Barry McMullin
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autofac.bsky.social
Barry McMullin
@autofac.bsky.social
1.7K followers 460 following 660 posts
Stranger in a strange land - aren't we all? Engineering academic #Decarbonisation #ComplexSystems. #CarbonAbolitionist #AndACyclist he/his

Why "autofac" you say? Well ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autofac
And: http://www.eeng.dcu.ie/~mcmullin/
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autofac.bsky.social
"Media responsibility and climate change" [Irish Times "Letter of the day!] #FlyingLess

www.irishtimes.com/opinion/lett...
Sir, Celestine O Reilly (Letters, August 18th) references Ryanair's plans to add 600,000 seats to Irish winter schedule and asks: 'What kind of insanity is this?' in the face rising temperatures and numerous forest fires. I ask the same question of the Irish Times when they publish articles such as Martin Doyle's piece about Safaris in South Africa (Saturday 16th August). This piece openly encourages lavish holidays in the pursuit of pleasure seeking, without giving any reference whatsoever to the environmental cost of such activities. The world is in the grip of an existential crisis in the form of the climate emergency. Isn't it time that mainstream media took some responsibility for this man made problem? At the very least, please stop trying to make it worse! Yours etc Colette Mc Namee
August 22, 2025 at 6:52 AM
autofac.bsky.social
Scroll to "Planetary Challenges" if you can ... but this letters page is also, sadly, paywalled! So here's a "liberated" version (it *is* my letter after all, and I hereby give my permission 🙃):
Planetary challenges Sir, – Minister for Public Expenditure Pascal Donohoe, recently shared his reflections on two books dealing, in different ways, with the planetary scale challenges currently facing global human civilisation (“Paschal Donohoe on books that advise how to run our economies and save the planet,” July 26th). These challenges are triggered by a rapidly unfolding clash between the physical realities of a finite planet and political aspirations for unending growth in economic activity, with its seemingly insatiable appetite for more and more material and energy throughput. I’m no economist, but as a professional engineer, I know a thing or two about physics and chemistry: especially that they do not bend to wishful thinking. While apparently acknowledging these harsh realities, Minister Donohoe concludes that an agenda of stabilising (and then reducing) global economic activity is neither “credible” nor “achievable”. This is on the basis that – in his view – such a vision would be rejected by voters in any democratic society. Minister Donohoe is a highly experienced and respected politician, so his assessment of political feasibility must be taken seriously. But then we are between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Physics and chemistry will certainly not yield. To say that human societies, nonetheless, cannot learn to live good lives within planetary limits thus represents a counsel of despair. I, for one, refuse to accept that counsel. – Yours, etc, PROF BARRY McMULLIN, Dublin City University, Dublin
August 4, 2025 at 6:35 PM
autofac.bsky.social
Was at a meeting in the offices of an IE govt department today, when this caught my eye. How to say BRexit without saying BRexit? 🤣🤣
Photo of pull up display stand with heading of Irish Government "Department of Environment, Climate and Communications", and a graphic with caption "Working Together". The graphic is a stylized map of northwestern Europe, showing a slightly exaggerated island of Ireland together with a part of continental Europe (Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, sliver of Sweden). Great Britain has simply been altogether omitted.
June 30, 2025 at 5:44 PM
autofac.bsky.social
#AviationSucks - and #Ryanair does it best. How will #MOL's epitaph read? "Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"? www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46565/...
Irish Times headline: "Ryanair quietly drops carbon offset option for passengers on its flights..." Photo of smiling CEO Michael O'Leary, clutching a report entitled "Ireland's cleanest and greenest aviation group: Ryanair". Irish Tmes headline: "Ryanair's sky-high gains fuel O'Leary' €125m bonus ambitions". Photo of grinning CEO Michael O'Leary striking silly "superman taking off in flight" pose.
May 25, 2025 at 6:52 AM
autofac.bsky.social
Postscript to the day: we made it! Transiting Paris, and navigating Gare St Lazare proved a bit more challenging than expected; and that final 15km cycle to Houlgate *did* involve a "steep climb", just as gmaps warned it would! But hey, an adventure is an adventure - and a glorious sunset to end! 😁
Photo of sunset over Houlgate, Normandy: dramatic high (cirrus?) cloudscape with many shades of blue, white, gold, orange, red. The art of pure nature.
May 13, 2025 at 8:38 PM
autofac.bsky.social
Phew! One slightly rushed change at Zurich (it's a BIG station!), but now safely on board the 11:56 TGV from Mulhouse-Ville to Paris Gare de Lyon, due there at 15:15. So we are officially "back on track" for the day! Yay! 😆
Image of interrail ticket for this day so far (not over yet!). 6 trains already: Bregenz (dep 07:17) - St Margarethen - (arr 07:34, dep 07:43) - St Gallen (arr 08:04, dep 08:28) - Zûrich (arr 09:27, dep 09:34!) - Basel (arr 10:30, dep 10:51) - Mulhouse Ville (arr 11:14, dep 11:56 - Paris (due 15:15).
