Gavin Deichen
@gdeichen.bsky.social
Climate technology fan. Overthinker. ☕
Trying to understand how everything works.
Often hoping to be wrong.
Trying to understand how everything works.
Often hoping to be wrong.
Pinned
Gavin Deichen
@gdeichen.bsky.social
· Oct 15
Hey, anyone who's out there, I'd like you to think about one thing…
Big changes are possible. We can fix things. We can make things better. Hard problems, wicked problems even, can be resolved, if we have sufficient resolve.
Don't dismiss the difficult as impossible.
Big changes are possible. We can fix things. We can make things better. Hard problems, wicked problems even, can be resolved, if we have sufficient resolve.
Don't dismiss the difficult as impossible.
Perhaps the biggest problem with media and political figures popping up to say that the Left and the Right are essentially the same is that it makes them seem incredibly stupid, undermining trust in the whole concept of understanding and discussing politics.
January 1, 2026 at 3:17 PM
Perhaps the biggest problem with media and political figures popping up to say that the Left and the Right are essentially the same is that it makes them seem incredibly stupid, undermining trust in the whole concept of understanding and discussing politics.
The obvious drive will always be towards making service interactions as cheap as possible by forcing them down to the lowest possible level of employee, or sideways to someone who might return a profit somehow (eg pharmacists).
Long term care, especially, will inevitably suffer.
Long term care, especially, will inevitably suffer.
Tragically the wonks in DHSC & Downing St *never* want to talk about the evidence base supporting continuity of care - because you simply cannot make this model, if universal, make someone a profit - and so they always go quiet when you mention it, or try & distract you by claiming you’re a dinosaur
January 1, 2026 at 12:20 PM
The obvious drive will always be towards making service interactions as cheap as possible by forcing them down to the lowest possible level of employee, or sideways to someone who might return a profit somehow (eg pharmacists).
Long term care, especially, will inevitably suffer.
Long term care, especially, will inevitably suffer.
Reposted by Gavin Deichen
STRENGTHEN PRIMARY CARE.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Huge rise in number of people in England’s A&Es for coughs or hiccups
Lack of prompt access to primary care blamed for rise in hospital cases of minor ailments including blocked noses
www.theguardian.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:19 AM
STRENGTHEN PRIMARY CARE.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Yeah, it's not OK - this is fundamentally no more acceptable than any other prejudice.
“I hate children!” wow, that’s a very fucked up thing to say if you think about it for even one second. you should perhaps be exiled to a desert island
January 1, 2026 at 10:23 AM
Yeah, it's not OK - this is fundamentally no more acceptable than any other prejudice.
Reposted by Gavin Deichen
Started 2025 with Disaster Nationalism and ended with Active Hope
How to break the strong narrative path of right wing radicalisation was problem
Active Hope showed ways of diverting people away and walking people back from radicalisation
How to break the strong narrative path of right wing radicalisation was problem
Active Hope showed ways of diverting people away and walking people back from radicalisation
January 1, 2026 at 9:24 AM
Started 2025 with Disaster Nationalism and ended with Active Hope
How to break the strong narrative path of right wing radicalisation was problem
Active Hope showed ways of diverting people away and walking people back from radicalisation
How to break the strong narrative path of right wing radicalisation was problem
Active Hope showed ways of diverting people away and walking people back from radicalisation
Reposted by Gavin Deichen
2025 has been a record year for solar ☀️ our 6.39kWp PV system produced nearly 7MWh of clean electricity ⚡
Consumption has gone up from the previous year mainly due to EV charging (738kWh)
Here's to more clean electrons in 2026. Happy New Year!
Consumption has gone up from the previous year mainly due to EV charging (738kWh)
Here's to more clean electrons in 2026. Happy New Year!
January 1, 2026 at 9:28 AM
2025 has been a record year for solar ☀️ our 6.39kWp PV system produced nearly 7MWh of clean electricity ⚡
Consumption has gone up from the previous year mainly due to EV charging (738kWh)
Here's to more clean electrons in 2026. Happy New Year!
Consumption has gone up from the previous year mainly due to EV charging (738kWh)
Here's to more clean electrons in 2026. Happy New Year!
Nah, plenty of people really do hate him.
