David Allsopp
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doublehelix.bsky.social
David Allsopp
@doublehelix.bsky.social
Scientist turned software engineer. He/him

🏹 Field archery 🐀 Rats 😷 COVID cautious 🏃 Parkrun

https://medium.com/@davidallsopp
@doublehelix@mastodon.social
@doublehelix on the birdsite
Pinned
A short thread of my essays on Medium - mostly debunking anti-trans disinformation and other bigotry

1) "Sex-based rights" are contradictory nonsense

The term is a dog-whistle slogan, coined just to exclude trans people, with multiple meanings — none of which make sense
medium.com/@davidallsop...
“Sex-based rights” are contradictory nonsense
The term is a dog-whistle slogan, coined just to exclude trans people, with multiple meanings — none of which make sense.
medium.com
Reposted by David Allsopp
10 years old and maybe never more relevant than in contemporary software development

www.commitstrip.com/en/2016/08/2...
November 10, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
“whatever club he’s invited to join has been devalued by the invitation”
November 11, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Reposted by David Allsopp
Reposted by David Allsopp
TIL that blood platelets have serotonin receptors, which is why anemia can mimic depression symptoms and that is absolutely fucking fascinating.
November 10, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
every single week they're throwing this guy a special oval office love-in that appears to be the presidential equivalent of letting your dog scarf an entire big mac and fries before that last trip to the vet
Pirro: "Mr President, there is in this room a group of people who love you, who believe in you, and who are so proud to be in this Oval Office and to be part of this amazing day because you have changed the course of America."
November 10, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
Filling out a banking form that asks for my occupation, and in what I am choosing to consider as a sign of the times, "journalist" is not a selectable option, but "cryptocurrency" is
November 10, 2025 at 9:53 PM
That thing where you finally overtake your parkrun nemesis and then you remember she's 72* so you can't really celebrate

*with an age grade of 85% 🔥🔥🔥

Pondering this as I'm overtaken by an 8-year-old, a man in a pink tutu, and a baby buggy
November 10, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
.
What a post by Joyce Carol Oates . . .
... I immediately thought of a quote from Bob Marley:

"Some people are so poor, all they have is money."

💠 🧐 💠
November 10, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
What if Joyce Carol Oates next talked about how Elon can't show the basic compassion of a toddler and share his wealth
November 10, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
We now go live to Isaac Chotiner as he reaches out to Elon Musk offering an interview to clear up this whole Joyce Carol Oates "doesn't read" thing.
three penguins peeking out of a hole with the words " come on take the bait "
Alt: Three penguins peeking out of a hole with the words "Come on, take the bait "
media.tenor.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:39 PM
"It all starts with the weed between the paves
Roots and time will move concrete and iron
And ivy and water will loosen any mortar
All that man has built will crumble down to silt
And all of this will again be green space
This too shall be reclaimed"

-- Steeleye Span / Rose Kemp
Love this
Beauty sprouts where given a chance
November 10, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
I spoke to my Republican colleagues and am very pleased to report that I’ve secured a promise to consider thinking about a non-binding vote. What’s that you ask? A vote for what? Oh they assured me we can work that out as soon as I give up all my leverage.
November 10, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
If you think that’s wild, here’s a story I wrote a million years ago about scientists who discovered that YOUR GUT HAS SWEETNESS RECEPTORS AND CAN TASTE SUGAR and then they made a diabetes drug that uses those receptors to regulate insulin production.

www.scientificamerican.com/article/your...
November 10, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
[at Tesla]
Tesla Shareholders: in recognition of your incredible gift for lowering the price of tesla stock, we would like to award you this trillion dollar bonus
Elon Musk: yeah yeah that'sa fine
Tesla Shareholders: what's the matter? you seem distracted
Musk: no i'm fine
Musk: [muttering] oates
November 10, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
this is literally never not accurate
November 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
With Mahmood talking about copying Denmark's inhumane anti-asylum policies, it's worth remembering this is what Denmark is already sending people back to, just as others like Germany are planning. Conflict zones can remain unsafe for many for years after conflict ends.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Fear among Syria's minorities after the fall of Assad
Many among Syria's minorities see little future in the country amid revenge attacks and sectarian killings.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Reposted by David Allsopp
Those “trans issues” which Alan Rusbridger doesn’t object to?

• Drag race:
Nothing particularly to do with trans people, just queer culture existing.

• Stories about pride:
Ditto.

• Occational stories about trans people existing.

• Regular transphobia and conspiracy theories about trans people.
Michael Prescott and Sir Robbie Gibb both bailed out of journalism years ago, and enjoy lucrative careers in corporate PR. And now they are the arbiters of BBC editorial standards. Go figure www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/...
The BBC has bigger impartiality problems than its coverage of Trump
It is the BBC’s entire governance structure–rather than individual stories–that should cause most concern
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Reposted by David Allsopp
"A lot of highly-placed Democrats were ashamed of those things that Mamdani was not ashamed of. Were? Are. Are terrified of those things. They often run campaigns that begin by agreeing with Republicans that the good things they aren't are bad things they are." www.the-reframe.com/the-extraord...
The Extraordinary Power of Standing For Something
Winning by creating vision in the positive space of shared standards, and expertly negotiating the negative space of shame.
www.the-reframe.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Reposted by David Allsopp
The colossal destruction of the cultural norms these idiots have unleashed is starting to register on their tiny minds. This will be 🍿 reading
November 9, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
Oh, it gets better and better…

It is finally dawning on the likes of Phillimore that they’ve just dug themselves into a bigger mess that will end up impacting everyone, not just the trans women they wanted it to target.
They truly weren’t careful what they wished for… because it’s coming true!
November 9, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
"The composition of the judiciary makes it even more dangerous when certain voices are denied a hearing." goodlaw.social/wpfz
It’s no surprise that only 31% of trans people trust a legal system built to enforce prejudice, says Jess O’Thomson.
It’s no surprise that only 31% of trans people trust a legal system built to enforce prejudice, says Jess O’Thomson.
goodlaw.social
November 10, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
We might ask why, when it was very obvious a tiny clique of poisonous, truthless psychos had seized control via bullshit, shenanigans and stitch-ups, the entire British press spent five years loudly squealing that this was an insane conspiracy theory believed only by dangerously crazed people.
November 10, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by David Allsopp
Abuse survivor took his own life after being refused anonymity by the Scottish Child Abuse inquiry

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottis...
Final messages of abuse survivor who took own life after being refused anonymity
Kevin Sutherland left a two-minute voice message for his mum before his death that makes her cry every time she plays it. He had been refused anonymity by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
www.dailyrecord.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Reposted by David Allsopp
Everything on our news agenda is being driven by a corrupted disinformation machine, run by a billionaire who sponsors Tommy Robinson and who keeps trying to foment civil war in the UK.

And incredibly our MPs & news providers stay there.

THAT is the problem. Not some bad editing choice on the BBC.
November 10, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by David Allsopp
My analysis of the leaked #GDPR overhaul proposal. Some changes are great. Some risk decreasing privacy protections.
The changes are very far‑reaching. Tread carefully! Some of the proposals are very risky. techletters.substack.com/p/techletter...
blog.lukaszolejnik.com/european-com...
November 10, 2025 at 6:45 AM