuk.com/2025/11/04/m...
It's been creeping up steadily... bsky-users.theo.io
November 2, 2025 at 11:02 PM
It's been creeping up steadily... bsky-users.theo.io
A former friend, as a child, met Colonel Gaddafi. A school friend was the nephew of a former Chelsea player and claimed to have tried on Peter Bonetti's shirt. Also at school I drew a game of chess with a player who went on to become a grandmaster. How close do these connections have to be?
Off the top of my head, in terms of degrees of separation I managed to get from myself to *Jimi Hendrix* in "three hops," this is a WILD assertion to make
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
November 2, 2025 at 5:17 PM
A former friend, as a child, met Colonel Gaddafi. A school friend was the nephew of a former Chelsea player and claimed to have tried on Peter Bonetti's shirt. Also at school I drew a game of chess with a player who went on to become a grandmaster. How close do these connections have to be?
Reposted by Phil Banting
Nigel Farage says this summer’s movement was led by ‘ordinary people’ expressing their patriotism. That’s not what we found
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-men-who-...
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-men-who-...
The men who raised the flags
Nigel Farage says this summer’s movement was led by ‘ordinary people’ expressing their patriotism. That’s not what we found
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk
November 1, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Nigel Farage says this summer’s movement was led by ‘ordinary people’ expressing their patriotism. That’s not what we found
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-men-who-...
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-men-who-...
Reposted by Phil Banting
Thank you for tagging me in this nonsense 🤣
October 29, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Thank you for tagging me in this nonsense 🤣