Maybe more of the people who dislike him don't dislike him as much as the people who hated Corbyn, but a fair number of people really liked Corbyn, too - whereas hardly anybody likes Starmer.
I honestly don't know what things he's bravely done, either 🤷🏻♂️
Maybe more of the people who dislike him don't dislike him as much as the people who hated Corbyn, but a fair number of people really liked Corbyn, too - whereas hardly anybody likes Starmer.
I honestly don't know what things he's bravely done, either 🤷🏻♂️
(people are talking about "inchoate rage" but really - Starmer is not hated more than Corbyn was, people will say anything on this site, that's not true. It's just that he has decided to bravely do things his supporters don't like, and guess what)
December 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Nah, plenty of people really do hate him.
Maybe more of the people who dislike him don't dislike him as much as the people who hated Corbyn, but a fair number of people really liked Corbyn, too - whereas hardly anybody likes Starmer.
I honestly don't know what things he's bravely done, either 🤷🏻♂️
Maybe more of the people who dislike him don't dislike him as much as the people who hated Corbyn, but a fair number of people really liked Corbyn, too - whereas hardly anybody likes Starmer.
I honestly don't know what things he's bravely done, either 🤷🏻♂️
I cannot make it make sense that exile is the punishment meted out for supporting violent extremists.
If she's really so dangerous, isn't exile a pretty weak punishment? Don't we want her safely locked up in prison, having answered to her crimes in a court of law?
If she's really so dangerous, isn't exile a pretty weak punishment? Don't we want her safely locked up in prison, having answered to her crimes in a court of law?
European human rights court questions UK decision to strip Shamima Begum of citizenship
European human rights court questions UK decision to strip Shamima Begum of citizenship
Begum’s lawyers argue she was child trafficking victim when she travelled to live under IS in Syria in 2015
The European court of human rights has questioned the UK government over its 2019 decision to remove Shamima Begum’s British citizenship.
Lawyers in Europe have asked how Begum’s treatment complies with the UK’s responsibilities to victims of trafficking. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 31, 2025 at 5:33 PM
I cannot make it make sense that exile is the punishment meted out for supporting violent extremists.
If she's really so dangerous, isn't exile a pretty weak punishment? Don't we want her safely locked up in prison, having answered to her crimes in a court of law?
If she's really so dangerous, isn't exile a pretty weak punishment? Don't we want her safely locked up in prison, having answered to her crimes in a court of law?
Ooh, he's actually on here…
Joe, you make out in this oddly substance-free interview that @zackpolanski.bsky.social thinks that a wealth tax will pay for "everything"; obviously this is untrue.
As pressure from the Greens mounts, what will Labour's eventual wealth tax look like?
Joe, you make out in this oddly substance-free interview that @zackpolanski.bsky.social thinks that a wealth tax will pay for "everything"; obviously this is untrue.
As pressure from the Greens mounts, what will Labour's eventual wealth tax look like?
December 31, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Ooh, he's actually on here…
Joe, you make out in this oddly substance-free interview that @zackpolanski.bsky.social thinks that a wealth tax will pay for "everything"; obviously this is untrue.
As pressure from the Greens mounts, what will Labour's eventual wealth tax look like?
Joe, you make out in this oddly substance-free interview that @zackpolanski.bsky.social thinks that a wealth tax will pay for "everything"; obviously this is untrue.
As pressure from the Greens mounts, what will Labour's eventual wealth tax look like?
"I've decided to not understand…"
If you crawl for years on your stomach to people who hate you, begging for their indulgence, while relentlessly insulting and deliberately offending people who might be inclined to support you - while offering almost nobody anything they want - then you are going to be deeply unpopular.
December 31, 2025 at 9:08 AM
"I've decided to not understand…"
Liberals should support literally anything that's not actually illegal, apparently.
She helped pass a bill—which is 100% part of liberalism. Maybe you don’t like the bill. Maybe the bill will hurt some people and have bad outcomes. But that’s part of liberal democracy.
December 30, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Liberals should support literally anything that's not actually illegal, apparently.
Reposted by Gavin Deichen
Jess is absolutely right.
The Court of Appeal’s decision in the Begum deprivation of citizenship case, and the Supreme Courts reasons for not hearing an appeal, are two of the worst legal judgments of recent years.
There are other bad decision, but these were awful.
