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Brian Ronald

@brian.ppcis.org
170 followers 55 following 2.3K posts

Spellwright. Practitioner of technomancy. Ally.

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Reposted by Brian Ronald
Dermot Lynott @dermotlynott.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
As I’ve said before, I prefer the term “language researcher”
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World Bollard Association™️ @worldbollardassoc.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
It’s a 9️⃣.5️⃣ from the #WorldBollardAssociation
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North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Haven't had your say on the future of the North East's buses yet? It's now or never! Please fill in the consultation to call for public control, integration with other public transport modes, simpler fares, and more bus priority! The consultation closes at 9am on Monday. Important links below⬇️
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Digital Brain @yourdigitalbrain.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This tiny fix solves a problem you never realized you had, and once you see it, it makes perfect sense.
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Iain Roberts @slowbikeiain.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
100 years ago today: A cyclist replies to a motorist's complaint that cyclists don't pay road tax and cycle two or more abreast, holding up drivers. How things have changed.
MOTORISTS AND ROADS
MAY I humbly point out to your correspon-dent, Colin M. G. Ross, that were in existence before motoring commenced, and if only cyclists had used them they would probably have lasted for ever? It was the ad-vent of motor-cars that made a tax neces-sary owing to their destructiveness.
With regard to cyclists riding three and four abreast, this is the exception, not the rule; and the practice is usually confined to irresponsible local youths.
Cyclists as a rule never ride more than two abreast and are quite willing to ride single file where the road is narrow, but they cannot fade away for every motor-horn.
С. Т. С.
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Bread and Rosie @rosiemund.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
So my grubby little urbanist secret is that I used to work at a car factory. And ever since this occurred to me, I have been unable to get over the fact that the safety standards to which we hold car production all but disappear the second those cars turn a wheel on public roads. And we accept that.
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Mags L Halliday @magslhalliday.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Every year on 19 December, the famous Christmas lights at Mousehole in Cornwall are dimmed between 8 and 9pm, leaving just the Cross and Angels shining down across the village and out to sea.
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Mark On A Bike @mtonabike.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Well these are eye catching from Better Streets for Liverpool
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Brian Ronald @brian.ppcis.org · 17/09/2026
Bought The Rose Field by Phillip Pullman. Unfortunately, what with all the illustrations, this #ebook is more than my venerable BeBook can handle! It just reboots when I try to open it. It works on more modern hardware. #TheSecretCommonwealth #eBooks #booksky
2009 vintage BeBook e-reader showing a folder full of Philip Pullman books. There's a folder for His Dark Materials (contents not visible), and the three books in the Book of Dust trilogy. The Secret Commonwealth is 5MB. La Belle Sauvage is 607KB. The Rose Field is 106MB.
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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Very nice to hear a sane voice from Piddington. Serious respect to this woman, who is apparently already being othered by more bigoted villagers.
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Gregk Foley @gregk.co.uk · 16/09/2026
Fair play to the wife of a Caribbean man and mother of mixed race children being informed by the BBC reporter that she’s in the minority in her community regarding immigration and responding with, “Yes, I’m surrounded by bigots.”
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Bread and Rosie @rosiemund.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
4 things that made me far less scared of cyclists as a pedestrian: 1. Thinking "did they 'nearly hit me' or did they just surprise me?" 2. If neither, "was there any credible risk of harm to anyone or was I just being a cop about it?" 3. Being aware that hitting me would very likely hurt them.
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Caolan Robertson @caolanrob.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
A missile just crashed into the building I was sleeping in. Built up residential complex intentionally attacked in Odesa. The building is still on fire. Barbaric terrorism.
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Polly Pallister-Wilkins @pollypw.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
When I lived in the UK none of my concerns e.g. affordable housing, climate action, increases in welfare spending, scrapping tuition fees, an ethical foreign policy, were ever framed as legitimate concerns. lnstead I was routinely told to fuck off by most political parties for having such concerns.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Cyclists were the primary force behind organized political pressure for better, paved roads before the arrival of cars and drivers. Drivers now think they own the road and oppose safe infrastructure for all other road users. What if tanks started using roads and were crushing cars and people?
saturdayeveningpost.com
Backstory: How Bikes Built Our Highways | The Saturday Evening Post
Urban elites with a fancy hobby teamed up with rural farmers in a movement that transformed the country.
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Bread and Rosie @rosiemund.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Before: I reckon this cup will take a double espresso. During: It's going to be OK. I think. Probably. Maybe. Oh no. Shit. Fuck. After: Called it. Precision engineering, mate.
White enamel espresso cup handle, dark blue rim, filled to very nearly overflowing with espresso, silver espresso machine
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👻madeline bOoOoOoOodent👻 @oldenoughtosay.com · 03/09/2026
Yeah, this is ridiculous. If you buy a property that abuts a millennia old walking trail, you bought a property that’s millennia younger than the right of way and you therefore have no right to complain about the way.
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Brian Ronald @brian.ppcis.org · 01/09/2026
Hive is basically the only really good coffee in Jarrow.
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Bread and Rosie @rosiemund.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
- Association with children. - Fecundity. - Close family ties. - Protectors of "Mother" Earth. - Name begins WOMB. I'm just saying, in 1000 years time archaeologists will think that The Wombles were a fertility cult.
The Wombles - children's tv show with large family of rodenty puppet things wearing clothes standing on grass in front of trees
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Looks a bit...fash doesn't it? (Posted by the Reform mayor of Basildon, Cllr Sam 'Spy Specs' Journet)
Here's detailed alt text for the image:

Alt text:

Screenshot of a post on X (formerly Twitter) from the verified account "Cllr Sam Journet" (@ReformUKSam), whose profile picture shows a man with a beard. The post text reads: "Reform UK Essex has launched OPERATION VANGUARD. Putting security personnel on the streets of Colchester, Chelmsford and Braintree to help protect residents and provide a visible presence. We were elected to put residents first, and that is exactly what we intend to do."

Below the text is an attached promotional graphic with a dark blue background and a photo of a cobbled high street at dusk, lined with period buildings, shopfronts, cafés and a Union Jack flag, with pedestrians walking in the background. Overlaid text reads: "REFORM UK ESSEX" (with the Reform UK circular logo) at the top, followed by large headline text "OPERATION VANGUARD", then "SECURITY ON OUR STREETS", and beneath that "PROTECTING RESIDENTS IN COLCHESTER • CHELMSFORD • BRAINTREE". In the foreground stand three people in matching dark navy uniforms with teal/turquoise high-visibility panels and "COMMUNITY SECURITY" printed on the chest — a woman with her hair tied back on the left, and two men on the right, all facing the camera with serious expressions.

Below the image, the post metadata shows: "6:40 PM · Aug 28, 2026 from Basildon, East" and "12.7K Views", followed by engagement icons showing 128 comments/replies, 170 reposts, 620 likes, and 18 bookmarks.
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Newcastle Cycling Campaign @newcycling.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
⛔ From 7th Sept the Waggonway past the Freeman Hospital will be closed. ⛔ From 1st Sep (the first day of school) the link to Longbenton will be closed. ⛔ There will be no access past the hospital on the waggonway. ❌ No safe cycling alternative has been provided - the diversion is Freeman Road
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The companies responsible for the 17-tonne nurdle spill that is polluting England’s north east coast seem to have given up, as they stand insurer-funded clean-up teams down, leaving volunteers and council teams to keep going.
chroniclelive.co.uk
Nurdle fury as clean-up team cut back and volunteers 'exploited'
Volunteers who have devoted thousands of hours to clearing plastic pellets from the North East's beaches after July's nurdle spill are furious after it emerged
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Jason Song Quinn (Comms Open) @hulkhoquinn.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Think about Miss Piggy. She lost a best friend and now an ex-lover in matter of 24 hours.
Miss Piggy and Dolly Parton in fancy dresses posing together photo of Tim Curry surrounded by muppets, smiling for a photo. A quote from curry is added “it didn’t go very well. It didn’t survive the shoot. She felt I wasn’t being faithful to her” it’s him discussing his ill fated affair with miss piggy
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Brian Ronald @brian.ppcis.org · 26/08/2026
I thought that Tim Curry was already dead, but TIL he was alive as recently as yesterday.
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Esther Schindler @estherschindler.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
"A solar farm on a rewetted peatland is home to more types of bird than drained agricultural fields nearby, suggesting that land used for renewable energy can make money for landowners, lock away carbon and boost biodiversity at the same time."
newscientist.com
Wildlife thrives in solar farm built on restored peatland
A diverse range of bird species has been recorded at a solar park on rewetted peatland in Germany, suggesting that combining energy generation with habitat restoration could benefit biodiversity, the climate and the economy
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Count Binface @countbinface.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
It’s election week! At this important moment I would like to address your entire planet with a message to the people of Earth. And I think I found the perfect place to do it.
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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 10/08/2026
Genuine sentence from this piece. “Of course safety matters; road deaths are tragic. But any restriction on citizens needs careful balance and moderation.”
Screen shot text:

Libby Purves
20mph speed limits play havoc with the mind
More than two million people took speed awareness courses in Britain last year — very few of them were boy racers
Monday August 10 2026, 12:01 am, The ✖️
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Weird Alex @jackalpants.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Reminder for all watching the Labour party go "well, we have to enforce segregation of trans people, the law's the law" The UK is not the USA. Parliament is sovereign and Labour have a thumping big majority; they could, trivially, amend the equality act to end this. They are choosing not to.
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Mike Cookson 🔶 🇪🇺🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @mikecookson.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Can you imagine the look on a Dutch tourists face as they cycle off the ferry and this is the cycle lane towards the City Centre. What a sh1t show.
I think that's a cycle logo painted under a bush.Kudos to North Tyneside for refreshing the paint. Not so many marks for not dealing with the hedge / leaves / mud Discriminatory signage, obviously there was no "remount" sign.Cycle lane closed, but sign for pedestrians. Lane 1 coned off but not used as a cycle lane.
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SomaFM @somafm.com · 07/08/2026
We made it to DEF CON! While the chill room only formally opened at 4pm, here's Merin MC spinning for the registration room. We'll be live tomorrow on our Live channel from 10am-6p Pacific Fri-Sat, 10am-3pm on Sun: somafm.com/live/
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
If you’ve been reading my Tyne nurdle updates, please sign and share this petition (not mine) to ensure UK law meets EU regulations on the handling and risk management of nurdles: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/75...
petition.parliament.uk
Petition: UK to mandate "zero plastic pellet loss" in line with new EU law ASAP
The EU recently formalised its Plastic Pellet Loss Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2025/2365), which mandates risk management plans and independent audits for large handlers. We want the UK to follow suit...
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Cab Davidson @gnomeicide.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
It's always the exceptional hardship defence that gets them off a driving ban. If the hardship would be exceptional for losing their license, then they wouldn't speed. share.google/4NeTQD0PTRtK...
share.google
More than 4,000 drivers with 12 or more speeding points still allowed on the road
RAC calls on Government for repeat and excessive speeders to have Intervening Intelligent Speed Assistance devices fitted to prevent them reoffending
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Charlie Stross @cstross.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
My answer is LOL ROFL (dickbrain) The terminally AI-pilled can't even *imagine* some people have *never* asked stochastic parrots to cheat at their job for them.
Screencap of a social media post by: kavishj611 
 
 All the people who are anti-Al or want to
 slow Al progress, I have one question:
 If Al disappeared tomorrow, could you
 still get through an entire workday
 without ChatGPT, Claude, or any other
 Al tool?
 
