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Derek Black

@djm-black.mastodon.scot.ap.brid.gy
60 followers 35 following 78 posts

European: Germano-Polish Scot. Christian. Bibliophile. Scientist. House-husband. 🌉 bridged from mastodon.scot/@djm_black on the fediverse by fed.brid.gy

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Reposted by Derek Black
Real Gaz on a proper bike: gazza_d@toot.bike @gazza-d.bsky.social · 9h
A day successfully dodging torrential rain showers and visiting the Kelpies and the Wheel in Falkirk. Both stunning in their own way. Sadly far too windy to get the drone up. The Wheel is amazing. Bonkers and brilliant engineering.
The Kelpies statues in Falkirk. The Kelpies statues in Falkirk The Falkirk wheel. The only rotating boat lift in the world.
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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 14h
'The driver of Britain’s water shortages isn’t data centres, it is a 30 year failure to build the reservoirs we need to meet demand'. A deeper dive. www.samdumitriu.com/p/will-data-...
samdumitriu.com
Will data centres drink us dry?
Worry less about how we store data, and more about how we store water
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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 14h
The chemistry Nobel this year got me remembering what it was like to receive groundbreaking research like Soai's key paper at Nature. Sometimes you knew it; sometimes (as in this case) you didn't. www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/what...
chemistryworld.com
What’s it like to be the first person privy to Nobel-worthy work?
As Philip Ball, handling editor of Kensō Soai's 1995 paper reveals, sometimes you're oblivious to it
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Prof Ray Wills @profraywills.futuresmart.com.au · 11/10/2026
Battery electric car sales majority arriving in Australia soon bsky.app/profile/prof...
The cross over to 50% battery electric vehicle sales likely at the end of 2027
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Guelph On Two Wheels :yesbike: @guelphontwowheels.guelph.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026
Some days, I just want to be chauffeured around in something expensive. That's where my bus pass comes in. #transit #urbanism
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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
In fact, how about we hear from all those British political figures who seemed to think Trump is/was the bees knees. Don't be shy, we want a full-throated opinion on this.
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Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
The Putin regime's entire geopolitical strategy hinges on Trump and MAGA hacks ruling the US over decades when there are signs building of such a massive backlash against Trumpism in American society that it has the potential to viciously savage everyone associated with Trump
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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Lots of ongoing talk about "superintelligence", AI consciousness/feelings, and the like, so I figured it would be worth giving this another round. The AI industry is going to keep pushing its crappy narratives, but we don't have to do their work for them. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/techno...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
We’re all going to die, but not from AI
That artificial intelligence could destroy humanity is a story imposed by the AI industry itself. It’s time to challenge it
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
On the substack this week.... I looked at the route back into the EU. It's going to become increasingly obvious that the politics works for a manifesto pledge. What are the barriers? What would a negotiation look like? How might another referendum play out? samf.substack.com/p/the-route-...
samf.substack.com
The route back into the EU
Back in 2022 I wrote about the long-term prospects for undoing Brexit and made two predictions.
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Simon Nixon @nixonsimon.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
The euro has an 83% approval rates in the countries that use it and former eurozone crises countries are growing faster than Britain with falling debt and lower borrowing costs. So why is the euro question considered so toxic to the UK Rejoin debate? My latest
nixons.substack.com
Should Britain Adopt the Euro?
Politically, it may be a non-starter. But what about the economics? An alternative history and a rerun of Gordon Brown's famous five tests. Part two of two
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Nikita Romanov @nr.mastodon.scot.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026
Even the rain came out to see the unveiled Nelson Mandela statue. #Glasgow #scotland #UK
A large crowd gathers in front of a historic building for an event, featuring blue tents and banners related to Nelson Mandela. The gathering occurs outdoors under a partly cloudy sky.A crowd gathers outside a historic building, with blue tents set up. A statue of Nelson Mandela is prominently featured in the foreground, while flags and signs related to Mandela are visible.
