Tafaner66
@tafaner.bsky.social
Recovering cyberutopian.
LIKES: MUSIC (I play flutes, 7-string nylon guitar, and sing dreadfully); also LANGUAGES (En, Fr, Cat, Es) and the Great Outdoors - as long as it's not raining.
DISLIKES: Mud
LIKES: MUSIC (I play flutes, 7-string nylon guitar, and sing dreadfully); also LANGUAGES (En, Fr, Cat, Es) and the Great Outdoors - as long as it's not raining.
DISLIKES: Mud
Accordion button factory. 1 colour per day to allow for curing. I need ~300 buttons (inc spares) in 12 different colours, so I'm ~25% done.
It's a foolish exercise because when you play you can't see the keyboard anyway! That's why some have dimples. But black & white would be too 'piano-friendly'🤔
It's a foolish exercise because when you play you can't see the keyboard anyway! That's why some have dimples. But black & white would be too 'piano-friendly'🤔
January 27, 2026 at 9:54 AM
Accordion button factory. 1 colour per day to allow for curing. I need ~300 buttons (inc spares) in 12 different colours, so I'm ~25% done.
It's a foolish exercise because when you play you can't see the keyboard anyway! That's why some have dimples. But black & white would be too 'piano-friendly'🤔
It's a foolish exercise because when you play you can't see the keyboard anyway! That's why some have dimples. But black & white would be too 'piano-friendly'🤔
It's odd that Jimmy Carter, outside of his presidential career, was always referred to as a "peanut farmer". It's true, but it feels like a media attempt at a put down - given his distinguished naval career before that. He is a timely reminder that presidents can be decent men.
In 1945, a young Jimmy Carter took part in stopping a nuclear reactor meltdown at a Canadian research facility. Working in short shifts, he crawled into the damaged reactor chamber to help dismantle it by hand, despite the intense radiation exposure.
January 26, 2026 at 12:36 PM
It's odd that Jimmy Carter, outside of his presidential career, was always referred to as a "peanut farmer". It's true, but it feels like a media attempt at a put down - given his distinguished naval career before that. He is a timely reminder that presidents can be decent men.
America's slow puncture 🤔
‘Repatriate the gold’: German economists advise withdrawal from US vaults
‘Repatriate the gold’: German economists advise withdrawal from US vaults
Shift in relations and unpredictability of Donald Trump make it ‘risky to store so much gold in the US’, say experts
Germany is facing calls to withdraw its billions of euros’ worth of gold from US vaults, spurred on by the shift in transatlantic relations and the unpredictability of Donald Trump.
Germany holds the world’s second biggest national gold reserves after the US, of which approximately €164bn (£122bn) worth – 1,236 tonnes – is stored in New York. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
January 24, 2026 at 8:49 AM
America's slow puncture 🤔
A wall of one of our local châteaux has just collapsed, undermined by recent heavy rain. Nobody hurt. I always knew rain was a bad thing 🤔
"J'ai entendu un bruit énorme, j'ai eu peur", le mur du château s'effondre dans un jardin, les riverains sont inquiets pour leur sécurité
Les fortes pluies de cette semaine ont provoqué l'effondrement d'une partie du mur d'enceinte du château médiéval de Montesquieu-des-Albères, près du Boulou, dans les Pyrénées-Orientales. Ce patrimoin...
france3-regions.franceinfo.fr
January 24, 2026 at 8:43 AM
A wall of one of our local châteaux has just collapsed, undermined by recent heavy rain. Nobody hurt. I always knew rain was a bad thing 🤔
It's a rare week in which we don't get a good dose of sun here in the Pays Catalan. Even in January. Thankfully, things are returning to normal. Otherwise there would be some explaining to do 😐
January 23, 2026 at 11:53 AM
It's a rare week in which we don't get a good dose of sun here in the Pays Catalan. Even in January. Thankfully, things are returning to normal. Otherwise there would be some explaining to do 😐
I know this is all losing the power to shock us, but this little example - editing an ICE image to show the victim as sobbing rather than quietly composed - proves something: the aim of the exercise is *performative cruelty*. Why else do it ?
White House posts digitally altered image of woman arrested after ICE protest
Guardian analysis shows images are the same, with Nekima Levy Armstrong looking composed in original but sobbing after alteration
www.theguardian.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:33 AM
I know this is all losing the power to shock us, but this little example - editing an ICE image to show the victim as sobbing rather than quietly composed - proves something: the aim of the exercise is *performative cruelty*. Why else do it ?
Another great idea from Musk - build solar plants in thinly populated parts of Spain! Just brilliant! Why has nobody thought of that before?
Oh...
Oh...
January 22, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Another great idea from Musk - build solar plants in thinly populated parts of Spain! Just brilliant! Why has nobody thought of that before?
Oh...
Oh...