May 13, 2025 at 10:05 AM
autofac.bsky.social
... as we were cycling along a street called - I kid you not! - Zeppelinstrasse!😆
Photo of street name reading "Zeppelinstrasse" ("Zeppelin Street" in English).
May 12, 2025 at 7:41 PM
autofac.bsky.social
And it's not just history - there is a renewed interest in airship tech... and we spotted this overhead:
Photo of modern airship in sky over Friedrichshafe, with slogan "ZF: Next Generation Mobility - NOW!". "ZF" denoting the "Zepellin Foundation".
May 12, 2025 at 6:18 PM
autofac.bsky.social
So, after 6 lovely (if somewhat damp!) Days at Lake Garda, the #interrail adventure continues: travel day 3...
Interrail trip statistics to date: 8 trains (of 52 planned), 1660km (of 7619 planned), 10 places (of 21 planned). Time on trains: 15 hours, 42 minutes. Photo of early breakfast in Peschiera del Garda: two cappochini + two lovely brioche... Photo on departure platform in Peschiera del Garda: two folded Bromptons, three sizeable bags.
May 9, 2025 at 7:24 AM
autofac.bsky.social
No, not the Dublin Aviva stadium, but the glass "shell" around the original classic facade of Strasbourg station. I'm sure there are good (protective?) reasons for it - but a pity to hide the grandeur behind... en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strasbo...
Panorama of curved glass frontage of Strasbourg train station. Effectively opaque: original classic facade entirely invisible. Example view of original facade of Strasbourg train station. Three arched stainless glass windows.
May 3, 2025 at 11:23 AM
autofac.bsky.social
Overnight in Paris - and tres bon petit dejeuner to start interrail day #2!
Two cups of coffee and two delicious looking French pastries!
May 3, 2025 at 8:17 AM
autofac.bsky.social
Perfectly punctual arrival at Chester ... and onbound train delayed by 10 min anyway! So very relaxed change after all. 😆
Departure board at Chester showing London service delayed by 10min...
May 2, 2025 at 12:46 PM
autofac.bsky.social
Squint hard and you may spot the awful intrusion on "visual amenity" cused by this offshore windfarm (Colwyn Bay)... [Sadly, the train I'm on still runs on diesel - but we can dream...]
Almost empty sea and sky panorama with diminutive wind turbines just visible on horizon.
May 2, 2025 at 11:48 AM
autofac.bsky.social
[No comment necessary - or even pronounceable! www.herald.wales/north-wales/...
Station name board in Wales: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
May 2, 2025 at 11:04 AM
autofac.bsky.social
Let interrail day #1 commence ... first leg, Holyhead-Chester. Hope it can stick to time - only 8 min scheduled for change at Chester. 😁
Scene on platform 2, Holyhead station: train standing ready for departure.
May 2, 2025 at 10:29 AM
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When doing overland trip to mainland Europe, we usually rush through GB; but this time we've dallied for a day in Holyhead/Holy Island. There are lovely spots - we swam at Treaddur Bay, and took short hike to North Stack. Will definitely visit again!
View back over Holyhead port from headland close to North Stack. Sunshine, sea, winding hill path into the distance...
May 1, 2025 at 8:10 PM
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And arriving into Holyhead port - beautiful sunshine.
View of Holyhead harbour: bright sunshine, clm seas, mist in background.
May 1, 2025 at 12:16 PM
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Nice sail past the iconic towers of Dublin's former Poolbeg power station (oil fired - thankfully long since decommissioned...). A fossil of the fossil fuel age...
View of two tall industrial chimneys, painted in red and white, against blue sky and still waters of Dublin bay in foreground...
May 1, 2025 at 9:03 AM
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Boats, trains and bromptons ahoy...
Two rather heavily laden Brompton folding bicycles, waiting in bright sunshine for early morning departure.
May 1, 2025 at 8:38 AM
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Yay - no-fly holiday adventure time again!
May 1, 2025 at 8:28 AM
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[It's notable that the co-CEO is quoted saying that existing CCS tech is "just not sustainable to growth". So "growth" remains the great, overarching, unquestionable, goal. AKA nonsense-on-stilts.] www.insidehook.com/culture/stor...
Satirical cartoon. Background: vague skyscrapers shrouded in black smoke. Foreground: clearly immiserated father and kids huddle on the ground around a tiny campfire. Father saying: "Yes, the planet got destroyed. But for a beautiful moment in time we created a lot of value for shareholders."
April 8, 2025 at 10:45 AM
autofac.bsky.social
Aer Lingus, but sadly A320-200 jet, not turboprop... 😉
December 15, 2024 at 3:29 PM
autofac.bsky.social
Please people: don't substitute end point emissions for GHG budgets. Ever. It's misleading, confusing, distracting and ... just silly! This is not rocket science. 🤦‍♂️
Bart Simpson chalkboard: "end point emissions are not the same as GHG budgets"
December 12, 2024 at 1:55 PM