Kevin Kretsch
@drkevguitar.bsky.social
Professional Guitar Nerd, ex-Physicist, Long-Covid Disabled. Ireland/US/France, He/Him. GO BILLS!
“In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.” – Angela Davis
“In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.” – Angela Davis
Pinned
Kevin Kretsch
@drkevguitar.bsky.social
· Jul 19
Pep talk! The Guitar Secret I learned from Bowling.
YouTube video by DrKevGuitar
youtu.be
Hey #guitar sky, I frequently get asked by students for a pep talk style video, so I did one! Enjoy!
France, land of « ah mais non, monsieur, on n'peut pas faire ça » when in fact there is no problem doing so at all. 😣 So tired of this shit.
November 25, 2025 at 2:31 PM
France, land of « ah mais non, monsieur, on n'peut pas faire ça » when in fact there is no problem doing so at all. 😣 So tired of this shit.
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
"When transport planners work on the assumption that the car is the default way of getting around, the physical environment is reshaped by traffic management systems and road designs that give cars priority in terms of speed, road space and parking"
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...
Climate: Imagine how different things would be if politicians had to use public transport
Long lead-in times, a lack of sustained policy commitment, and start-stop approaches to big projects all contributed to where we are now
www.irishtimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:03 AM
"When transport planners work on the assumption that the car is the default way of getting around, the physical environment is reshaped by traffic management systems and road designs that give cars priority in terms of speed, road space and parking"
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...
This is horrifying and terrifying, if not a surprise or unexpected. What a disgrace. 😬
(1/10) BREAKING: US State Dept has fundamentally redefined "human rights." New mandatory guidance instructs diplomats to flag gender-affirming care and hate speech laws as human rights abuses. The "Civil Liberties" framework has captured the diplomatic engine.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Under Trump, U.S. human rights reports will flag abortion, gender care
In a dramatic break, the State Department intends to scrutinize other countries’ abuses by emphasizing entitlements “given to us by God.”
www.washingtonpost.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:32 AM
This is horrifying and terrifying, if not a surprise or unexpected. What a disgrace. 😬
I just finished watching The Residence. WOW! Uzo Aduba’s performance as Cordelia Cupp, especially in the last episode, is spectacular! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Such a joy!
Such a joy!
November 24, 2025 at 10:31 PM
I just finished watching The Residence. WOW! Uzo Aduba’s performance as Cordelia Cupp, especially in the last episode, is spectacular! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Such a joy!
Such a joy!
Geez, I gotta say, 52.6931 orbits around this star I’ve been on this lovely but wet planet and, wow, human beings sometimes blow my mind. Such creativity, intelligence, compassion and yet, in the same damn species, such stupidity, cruelty, and arrogance. 🤷🏻♂️
November 24, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Geez, I gotta say, 52.6931 orbits around this star I’ve been on this lovely but wet planet and, wow, human beings sometimes blow my mind. Such creativity, intelligence, compassion and yet, in the same damn species, such stupidity, cruelty, and arrogance. 🤷🏻♂️
Just to make the point, how guitarists judge with eyes more than ears, my current favorite pedal is the Soldano SLO pedal. Yes, it sounds amazing, but just look at it! It's bright fuschia purple anodized brushed aluminum and the retro/modern mix of Eurostile and Futura fonts just fuckin' melts me. 😍
November 24, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Just to make the point, how guitarists judge with eyes more than ears, my current favorite pedal is the Soldano SLO pedal. Yes, it sounds amazing, but just look at it! It's bright fuschia purple anodized brushed aluminum and the retro/modern mix of Eurostile and Futura fonts just fuckin' melts me. 😍
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
we still haven't moved past the double meaning problem here---the people who want Zohran to be "tougher on antisemitism" really mean "silent on Israeli genocide."
WELKER: What is your message to Jewish New Yorkers who feel you won't be tough enough in your response to antisemitism?
