Count Melancholia
@lillyh.bsky.social
Working for a fascism-free, habitable Earth and for Scottish independence. #MECFS #BasicIncome WGBer
I spend more time on Mastodon, the ethical platform. You can follow my bridge from there at: @LillyHerself.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
BlueSky broke DMs.
I spend more time on Mastodon, the ethical platform. You can follow my bridge from there at: @LillyHerself.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
BlueSky broke DMs.
Pinned
A beginner's guide to Mastodon, the open source Twitter alternative | TechCrunch
Mastodon has almost doubled its userbase since Elon Musk took control of Twitter last month. Here's what you need to know about the platform.
techcrunch.com
✨A beginner’s guide to Mastodon, the open source Twitter alternative - that is delightfully different from Twitter/X
techcrunch.com/2026/01/01/w...
techcrunch.com/2026/01/01/w...
Reposted by Count Melancholia
"Not even one month later though the celebration came to an abrupt end when it was announced that Solvinity, the Dutch-operated company which had been chosen by Amsterdam council to provide its cloud services, was being acquired by US-owned firm Kyndryl."
A longer post from me to start the year: the Dutch are panicking. Their digital ID system will soon fall under the control of an American company and far-reaching US government powers.
Why is that such a problem? And what does it mean for the UK?
open.substack.com/pub/georgina...
Why is that such a problem? And what does it mean for the UK?
open.substack.com/pub/georgina...
Digital ID, big tech and the Dutch dilemma
A planned US takeover of critical infrastructure raises troubling questions
open.substack.com
January 7, 2026 at 10:39 AM
"Not even one month later though the celebration came to an abrupt end when it was announced that Solvinity, the Dutch-operated company which had been chosen by Amsterdam council to provide its cloud services, was being acquired by US-owned firm Kyndryl."
Reposted by Count Melancholia
someone's gonna blow it and all the heroes of old will come back very confused about everything and then you KNOW we're in trouble
January 7, 2026 at 10:59 AM
someone's gonna blow it and all the heroes of old will come back very confused about everything and then you KNOW we're in trouble
Slowly reading a book that I have been re-reading for 30 yrs, and I have to reflect that each time it seems like a new book, partly because I am a new person each time.
Such an intense image:
"The road in from the airport had been dead straight, like a neat incision, laying the city open."
Such an intense image:
"The road in from the airport had been dead straight, like a neat incision, laying the city open."
January 7, 2026 at 11:05 AM
Slowly reading a book that I have been re-reading for 30 yrs, and I have to reflect that each time it seems like a new book, partly because I am a new person each time.
Such an intense image:
"The road in from the airport had been dead straight, like a neat incision, laying the city open."
Such an intense image:
"The road in from the airport had been dead straight, like a neat incision, laying the city open."
Reposted by Count Melancholia
.@PabloReports: What do you make of the White House blaming the police for the violence on January 6th?
McGovern: That’s offensive. What kind of sick human being would say that? I was here that day.
McGovern: That’s offensive. What kind of sick human being would say that? I was here that day.
January 6, 2026 at 10:08 PM
.@PabloReports: What do you make of the White House blaming the police for the violence on January 6th?
McGovern: That’s offensive. What kind of sick human being would say that? I was here that day.
McGovern: That’s offensive. What kind of sick human being would say that? I was here that day.
Reposted by Count Melancholia
Reformed January 6th participant (who refused a pardon): “You can't gaslight me. I was there. I saw the officers being pepper sprayed. I watched one of them fall down and hit his head and his back. So don't be telling me it wasn't violent.”
January 6, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Reformed January 6th participant (who refused a pardon): “You can't gaslight me. I was there. I saw the officers being pepper sprayed. I watched one of them fall down and hit his head and his back. So don't be telling me it wasn't violent.”
Reposted by Count Melancholia
Zohran just went out and fixed the Williamsburg Bridge bike entrance. Just did it. No faffing, no nonsense. Bam. Fixed.
January 6, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Zohran just went out and fixed the Williamsburg Bridge bike entrance. Just did it. No faffing, no nonsense. Bam. Fixed.
Reposted by Count Melancholia
That was one of the things that initially drew me to trying to write professionally, but the advent of chain bookstores and the internet soon changed it.
Author fame accrues to the book, not to the face. There are at any moment only two or three truly A-level famous (living) authors, and one of them is always Stephen King.