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Edinburgh Festival of Cycling @edfoc.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
What better way to celibate the publication of this important report, than joining the Cargo Bike Carnival on Sunday!?! Come and join us on the Meadows from 11:00 to 14:00
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
On Badenoch's Reform alliance problem.
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kim_harding ✅ @kim-harding.mastodon.scot.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026
More than half of Canadians are avoiding buying American goods, poll finds www.independent.co.uk/news/world/am… Canadian shoppers are pressuring grocery stores to respond, with nearly nine in 10 wanting clear labels on […]
mastodon.scot
Original post on mastodon.scot
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Tom Clark @tom-clark.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
2004: live-streamed killing of Ken Bigley held to reveal the uniquely medieval barbarism of modern Jihaddis 2026: live-streamed killing becomes US Govt policy www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Fort Hood attacker's execution by firing squad will be livestreamed, Pentagon says
Pete Hegseth says the execution will be public, but a legal expert says the "unprecedented" decision is on "uncertain legal terrain".
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Tim J @timtfj.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026
Bring back þe letter þ. How can you þrow out þe only rune in your alphabet? Also bring back ð. But ðis time, except in very common words like þe which look nice þe oðer way round, don't treat ðem as interchangeable. Use ð for þe voiced one and þ for þe unvoiced one, like ðey do in Icelandic […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 08/10/2026
NEW YOUGOV POLL 🚨 52% of people would vote to rejoin the EU, only 27% want to stay outside
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Andy @andydrummond.eurosky.social · 07/10/2026
#Eurovelo is awesome, have been on short sections of EV1 and EV6 on holiday. Long distance protected bike paths are a really big tourist draw and something the UK is lacking.
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
So sad to hear that the iconic, trailblazing, Apollo 11 moon landing software engineering lead, Margaret Hamilton, is no longer with us. Love this image of her, standing next to a print out of the software that landed Buzz Aldrin and Neil Amstrong on the moon! 👩‍🔬🔭🛰️🧪 ℹ️: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
A woman looking very cool in a 70's dress standing next to a massive pile of very thick books
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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
In this piece for @prospectmagazine.co.uk I argue that it is time we stopped letting the AI/tech industry dictate the narrative, and I attempt to dismantle the self-serving terminology and myths it has created. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/techno...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
We’re all going to die, but not from AI
That artificial intelligence could destroy humanity is a story imposed by the AI industry itself. It’s time to challenge it
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Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The message Labour, Grüne, Linke, PSOE, PD and the rest of European Socialism and Social Democracy need to ram home is without social security there is no military security Welfare systems aren't bleeding business, they're underpinning social stability and military power needed for trade and growth
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kim_harding ✅ @kim-harding.mastodon.scot.ap.brid.gy · 04/10/2026
Tram Trains for Edinburgh www.ttfe.org.uk We are campaigning for a tram-train service on Edinburgh's South Suburban Railway, connecting communities across the south of the city with fast, frequent, modern public transport.
ttfe.org.uk
Home — Tram Trains for Edinburgh
A campaign to restore passenger services on Edinburgh's south suburban railway
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kim_harding ✅ @kim-harding.mastodon.scot.ap.brid.gy · 04/10/2026
I travelled all over the country on a €63 monthly rail pass: readers’ favourite holidays in Germany www.theguardian.com/travel/2026/oct… Actually in my case, I travelled mostly in the south of the country with the […]
mastodon.scot
Original post on mastodon.scot
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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
New Soft Landing podcast: 'Liberals and Liberalism', with the one & only @iandunt.bsky.social. We look at liberalism today, under constant attack from populism. We also cover: Andy Burnham; Trump; binary thinking; the need for belonging; even men who cry... rolandmcs.substack.com/p/podcast-li...
rolandmcs.substack.com
Podcast: Liberals and Liberalism with Ian Dunt
The state of western liberalism today, under constant attack from anti-liberal right-wing populism
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Russia’s 2027 budget: military costs expected to spiral, at least by 40%. Unsustainable, of course, that’s why they’re proposing a 10% cut in real terms for development, infrastructure and healthcare and a 5% cut in education.