MAMDANI: That I am looking forward to being the next mayor and fulfilling the commitment I've made to Jewish New Yorkers to not only protect them but to celebrate and cherish them
MAMDANI: That I am looking forward to being the next mayor and fulfilling the commitment I've made to Jewish New Yorkers to not only protect them but to celebrate and cherish them
November 23, 2025 at 5:02 PM
we still haven't moved past the double meaning problem here---the people who want Zohran to be "tougher on antisemitism" really mean "silent on Israeli genocide."
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
Been thinking a lot recently of the times I’ve tried to explain how fucked up physicists are to folks in Black studies who definitely couldn’t conceive of how bad things really were until they tried to interact with the physics department on their campus and realized they were unhinged
November 24, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Been thinking a lot recently of the times I’ve tried to explain how fucked up physicists are to folks in Black studies who definitely couldn’t conceive of how bad things really were until they tried to interact with the physics department on their campus and realized they were unhinged
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
The poison starts seeping into Ireland too...
And so it begins: client with a stamp 4 and severe mental health issues which limit his ability to work, tells me he’s afraid to claim any benefits because of potential impact on his naturalisation application #speirghorm
November 24, 2025 at 11:01 AM
The poison starts seeping into Ireland too...
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
November 24, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
Wow, RIP. My father played guitar for him for several years.
Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae singer, actor and cultural icon, dies aged 81 www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae singer, actor and cultural icon, dies aged 81 www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae singer, actor and cultural icon, dies aged 81
Star of The Harder They Come had hits including You Can Get It If You Really Want and I Can See Clearly Now
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Wow, RIP. My father played guitar for him for several years.
Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae singer, actor and cultural icon, dies aged 81 www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae singer, actor and cultural icon, dies aged 81 www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Oh no! One of the greats has gone. RIP Jimmy Cliff.
Jimmy Cliff has crossed the last of his many rivers.
RIP to a maestro.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/a...
RIP to a maestro.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/a...
Jimmy Cliff, Reggae Icon, Dies at 81
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Oh no! One of the greats has gone. RIP Jimmy Cliff.
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
Azeen has this platform because women in astronomy helped her report major stories about alleged perpetrators of sexual misconduct in our field, like Lawrence Krauss. This is what she has done with the platform. It haunts me. 🔭
It's absolutely disgusting what the New York Times, and particularly Azeen Ghorayshi, is doing with its coverage of autism. It's so deeply irresponsible.
It's the same playbook they ran on trans kids.
It's the same playbook they ran on trans kids.
November 24, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Azeen has this platform because women in astronomy helped her report major stories about alleged perpetrators of sexual misconduct in our field, like Lawrence Krauss. This is what she has done with the platform. It haunts me. 🔭
Deeply immoral. It’s not just “moving the goal posts”, it’s fucking with people’s lives, their livelihoods and stability. The Labour party’s descent into right-wing racist policy is noted around the world with dismay.
At least 160,000 people have been granted refugee status over the past five years. It now seems they are intended to be caught by the Government’s plans to make refugees wait up to 20 years for settlement - even for those just months away from ILR
www.thetimes.com/article/6f83...
www.thetimes.com/article/6f83...
November 24, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Deeply immoral. It’s not just “moving the goal posts”, it’s fucking with people’s lives, their livelihoods and stability. The Labour party’s descent into right-wing racist policy is noted around the world with dismay.
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
Use, and I cannot state this enough, libraries. UK/RoI authors get paid for library borrows. More than you'd think!
I’m just going to block anyone attempting to justify or excuse pirating books. Times are hard, yes, but absolutely NO ONE needs to steal books. Libraries exist. There are umpteen works legitimately in the public domain. You don’t need to take income from authors trying to scrape a living.
November 24, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Use, and I cannot state this enough, libraries. UK/RoI authors get paid for library borrows. More than you'd think!
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
"(...) medicine is a complex and technical subject, beyond the grasp of anyone without medical training. So the idea that medical care should be treated like a commercial product to be consumed by medically sophisticated customers is not only silly – it’s dangerous."
