iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Ben (BicycleBenUK)

Mic Wright @brokenbottleboy.bsky.social · 2h

I just saw a post from some guy saying that traditional music is “over” because AI music will provide “infinite personalised songs”. I want music that reflects the misshapen thoughts of another human being, not the output of an algorithmic average.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 24/09/2026

A massive sense of schadenfreude if they do fold. How many times have I, and many others, fed back to all those organisations promoting it that it's a terrible idea and they should instead spend their resources educating people on how to find their freely available lat-long coordinates instead?

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Reposted by Ben (BicycleBenUK)

Purple Electric @purpleelectric.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Just Stop Oil protesters were demonised for causing traffic disruption with the accusation, "what if an ambulance trying to get to an emergency was stopped as a result?" Yet here we have the far right actually directly blocking ambulances and... crickets.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 24/09/2026

Now, remind me - what were people (perhaps even some of this rabble) saying when Just Stop Oil did their protests? Something about... let me think... blocking ambulances, was it? Why aren't the police hauling this pathetic lot away for obstructing the highway?

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 23/09/2026

All those driverists blocking the road and slowing me down. Don't they know I've got places to be? Why can't they all pull over for faster moving bicycles? 😜 (Tongue firmly in cheek - extremely busy today for some reason)

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 22/09/2026

It's #WorldCarFreeDay today? I missed that - I guess other people missed the "free" part of it since traffic was much higher than normal this morning - on a nice, sunny, and warm morning too.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 21/09/2026

Cry more, Mr Entitled So-and-So. This selfishness is a major and increasing problem. The car is not the solution to transporting kids a mile and a half. What's the betting he also sits idling while dropping off and picking up, casually poisoning his kids and everyone around.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 19/09/2026

Took the e-bike on a 32km/20mi leisure ride - focusing on Eco mode with bursts of higher levels when needed for bigger hills, and the strong winds. Already had 22km on this charge before starting and finished the ride with 9-22km left. Very successful - and *definitely* still a workout!

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 18/09/2026

Took the old, regular hybrid bike out for a couple of miles earlier, just so it knows it's not been entirely forgotten about now I have an e-bike. My goodness that thing is unresponsive and slow! Brakes could certainly do with a tune-up. And opposite shifting confused me again (derailleur vs hub)

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Reposted by Ben (BicycleBenUK)

Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 17/09/2026

Trying to work out costs for running my e-bike, for fun. Assuming maths is right: - If charging constant at 164w for stated 3.5hrs for full charge, at 22.12p/kWh = 12.7p - Full assist = 50km/30mi range = 0.26p/km; 0.43p/mile! - Cheaper still at lower assist level. Try getting that from an EV car!

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 17/09/2026

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 17/09/2026

Change the way we travel? Then mandate that councils MUST rapidly roll-out safe, connected, direct cycle infrastructure everywhere (+fund them). It takes 15-20 mins by e-bike to travel across town, but direct uses a 40mph road with guaranteed close passes and only a narrow footpath for active travel

theguardian.com

Andy Burnham: UK must fully commit to reaching net zero by 2050

Exclusive: PM, who is facing pressure over whether to approve North Sea oil and gasfields, makes strongest comments yet on issue

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 17/09/2026

Completely agree with all of this. On narrow streets during the school run I see ridiculous oversized vehicles blocking everyone's way, drivers bumping kerbs to get through, U-turns over pavements and verges, wrong-way driving to get to a junction, phone use... chaos.

theguardian.com

Driving that’s too fast, too dangerous and utterly lawless: why do we tolerate this petro-masculinity? | George Monbiot

In towns and in the countryside, I see 4x4s and pick up trucks driven without care or conscience. It’s a Magafication of transport, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

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Reposted by Ben (BicycleBenUK)

Adrian Teal @tealcartoons.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

This is haunting... It's the oldest piece of music for which we have both the words and the notes. A song to the Hurrian goddess Nikkal, it was written on clay tablets around 3500 years ago, and was discovered in the 1950s in the ruins of the ancient city of Ugarit. www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8tf...

