Sonic Sloth Scientist
@slothlydad.bsky.social
Bikes, synths, maps, LCC, homegrown, homebrewed, G/green.
Croydon / S London mostly.
https://cycle.travel/by/angus_hewlett
Personal views. Actual contents may vary. May contain cats.
Croydon / S London mostly.
https://cycle.travel/by/angus_hewlett
Personal views. Actual contents may vary. May contain cats.
I think you meant 'appealing'? 'appeasing' is rather apt in the circumstances though š
January 13, 2026 at 11:22 AM
I think you meant 'appealing'? 'appeasing' is rather apt in the circumstances though š
Lyon-Turin only had to get through the French Alps. The Cotswolds is altogether more challenging terrain.
/s.
/s.
January 13, 2026 at 9:31 AM
Lyon-Turin only had to get through the French Alps. The Cotswolds is altogether more challenging terrain.
/s.
/s.
Not so much room, as Lebensraum.
January 13, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Not so much room, as Lebensraum.
Reposted by Sonic Sloth Scientist
Surely, an IQ assessment should be part of the driving test.
It's a German BMW.
It's a German BMW.
January 12, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Surely, an IQ assessment should be part of the driving test.
It's a German BMW.
It's a German BMW.
I'll wager a round of drinks for the cyclist and his friends that that particular driver is a Reform voter.
January 13, 2026 at 7:57 AM
I'll wager a round of drinks for the cyclist and his friends that that particular driver is a Reform voter.
Stereotyped as, but not convinced that they are.
They seem to be equally blamed for "sending money abroad", "money laundering", "being subsidised by foreign cash as a work visa exploit" and various other ills which AFAICT are mutually incompatible.
They seem to be equally blamed for "sending money abroad", "money laundering", "being subsidised by foreign cash as a work visa exploit" and various other ills which AFAICT are mutually incompatible.
January 12, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Stereotyped as, but not convinced that they are.
They seem to be equally blamed for "sending money abroad", "money laundering", "being subsidised by foreign cash as a work visa exploit" and various other ills which AFAICT are mutually incompatible.
They seem to be equally blamed for "sending money abroad", "money laundering", "being subsidised by foreign cash as a work visa exploit" and various other ills which AFAICT are mutually incompatible.
Goodness, what a shame. I was just about to recommend them to someone who would have benefited greatly from their help.
Any idea what happened?
Any idea what happened?
January 12, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Goodness, what a shame. I was just about to recommend them to someone who would have benefited greatly from their help.
Any idea what happened?
Any idea what happened?
I feel like there's a bit of a dog-whistle implied in "quirky pop ups good, vape shops bad", albeit maybe subconscious - and I say that as a fan of quirky pop ups.
But they take energy and social capital to run, I'd bet a chunk of the issue is that people with those are inclined to move elsewhere.
But they take energy and social capital to run, I'd bet a chunk of the issue is that people with those are inclined to move elsewhere.
January 12, 2026 at 1:14 PM
I feel like there's a bit of a dog-whistle implied in "quirky pop ups good, vape shops bad", albeit maybe subconscious - and I say that as a fan of quirky pop ups.
But they take energy and social capital to run, I'd bet a chunk of the issue is that people with those are inclined to move elsewhere.
But they take energy and social capital to run, I'd bet a chunk of the issue is that people with those are inclined to move elsewhere.
The Times' consumer affairs correspondent has waged a personal war against inner-London schemes that aim to nudge people from driving towards greener modes.
That it's their consumer affairs guy, and not someone whose bread and butter is transport or local government, is rather telling.
That it's their consumer affairs guy, and not someone whose bread and butter is transport or local government, is rather telling.
January 12, 2026 at 1:07 PM
The Times' consumer affairs correspondent has waged a personal war against inner-London schemes that aim to nudge people from driving towards greener modes.
That it's their consumer affairs guy, and not someone whose bread and butter is transport or local government, is rather telling.
That it's their consumer affairs guy, and not someone whose bread and butter is transport or local government, is rather telling.
I'm not against cars for their own sake.
However, in situations when they present a choice barrier to better choices - by making buses slow, or cycling dangerous - we have to prioritise. This is mostly true of cities and town centres, there's no reason to make driving difficult in the countryside.
However, in situations when they present a choice barrier to better choices - by making buses slow, or cycling dangerous - we have to prioritise. This is mostly true of cities and town centres, there's no reason to make driving difficult in the countryside.
January 12, 2026 at 1:00 PM
I'm not against cars for their own sake.
However, in situations when they present a choice barrier to better choices - by making buses slow, or cycling dangerous - we have to prioritise. This is mostly true of cities and town centres, there's no reason to make driving difficult in the countryside.
However, in situations when they present a choice barrier to better choices - by making buses slow, or cycling dangerous - we have to prioritise. This is mostly true of cities and town centres, there's no reason to make driving difficult in the countryside.
Not at the same time please.
January 12, 2026 at 11:39 AM
Not at the same time please.
Above all the mindset that simply says "I should be allowed to take up all this valuable city space, and create the hazards for others, because I'm entitled to get to work on a big comfy sofa".
January 12, 2026 at 11:37 AM
Above all the mindset that simply says "I should be allowed to take up all this valuable city space, and create the hazards for others, because I'm entitled to get to work on a big comfy sofa".
In the grand sweep of things, "British" is a pretty recent invention (quite a bit of Scotland still hasn't quite come around to the idea, afaict).
