Fred Witting
@fredwitting.bsky.social
I’m for the Vibrations, building and designing physical and digital products.
Passionate on Passivehaus, straw SIP, )’( and my allotment
[I block anything resembling a 🤖]
Passionate on Passivehaus, straw SIP, )’( and my allotment
[I block anything resembling a 🤖]
Pinned
Fred Witting
@fredwitting.bsky.social
· Nov 12
It’s amazing how in this day and age you can make a living purposefully taking the most outlandish stance, furthest from the truth or social norms, and that will be rewarded as actors try to flood a topic to reduce critical thinking.
Reposted by Fred Witting
You know what? There's actually a tested solution to this! it is brilliantly simple, and it WORKS.
I would love to see @bsky.app and @support.bsky.team test this out.
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/ju...
I would love to see @bsky.app and @support.bsky.team test this out.
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/ju...
November 7, 2025 at 5:33 PM
You know what? There's actually a tested solution to this! it is brilliantly simple, and it WORKS.
I would love to see @bsky.app and @support.bsky.team test this out.
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/ju...
I would love to see @bsky.app and @support.bsky.team test this out.
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/ju...
UK Labour & Australian Labour need to read the opening few paragraphs. @teamlabouruk.bsky.social @australianlabor.bsky.social
October 29, 2025 at 7:05 AM
UK Labour & Australian Labour need to read the opening few paragraphs. @teamlabouruk.bsky.social @australianlabor.bsky.social
Reposted by Fred Witting
"Under the business-as-usual scenario, the construction carbon footprint alone will exceed the per-annum carbon budget for the 1.5°C and 2°C goals in the next two decades, [!] not considering other industries."
iiasa.ac.at/news/oct-202...
iiasa.ac.at/news/oct-202...
Global construction carbon footprint set to double by 2050
As the world marks UN World Cities Day on 31 October – a call to make cities more sustainable – a new international study warns that the global construction sector’s carbon footprint is on track to do...
iiasa.ac.at
October 27, 2025 at 2:28 PM
"Under the business-as-usual scenario, the construction carbon footprint alone will exceed the per-annum carbon budget for the 1.5°C and 2°C goals in the next two decades, [!] not considering other industries."
iiasa.ac.at/news/oct-202...
iiasa.ac.at/news/oct-202...
Reposted by Fred Witting
Reposted by Fred Witting
"Many scholars, including us, have highlighted the threat posed by techno-solutionism in education: Rather than expanding our intellectual horizons, these technologies undermine the very conditions that allow us to think for ourselves."
1/n
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/a...
1/n
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/a...
October 25, 2025 at 6:08 AM
"Many scholars, including us, have highlighted the threat posed by techno-solutionism in education: Rather than expanding our intellectual horizons, these technologies undermine the very conditions that allow us to think for ourselves."
1/n
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/a...
1/n
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/a...
Reposted by Fred Witting
I'm serious.
Give me a single credible reason why these lake boilers don't have to report their water use unless it was so EGREGIOUSLY HIGH that if the volumes were made public we'd be lynching tech bros in the street.
Did you assent to this?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Give me a single credible reason why these lake boilers don't have to report their water use unless it was so EGREGIOUSLY HIGH that if the volumes were made public we'd be lynching tech bros in the street.
Did you assent to this?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
AI boom means regulator cannot predict future water shortages in England
Datacentres, which do not have to report amount of water used to cool servers, leave Environment Agency with no idea of shortfalls
www.theguardian.com
August 13, 2025 at 11:29 AM
I'm serious.
Give me a single credible reason why these lake boilers don't have to report their water use unless it was so EGREGIOUSLY HIGH that if the volumes were made public we'd be lynching tech bros in the street.
Did you assent to this?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Give me a single credible reason why these lake boilers don't have to report their water use unless it was so EGREGIOUSLY HIGH that if the volumes were made public we'd be lynching tech bros in the street.
Did you assent to this?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Fred Witting
Silicon Valley’s alliance with Donald Trump was a mask off moment and showed the world we can’t depend on US tech companies.
For the past few months, I’ve been trying to get off US tech and I put together a guide so you find alternatives too. I hope you find it helpful!
For the past few months, I’ve been trying to get off US tech and I put together a guide so you find alternatives too. I hope you find it helpful!
Getting off US tech: a guide
I’m in the process of dropping US tech services. Here’s how I did it, and options you should consider.
www.disconnect.blog
July 18, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Silicon Valley’s alliance with Donald Trump was a mask off moment and showed the world we can’t depend on US tech companies.
