Ben Taylor
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vox-dei.bsky.social
Ben Taylor
@vox-dei.bsky.social
130 followers 310 following 1.2K posts
Sci-fi, gaming, coding, some science (particularly marine/climate and remote sensing). Also random things that my cats or kids have done or grumping about politics, probably.
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vox-dei.bsky.social
I haven't been blocked by many people, but I have by some (mostly for being unkind to St. Jeremy Corbyn). It is amusing to find that at least one of them is apparently irritating enough to trigger this kind of thing.😆

(With apologies to @peark.es for stealing his post to make a point)
Screenshot of a Bluesky quote post. The quote post says "I want to make something very clear to everyone: I do not work for you. You don't sign my paychecks and the expectation that I do is frankly insane. Go away." The quoted post just says "Blocked".
November 25, 2025 at 12:11 PM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Good juxtaposition of the quote and the image here from the @financialtimes.com 😆
Screenshot from the Financial Times. There is a paragraph of text quoting Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, which reads "Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said Wednesday at a news conference with other House GOP leaders. “I bet you you’ll see Hamas supporters, I bet you’ll see antifa types, I bet you’ll see the Marxists on full display, the people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.” Below the quote from Speaker Johnson is a photo captioned "Protesters at the National Mall in Washington on Saturday". The protestors are two people in person-sized hot-dog suits holding up placards, one reading "ICE is a bunch of weenies" and the other reading "Un-American?!? Bro. I'm a hot dog."
October 18, 2025 at 9:00 PM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Screenshot from The Simpsons. Homer is standing in a crowd watching a speaker, and incorrectly correcting the speaker: ' "Nuc-u-lar"! It's pronounced, "Nuc-u-lar."
August 27, 2025 at 10:19 AM
vox-dei.bsky.social
They've gone! Approaching Hastings already, sorry!
Screenshot from MarineTraffic showing the AIS position of Saga Farmann between Eastbourne and Hastings.
August 24, 2025 at 8:56 AM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Wha.... aaaahahahaha... AHAHAHAHAHA!

Someone tell Trump quite literally every interaction Putin has with him, and quite a few he has with others, is Putin messing around with him?
A screenshot from the top of the BBC News website. There is a photo of Trump behind a desk with flags in the background, and the headline is "Live: Trump says Putin won't 'mess around with me' as pair prepare for Ukraine talks in Alaska"
August 15, 2025 at 8:06 AM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Oh look, the shrill whining of the ones who didn't want to pay tax was so much sound and fury. This is my shocked face. #tax #ukpol
Screenshot from the top of the FT app this morning. The top headline/strapline is "Tax data allays fears of non-dom exodus from UK: Officials had expected one in four with trusts to leave Britain after status was abolished" The second headline is "UK inheritance tax clampdown will not spark mass sale of family farms, study shows"
August 14, 2025 at 7:41 AM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Foundation, I think. I feel like there must have been some before that, but that's the first one that sticks in my mind. Either that or something like The Last Legionary series by Douglas Hill. Suspect the latter was first.
A cover of Foundation, by Isaac Asimov. Below the title and author's name in white lettering, there is a pink sky, beneath it a mountain range with a city of metal spires in front of it. The city and desolate foreground are almost obscured by a bright light emanating from the tallest spire of the city. A cover of Galactic Warlord by Douglas Hill. Below the words "The Last Legionary Book One" and the book's title, in the centre of the image a young man in a blue jumpsuit faces off against a blue humanoid in the near foreground, of whom we can see only the back of his head, back of left shoulder and upper arm, and upper-left back. The background is largely also blue except for an orange-and-red planet half-visible on the left of the image, and there is a large bird-like creature swooping in from the right-hand side of the image.
August 11, 2025 at 8:31 PM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Shhh! Dylan is hiding! Don't give him away! #cats
August 5, 2025 at 9:28 AM
vox-dei.bsky.social
I claim the title of world's longest cat #proofofcat

