Sign in

James

@derpjames.bsky.social
317 followers 500 following 1.7K posts

History, Homebrew, and cHristianity (but clearly not alliteration). Here to learn and explore. I lovingly curate @headlineoftheday.bsky.social

PostsRepliesMedia
James @derpjames.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This was a sweet little read - Fairy Tales from the Isle of Man by Dora Broome. It was nice to read some folktales from a part of the British Isles I'm not so familiar with, and the heavy dose of dialect in the telling was a delightful touch. 💙📚
Fairy Tales from the Isle of Man by Dora Broome.  The cover image depicts a merman lifting up a smiling young child mermaid holding some seaweed.
030
Reposted by James
Nate Schenkkan @nateschenkkan.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
1646031172
James @derpjames.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Really interesting research from @christianityon.bsky.social - I've seen a few claims that AI detection software is biased against autistic people and it's great that someone has actually fact-checked this (tl;dr, it isn't) youtu.be/SN0_TZ1WoCE
youtu.be
Is AI Detection Software Biased Against Autistic Writing?
YouTube video by Christianity On The Spectrum
000
Reposted by James
Headline of the Day @headlineoftheday.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Indonesian foragers may have sucked on mind-altering nuts 25,000 years ago, research finds. www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
theguardian.com
Indonesian foragers may have sucked on mind-altering nuts 25,000 years ago, research finds
Analysis of two skeletons reveals tooth wear and traces of psychoactive substance in what may be earliest known evidence for human drug taking
033
Reposted by James
Paul Blinkhorn @paulblinkhorn.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The Daily Mail supporting fascists. How very out of character
1154
Reposted by James
Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
A suggested statement for Andy Burnham.
‘The British public decided in the 1930s that they would not tolerate black-shirted militias marching through their streets. They would cherish robust political argument; they would not accept thuggery and intimidation. When Oswald Mosley led his Blackshirts to Cable Street, local people turned them back. A new law – introduced by a Liberal, backed by Labour and carried by a Conservative majority – banned private militias, political uniforms and ‘the use or display of physical force in promoting any political object’. The British people are as determined today as in the 1930s that they will not accept the methods of Mussolini and the Munich Beer Hall. This government will uphold the law and defend the traditions of British democracy’.
271051350
Reposted by James
Dr Jo Kershaw @mthrjo.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The RNLI have some of the best people in Britain volunteering for them. They put their lives on the line when they are called on and they will rescue anyone who needs them. Because every life matters, and offering help is the right thing to do. You can donate here: rnli.org
rnli.org
RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution - Saving Lives at Sea
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. We do this through lifeboat search and rescue, lifeguards, water safety education and international interventions.
161170608
James @derpjames.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Suttons seed catalogue arrived today and something tells me I'm not their average demographic... #gardening
A runner bean variety called "Lady Di"Another runner bean variety called "St George", which boasts bicoloured red and white flowers.
011
James @derpjames.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
#CofEPeeps Not sure how many of you are signed up to the mailing list, but the Real Advent Calendar for 2026 has now been launched, and this year there's a dark chocolate edition too! meaningfulchocolate.co.uk/collections/...
meaningfulchocolate.co.uk
Christmas
Unique ways to share the Christmas story... Next day delivery is made by tracked next day DHL. There is free delivery if you spend £89 or more (mainland GB ex Highlands and Isles).
011
Reposted by James
Dr Jo Edge 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @hagenilda.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
My agent got an UNHINGED LLM-slop email about mypublished book. Some choice quotes: 'There is something so achingly compelling about a book that, when you think about it, is not so different from a lot of other books, except for the part where it features the most surprising questions they can ask'
4212
Reposted by James
Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
HOLY SHIT DUDES fucking with the environment is now not just a sin (which Francis also said), it is classed as a direct fuck-you to God and a central tenet of the reasoning is the need to care for "our common home," i.e. you are morally obligated to think about the other people who also live here
americamagazine.org
Vatican theological commission defines ‘sin against creation and the Creator’ in new document
The more than 29,000 word text calls for ecological conversion due to “sin against creation and the Creator.”
981292360
Reposted by James
Ben Wood @cosmichope.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
"The Sabbath was made for human beings, not human beings for the Sabbath".