January 12, 2026 at 10:17 AM
In the grand sweep of things, "British" is a pretty recent invention (quite a bit of Scotland still hasn't quite come around to the idea, afaict).
Sure, but in most places the two are fairly closely correlated - other than perhaps big out-of-town employers and business parks which have little or no crime to begin with.
January 12, 2026 at 10:09 AM
Sure, but in most places the two are fairly closely correlated - other than perhaps big out-of-town employers and business parks which have little or no crime to begin with.
100%. Culture isn't something you buy, or something you watch, it's something you DO.
January 12, 2026 at 10:07 AM
100%. Culture isn't something you buy, or something you watch, it's something you DO.
This particularly irks me.
As someone raised on classical supply-and-demand capitalism, unaffordable rents and endless empty units is an error condition.
The same goes for London office space. Low occupancy, absurdly high rent.
If the high-street retail model is struggling, rent should be *low*.
As someone raised on classical supply-and-demand capitalism, unaffordable rents and endless empty units is an error condition.
The same goes for London office space. Low occupancy, absurdly high rent.
If the high-street retail model is struggling, rent should be *low*.
January 12, 2026 at 10:05 AM
This particularly irks me.
As someone raised on classical supply-and-demand capitalism, unaffordable rents and endless empty units is an error condition.
The same goes for London office space. Low occupancy, absurdly high rent.
If the high-street retail model is struggling, rent should be *low*.
As someone raised on classical supply-and-demand capitalism, unaffordable rents and endless empty units is an error condition.
The same goes for London office space. Low occupancy, absurdly high rent.
If the high-street retail model is struggling, rent should be *low*.
Plenty of crime there but most of it goes unreported š
January 12, 2026 at 9:27 AM
Plenty of crime there but most of it goes unreported š
There seems to be a "jobs density" release from ONS which might be a reasonable proxy for visitors and overall economic activity, without using money-based measures which tend to bias in favour of wealthy places?
January 12, 2026 at 9:04 AM
There seems to be a "jobs density" release from ONS which might be a reasonable proxy for visitors and overall economic activity, without using money-based measures which tend to bias in favour of wealthy places?
(My guess being that once you control for amount of *people* vs amount of residents, Westminster is actually safer than a lot of suburban and even rural-ish places).
January 12, 2026 at 8:57 AM
(My guess being that once you control for amount of *people* vs amount of residents, Westminster is actually safer than a lot of suburban and even rural-ish places).
I wonder if it's possible to adjust this for jobs, economic activity, visitors and so on?
Presumably Westminster stands out because, being one of the most interesting, dynamic places in the country, it has tons of "people activity" relative to the number of people actually living there.
Presumably Westminster stands out because, being one of the most interesting, dynamic places in the country, it has tons of "people activity" relative to the number of people actually living there.
January 12, 2026 at 8:55 AM
I wonder if it's possible to adjust this for jobs, economic activity, visitors and so on?
Presumably Westminster stands out because, being one of the most interesting, dynamic places in the country, it has tons of "people activity" relative to the number of people actually living there.
Presumably Westminster stands out because, being one of the most interesting, dynamic places in the country, it has tons of "people activity" relative to the number of people actually living there.
I wonder if it has to do with Tesla's market cap being roughly ten times Ford and GM put together, despite the latter pair selling ten times as many vehicles?
January 12, 2026 at 6:24 AM
I wonder if it has to do with Tesla's market cap being roughly ten times Ford and GM put together, despite the latter pair selling ten times as many vehicles?
I don't mean full-on race hate, more a sort of "I'm more comfortable living around my own kind" way of thinking.
January 11, 2026 at 8:27 PM
I don't mean full-on race hate, more a sort of "I'm more comfortable living around my own kind" way of thinking.
I'd bet a lot of this has to do with peoples' jobs not being in the town where they live, also. Once you're getting in the car to go to work ten miles away, you're already committed to the ring road Tesco on the way home.
January 11, 2026 at 7:53 PM
I'd bet a lot of this has to do with peoples' jobs not being in the town where they live, also. Once you're getting in the car to go to work ten miles away, you're already committed to the ring road Tesco on the way home.
Given a choice between US-style suburbs that are 40% road, and dense city centre living, we choose suburbs that are 15% road and sitting in traffic jams. We don't really have the space to do US-style suburbia, without flattening what's left of the countryside.
January 11, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Given a choice between US-style suburbs that are 40% road, and dense city centre living, we choose suburbs that are 15% road and sitting in traffic jams. We don't really have the space to do US-style suburbia, without flattening what's left of the countryside.
I wonder how much of that is a cultural hangover from mid-20th century cities being grim in all sorts of ways.
(Plus a side-order of don't-call-it-racism).
Cities are a technology, and it's arguably a thing we've got much better at over the last 50 years.
Revealed preference for house prices...
(Plus a side-order of don't-call-it-racism).
Cities are a technology, and it's arguably a thing we've got much better at over the last 50 years.
Revealed preference for house prices...
January 11, 2026 at 7:48 PM
I wonder how much of that is a cultural hangover from mid-20th century cities being grim in all sorts of ways.
(Plus a side-order of don't-call-it-racism).
Cities are a technology, and it's arguably a thing we've got much better at over the last 50 years.
Revealed preference for house prices...
(Plus a side-order of don't-call-it-racism).
Cities are a technology, and it's arguably a thing we've got much better at over the last 50 years.
Revealed preference for house prices...