mailchi.mp
Russia plans record military spending
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walkhighlands @walkhighlands.co.uk · 03/10/2026
We've teamed up with @scotsquirrels.bsky.social for the eighth annual Great Scottish Squirrel Survey held over the next week - and we urge as many of you as possible to get involved - by taking part and by spreading the word. www.walkhighlands.co.uk/news/scotlan...
walkhighlands.co.uk
Scotland’s red squirrel celebration is back
Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is running the eighth annual Great Scottish Squirrel Survey next week, and everyone can get involved Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) is calling on the public ...
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Edinburgh Festival of Cycling @edfoc.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Europe needs 105,000 more bike mechanics by 2032 bikebiz.com/europe-needs... A new analysis shows that Europe’s bicycle industry will need to recruit around 105,000 additional mechanics by 2032, a requirement equivalent to 60% of the entire workforce it employs today.
bikebiz.com
Europe needs 105,000 more bike mechanics by 2032 - BikeBiz
New analysis published by the NextGen Mechanics initiative and ECI shows that the industry needs 105,000 additional bike mechanics by 2032.
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Edinburgh Critical Mass @edcriticalmass.mastodon.scot.ap.brid.gy · 30/09/2026
Ready an other Critical Mass ride? Join us this Friday 2nd of October, 7.30pm, Middle meadow walk for an evening ride going through the city centre and finishing on Bristo Square! These Friday night rides will be slightly different from the Saturday ones, the […] [Original post on mastodon.scot]
Critical Mass ride, Friday 2nd of October night, 7.30pm. Middle meadow walk
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Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I'd go further and argue Euro membership is an opportunity not a threat whether in trade, financial markets, or how UK personnel could come to shape the ECB. Building a sustainable outcome for the UK in the EU has to look beyond FoM and start engaging with how to integrate in Schengen and Euro
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
In a matter of days Ukraine has retaken land on the frontline that it took Russia a year and tens of thousands of lives to occupy. Putin is on the back foot and desperate. Ukrainian intelligence says he’s now removed restrictions on the air campaign so they can target schools and hospitals.
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
🥳 New Observatory alert! (Yes, she cuts ribbons!) Huge congratulations to Dr Charles Wang and all the wonderful #Aberdeen University team who have built the brand new Anne Cruickshank Observatory! 🔭🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ℹ️: www.abdn.ac.uk/news/26204/ 🎥: Dave Galloway NorthSound1
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Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
As long as British voters are not able to cope with trade-offs of Euro and Schengen then the healthiest option for the EU is a UK in the Single Market with a Customs Union but not a full member. The Brits have a choice between being a rule taker with benefits or a rule taker with nothing.
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Jaap Burger @burger-jaap.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/10/2026
France appears unstoppable when it comes to electrification: in September, electric cars already accounted for 42 per cent of new car sales. Since the start of the summer, this share has been rising by several percentage points every month. Is the oil price crisis one of the factors behind this?
The graph shows the market share of electric cars and PHEVs in the French market, with strong growth from June 2026 onwards in particular
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Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 30/09/2026
NEW ANALYSIS: Record wind and solar save UK from gas imports worth £5.9bn during Hormuz crisis 🌤️ wind/solar generation up 14% in 2026 to date 🏭 gas down ~10% 🚢 >100 LNG cargoes avoided
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
A country that will not fix its mistakes is a country that has given up on the future. And Brexit was, it’s now clear, a terrible, terrible mistake inews.co.uk/opinion/brex...
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Times this morning. Me in December last year. It was pretty damn obvious this would happen to anyone who did the maths. samf.substack.com/p/the-oversh...
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Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The average length of Roman-Persian wars was 7-15 years. The average length of Ottoman-Persian wars was 5-10 years. Forever wars are not the exception, they're the norm.
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Claire McNab @2legged.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy · 27/09/2026
The criminality of England's oldies cintinues to shock. #MerseysidePolice today arrested a 94 year old #terrorist in Liverpool. Even worse, the terrorist #MargaretOwen is also a Jewish human rights barrister,. It's scary to think of the risks to #AndyBurnham's […] [Original post on mastodon.ie]
