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@3catsandkids.bsky.social
150 followers 950 following 13 posts
I dont post much, here to read more than write. I do geeky things and admin servers and networks. I'm a big fan of cats, but like my actual kids more.
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londonist.com
Major update to our map of Anglo-Saxon London... we've now added etymologies for each place name, so you can find out what your bit of London used to be called.... and why londonist.substack.com/p/mapping-an...
Mapping Anglo-Saxon London: A Big Update
A glimpse of London, 1,000 years past.
londonist.substack.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:28 PM
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thegmcconnachie.bsky.social
Robin Ince reveals to last night’s audience at a recording of Infinite Monkey Cage that the BBC has forced him to resign over his support of trans people
December 13, 2025 at 11:02 AM
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robinince.bsky.social
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
This is the saddest day of my professional life. Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage. I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys. I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show, A show that I named and helped develop over all those years. Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry. These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices. Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'. • I chose the latter. It broke my heart. I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make. I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence. One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career. I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more. I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost". James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice. Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences. I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness. Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire. I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal. I am so sorry to let you down. I hope that you can understand my reasoning. I have to accept that I am not what the current BBC expects of their freelance presenters. Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not "just a job" I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world. From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too. The strawberry is dead. Long live the strawberry. B
December 13, 2025 at 12:02 AM
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jjvincent.bsky.social
can't stop watching this clip of a tesla Optimus teleoperator taking his headset off before properly logging out the robot
December 8, 2025 at 9:29 AM
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dorianlynskey.bsky.social
It's revealing about taboos around racism that the visceral bullying racism of schoolboy Farage cuts through while the much more consequential thinly veiled racism of adult Farage doesn't. Many people need that veil and flinch when it's removed. You can advocate racist policies but not say the words
December 5, 2025 at 9:57 AM
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rutgerbregman.com
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
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joshuabull.bsky.social
I reckon you can learn a lot about the atmosphere in various Oxford colleges by looking at what they choose to name their cats (courtesy of @oxfordclarion.bsky.social ). We should all aspire to the energy of a Teabag, Isambard Kitten Brunel, or an Admiral Flapjack

oxfordclarion.uk/college-cats...
Oxford Clarion's "Cat map" of Oxford cats
November 21, 2025 at 1:01 PM
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grumpygirdle.bsky.social
BookTrust Christmas Appeal: "When I got it I felt so excited because…
With a third of children under five missing out on the magic of being read to, we hear from the children who receive our festive parcels about the joy…
www.booktrust.org.uk
November 14, 2025 at 10:32 AM
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aiannucci.bsky.social
Well, this is quite a serious allegation. I do hope the BBC shows true impartiality and investigate whether or not some of its Board members are systemically biased. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
BBC board member with Tory links ‘led charge’ in systemic bias claims, say insiders
Sources say Robbie Gibb amplified criticisms of Trump, Gaza and trans rights coverage, and had ‘a lot of oxygen in the room’
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:34 AM
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stairwaytokevin.bsky.social
Every tech company eventually either reinvents the bus or reinvents phrenology
jedidiahcarlson.com Jedidiah Carlson @jedidiahcarlson.com · Nov 6
bro are you fucking kidding me
November 6, 2025 at 7:05 PM
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ottoenglish.bsky.social
Nelson's Victory crew included a Brazilian and a Russian, 2 Indians, 2 Swiss, 2 Portuguese, 3 Danes and 3 Norwegian sailors. There were 3 Germans, 4 Italians, 6 Swedes, 7 Dutchmen, 9 West Indians and an African, as well as 21 Americans, 63 Irish, 64 Scots, 441 English.... oh, and 3 French men, too.
October 22, 2025 at 8:01 AM
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benansell.bsky.social
This is not normal discourse. It is not just a bit of fun for a Sunday paper interview. It is beyond the realms of the concept of decency shared across the political spectrum until last year.
October 19, 2025 at 11:35 AM
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pimlicat.bsky.social
Bertrand Russell to Oswald Mosley. Perfection.
October 16, 2025 at 3:04 PM
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13sarahmurphy.bsky.social
“I’m old enough to remember when mainstream British politicians, who should know better, stirred up racial hatred as a path to power. You’re old enough to remember too because it was last Tuesday. And it was Robert Jenrick”

Cathartic anger at flag-flying racism.

www.thenerve.news/p/stewart-le...
Stewart Lee: The thugs have taken my flag. So I’ve taken theirs
What do you do with a lot of cheap banners hanging from motorway bridges once you’ve torn them down?
www.thenerve.news
October 12, 2025 at 8:44 AM
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eddavey.libdems.org.uk
I've written to Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, urging them to join me in condemning Elon Musk's dangerous remarks inciting violence yesterday.