youtube.com

THE OLDEST SONG IN THE WORLD

YouTube video by Peter Pringle

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 12/09/2026

The Arrogance of Space - Nuneaton Ring Road (NE) 52.52433787, -1.46402843 Approximate space ratio: - Cars: 46% - Buildings: 39% - Pedestrians: 10% - Public Transport: 4% - Cyclists: 1% Generate your own: cyklokoalicia.sk/arrogance/

A satellite image of the north east of Nuneaton's ring road (Leicester Road gyratory) with a colour-coded overlay filling squares of about 2.2m. Colours represent different uses - e.g., red for cars, light blue for pedestrians - and a calculation has been performed to roughly determine how much space in this area has been given over to various uses. Cars has the biggest allocation with 46%, followed by buildings at 39%. Pedestrians get 10% and cyclists just 1%. The calculation is an estimate based on OpenStreetMap data but does a good job in showing how much space is given over to motorised transport.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 12/09/2026

Battery is all-but flat, giving me about 50km/31mi range on highest assist level. A little short of the advertised 34 miles, but I deliberately added in some hills and am not the lightest cargo! Happy with that! Will easily cover my commuting needs for a couple of days and most longer rides too.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 10/09/2026

Bother - one slight issue, my pannier bag which I only bought a few weeks ago but is now used and scuffed, does not fit the rack - the tubing is too thick for the clips. Need to rethink that.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 10/09/2026

Went out anyway, in what I thought was a gap in the rain - not really. Got wet, but it works and it's fun! Ten miles done and not too tired!

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 10/09/2026

That's just rude - doesn't the weather know it's New Bike Day? I've just finished getting my new e-bike together and now it decides to rain! I did want to test it before tomorrow's commute - not sure using a ride to work is the best time for testing something new.

A new Tern Vektrok P7i Performance folding e-bike standing unused in a living room, ready to ride.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 08/09/2026

Test commute in a fair amount of rain this morning but still enjoyable (especially nipping past the cars). The highlight? Passing a maybe 5 year old riding his bike to school with a grin on his face, shouting "yay!" as he passed - just showing that rain is no impediment to a fun start to the day!

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Reposted by Ben (BicycleBenUK)

Michael Spicer @michaelspicer.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

media: are these blackshirts fascists. andy burnham: good question. my favourite biscuit with tea is a custard cream although in culcheth we used to call them cuppy-busters.

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Reposted by Ben (BicycleBenUK)

MꙬse Allain @mooseallain.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

A popular tweet of mine from my early days on twitter.

Text which says "Does Sean Connery like herbs?
Yes, but only partially."

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Reposted by Ben (BicycleBenUK)

Peter Welsh @peterwelsh68.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Stop the Blokes

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 05/09/2026

Police should've swiftly cracked down on this. "Protesters" in black, faces covered, no placards, silent, intimidating, and affecting key national infrastructure - a very different vibe to the climate protests which attracted the heavy hand of the State in response.

theguardian.com

Black-clad protesters in balaclavas block road at port of Dover in Kent

Port authorities say access roads ‘free flowing’ again after large group forces road closures in both directions

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 05/09/2026

How about no? Given the number of people who can't unglue their eyeballs from phone screens, I don't see this ending well. Where are the physical switches and knobs that can be operated without taking eyes off the road? This is dangerous design and it will kill someone - probably not the driver.

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Reposted by Ben (BicycleBenUK)

Rosamundi @rosamundi.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

they're not protestors, they're far right thugs.

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Reposted by Ben (BicycleBenUK)

Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Not that many years since a popular position in right-wing British politics was calling for the police to use significant force to remove protesters blocking roads Of course, that was when environmentalists were doing it

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 04/09/2026

Metropolitan Police getting their terminology wrong again, labelling e-motorbikes as "e-bikes" and thus furthering confusion. They're not the only ones to make this error of course, but they absolutely need to get this right. It's errors like this that lead to confusion, hostility, and mistakes.

youtu.be

On shift with the Police Surrons

You’ve seen the edits, now see them in action. We’re joining officers on the ground to show you how the bikes are being used in real operations across London. Targeting phone snatchers, our message…

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 02/09/2026

Good as long as it happens, but I don't like this "we'll find a way" language. Don't make out it's something difficult to do. The funding cut is a miniscule <£2.8m per year. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Andy Burnham says "We'll find a way to save Jodrell Bank"

Burnham said "there is no way that we can see its demise, and it won't happen under my Government".