(No, this is not AI, this is my garden right now)
The head of a ginger and white cat emerging from some bushes, looking at the camera Side view of the back half and tail of a ginger cat. The front half is buried in some bushes. Zoomed-out shot encompassing the previous two. Both front and back cat ends are visible on opposite sides of a bush, perhaps a metre and a half apart.
July 29, 2025 at 8:21 AM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Tried out the #astrophotography setting on my phone last night. View from eastern Dartmoor about midnight. Bit washed out by the full moon (and maybe high haze) but a lot of stars! Same photo twice, one annotated a little. #astronomy
A long-exposure view of the night sky from east Dartmoor. The image looks a little washed out at first glance, but when you zoom in you discover that a huge number of stars are visible. A trail from an airliner is visible in the top-left. A long-exposure view of the night sky from east Dartmoor. The image looks a little washed out at first glance, but when you zoom in you discover that a huge number of stars are visible. A trail from an airliner is visible in the top-left. The image has been annotated in red to show the location, date, time and approximate direction, and to highlight the stars Vega and Deneb on the right of the image.
July 11, 2025 at 9:03 AM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Have had enough. I have been a paid supporter of @theguardian.com since 2016, but this is my email to them explaining why I am cancelling my paid support. #Guardian
Hi I have been a paid supporter of the Guardian for a number of years. I believe that it is important that there is a strong, trustworthy media voice in the UK that isn't right-wing, and the Guardian has been writing stories that I want to read, and I think that journalism like that costs money and I shouldn't expect it for free. However, all that said, I have become increasingly unhappy with the Guardian and in the last few days I have cancelled my support. I thought I should email you and tell you why. I have cancelled for several reasons, in no particular order: 1. You started selling my data via your website. The cost to get a subscription where you would not do this is exorbitant and in addition to the money I am already giving you as a supporter. I understand that if I am getting a service free then having my data sold is the likely trade-off, but I am not getting it free, I'm paying. I don't expect to be asked to pay again. You run various stories about the evils of this sort of behaviour, and then you do the same thing yourself. I contacted you when this change occurred saying how unhappy I was, and essentially received a response of "tough". Which fair enough, but then you can't be surprised if I follow through and cancel. You can have my money or you can sell my data, not both. 2. You have started using AI in your stories, and as a result you're getting facts wrong. In your recent obituary of Michael Madsen you got a number of facts wrong. I only noticed because they were pointed out on Bluesky. I read the Guardian for accurate, factual reporting on topics I know little about, and accordingly am not in a position to spot AI hallucinations. I do not use AI search because *AI makes things up*. If you don't understand that then your reporting is no longer trustworthy (QED - what have I read in the Guardian that was wrong and I didn't realise? And *neither did you*) and it isn't worth my time or my money. 3. Your sale of the Observer to Tortoise Media and your treatment of the staff was reprehensible. Any paper's viewpoint reflects its owners. For the Guardian that is the Scott Trust. For the Observer it's now Tortoise. Who are Tortoise? Nobody knows. Whose biases are you now asking me to accept? 4. It is increasingly clear that your viewpoint on trans issues is gender-critical. Trans people as a group are very much marginalised and demonised. They are a small group that does not pose a threat to anyone, whatever the hysterical GC community would have you believe. Their rights very much need protecting, because it is an unfortunate fact that otherwise they are persecuted and assaulted. The Guardian is normally protective of the rights of marginalised groups, why in this case do you think they are undeserving? In any case, the attitude the Guardian has taken makes me uncomfortable, and I do not wish to support it. Everyone has the right to exist and be respected. I have reluctantly accepted some of these issues, because there is a dearth of credible non-right-wing news alternatives in the UK. However, a dearth is not none, and it has reached the point where I can no longer continue to support your journalism. I wish you well, but I will not be supporting you further. Regards
July 7, 2025 at 9:49 AM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Ron wishes it to be understood that the singing will stop immediately or there will be Consequences. #Proofofcat
A ginger and white cat lying curled on his side on a reddish cushion, with one front leg and both back legs stretched out towards the camera. A man's arm and trouser leg are visible on the left of the image. The cat's eyes are partly open, the cat looks rather annoyed.
May 27, 2025 at 8:51 PM
vox-dei.bsky.social
You bought a starfish?
A large orangey-red sea star on a muddy bottom, with twenty legs
May 16, 2025 at 7:09 AM
vox-dei.bsky.social
I wonder if they've made the mistake of putting three of these around the station @garius.bsky.social. 😂
April 20, 2025 at 10:45 AM
vox-dei.bsky.social
What's this nonsense @theguardian.com? I'm *already* paying you, why do you now feel like I'm not paying you enough to opt out of personalised advertising? I thought you were against this sort of crap?