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I could quote pretty much this entire article by @mjrobbins.com on the bizarre psychology of the AI apocalypse freaks, but you should just read it instead. Such a relief to see someone express my feelings so eloquently. martinrobbins.substack.com/p/the-ai-apo...
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SellaTheChemist @sellathechemist.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 26/09/2026
I'll be on BBC World Service's Weekend programme from 06:30 UK time tomorrow morning (Sunday). I've just been through the 2 1/2 hours with the editor. It's going to be an unexpectedly varied thing. Lots to talk about: music, the UN, East Africa, Afghanistan, mountain climbing and sheep. As usual […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I absolutely love the idea of everyone across the world, looking up at the cosmos, together. Join in the international fun for 100 hours of stargazing! The challenges start this Thursday! 🔭🎢🧪⚛️ ℹ️: 100hours.online
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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
These guys are protesting about 'groups of fighting age men threatening local areas'. You've got to admire the irony.
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Simon Nixon @nixonsimon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
How four decades of consuming public wealth rather than building it has eroded Britain’s resilience and its long-term debt sustainability - first in a two part series on how Britain wrecked its balance sheet and how to repair it
nixons.substack.com
How Britain Wrecked its Balance Sheet
Four decades of consuming public wealth rather than building it has eroded Britain’s resilience and its long-term debt sustainability, leaving the country acutely vulnerable to deglobalisation
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∫∀⊂∅ @laslab.waag.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/09/2026
How to keep your kids entertained on a long distance train. Very luxurious train for Norwegian railways. #innotrans #trains
Clourful indoor children’s playground with green stairs, bleu floor and wall, and red slideChildren playhouse inside a passenger train.
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The Man in Seat 61 @seatsixtyone.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
INTERRAIL PASS SALE! From Thursday 24 September until Wednesday 30 September 2026, save 50% on long-validity Interrail Global Passes (one month continuous or longer) and 15% on shorter-duration Global Passes, and One Country Passes (all validities). www.interrail.com/en/interrail...
interrail.com
Interrail Global Pass for Europe
The Interrail Global Pass is the fun and cheap way to see more of Europe. Travel to up to 33 countries with one train Pass!
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Archie Hall @archiehall.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
My latest for @economist.com: AI writing is taking over politics. 10% of what was is said in Parliament is now AI-drafted, per Pangram. Yet more in the House of Representatives, or in Australia and Canada. Link: www.economist.com/britain/202... And a 🧵 below, w/ some main offenders
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Lazarou Monkey Terror 🚀💙🌈 @lazarou.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/09/2026
The way the global media seemed to make out Trump had a win when the real story is that Trump once again was outwitted. They are not on our side and we should stop pretending they are. #trump #Denmark #Media #FourthEstate #Politics
capt_karjalainen 

Denmark just pulled off the diplomatic
heist of the decade. They basically got
Trump to re-sign the 1951 Greenland
agreement, but added a genius "poison
pill": the deal is only valid as long as the
US stays in NATO. Trump gets the
domestic headline, but Denmark quietly
locked them into the European security
architecture. Masterful.

 christine_waters_rust 14h 

Denmark pulling the actual Art of the Deal!

love it!
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This week on Origin Story: The life & ideas of John Rawls, the most celebrated liberal philosopher of the post-war period. These are some of the most beautiful arguments in progressive thought. We do it as a one hour crash course. Everything you need to know. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/j...
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Edinburgh Critical Mass @edcriticalmass.mastodon.scot.ap.brid.gy · 23/09/2026
New Critical Mass this very Saturday, 2pm from middle meadow walk. This time we will ride towards Cluny Gardens and King's Building. A route used by many students daily but that could be made a lot safer for cycling. If you've never taken part in a Critical […] [Original post on mastodon.scot]
Critical Mass route, going to Kings Building and back. 2pm middle meadow walk saturday 26th of September
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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Despite all the doom and gloom, I can't help noticing that Russia has already been attacking a smaller neighbour for the last 4 years and made little progress, while losing absurd amounts of kit and hundreds of thousands of men.
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