Ha, thanks for the response! I'm glad you're at your comfort level! Years ago I worked for Borders & worked with a few authors & it always surprised me how they were rarely recognized, yet clearly "well known", at the very least. Like, how in the fuck do you not recognize Tom Wolfe?!
January 6, 2026 at 10:55 PM
That was one of the things that initially drew me to trying to write professionally, but the advent of chain bookstores and the internet soon changed it.
There he stands, like the ghost of christmas past
Jared Kushner has somehow found a place at Coalition of the Willing press conference with Scholz, Zelensky, Macron, Starmer and Witkoff.
Kushner has no official position in the US government.
Kushner has no official position in the US government.
January 7, 2026 at 10:06 AM
There he stands, like the ghost of christmas past
Reposted by Count Melancholia
If it's not regime change, and it's certainly not "law enforcement," let's just call it a nuclear-armed oil heist.
January 6, 2026 at 6:52 PM
If it's not regime change, and it's certainly not "law enforcement," let's just call it a nuclear-armed oil heist.
Reposted by Count Melancholia
Right now Americans are discovering that nobody’s watching the watchmen.
January 7, 2026 at 9:09 AM
Right now Americans are discovering that nobody’s watching the watchmen.
Reposted by Count Melancholia
This cat's ass is definitely sticking to the pan.
January 6, 2026 at 6:49 PM
This cat's ass is definitely sticking to the pan.
Reposted by Count Melancholia
do you have any idea how much you have to piss somebody off to make them change their gauge
#Finland will begin to #Russia - proof its rail network, integrate with EU train infrastructure.
The Finnish government has announced the conversion of its rail network from Russian gauge (1,524 mm) to European standard (1,435 mm).
www.trenvista.net/en/news/flas...
The Finnish government has announced the conversion of its rail network from Russian gauge (1,524 mm) to European standard (1,435 mm).
www.trenvista.net/en/news/flas...
November 23, 2025 at 4:40 PM
do you have any idea how much you have to piss somebody off to make them change their gauge
Reposted by Count Melancholia
My last story for the year - the third in a sort of trilogy about the energy crisis. This one is about about the unmanaged, unfunded, messy transition away from gas and the impact on businesses.Feels like a perfect example of where we really really could be doing better www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-dept...
Lost in transition: The businesses trapped by New Zealand’s energy crisis
Behind the nation's energy crisis are businesses quietly fighting to survive - many feel they have nothing but bad options.
www.rnz.co.nz
December 10, 2025 at 9:48 PM
My last story for the year - the third in a sort of trilogy about the energy crisis. This one is about about the unmanaged, unfunded, messy transition away from gas and the impact on businesses.Feels like a perfect example of where we really really could be doing better www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-dept...
Reposted by Count Melancholia
This drove past me today. I coughed for an hour afterwards 😄 but it's pretty cool!
December 13, 2025 at 4:51 AM
This drove past me today. I coughed for an hour afterwards 😄 but it's pretty cool!
Orthodox Jews now being mowed down in Israel. It's unclear (at least to me) which Israeli organisatio ins responsible for these deaths.
![screenshot from twitter:
Jewish Voice
@jewishvoicelive
·
23m
🚨 HAPPENING NOW! 🚨 In the midst of a peaceful protest by Ultra-Orthodox Jews against the brutal Zionist army, a Zionist bus rams into the crowd, murdering one and wounding 12 others! Blood on their hands. pure evil!
ZIONISM IS NAZISM.
[attached are three videos]
second tweet, half hour later, "another confirmed death at today's Zionist terrorist attack"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2n5poo4mfmott343inm5uoi6/bafkreid5hikkbzorr47wtuntvghyvgmsl74ogl7qmczv3txut2i52bwxg4@jpeg)
January 6, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Orthodox Jews now being mowed down in Israel. It's unclear (at least to me) which Israeli organisatio ins responsible for these deaths.
Reposted by Count Melancholia
From the CWS ARCHIVE. 6th January 2021.
January 6, 2026 at 5:15 PM
From the CWS ARCHIVE. 6th January 2021.
Reposted by Count Melancholia
as heard on the radio ; "...we are only a few years into this new year.."
January 6, 2026 at 5:16 PM
as heard on the radio ; "...we are only a few years into this new year.."
Reposted by Count Melancholia
Reposted by Count Melancholia
Houston lied, again, the promises he made to become Premier were bullshit!
#NovaScotia’s Progressive Conservative govt is remaining noncommittal about the party’s campaign promise to cap power rate increases to the Canadian average. Stop voting for liars people!
globalnews.ca/news/1160108...