For the past few months, I’ve been trying to get off US tech and I put together a guide so you find alternatives too. I hope you find it helpful!
For the past few months, I’ve been trying to get off US tech and I put together a guide so you find alternatives too. I hope you find it helpful!
Reposted by Fred Witting
I'm always amazed at how the Masters of the Universe chronically underestimate the impact and threat of wealth inequality
Just 2% of respondents to the latest Global Risks Report see inequality as the main risk to humanity.
www.weforum.org/publications...
Just 2% of respondents to the latest Global Risks Report see inequality as the main risk to humanity.
www.weforum.org/publications...
July 23, 2025 at 9:16 AM
I'm always amazed at how the Masters of the Universe chronically underestimate the impact and threat of wealth inequality
Just 2% of respondents to the latest Global Risks Report see inequality as the main risk to humanity.
www.weforum.org/publications...
Just 2% of respondents to the latest Global Risks Report see inequality as the main risk to humanity.
www.weforum.org/publications...
Reposted by Fred Witting
Staying one step ahead of my enemies and haters by affixing a 'please do not kick me' sign to the back of all my shirts.
July 23, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Staying one step ahead of my enemies and haters by affixing a 'please do not kick me' sign to the back of all my shirts.
Reposted by Fred Witting
Increasingly convinced the main damage cell phones have done to creativity isn't decreased attention spans or what not but the elimination of productive boredom. Inspiration comes from the mind filling the void inside. Hard to make art when you're constantly silencing the silence with "content."
July 22, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Increasingly convinced the main damage cell phones have done to creativity isn't decreased attention spans or what not but the elimination of productive boredom. Inspiration comes from the mind filling the void inside. Hard to make art when you're constantly silencing the silence with "content."
Reposted by Fred Witting
Box of rocks! Er ... box of sand, I guess.
I love thermal storage. Such an underrated workhorse of decarbonization.
I love thermal storage. Such an underrated workhorse of decarbonization.
Sand Battery
The Sand Battery is a large-scale, high-temperature thermal energy storage system that uses sand or similar materials as its storage medium. It enables our clients to meet their climate goals while…
polarnightenergy.com
July 16, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Box of rocks! Er ... box of sand, I guess.
I love thermal storage. Such an underrated workhorse of decarbonization.
I love thermal storage. Such an underrated workhorse of decarbonization.
Home grown pickles into jar. First try growing and first try making refrigerator pickles.
Will report back in a week or two.
Will report back in a week or two.
July 16, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Home grown pickles into jar. First try growing and first try making refrigerator pickles.
Will report back in a week or two.
Will report back in a week or two.
Reposted by Fred Witting
I'd rather see wind farms spring up, than watch the landscapes everyone is passionate about die because we didn't save them - because we were so keen on keeping them pretty.
These places aren't just a vista. They are a fragile living cloak upon the land. They will not survive climate change.
These places aren't just a vista. They are a fragile living cloak upon the land. They will not survive climate change.
July 16, 2025 at 9:56 AM
I'd rather see wind farms spring up, than watch the landscapes everyone is passionate about die because we didn't save them - because we were so keen on keeping them pretty.
These places aren't just a vista. They are a fragile living cloak upon the land. They will not survive climate change.
These places aren't just a vista. They are a fragile living cloak upon the land. They will not survive climate change.
Reposted by Fred Witting
WeTransfer just changed their TOS giving themselves permission to train AI on any content you transfer and produce derivative works based on content you transfer that they are allowed to monetize and you are not allowed payment for.
Stop using WeTransfer.
Stop using WeTransfer.
July 14, 2025 at 11:05 PM
WeTransfer just changed their TOS giving themselves permission to train AI on any content you transfer and produce derivative works based on content you transfer that they are allowed to monetize and you are not allowed payment for.
Stop using WeTransfer.
Stop using WeTransfer.
Hope you don’t use WeTransfer again.
July 15, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Hope you don’t use WeTransfer again.
If you ignore Elmo. It’s a nice company with some great product.
It turns out Tesla Canada’s shady $43m incentive grab was above-board after all
It turns out Tesla Canada’s shady $43m incentive grab was above-board after all
Transport Canada has finished its investigation into Tesla’s questionable filing of $43 million worth of EV incentives in a single day, finding that the claims did indeed represent cars sold before the deadline to file for incentives – still raising questions about disorganization within Tesla.
more…
electrek.co
July 14, 2025 at 8:07 PM
If you ignore Elmo. It’s a nice company with some great product.
