Richard Smith
@raves.bsky.social
He/Him. Travels a lot. Posts a lot. Occasionally complains a lot. @richardavsmith on Twitter and @richardavsmith@mas.to on M
Pinned
Richard Smith
@raves.bsky.social
· Feb 13
I'm travelling #TheLongWayDown through South East Asia and Australia by train (and plane!).
🇹🇭🇲🇾🇸🇬🇮🇩🇦🇺🇧🇭
This is my thread of my daily threads. (Assuming I don't give up due to a Bluesky bug.)
PART 1 (London, Doha, Bangkok)
In which I fly a lot, get tired, and fall prey to a shop's theme song.
🇹🇭🇲🇾🇸🇬🇮🇩🇦🇺🇧🇭
This is my thread of my daily threads. (Assuming I don't give up due to a Bluesky bug.)
PART 1 (London, Doha, Bangkok)
In which I fly a lot, get tired, and fall prey to a shop's theme song.
"Drivers say" what kind of attribution is that?!!
November 7, 2025 at 7:57 AM
"Drivers say" what kind of attribution is that?!!
The Andrew Formerly Known As Prince.
Andrew, or to give him his full title, Andrew.
October 30, 2025 at 7:15 PM
The Andrew Formerly Known As Prince.
Reposted by Richard Smith
Andrew, or to give him his full title, Andrew.
October 30, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Andrew, or to give him his full title, Andrew.
Reposted by Richard Smith
Another thought on this brilliant story: police orthodoxy in this country is that, best use if straitened resources is to focus on “high impact” crime. Hard to square that with the fact that essentially every serious look into “petty” crime finds it is scarily organised!
The fun thing about having a small team working with you is you can say "hey you're spending this week digging for stolen mobile phones in London flowerbeds, I promise you it's a thing". www.londoncentric.media/p/london-pho...
London's thieves are burying phones in flowerbeds
The police don't take much interest in returning the stolen devices when they're dug up — so London Centric decided to do it.
www.londoncentric.media
October 30, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Another thought on this brilliant story: police orthodoxy in this country is that, best use if straitened resources is to focus on “high impact” crime. Hard to square that with the fact that essentially every serious look into “petty” crime finds it is scarily organised!
That's... certainly a claim. @jon.gruene.social.ap.brid.gy
October 30, 2025 at 5:43 PM
That's... certainly a claim. @jon.gruene.social.ap.brid.gy
Reposted by Richard Smith
The idea that the post-war order was created because they thought "everyone would want to be nice to each other" is not something you should be able to utter and still be taken seriously.
Katie Lam tries to explain to the Sunday Times how her grandparents experience under Nazism informs her view that the postwar institutions forged after the horrors of war, dictatorship & the holicaust won't now work in our times - because "they assume everyone would want to be nice to each other"
October 19, 2025 at 10:17 AM
The idea that the post-war order was created because they thought "everyone would want to be nice to each other" is not something you should be able to utter and still be taken seriously.
Reposted by Richard Smith
I thought I'd take the opportunity to put together a website representation of these new Rail Clocks which launched yesterday.
railclock.davwheat.dev
Source code (MIT): github.com/davwheat/rai...
And, don't worry, it does have the special flourish every 12 hours!
railclock.davwheat.dev
Source code (MIT): github.com/davwheat/rai...
And, don't worry, it does have the special flourish every 12 hours!
Rail Clock
A reproduction of the Great British Railways clock
railclock.davwheat.dev
October 17, 2025 at 3:21 PM
I thought I'd take the opportunity to put together a website representation of these new Rail Clocks which launched yesterday.
railclock.davwheat.dev
Source code (MIT): github.com/davwheat/rai...
And, don't worry, it does have the special flourish every 12 hours!
railclock.davwheat.dev
Source code (MIT): github.com/davwheat/rai...
And, don't worry, it does have the special flourish every 12 hours!
Reposted by Richard Smith
The absolute bloody vandalism of austerity in one chart. Good analysis of the overall picture here.
October 15, 2025 at 6:48 PM
The absolute bloody vandalism of austerity in one chart. Good analysis of the overall picture here.
Reposted by Richard Smith
New DLR train!
New DLR train!
New DLR train!
New DLR train!
New DLR train!
New DLR train!
New DLR train!
September 30, 2025 at 6:16 AM
New DLR train!
New DLR train!
New DLR train!
New DLR train!
New DLR train!
New DLR train!
New DLR train!
Seats on the new NextGen Acela look like alien robots giving a lower back rub and/or needy hug, I saw it and now you will too.
(Hitchhiker's vibes.)
(Hitchhiker's vibes.)
August 7, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Seats on the new NextGen Acela look like alien robots giving a lower back rub and/or needy hug, I saw it and now you will too.
(Hitchhiker's vibes.)
(Hitchhiker's vibes.)
My review of The Greatest Gathering.
August 2, 2025 at 8:15 PM
My review of The Greatest Gathering.
Reposted by Richard Smith
Every UK petition is like this
July 11, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Every UK petition is like this
Reposted by Richard Smith
since it's the last day of pride month I figured I'd at least make one thing for it...
i now unveil to you my greatest invention:
color bars pride flag
i now unveil to you my greatest invention:
color bars pride flag
June 30, 2025 at 3:15 PM
since it's the last day of pride month I figured I'd at least make one thing for it...
i now unveil to you my greatest invention:
color bars pride flag
i now unveil to you my greatest invention:
color bars pride flag
Hotel in Vietnam.