#NovaScotia’s Progressive Conservative govt is remaining noncommittal about the party’s campaign promise to cap power rate increases to the Canadian average. Stop voting for liars people!
globalnews.ca/news/1160108...
N.S. Tories noncommittal on 2024 pledge to cap power rate hikes to national average - Halifax | Globalnews.ca
Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative government is remaining noncommittal about the party's campaign promise to cap power rate increases to the Canadian average.
globalnews.ca
January 6, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Houston lied, again, the promises he made to become Premier were bullshit!
#NovaScotia’s Progressive Conservative govt is remaining noncommittal about the party’s campaign promise to cap power rate increases to the Canadian average. Stop voting for liars people!
globalnews.ca/news/1160108...
#NovaScotia’s Progressive Conservative govt is remaining noncommittal about the party’s campaign promise to cap power rate increases to the Canadian average. Stop voting for liars people!
globalnews.ca/news/1160108...
If you are in the mood to get a headache, spend a couple of minutes looking at this man's clothes.
Reform-run Derbyshire County Council set to roll out multiple years of maximum council tax increases - after pledging cuts
www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk/news/people/...
#ReformTaxLies
www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk/news/people/...
#ReformTaxLies
Reform-run Derbyshire County Council set to roll out multiple years of maximum council tax increases - after pledging cuts
Reform-run Derbyshire County Council is set to roll out multiple years of maximum council tax increases.
www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk
January 6, 2026 at 6:33 PM
If you are in the mood to get a headache, spend a couple of minutes looking at this man's clothes.
Reposted by Count Melancholia
What do these companies have in common?
-Cigna
-Comcast
-General Mills
-Allstate
-Marriott
-Hilton
-Walmart
-Amazon
-Microsoft
-Meta
All promised after January 6, 2021 to stop funding lawmakers who tried to overturn the 2020 election.
And all have broken that promise.
-Cigna
-Comcast
-General Mills
-Allstate
-Marriott
-Hilton
-Walmart
-Amazon
-Microsoft
-Meta
All promised after January 6, 2021 to stop funding lawmakers who tried to overturn the 2020 election.
And all have broken that promise.
January 6, 2026 at 5:15 PM
What do these companies have in common?
-Cigna
-Comcast
-General Mills
-Allstate
-Marriott
-Hilton
-Walmart
-Amazon
-Microsoft
-Meta
All promised after January 6, 2021 to stop funding lawmakers who tried to overturn the 2020 election.
And all have broken that promise.
-Cigna
-Comcast
-General Mills
-Allstate
-Marriott
-Hilton
-Walmart
-Amazon
-Microsoft
-Meta
All promised after January 6, 2021 to stop funding lawmakers who tried to overturn the 2020 election.
And all have broken that promise.
Reposted by Count Melancholia
Guys, we did it. We invented the Commodore 64
Also neat at CES: HP’s battery-powered PC built into a keyboard. Sort of a screenless laptop.
January 6, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Guys, we did it. We invented the Commodore 64
Reposted by Count Melancholia
Fun fact: when we invented cricket circa 911 CE, we did not call it cricket because the term cricket is impossible to understand. We called it knattleikr, which everyone can easily grasp. It's literally the Old Norse term for 'the ball game'.
January 6, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Fun fact: when we invented cricket circa 911 CE, we did not call it cricket because the term cricket is impossible to understand. We called it knattleikr, which everyone can easily grasp. It's literally the Old Norse term for 'the ball game'.
Cuba is observing two days of mourning after ➡️ 32 members of its military and intelligence agencies were killed
in the US strike that abducted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
observer.co.uk/news/the-sen...
in the US strike that abducted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
observer.co.uk/news/the-sen...
Cuba mourns 32 officers and fears losing Venezuela lifeline
The Cuban death toll in the US raid reflects the extent of ties with Caracas - now it waits to see if Trump will act on threats
observer.co.uk
January 6, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Cuba is observing two days of mourning after ➡️ 32 members of its military and intelligence agencies were killed
in the US strike that abducted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
observer.co.uk/news/the-sen...
in the US strike that abducted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
observer.co.uk/news/the-sen...
I've been saying this at every opportunity for about the last 15 years, but maybe people will listen to Monbiot?
January 6, 2026 at 5:15 PM
I've been saying this at every opportunity for about the last 15 years, but maybe people will listen to Monbiot?