051
Reposted by James
Met Office - weather and climate @metoffice.gov.uk · 01/09/2026
Summer 2026 is provisionally the UK’s warmest summer on record with the season’s mean temperature made around 130 times more likely due to human-induced climate change. Here, we delve into the numbers 🧵
Mean temperature for 2026 in the UK. The map shows widely above average temperature, particularly in the south. Rainfall amounts in summer 2026 in the UK compared to average. The maps shows widely dry conditions, though the west of Scotland is slightly wetter than averageSunshine duration in summer 2026 compared to average. The map shows widely sunny conditions in the season, with the south of the country particularly sunny.
5262168
Reposted by James
Abigail Larson @abigaillarson.com · 31/08/2026
This is what happens when a director conflates a parable with real-world nuance. No, we don't need to "both sides" this tale because Dickens wrote the story as it was meant to be understood. Scrooge made mistakes and needed a wakeup call. That's it.
622458447
Reposted by James
Helen-Ann Hartley @helenannhartley.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Everlasting God, you sent the gentle bishop Aidan to proclaim the gospel in this land: grant us to live as he taught in simplicity, humility and love for the poor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy feast of St Aidan of Lindisfarne 🫶🙏
0105
James @derpjames.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
After a bit of a break and pallet cleanse I'm back reading Wealth of Nations. It seems the idea that the colonisation of the Americas wasn't entirely noble and unproblematic isn't as new a phenomenon as some people like to suggest... 💙📚💡
An extract from Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations (published 1776), in which he lays into European colonists for their "folly and injustice" in "hunting after gold and silver mines, and the injustice of coveting the possession of a country whose harmless natives, far from having ever injured the people of Europe, had received the first adventurers with every mark of kindness and hospitality".
051
Reposted by James
Acts 435 @acts435.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
A huge thank you to everyone who has donated to our School Uniform Appeal so far! 💙 Many families are facing the rising cost of uniforms and school essentials. ✨Consider donating to help ease the burden from families who cannot afford the costs: www.acts435.org.uk/appeals/scho...
011
Reposted by James
Full Fact @fullfact.org · 27/08/2026
Posts being shared thousands of times on social media claim Japan has named a Covid mRNA vaccine the “most deadly drug” in the “history of humankind”. It hasn’t. And it isn’t. Approved Covid vaccines are safe. fullfact.org/world/japan-...
fullfact.org
Japan hasn’t named Covid mRNA vaccine the ‘most deadly drug’ – Full Fact
The misleading claim is being shared again after first appearing in 2024.
35438
Reposted by James
Christian Aid @christianaiduk.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Please join us in prayer for the people of Nepal and Tibet, after devastating flash floods swept through communities along the border 🙏 We hold in our hearts all those affected, and the rescue teams working to reach communities cut off by the disaster.
Black-and-white close-up of hands clasped in prayer, with a person blurred in the background. A dark text banner reads: “Pray for Nepal and Tibet.”God of compassion, We weep with the people of Nepal and Tibet. Images of devastation tell a story of terrible loss. We cry out to you for the bereaved, for all who could not save their loved ones. We grieve for those who have seen their homes swept away. God, keep safe those waiting for rescue, renew the strength of emergency workers, and turn our shock and sorrow into action. Make us your hands and feet, reaching out and standing with our neighbours in their deep distress and urgent need. In Jesus name, Amen
196
James @derpjames.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Picked another tubfull of tomatoes this evening, and found this little oddity - conjoined tomatoes!
Two ripe cherry tomatoes sharing one stalk. They are both perfectly round but joined in the middle, a little like a Venn Diagram
020
James @derpjames.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
This took me far longer than it should have done, because I decided to read a chapter per night and...it's 101 chapters long...but I've finally finished @fakehistoryhunter.net's book! 💙📚💡
Fake History: 101 things that never happened, by Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, The Fake History Hunter. A horned helment sits at a jaunty angle on the K
250
Reposted by James
Kari-Anne Fygi @kafygi.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
81323265
James @derpjames.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Took @mrsemilia.bsky.social out for a romantic walk with a bucket and some secateurs this evening, so now I have some elderberries to sort out! Definitely feel better than last year's, despite the horridly hot summer.
A black plastic bucket with lots of elderberries in it, still on their stalks.
110
Reposted by James
Louvain Rees ⚰️ @hellohistoria.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I keep thinking about this Lion I saw this weekend.
A detailed marble sculpture of a lion resting its chin on its paws, next to a carved portrait on a stone wall monument.