The Court of Appeal’s decision in the Begum deprivation of citizenship case, and the Supreme Courts reasons for not hearing an appeal, are two of the worst legal judgments of recent years.
There are other bad decision, but these were awful.
Begum was one of the worst legal decisions ever made.
December 29, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Jess is absolutely right.
The Court of Appeal’s decision in the Begum deprivation of citizenship case, and the Supreme Courts reasons for not hearing an appeal, are two of the worst legal judgments of recent years.
There are other bad decision, but these were awful.
The Court of Appeal’s decision in the Begum deprivation of citizenship case, and the Supreme Courts reasons for not hearing an appeal, are two of the worst legal judgments of recent years.
There are other bad decision, but these were awful.
Reposted by Gavin Deichen
Definitely a sobering read. We all need to pay more attention in 2026
December 29, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Definitely a sobering read. We all need to pay more attention in 2026
Every now and again the Tories of the BBC pause their Tory propaganda for a nature documentary or some dancing or whatever…
Meanwhile, Netflix are pulling off an epic rickroll.
They're operating in different centuries, tbh.
Meanwhile, Netflix are pulling off an epic rickroll.
They're operating in different centuries, tbh.
Just watched the new Knives Out and I think it's really important you know that the scene in the Seminary's Gym is filmed in the same place Rick Astley filmed the music video for Never Gonna Give You Up.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
December 29, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Every now and again the Tories of the BBC pause their Tory propaganda for a nature documentary or some dancing or whatever…
Meanwhile, Netflix are pulling off an epic rickroll.
They're operating in different centuries, tbh.
Meanwhile, Netflix are pulling off an epic rickroll.
They're operating in different centuries, tbh.
It's fun to see, eBay's pop-ups switch from "buy crap" to "sell crap" post xmas.
Digital tradition.
Digital tradition.
December 28, 2025 at 10:44 AM
It's fun to see, eBay's pop-ups switch from "buy crap" to "sell crap" post xmas.
Digital tradition.
Digital tradition.
I don't know about the later Avatar movies, but what struck me about the original (other than the weak storyline, dodgy dialogue, inconsistent casting, etc) was that it didn't even look particularly good. I swear there were videogames that looked better at the time.
December 27, 2025 at 10:58 AM
I don't know about the later Avatar movies, but what struck me about the original (other than the weak storyline, dodgy dialogue, inconsistent casting, etc) was that it didn't even look particularly good. I swear there were videogames that looked better at the time.
Huh… tricky one… I basically only ever listen to podcasts, even if they have a video version - but sometimes clips from the videos have prompted me to listen.
And *sometimes* videos convey something that audio doesn't - but actually very rarely.
Maybe video isn't worth it if it puts off guests?
And *sometimes* videos convey something that audio doesn't - but actually very rarely.
Maybe video isn't worth it if it puts off guests?
will also add - yes, this is my personal crusade - that turning podcasts into videos implicitly asks women to once again make more effort than men, as the bar for "camera-ready" for one gender is obviously higher than for the other
‘Painful to hear!’ How podcasts’ rush to video is turning them into dreadful listens
December 27, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Huh… tricky one… I basically only ever listen to podcasts, even if they have a video version - but sometimes clips from the videos have prompted me to listen.
And *sometimes* videos convey something that audio doesn't - but actually very rarely.
Maybe video isn't worth it if it puts off guests?
And *sometimes* videos convey something that audio doesn't - but actually very rarely.
Maybe video isn't worth it if it puts off guests?
It's unsurprising (though infuriating, and worrying) that the fossil fuel industry has picked up the tobacco industry's techniques to drive a wedge between the damage their product causes and the necessary response.
But the fact that newspaper editors are on board with this is unforgivable.
But the fact that newspaper editors are on board with this is unforgivable.
We analysed 73,000 articles and found the UK media is divorcing ‘climate change’ from net zero
theconversation.com/we-analysed-...
theconversation.com/we-analysed-...
We analysed 73,000 articles and found the UK media is divorcing ‘climate change’ from net zero
Articles on net zero used to always explain the scientific background. But not anymore.
theconversation.com
December 24, 2025 at 8:44 AM
It's unsurprising (though infuriating, and worrying) that the fossil fuel industry has picked up the tobacco industry's techniques to drive a wedge between the damage their product causes and the necessary response.