Garage door springs don't last forever. One of ours broke recently and it turns out to be an exotic US make, so I had to get new ones shipped across the pond. It's from an eBay trader, so of course it comes wrapped in local newspaper, "the Rossmoor News". I shall have hours of fun reading this 🙂
January 22, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Garage door springs don't last forever. One of ours broke recently and it turns out to be an exotic US make, so I had to get new ones shipped across the pond. It's from an eBay trader, so of course it comes wrapped in local newspaper, "the Rossmoor News". I shall have hours of fun reading this 🙂
A week from today, I'm due to be travelling by train from Figueres to Huelva, via the horrific crash site at Adamuz. Normal service is suspended, with replacement buses and slower trains. With at least one body still to be found and causes of the accident still under study, I think I need to replan🤔
January 22, 2026 at 8:59 AM
A week from today, I'm due to be travelling by train from Figueres to Huelva, via the horrific crash site at Adamuz. Normal service is suspended, with replacement buses and slower trains. With at least one body still to be found and causes of the accident still under study, I think I need to replan🤔
I guess we have to make allowances for Donald because he is elderly and not well. But Greenland and Iceland really are 2 different countries. Seriously! For a taster of both, here's Steve Marsh's video on trying (and failing!) to fly Edinburgh->Iceland->Greenland
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuhv...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuhv...
January 21, 2026 at 3:04 PM
I guess we have to make allowances for Donald because he is elderly and not well. But Greenland and Iceland really are 2 different countries. Seriously! For a taster of both, here's Steve Marsh's video on trying (and failing!) to fly Edinburgh->Iceland->Greenland
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuhv...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuhv...
It's stopped raining here in the Pays Catalan, but it doesn't feel like it - so I'm having another "rainy day". Trying to clone some accordion buttons by making a silicone rubber mould and casting in resin. I'm crap at handicrafts, so this will probably fail and I'll have to 3D model/print instead 😦
January 21, 2026 at 2:38 PM
It's stopped raining here in the Pays Catalan, but it doesn't feel like it - so I'm having another "rainy day". Trying to clone some accordion buttons by making a silicone rubber mould and casting in resin. I'm crap at handicrafts, so this will probably fail and I'll have to 3D model/print instead 😦
@ladysusanvernon.bsky.social might even want to read this (with or without the googly eyes)🙂
'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a library in possession of a good Jane Austen biography, must be in want of some googly eyes.'
January 20, 2026 at 1:32 PM
@ladysusanvernon.bsky.social might even want to read this (with or without the googly eyes)🙂
I'm sure Tony Blair knows what he's doing getting involved in this, for he is an honourable man. So are they all, all honourable men 🤔
I’ve been reading Trump’s "Board of Peace Charter," and despite the name, this isn’t a multilateral institution, it’s a centralised structure built entirely around the authority of one person (Trump).
www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-ch...
www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-ch...
Full text: Charter of Trump’s Board of Peace
No mention of Gaza, which bolsters ToI's reporting that US also envisions panel helping resolve other conflicts worldwide; member countries must pay $1 billion for permanent spot
www.timesofisrael.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:53 AM
I'm sure Tony Blair knows what he's doing getting involved in this, for he is an honourable man. So are they all, all honourable men 🤔
It was Salvador Dali who christened this place "the centre of the world". On a cold and rainy day in January, I feel entitled to a few doubts. It's a shopping centre with a bus station alongside ... 🤔
January 20, 2026 at 10:25 AM
It was Salvador Dali who christened this place "the centre of the world". On a cold and rainy day in January, I feel entitled to a few doubts. It's a shopping centre with a bus station alongside ... 🤔
"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that..."
January 19, 2026 at 12:05 PM
"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that..."
The cynicism and toxicity of Spanish politics takes some getting used to. Even as the bodies are being hauled from the wreckage of the Cordoba train crash, the hard right are trying to make political capital out of it. Truly revolting.
‼️La extrema derecha usa el accidente de Córdoba para cargar contra el Gobierno
La extrema derecha usa el accidente de Córdoba para cargar contra el Gobierno
El líder de Vox, Santiago Abascal, escribe un tuit pocas horas después de conocer la noticia del accidente en el que asegura que no puede "confiar" en la acción del Ejecutivo de Pedro Sánchez
www.eldiario.es
January 19, 2026 at 10:19 AM
The cynicism and toxicity of Spanish politics takes some getting used to. Even as the bodies are being hauled from the wreckage of the Cordoba train crash, the hard right are trying to make political capital out of it. Truly revolting.