Imagine Al was suddenly banned.
 Would you actually be willing to give it
 up?
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Mrs. G @janbellina.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Infantino is the only FIFA president I’ve ever known the name of, a bit like how many Fleet Street Barbers I could name.
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Sascha Stronach🏳️‍⚧️, The Sunforge out now @understatesmen.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
AI escaping doesn't mean it's an unstoppable supergenius, have none of you owned a spaniel
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Mary Gillis @marygillis.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
This shit is not inevitable, it could be made illegal tomorrow if our governments weren't in the pocket of Big Pervert.
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Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
I have a modest proposal for a new tax. It involves a deck of cards and a monkey throwing darts. Here are the rules:
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Charlie Stross @cstross.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
I knew Iain and he *definitely* despised Musk! (Joliet Veppers in "Surface Detail" is a brutal caricature of Musk. Musk either skipped that Culture novel or didn't recognize himself ...)
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Count Binface @countbinface.bsky.social · 19/07/2023
Under a Binface government, anyone who doesn’t accept human-made climate change as fact will be sent back to school, from Year 1 right the way to A Levels, to see if anything goes in the second time round. #VoteBinface
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road.cc @roadcc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
“Why would he want to go through that again? Why would he consider even buying a legal e-bike, when he could just buy a cheap £500 illegal e-motorbike and be at the same level of risk?”
road.cc
Police seize and destroy delivery cyclist’s legal e-bike hired through council-funded scheme after “bogus” test – but officers claim rider didn’t have insurance | electric bike reviews, buying advice ...
Cycling and disability groups have called for the UK’s police forces to be properly trained and educated on the laws surround e-bikes, after officers in Birmingham seized and destroyed a fully legal e...
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Bread and Rosie @rosiemund.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Costa del Tyne, baby
Sandy beach with washed up seaweed, blue sea, waves, rocks at edge of bay, clear blue sky, ship near horizon, a few people on beach and in sea
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Brian Ronald @brian.ppcis.org · 20/07/2026
I'm in my fifties, and half of the prime ministers in my lifetime served in the last decade.
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Anna H @athenepallas.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Whatever the result, domestic abuse increases after England football matches, win, lose or draw. Information for those in need below or call 0808 2000 247. Please share if it's safe for you to do so: womensaid.org.uk/information-...
womensaid.org.uk
I need help - information and support on domestic abuse
Not sure if you're experiencing abuse? Worried about someone else? If you or a friend need help, we are here. Learn more about our information and support.
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Brian Ronald @brian.ppcis.org · 18/07/2026
www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/why-im-... The "beautiful game." I'm not a fan, because this is what it makes me think of.
marieclaire.co.uk
The Conversation About Football and Domestic Abuse Hasn't Changed in Years
England are out of the World Cup. But for some women, the real ordeal begins after the final whistle.
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Mrs. G @janbellina.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
If a driver complains about cyclists using the road when there are cycles paths, I would complain about cars using minor roads when my tax money has been spent building a motorway network for them to use, that cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians are legally barred from using.
static.klipy.com
Papyrus Drives Car, Sans Rides Bike on Pixel Road
Alt: Papyrus Drives Car, Sans Rides Bike on Pixel Road
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Kirsty McTear 🏳️‍⚧️ She/Her @kirsty-mctear.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
This was posted over on LinkedIn by @hexhampride.bsky.social, and I endorse every word of it…
Over the past decade, the UK has witnessed a profound and deeply damaging reframing of transgender identity; one that has stripped
agency from the very people the law was designed to protect. Institutions that should uphold equality have instead normalised transphobic rhetoric. Media outlets, political actors, the EHRC, and even the courts have adopted narratives that marginalise transgender people rather than challenge discrimination. As a result, the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and Equality Act 2010 now function as protections in name
only, not in lived reality. We have seen the UK legal system defend and legitimise speech that dehumanises transgender people, including rhetoric from individuals and groups who have openly advocated hostility or violence. Rather than safeguarding those targeted, public bodies have platformed these voices and the media has reacted with outrage when their decisions are questioned. Those who openly point out the transphobic hate of such
individuals and groups are threatened with expensive legal action. This is not just a policy failure. It is a safeguarding failure. It is a failure of
leadership, of courage, and of the values Britain claims to uphold. For many of us, attempts to focus on work, family, and community have been repeatedly undermined by external actors and systemic institutional shortcomings. The cumulative impact has had a significant detrimental affect on our community with Samaritans reporting a 40% increase in calls from transgender adults since the erroneous Supreme
Court ruling.

Alt text continued on the flag picture…Continuation of alt text…

Remaining silent or restrained in the face of escalating hostility is no longer viable. The extremism directed at transgender people is growing because it has been permitted to grow. And unless this trajectory is challenged, it will continue to escalate. It was never enough to simply remove the legal and social protections for transgender people; the discourse has repeatedly demonstrated that transphobic actors will not cease until transgender people are eradicated from society. Downplaying
this rhetoric as hyperbole is a disservice to humanity. And, this does not stop with transgender people. Pride flags are removed, LGBTQIA+ library books removed, and our community is
attacked. This is a call for accountability, for integrity, and for a recommitment to the basic principle that every person deserves to live a hardworking,
joyful, and prejudice-free life. The UK can and must do better.
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Kate Osborne MP @kateosbornemp.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
If you want to get out the house and start your day with a cuppa and a chat, please drop in to Jarrow Mindset’s coffee morning every Tuesday morning from 10-11.30. Free tea and biscuits will be provided - it’s a great way to meet new people & connect with others in our community.
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Count Binface @countbinface.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
On my way, Clacton.
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Mrs. G @janbellina.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
My big sis is exhibiting in the Summer #Art Exhibition at Aytoun Hall, Auchterarder PH3 1BJ, pop in if you're in the Lang Toun on the 18th or 19th July.
Summer Art Exhibition July 18 and 19 2026 Aytoun Hall Auchterarder PH3 1BJ 
Promoted by crew arts aphcrew.co.uk includes a line drawing of a section of Auchterarder High Street including Aytoun Hall.
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Bread and Rosie @rosiemund.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Was at The Globe for a performance of Much Ado About Nothing and an elderly lady in a sari loudly "for fuck's sake"-ed somebody for dithering in the queue for the lavs so never tell me multiculturalism doesn't work.
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