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 29/08/2026

Make your favourite film sound as boring as possible without giving away the title. Robin Williams finally finishes a long-running board game

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 29/08/2026

Make your favourite film sound as boring as possible without giving away the title. Roy Scheider goes fishing.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 29/08/2026

Make your favourite film sound as boring as possible without giving away the title: Elijah Wood goes on a long walk to dispose of jewellery.

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Reposted by Ben (BicycleBenUK)

Danny Fearns @dannyfearns.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Good morning Bluesky ☀️ This is one of the last coal powered sheep. The vast majority of UK sheep are now all electric ⚡️

Sheep grazing in fields, the one in the foreground with white smoke apparently coming out of its bottom

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Reposted by Ben (BicycleBenUK)

Jo Kibble (Political Animal) @politicanimal.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Five years+a few days ago, I set off on a 24-hour bus odyssey that would turn out to be the first of many occasional public transport challenges. (Origin story here for newbies www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-engl...) Well, I couldn’t let that milestone pass without a new bus jolly. From 4pm, it’s #BusCity24

bbc.co.uk

London council worker's bus odyssey sparks Twitter storm

Jo Kibble got from London to Morecambe in a day on public buses - "a great way to see the country".

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 27/08/2026

NBD coming soon! Just placed an order, after much deliberation, for the Tern Vektron P7i electric folder. This will become my regular commuter ride, and thanks to e-assist, hopefully will reinvigorate some leisure riding too. My >9 year old Merida hybrid will become my backup/pure exercise ride.

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Reposted by Ben (BicycleBenUK)

John Munro @johnmunro.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Thinking today of all the water-absorbing front gardens torn out and paved over to park cars on - all without any government oversight or regulation.

bbc.co.uk

Birmingham weather warning as 'significant flooding' leads to fire service callouts

Heavy rain creates problems for residents, with flood alerts in place on Thursday across the region.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 27/08/2026

Interesting read highlighting the often hidden details of modern supply chains and the global economy.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 26/08/2026

Anyone ridden a Tern Vektron P7i (Gen 3)? Am on the cusp of choosing it. Same price as the Cube Fold Hybrid 540. ⛔️ Not as nice visually, lower battery capacity, a slightly lower torque; ✅ but maybe better attachments for cargo, lower bicycle weight, and higher rider weight limit.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 26/08/2026

Bah! Buying bikes is frustrating. I spend a few days deliberating over what I want to get and make a decision while on holiday, come back to place my order for a Cube Hybrid Fold 540 hoping to have it sorted for early September - and it's now out of stock, on pre-order with no ETA.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 22/08/2026

Despite shortlisting a couple of e-bikes, I've just seen the Engwe Zip pop up on YouTube. Tempting at a third of the cost of a Cube. But would a 16" folder with only 40nM of torque on a rear hub be too limiting? Is the idea of using it for leisure rides ridiculous and would range there be an issue?

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 21/08/2026

Looking at an e-bike for commute + reinvigorated leisure rides, I've shortlisted two near-identical models - Cube Compact Hybrid 540 / Fold Hybrid 540 - offering long range, strong torque, replaceable batteries, belt drive, hub gears. Fold is my favourite for convenience/flexibility - but... [1/2]

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 18/08/2026

I've seen this before and it's really enlightening to the point it should probably be on the driving test, theory test, highway code, regular PSAs etc.

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Reposted by Ben (BicycleBenUK)

Ian Andrews @ianbof.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I found this post box at Knockrome on Jura in 2013. Never seen anything better.

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Ben (BicycleBenUK) @ben.fiets.uk · 18/08/2026

Why is it beyond the intelligence of some drivers to set their music playing before starting to drive? And to not treat the car as an extension of their living space? Also, another example of the "convenience" of a smartphone actually being more complicated than what went before with CDs and tapes.

theguardian.com

Top album releases linked to rise in fatal crashes as ‘distracted’ drivers access music

Harvard study finds traffic fatalities increase by 15% on release dates compared with similar days either side

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