68213
James @derpjames.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Just finished reading I, Robot. I've seen a lot of people talking about it in the light of -gestures wildly- everything, so thought I'd best read it. I'm glad I did! 💙📚
'I, Robot' by Isaac Azimov. The cover image is the silhouette of a man's head made up of light green circuits with the author and title incorporated into the middle, on a plain dark green background
250
Reposted by James
Headline of the Day @headlineoftheday.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Man calls 999 after buying alcohol-free gin by mistake. www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...
bbc.co.uk
Man calls Hertfordshire Police on 999 after buying alcohol-free gin by mistake
Police release audio of his emergency call, in which he requests assistance to help get his £6 back.
052
Reposted by James
404 Media @404media.co · 17/08/2026
SCOOP: 404 Media placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it. What did we find? It ended up at an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books. Yes. This is literally the logo outside the Amazon warehouse door. Read now:
404media.co
We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility
We placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books.
15162313922
Reposted by James
Richard Burgon MP @richardburgon.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Climate breakdown will shape our country for decades to come. Bold climate action can show whose side Labour is on - by protecting ordinary people, putting fairness at the heart of the changes we need and making the biggest polluters pay. My new article: labouroutlook.org/2026/08/14/r...
44310
James @derpjames.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Excellent news! Tl;Dr, the government has just temporarily banned the sale of disposable BBQs during the current apocalypse 👏 www.gov.uk/guidance/sta...
gov.uk
Statutory Guidelines On Disposable BBQs
In response to the current droughts and heatwave, the Government has introduced statutory guidelines in relation to the supply of disposable BBQs.
110
Reposted by James
AnEternalEnigma @aneternalenigma.com · 13/08/2026
The more I ponder what Mary said here, I think it is VERY important for those who don't like this EVEN IF YOU DON'T STREAM and want to send a message to Amazon on where the Twitch community falls in the genAI discussion to go in their settings and turn this off. The metrics are what speaks to them.
3536062257
Reposted by James
Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Nobody knows how much energy AI data centres actually use, because no tech company is obliged to say. What surfaces does so by accident: Google’s annual energy consumption is up 38%, and court filings in Virginia projected water use of two to eight million gallons a day.
18248128
Reposted by James
Dr Catherine Ebenezer (she/her) @ebenezer1954.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/202... #CofEPeeps Wow!!
churchtimes.co.uk
Middle-earth and Silicon Valley
The worlds that J. R. R. Tolkien created have been misunderstood by modern power brokers, says Giuseppe Pezzini
011
Reposted by James
Acts 435 @acts435.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
We've received another five requests this morning for our School Uniforms Appeal. 🎒👕 Your support can help children start the new school term feeling confident, prepared and ready to learn. 👉 Make a difference: www.acts435.org.uk/appeals/scho...
002
James @derpjames.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
My tomatoes are doing really well - tonight we were able to enjoy a chicken sofrito made with 100% homegrown tomatoes, alongside homegrown garlic and oregano. It's always satisfying to cook with multiple ingredients from the garden!
A butter tub full of bright red cherry tomatoesA plate of chicken sofrito. Strips of fried chicken mixed with red tomatoes, green peppers, and yellow onions sit on a bed of spiral pasta
030
Reposted by James
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland @ctbi.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
London Churches Refugee Fund Annual Speaker Meeting 17 September 2026, 6:30pm 'Roots and Refuge' Brother Johannes Maertens is a Monk of the Good Shepherd and a member of the Catholic
Worker. Wesley’s Chapel EC1Y 1AU ctbi.org.uk/event/lcrf-a...
Save the Date!
Thursday 17th September 6.30pm
Wesley’s Chapel EC1Y 1AU (doors open 6pm)
LCRF ANNUAL SPEAKER MEETING
“Roots and Refuge”
Brother Johannes Maertens
Brother Johannes is a Monk
of the Good Shepherd, and a
member of the Catholic
Worker.
For more than twenty-three
years Johannes has lived in
community with homeless and
displaced people in Belgium,
Calais and London
From 2015–2019 he worked
in the Calais refugee camp,
where he co-founded the
Maria Skobtsova Refugee
Safe House, offering
sanctuary and support to
those in transit.
He continues to support
people on the move through
his volunteer work with Art
Refuge in Calais
Text visible in the photograph:
I WAS A STRANGER
AND YOU
DID NOT WELCOME
ME (Mt 25:43)
012
Reposted by James
Marie Gardiner @mariegardiner.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
oh that explains why we have an eclipse booked in tomorrow.