This is scummy. It's not the final nail in the coffin, but it's definitely a nail.
A website pop-up from the Guardian informing me that my paid subscription no longer includes the right to refuse personalised advertising, and that if I want to reject tracking cookies I'll have to pay £5 per month for the privilege.
March 31, 2025 at 7:37 PM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Found this group of clams cheerfully feeding in a rock pool at Broadsands in Devon this afternoon. Never seen them out before, like a bunch of giant orange tongues! #Devon
A group of ten clams in a sandy-bottom tide pool next to a rock covered in mossy seaweed. The clam shells are perhaps 6 inches across. Each clam shell is open and a meaty orange tentacle protrudes around the same width as the shell sideways from the front of the shell.
March 30, 2025 at 8:33 PM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Well, Clarks Shoes thinks it's fine for a pair of £100 shoes to simply fall apart after seven months. The stitching coming out is "normal wear and tear". Not sure how they wear their shoes, to make the stitching come out.

Seems that's their definition of "quality". It isn't mine. #Clarks #Shoes
A men's leather shoe. The stitching is coming out at the top of the upper above the laces, causing the inner section to come away from the outer.
March 24, 2025 at 2:01 PM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Well that's confusing. Trying to buy that does this, twice. Has charged me and given me the book though!
An Amazon error page. "We're sorry. The web address you entered is not a functioning page on our site."
March 1, 2025 at 10:22 AM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Be it known that Ron is comfortable and does not wish to be disturbed at this time, but will accept chest scritches if done gently. #caturday
Head and upper body of a ginger-and-white cat called Ron. Ron is lying on his back with his forepaws held towards the camera folded forward at the wrists, his head twisted to the side so his body makes an L shape. Ron's mouth is slightly open showing his lower teeth, and one eye is half open making it clear I am being watched carefully!
February 21, 2025 at 9:33 PM
vox-dei.bsky.social
This from @aptshadow.bsky.social 's Alien Clay obviously got written before the latest US election, but a bit of social commentary from a far planet here...
"Just because the tyrant dresses like a clown doesn't mean he's funny."
February 21, 2025 at 9:08 PM
vox-dei.bsky.social
My daughter found this shell on the beach at Dawlish Warren in Devon. Apparently there were lots of them. Anyone know what it is? @seafloorscience.bsky.social @plymouthmarine.bsky.social @exetermarine.bsky.social @thembauk.bsky.social
Side view of a seashell. Four lobed chambers are visible combined in a spiral structure Side view of a seashell. The tips of six lobed chambers are visible, curling together back to a central point like a hairstyle. Top view of a seashell. Four lobed chambers are visible. Bottom view of a seashell showing a wide opening with a greenish colour inside.
February 18, 2025 at 5:39 PM
vox-dei.bsky.social
It's the best plural in the English language and you got it wrong @theguardian.com. 😆
Headline from the Guardian app referring to "inspector generals"
February 12, 2025 at 9:20 PM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Oh, well, if you say so @netflix.com 😂
A single email summary from my email client of an email from Netflix. Truncation of the line owing to space has resulted in the subject line being "Entertainment you don't want..."
February 5, 2025 at 11:27 PM
vox-dei.bsky.social
Very clear ring around the moon tonight! Ipplepen, Devon, about 8pm looking South, not sure what the bright star/planet is, possibly Jupiter or Aldebaran. @metoffice.bsky.social
A dark sky with the full moon centred. Thin clouds cover the moon, a bright star is in shot to the left. A very clear bright ring around the moon fills the frame.
February 5, 2025 at 8:28 PM
vox-dei.bsky.social
I'm really not sure what arcane bits of Amazon's algorithm I've managed to trigger. 😂
December 22, 2024 at 10:55 AM