The Republican Brain Doesn’t Want To Understand Health Care
For 15 years we have heard the same lies and misrepresentations
paulkrugman.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:01 AM
"(...) medicine is a complex and technical subject, beyond the grasp of anyone without medical training. So the idea that medical care should be treated like a commercial product to be consumed by medically sophisticated customers is not only silly – it’s dangerous."
I just find it bizarre that 1) DOGE has quietly dissolved without anyone noticing, and 2) that not enough people are sounding alarms about what damage those people are now doing to federal departments elsewhere.
November 24, 2025 at 11:59 AM
I just find it bizarre that 1) DOGE has quietly dissolved without anyone noticing, and 2) that not enough people are sounding alarms about what damage those people are now doing to federal departments elsewhere.
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
'Australia has signed onto the Belem declaration to phase out fossil fuels - now is the time to for them to act'
No it isn't. The gov't does not at when they sign on to things: they act when they are forced to through external pressure. Now is the time for *climate and environment groups* to act
No it isn't. The gov't does not at when they sign on to things: they act when they are forced to through external pressure. Now is the time for *climate and environment groups* to act
November 24, 2025 at 11:20 AM
'Australia has signed onto the Belem declaration to phase out fossil fuels - now is the time to for them to act'
No it isn't. The gov't does not at when they sign on to things: they act when they are forced to through external pressure. Now is the time for *climate and environment groups* to act
No it isn't. The gov't does not at when they sign on to things: they act when they are forced to through external pressure. Now is the time for *climate and environment groups* to act
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
Just a friendly reminder as we go into the holidays:
Folks don't have to explain to you why they don't drink.
If you offer them a drink and they decline, don't ask them why. It's not your business.
Just offer them something without alcohol to drink instead. And move on.
Folks don't have to explain to you why they don't drink.
If you offer them a drink and they decline, don't ask them why. It's not your business.
Just offer them something without alcohol to drink instead. And move on.
November 23, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Just a friendly reminder as we go into the holidays:
Folks don't have to explain to you why they don't drink.
If you offer them a drink and they decline, don't ask them why. It's not your business.
Just offer them something without alcohol to drink instead. And move on.
Folks don't have to explain to you why they don't drink.
If you offer them a drink and they decline, don't ask them why. It's not your business.
Just offer them something without alcohol to drink instead. And move on.
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
"Real hope, as opposed to the performance of hope, requires confronting uncomfortable truths. It requires being willing to say that the emperor has no clothes, even when your career depends on tailoring his wardrobe"
www.linkedin.com/posts/the-co...
www.linkedin.com/posts/the-co...
November 24, 2025 at 7:39 AM
"Real hope, as opposed to the performance of hope, requires confronting uncomfortable truths. It requires being willing to say that the emperor has no clothes, even when your career depends on tailoring his wardrobe"
www.linkedin.com/posts/the-co...
www.linkedin.com/posts/the-co...
Y’all know this is AI generated? Right? There’s an account somewhere that post images of these guys together in bansl situations where you wouldn’t expect them to be.
November 24, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Y’all know this is AI generated? Right? There’s an account somewhere that post images of these guys together in bansl situations where you wouldn’t expect them to be.
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
RIP Udo Kier, a true original
📽️
his one and only social media post:
📽️
his one and only social media post:
November 24, 2025 at 7:27 AM
RIP Udo Kier, a true original
📽️
his one and only social media post:
📽️
his one and only social media post:
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
Reposted by Kevin Kretsch
I’m a law prof & a YLS grad and anyone familiar w elite law schools knows it is beyond laughable to describe these places as radicalism hotbeds. Cruz knows this, as does JD Vance. But they assume that their marks are too unsophisticated to know it too. It’s condescending as hell.
Ah yes. Harvard Law School in the early 1990s, well known for its Communist professors.
November 22, 2025 at 3:34 PM
I’m a law prof & a YLS grad and anyone familiar w elite law schools knows it is beyond laughable to describe these places as radicalism hotbeds. Cruz knows this, as does JD Vance. But they assume that their marks are too unsophisticated to know it too. It’s condescending as hell.