As leaders, we must stand together and make clear Musk will face serious consequences for these actions.
Letter from Ed Davey to Keir Starmer condemning Elon Musk for inciting violence and urging unity to defend democracy.
September 14, 2025 at 6:30 PM
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arusbridger.bsky.social
Letter of the day (in the Times)
August 11, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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mclem.org
This is a real photograph of Washington, DC this week, where the United States president has ordered military occupation in peacetime, and ordered the display of colossal portraits of himself.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Washington, DC under military occupation in last August 2025, with banners proclaiming the absolute power of the primus inter pares
August 28, 2025 at 10:24 AM
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jarodkanderson.bsky.social
Birds are dinosaurs who shrugged off a couple apocalypses. Some eat bone marrow. Some drink nectar. They outswim fish in the sea. They smile politely at gravity’s demands. ‬

‪I am grateful to see them. I am grateful to feed them. I am grateful to know them.‬
July 30, 2025 at 4:02 PM
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mattgreencomedy.com
Legitimate Concerns?
July 26, 2025 at 3:28 PM
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chronicleflask.katday.com
This graph is astonishing. The people that bang on about “natural birth” and “women have been doing this forever without help” need to be forced to stare at this until their eyes water.
Graph of maternal mortality rate against year for the UK. Rate bounces until and down around 500 deaths per 100,000 births until about 1940, when it falls sharply. It’s been very low (~1–3 per 100,000) ever since.
September 28, 2024 at 6:34 PM
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garius.bsky.social
For those who wish to engage with London and actually have a nice time, the trick is remembering that London is a collection of small towns and villages, each with their own micro-culture and centres of activity, around a core.

Stay and spend evenings in the outskirts. Travel in for the museums.
June 23, 2025 at 11:45 AM
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trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social
Thanks for the reminder @janemunday.bsky.social. Every summer, I repost this article DROWNING DOES NOT LOOK LIKE DROWNING. To date, I know of FOUR kids who were saved after someone who'd clicked on the link learnt how to spot actual drowning. Take time to read and pass on.

slate.com/technology/2...
Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning
Drowning is not the violent, splashing call for help that most people expect.
slate.com
June 19, 2025 at 4:22 PM
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helenebismarck.bsky.social
So,as a little thought-experiment, tell me something about the United Kingdom that works well and is actually quite impressive. I am not trying to sound like some boosterish politician. I just genuinely believe that making people believe that all is lost is a convenient pretext for shady characters.
June 16, 2025 at 7:03 PM
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blueheronfarm.bsky.social
I see this is still going around. Don't do this. This is literally, exactly the opposite of what you should do. If things are escalating, and you are uncomfortable, leave.
June 13, 2025 at 9:06 PM
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edzitron.com
This lawsuit is brutal. One of the exhibits is the letter Universal sent to Midjourney, including a quote from a 2022 Forbes interview that I bet midjourney regrets
Universal did not permit, authorize, or license Midjourney to copy or use any of Universal's copyrighted works in connection with any version of its Image Service or to otherwise exploit Universal's works at any time. You acknowledged as much in a September 16, 2022 Forbes interview in which you confirmed that Midjourney never sought any copyright holders' consent to use or exploit their works: Did you seek consent from living artists or work still under copyright? No. There isn't really a way to get a hundred million images and know where they're coming from. It would be cool if images had metadata embedded in them about the copyright owner or something. But that's not a thing; there's not a registry. There's no way to find a picture on the Internet, and then automatically trace it to an owner and then have any way of doing anything to authenticate it. See Rob Salkowitz. Midiourney Founder David Holz
June 11, 2025 at 3:49 PM