“Deep state” is such an odd rebranding of people’s personal morals and ethics at their place of work. Yes they have to fight against these. What they want to achieve is improper most other time.
Dictator’s friend and inexplicably Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard: "I can attest personally that in my work as the Director of National Intelligence, the deep state is fighting us every step of the way."
She’s speaking at Turning Point USA.
She’s speaking at Turning Point USA.
a man with a beard says serious people in front of a purple background
Alt: a man with a beard says you are not serious people in front of a purple background
media.tenor.com
July 13, 2025 at 8:00 PM
“Deep state” is such an odd rebranding of people’s personal morals and ethics at their place of work. Yes they have to fight against these. What they want to achieve is improper most other time.
It’s almost as if the three body problem was a real thing.
The White House Vision for Dismantling Science in One Simple Plot
joshuasweitz.substack.com/p/the-white-... by @joshuasweitz.bsky.social
joshuasweitz.substack.com/p/the-white-... by @joshuasweitz.bsky.social
The White House Vision for Dismantling Science in One Simple Plot
Proposed NIH, NSF, and NASA budgets would be catastrophic for innovation and discovery. But they aren’t reality yet. The time to speak up is now.
joshuasweitz.substack.com
July 12, 2025 at 8:30 AM
It’s almost as if the three body problem was a real thing.
The competition watchdog in the USA is a joke and a cause of a lot of the issues.
These idea they will be owned at longer than arms length. 😂😂😂😂
These idea they will be owned at longer than arms length. 😂😂😂😂
Everyone ready to cancel subscriptions to the new Bezos-acquired media outlets if the sale goes through? Wired, New Yorker, Ars Technica, Teen Vogue, etc.
There's no wait-and-see. Strangle it early. We know from the wreck of the Washington Post what happens when Bezos gets his hands on journalism.
There's no wait-and-see. Strangle it early. We know from the wreck of the Washington Post what happens when Bezos gets his hands on journalism.
July 11, 2025 at 5:32 PM
The competition watchdog in the USA is a joke and a cause of a lot of the issues.
These idea they will be owned at longer than arms length. 😂😂😂😂
These idea they will be owned at longer than arms length. 😂😂😂😂
Reposted by Fred Witting
In @slate.com , I explained why Zohran Mamdani’s proposal for fare-free buses is a bad idea for NYC.
The cost would be enormous, the benefits meh, and the downsides real.
If Mamdani can find $1 billion/year to improve transportation, there are many better ways to spend it.
🧵
The cost would be enormous, the benefits meh, and the downsides real.
If Mamdani can find $1 billion/year to improve transportation, there are many better ways to spend it.
🧵
Zohran Mamdani Has Some Good Ideas for NYC Transit. His Biggest Promise Isn’t One of Them.
Riders don't want buses to be free. They want something else.
slate.com
July 8, 2025 at 11:48 AM
In @slate.com , I explained why Zohran Mamdani’s proposal for fare-free buses is a bad idea for NYC.
The cost would be enormous, the benefits meh, and the downsides real.
If Mamdani can find $1 billion/year to improve transportation, there are many better ways to spend it.
🧵
The cost would be enormous, the benefits meh, and the downsides real.
If Mamdani can find $1 billion/year to improve transportation, there are many better ways to spend it.
🧵
Gold. Prime gold.
Reminder about the reason for the season. Don’t buy into yet another commercialized holiday
July 8, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Gold. Prime gold.
Gold. Prime gold.
Reminder about the reason for the season. Don’t buy into yet another commercialized holiday
July 8, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Gold. Prime gold.
When do we start calling opinion pieces advertising?
California’s Chamber of Commerce has concluded that the state’s solar rooftop program is the top driver of higher electricity bills. Opinion columnist Tom Philp asks: Now what?
Why is your California electricity bill so high? It may be your neighbor | Opinion
California’s Chamber of Commerce has concluded that the state’s solar rooftop program is the top driver of higher electricity bills. Opinion columnist Tom Philp asks: Now what?
bit.ly
July 8, 2025 at 3:12 PM
When do we start calling opinion pieces advertising?
Damn. Totally fell for this and like the modern ones.
Wait you’re telling me that Brussels Sprouts LITERALLY tasted awful when I was a kid and I didn’t just magically start liking them as an adult?????
July 8, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Damn. Totally fell for this and like the modern ones.