Stood up from the toilet and the edge of the lid of the metal loo roll holder sliced through my elbow. It hadn't seen sandpaper or a file in its life.
Hotel cleaner got worried I'd damaged a towel cleaning up the blood, but fortunately realised this probably wasn't worth pushing.
Stood up from the toilet and the edge of the lid of the metal loo roll holder sliced through my elbow. It hadn't seen sandpaper or a file in its life.
Hotel cleaner got worried I'd damaged a towel cleaning up the blood, but fortunately realised this probably wasn't worth pushing.
June 27, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Hotel in Vietnam.
Stood up from the toilet and the edge of the lid of the metal loo roll holder sliced through my elbow. It hadn't seen sandpaper or a file in its life.
Hotel cleaner got worried I'd damaged a towel cleaning up the blood, but fortunately realised this probably wasn't worth pushing.
Stood up from the toilet and the edge of the lid of the metal loo roll holder sliced through my elbow. It hadn't seen sandpaper or a file in its life.
Hotel cleaner got worried I'd damaged a towel cleaning up the blood, but fortunately realised this probably wasn't worth pushing.
Reposted by Richard Smith
Read the entire thread, but especially take note of this part.
The Netherlands closed this loophole and so you now essentially *never* see the kinds of dangerous and illegal "e-bikes" that are very common in the UK.
The Netherlands closed this loophole and so you now essentially *never* see the kinds of dangerous and illegal "e-bikes" that are very common in the UK.
Our recommendations: close the substitution loophole and see delivery companies take responsibility; end sales of 'fake e-bikes'; and help police seize them. Create a safe kitemark for legitimate products to restore confidence and reverse bans; and a scrappage scheme. End the off-road-legal loophole
June 18, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Read the entire thread, but especially take note of this part.
The Netherlands closed this loophole and so you now essentially *never* see the kinds of dangerous and illegal "e-bikes" that are very common in the UK.
The Netherlands closed this loophole and so you now essentially *never* see the kinds of dangerous and illegal "e-bikes" that are very common in the UK.
Reposted by Richard Smith
I read the best-selling book on "overdiagnosis". I was not a fan. There are some really important ideas that don't quite stick the landing, but it gets very culture-war very quickly.
A first attempt at YouTube by @ftw.bsky.social and I:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDxV...
A first attempt at YouTube by @ftw.bsky.social and I:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDxV...
Is Autism Overdiagnosed? I Read "The Age Of Diagnosis"
YouTube video by Georgia Harper
www.youtube.com
June 15, 2025 at 6:56 PM
I read the best-selling book on "overdiagnosis". I was not a fan. There are some really important ideas that don't quite stick the landing, but it gets very culture-war very quickly.
A first attempt at YouTube by @ftw.bsky.social and I:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDxV...
A first attempt at YouTube by @ftw.bsky.social and I:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDxV...
Folks, I think we're doomed.
June 15, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Folks, I think we're doomed.
Customer. Journey. Times. Matter.
If you don't get that, get out of transport planning.
If you don't get that, get out of transport planning.
June 11, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Customer. Journey. Times. Matter.
If you don't get that, get out of transport planning.
If you don't get that, get out of transport planning.
Touristing in Geneva.
May 24, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Touristing in Geneva.
High effort trainspotting.
May 23, 2025 at 7:36 AM
High effort trainspotting.
My brain this week, continually.
youtu.be/rdzThMp5lso?...
youtu.be/rdzThMp5lso?...
DUGGA DOO | FULL SONG from The Interstellar Song Contest | Doctor Who
YouTube video by Doctor Who
youtu.be
May 21, 2025 at 1:40 PM
My brain this week, continually.
youtu.be/rdzThMp5lso?...
youtu.be/rdzThMp5lso?...
Reposted by Richard Smith
Wes Streeting is suppressing the publication of a report that would show that what he's doing to trans kids has increased the suicide rate
Scandal upon scandal
Scandal upon scandal
Kind of amazing how nakedly dishonest are Wes Streeting's lot when it comes to suppressing data on young people taking their own lives in consequence of the withdrawal of gender affirming care. 🤯🧵
May 17, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Wes Streeting is suppressing the publication of a report that would show that what he's doing to trans kids has increased the suicide rate
Scandal upon scandal
Scandal upon scandal
Reposted by Richard Smith
Honestly, what, actually, is the government’s problem?
I keep thinking: I married an American, who now has dual citizenship. Both our children are dual citizens. Most of my wife’s colleagues have at least one other citizenship, as do many of mine. The same goes for many of the families at the school and nursery our children go to. This is normal life.
May 12, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Honestly, what, actually, is the government’s problem?
Reposted by Richard Smith
Lovely to hear from the Prime Minister that the historical policies which allowed my Mum to remain in the UK after studying here, thus enabling my existence, was a “squalid experiment in open borders”.
May 12, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Lovely to hear from the Prime Minister that the historical policies which allowed my Mum to remain in the UK after studying here, thus enabling my existence, was a “squalid experiment in open borders”.