But the fact that newspaper editors are on board with this is unforgivable.
But the fact that newspaper editors are on board with this is unforgivable.
It is bloody weird to see organisations that you think would know better shoehorning "AI" into everywhere they can with no training, no specific goals and no apparent concept of what a successful outcome would look like.
MIT’s NANDA initiative found that 95% of generative AI deployments fail after interviewing 150 execs, surveying 350 workers, and analyzing 300 projects. The real “productivity gains” seem to come from layoffs and squeezing more work from fewer people not AI.
MIT report: 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing
There’s a stark difference in success rates between companies that purchase AI tools from vendors and those that build them internally.
fortune.com
December 24, 2025 at 8:09 AM
It is bloody weird to see organisations that you think would know better shoehorning "AI" into everywhere they can with no training, no specific goals and no apparent concept of what a successful outcome would look like.
Driving is essentially treated as a human right in Britain.
Samson Leonard Biddle, 37, failed to stop for police, driving extremely dangerously. Eventually, tactical contact stopped him.
Upon being arrested, he refused to give a specimen.
You might not be terribly reassured to learn that he received just a 6-month suspended sentence and 4-year driving ban.
Upon being arrested, he refused to give a specimen.
You might not be terribly reassured to learn that he received just a 6-month suspended sentence and 4-year driving ban.
December 23, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Driving is essentially treated as a human right in Britain.
Imagine having to arrest Greta Thunberg. And all those other peaceful protesters.
The police should not be put in this position.
The police should not be put in this position.
Greta Thunberg arrested for holding a sign opposing genocide.
When peaceful protest is a crime, democracy is in deep trouble.
Happening under a Labour Government.
When peaceful protest is a crime, democracy is in deep trouble.
Happening under a Labour Government.
🚨BREAKING: GRETA THUNBERG ARRESTED UNDER TERRORISM ACT FOR SUPPORTING 'PALESTINE ACTION PRISONERS'
December 23, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Imagine having to arrest Greta Thunberg. And all those other peaceful protesters.
The police should not be put in this position.
The police should not be put in this position.
Imagine how little self respect you'd have to be to be an ordinary person and to describe yourself as "gender critical".
It's pathetic enough when you're getting dark money funding to embarrass yourself, but doing it off your own back, for nothing..? Tragic, pathetic.
It's pathetic enough when you're getting dark money funding to embarrass yourself, but doing it off your own back, for nothing..? Tragic, pathetic.
also the gc orgs achieve these pathetic turnouts with basically nation-state level funding and multiple tufton st admin orgs. pro trans marches are largely just a bunch of ordinary folk who have decided it’s important to do the right thing
if 'gender critical' is a grass roots movement then why are there only ever, at max, 50 ppl are their rallies?
yet at trans rights marches, and pride, there are thousands and thousands?
@theguardian.com and the rest of them never seem to be able to square that circle.
yet at trans rights marches, and pride, there are thousands and thousands?
@theguardian.com and the rest of them never seem to be able to square that circle.
December 23, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Imagine how little self respect you'd have to be to be an ordinary person and to describe yourself as "gender critical".
It's pathetic enough when you're getting dark money funding to embarrass yourself, but doing it off your own back, for nothing..? Tragic, pathetic.
It's pathetic enough when you're getting dark money funding to embarrass yourself, but doing it off your own back, for nothing..? Tragic, pathetic.
Reposted by Gavin Deichen
Yep, this is good. Much needed investment in an important area.
But I still hate the way they treat trans people and immigrants, so my "naysaying" will very much continue, though.
If your rhetoric is toxic enough, don't expect to be liked, especially if it's backed up with prejudicial policy.
But I still hate the way they treat trans people and immigrants, so my "naysaying" will very much continue, though.
If your rhetoric is toxic enough, don't expect to be liked, especially if it's backed up with prejudicial policy.
December 22, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Yep, this is good. Much needed investment in an important area.
But I still hate the way they treat trans people and immigrants, so my "naysaying" will very much continue, though.
If your rhetoric is toxic enough, don't expect to be liked, especially if it's backed up with prejudicial policy.
But I still hate the way they treat trans people and immigrants, so my "naysaying" will very much continue, though.
If your rhetoric is toxic enough, don't expect to be liked, especially if it's backed up with prejudicial policy.