Horrid and beastly weather today, so I'm soldering accordion switches and I've just realised that it might be time to buy a new tin of flux? You use so little, that it basically lasts forever. And I've had this tin ... forever. OTOH, it says it's "the most effective flux known". So maybe not yet?🤔
January 18, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Horrid and beastly weather today, so I'm soldering accordion switches and I've just realised that it might be time to buy a new tin of flux? You use so little, that it basically lasts forever. And I've had this tin ... forever. OTOH, it says it's "the most effective flux known". So maybe not yet?🤔
Castellfollit de la Roca is quite a startling place - and no surprise that maintenance of the basalt cliff face is a headache. For me, the biggest surprise is that main street is just bland suburbia. You could walk or cycle down here with no idea that there's a precipice just 20m to the right 🤔
January 18, 2026 at 10:18 AM
Castellfollit de la Roca is quite a startling place - and no surprise that maintenance of the basalt cliff face is a headache. For me, the biggest surprise is that main street is just bland suburbia. You could walk or cycle down here with no idea that there's a precipice just 20m to the right 🤔
Unspeakable conditions here today in the Pays Catalan. Barely survivable.
January 18, 2026 at 9:56 AM
Unspeakable conditions here today in the Pays Catalan. Barely survivable.
It's good to see The Canard ("Private Eye") getting into this. Immigration is increasingly demonised around the world, and France is no exception. We've applied for citizenship here, but there's a good chance we'll get rejected - despite being well integrated, self-sufficient and fluent in French 🤔
Le gouvernement impose un nouvel examen pour les naturalisations et les titres de séjour. Mais c’est bien sûr très insuffisant ! "Le Canard" a imaginé quelles questions pourraient bien ajouter des personnalités politiques pour corser l'épreuve…
Immigration : Le test civique du « Canard » | Le Canard enchaîné
Alors que l'examen civique nécessaire à l’obtention d’un titre de séjour ou à une naturalisation s'est durci, « Le Canard » a imaginé quelques questions que……
www.lecanardenchaine.fr
January 17, 2026 at 10:24 AM
It's good to see The Canard ("Private Eye") getting into this. Immigration is increasingly demonised around the world, and France is no exception. We've applied for citizenship here, but there's a good chance we'll get rejected - despite being well integrated, self-sufficient and fluent in French 🤔
Outsiders like me have no chance of understanding this, so I asked AI (GLM-4.7 Reasoning). Here is it's analysis - complete with the internal thought processes. You are welcome 🤔
January 17, 2026 at 9:49 AM
Outsiders like me have no chance of understanding this, so I asked AI (GLM-4.7 Reasoning). Here is it's analysis - complete with the internal thought processes. You are welcome 🤔
Crazy that we even have to think about this - but a Trump "invasion" of Greenland would likely be an easy win. But what then? I picture a mini Vietnam, a stream of US body bags, a global boycott of US products & economic tailspin. Seems to me it's the GOP that needs to stand up to Trump, not the EU🤔
Greenland crisis: Europe needs the US, but it also needs to stand up to Trump
Greenland crisis: Europe needs the US, but it also needs to stand up to Trump
US president’s increasingly bellicose demands for control of the island may force the EU to draw a line in the snow
www.theguardian.com
January 17, 2026 at 9:12 AM
Crazy that we even have to think about this - but a Trump "invasion" of Greenland would likely be an easy win. But what then? I picture a mini Vietnam, a stream of US body bags, a global boycott of US products & economic tailspin. Seems to me it's the GOP that needs to stand up to Trump, not the EU🤔
I quite fancy one of these. Not for powering the car from wood/coal gas, but for carrying the rubbish bins down to our local recycling point without messing up the boot. There's no door to door bin collection in the Vallespir any longer. I wonder if Dacia make one? 🤔
Rétro cars voiture ancienne🚘 Durant la première moitié du XXᵉ siècle, et plus particulièrement pendant les années de guerre, le gazogène s’imposa comme une solution de fortune devenue nécessité. Les grands constructeurs se sont aussi lancés dans l’aventure :
January 17, 2026 at 8:31 AM
I quite fancy one of these. Not for powering the car from wood/coal gas, but for carrying the rubbish bins down to our local recycling point without messing up the boot. There's no door to door bin collection in the Vallespir any longer. I wonder if Dacia make one? 🤔
Ah! So Machado is not stupid after all 🤔
A lot of people don't know that Nobel laureates get two medals. A real gold one usually kept in a safe deposit box and a gold plated duplicate for public display.
She gave him the dupe
She gave him the dupe
January 16, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Ah! So Machado is not stupid after all 🤔
EU diplomats are hardwired to keep doors open, tread carefully and act slowly. None of that works with Trump because he is wild. Surely, it's time to give the US notice on some of the bases, eg Diego Garcia? It's UK in name, but the seizure was basically illegal. Fix 2 things at the same time?🤔
January 16, 2026 at 12:23 PM
EU diplomats are hardwired to keep doors open, tread carefully and act slowly. None of that works with Trump because he is wild. Surely, it's time to give the US notice on some of the bases, eg Diego Garcia? It's UK in name, but the seizure was basically illegal. Fix 2 things at the same time?🤔