124391
Reposted by James
Emma Monk @monkemma.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Do you want to hazard a guess at what this “jaw-dropping” list of freebies included? What luxuries asylum seekers might be being given “for free” in Thetford? Xboxes? Plasma TVs? iPhones? Ferraris? Let's take a look👀 🧵 1/22
Express headline: The jaw-dropping list of everything asylum seekers in Thetford were 'given for free'.
671256657
Reposted by James
Will Tullett @willtullett.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
If you use AI to design your poster or leaflet or advertising I will simply not come to or engage with or purchase your thing. I'd rather your poster look like it was drawn by a dog with a series of sharpies than made by AI thanks.
281
Reposted by James
Headline of the Day @headlineoftheday.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Pilot’s flight path draws bin shape above Clacton days before Farage v Count Binface by-election. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
independent.co.uk
Pilot’s flight path draws bin shape above Clacton days before by-election
It is not known who piloted the plane, which spent around half an hour drawing the flight path on Saturday
1135
Reposted by James
Met Office - weather and climate @metoffice.gov.uk · 08/08/2026
The UK will experience a partial solar eclipse on Wednesday 12 August. The extent of the Sun's coverage and the timing of maximum obscuration will differ across the country. Never look directly at the sun; use a pinhole projector or certified eclipse glasses to view it.
Map on UK showing how much of the sun will be obscured by the moon, at maximum, during the solar eclipse on Wednesday 12th of August. this ranges from 88% in the east to 98% in the southwest.
14418270
James @derpjames.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Evri: You were out when we didn’t ring your doorbell so we diverted your parcel to the wheelie bin. SpaceX: Your parcel experienced a rapid unscheduled redelivery to the Mariana Trench.
020
Reposted by James
Mary J @primaryteachermary.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Please don’t be that person that challenges someone’s sex or gender in the toilets. It’s rude, cruel and unnecessary. Just let people use the loo in peace.
4539
Reposted by James
Anna Page @annacpage.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Microsoft wants to build three massive AI data centres in Leeds. It’ll drain thousands of litres of water from the River Aire and become the city's biggest carbon emitter. We can still stop the council's final sign-off, but we need more voices. Add your name: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/pr...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Stop the Microsoft AI megasite in Leeds!
Microsoft want to build three huge AI data centres at Skelton Grange. It would drain the River Aire and become the city's biggest carbon emitter. We can still stop it - add your name to the petition.
11925
Reposted by James
Count Binface @countbinface.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
53,800 of these bad boys are landing in Clacton. Ain’t they beauts? #VoteBinface
1353749916
Reposted by James
Headline of the Day @headlineoftheday.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Man arrested after dressing up in 'Grim Reaper' costume on hospital roof and staring at patients. (Thanks @jennymckinnon.bsky.social!) www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...
mirror.co.uk
Man arrested after 'dressing as Grim Reaper' at hospital and staring at patients
A 26-year-old man climbed on a hospital roof dressed as a 'crow' which resembles a Grim Reaper outfit, as he flaunted a long knife has now been fined for his nuisance behaviour
001
James @derpjames.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Just finished reading this short book from @churchofengland.org. Nothing groundbreaking for anyone who pays attention to these matters, but it provides a good summary of where we are and a theological framework to sit it in. 💙📚💡 ✝️
Book cover for "Hope for All Creation: A theological response to the environmental crises", from the Church of England. The cover is mainly a dark bluey-green, with the title in golden yellow.
131
Reposted by James
John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 03/08/2026
Super useful. I figure a lot of us here in the Sky know this stuff already, but it might be handy to hand to parents, grandparents and pals who are less technically minded. www.librarian.net/NoToAI/
librarian.net
How to disable or avoid intrusive AI – librarian.net
171033451
Reposted by James
Dr. Elle, Her Celestial Majesty ✨👑🌌 @abstractica.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
ㅤ Paestan red figure fish plate [detail] — attributed to the Binningen Painter, third quarter of 4th century bce ㅤ
128968
Reposted by James
Rev Gav @ fab.church @fab.church · 01/08/2026
If a church excludes people based on their sexuality, gender, age, ability, race, social status, or lifestyle then they are ‘hating’ them and, as John puts it, they are still in the darkness, unable to see, and going in the wrong direction. fab.church/relationship...
fab.church
Relationship
If a church excludes people then they are ‘hating’ them and still in the darkness.
031