Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 26/09/2026We're in Donegal, on a short stay which has been rather spoiled by some appalling cruelty to two small dogs abandoned in a filthy pen outside the apartment. Is it worth reporting to the NSPCA? 000
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 14/09/2026We're just catching up watching the Last Night of the Proms. It reminds me of why I stopped watching almost all television. Why do the presenters have to speak as if to 7 year-olds? It's insulting. #bbcproms 010
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Richard Feynman was a really smart man. But he did pronounce "in situ" as "in sigh too". 000
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 12/09/2026There is something in our pond. The pond is tiny, little more than 1m across and ~0.5m deep. Occasionally, when I show myself, there is an audible "plop" and a sizeable disturbance in the water, as the "something" hides. Will I ever discover what it is? #ukgardening #pondlife 080
Reposted by Ken ApplebyPhilip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 11/09/2026I am rather delighted by this paper. So here’s a thread to tell you why, and why it matters. /1 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...science.orgNoncoding transcription controls the developmental dynamics of long-range gene regulationThe genomic regions regulating gene expression are often themselves transcribed into a variety of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). However, the regulatory roles of this noncoding transcription remain largely unknown. By using live imaging, we reveal that the ... 29035
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 10/09/2026This is so good. A hugely well-informed, intelligible and insightful analysis of so-called "AI". 130
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Our tomatoes have gone bananas this year. #ukgardening 140
Reposted by Ken ApplebyPhilip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Ah, this Anthropic guy resigning over AI risks. lots of headlines. And I see little to no questioning of what he's actually saying. Well after all, he's the expert, right? He actually worked on this stuff, right? mashable.com/tech/anthrop...mashable.comAnthropic researcher quits, calls AI an existential threat to humanityAn Anthropic spokesperson confirmed it believes AI could kill all humans. 45216
Reposted by Ken ApplebyPhilip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 08/09/2026There's a serious problem here. A lot of scientists outside biology, especially in physics and computer science, seem to have largely a 1960s view of biology. 4273
Reposted by Ken ApplebyKnepp Wilding @kneppwilding.bsky.social · 08/09/2026What is the future of sheep farming in Britain? Upland sheep farms cover 20% of agricultural land in the UK but provide only 3% of our food. 1133
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 07/09/2026This is a powerful stuff from Philip Ball. A little more, I suspect, than just a book review. I look forward to reading Graham Farmelo's book. His one on Dirac was a great read. 000
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 07/09/2026"Economic pragmatism requires us to continue helping to bring about the end of civilisation in the near future." www.theguardian.com/business/202...theguardian.comJohn Healey backs growth but says Labour must be honest on spendingChancellor ducks questions on whether he will have to raise taxes but says he will stick firmly to fiscal rules 011
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 03/09/2026This evening I was working on a guitar arrangement of the magical and beautiful Nick Drake song "Riverman". Minutes later we caught up on the quiz show Only Connect on BBC iPlayer. Part of the first question was "'Riverman' by Nick Drake (mostly)". An unbelievably unlikely coincidence? #coincidence 120
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 29/08/2026I have a friend who when asked the question "Is the Earth flat?" replies "I don't know." I don't know how to deal with that. 110
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 25/08/2026I read this book a few days ago and it is now striking me how hugely significant it is. In 1976 two Viking missions to Mars both reported the detection of microbial life on Mars. Then cowardice of the science community, and malpractice, quickly suppressed these results. For 50y. #mars #astrobiology 100
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 23/08/2026On a walk in the woods today I spent 15 minutes trying to get a good recording of some strange bird calls, two separate raptors I thought, calling to each other. Further down the path I came across a mountain bike event marshalled by men with whistles. #ukbirds 030
Reposted by Ken ApplebyBrian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 23/08/2026I’m off to Edinburgh today ahead of my seven shows at this year’s Fringe. As ever, my train ‘journey’ has got off to a spectacular start. 1923361
Reposted by Ken ApplebyPádraic Fogarty @whittledaway.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Rewilding is ≠ land abandonment Rewilding = restoring natural ecosystems, which in Ireland are wet and hold water. Rewilding needs investment but is drastically cheaper than other management interventions. Rewilding is the future! www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/why-rewild/b...rewildingbritain.org.ukRewilding and wildfire preventionThe threat of wildfires is growing in Britain due to climate breakdown. Find out how rewilding offers a nature-based solution to reduce wildfire risk. 17823
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 17/08/2026I've just realised that there is at least one positive thing about this drought. Potatoes have been irrigated less, so their water content is lower and they make better chips. #drought #ukdrought #climatecrisis 020
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 13/08/2026It's 8:20pm and still hot outside. And the air smells of burning. The western sky is full of smoke, oranges, browns, purples, greys. #climatecrisis #ukclimate 020
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 13/08/2026Help please? A friend has a late 1990s metal-framed Futon chair, in pieces and with no assembly instructions. It has defeated us. Can any kind person provide a link to a manual for this? #futon #manuals #futonmanuals 011
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Quite a party on Marcle Ridge for the #eclipse, all ages, enjoying the spectacle. One man had a colander and was putting his head inside it looking at a piece of white paper, then at the Sun through it. (!) The children's excited shouts when I showed them how to do it was a real delight. 010
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 11/08/2026IMO this from @georgemonbiot.bsky.social is really worth a read. www.theguardian.com/membership/2...theguardian.comDon’t despair about what’s happening to our planet. That’s what they want you to feelThere are social tipping points when the seemingly impossible suddenly becomes inevitable. Good journalism plays an essential role in helping drive these shifts and shows us how real change can happen 020
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 09/08/2026Yesterday we cleaned out and refilled our very small garden pond. Today, to our amazement and delight, a pair of mating dragonflies, Darters I think, spend a minute laying eggs on the Kingcup in its centre. More wildlife magic in our small suburban garden. #dragonfiles #ukwildlife #ukgardens 0100
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 09/08/2026Last night a Hummingbird Hawk Moth spent some time in our Herefordshire garden. A first. It visited just about every flower, many of them several times. Magic! #ukmoths #ukbutterflies 020
Reposted by Ken ApplebyJeremy Lent @jeremylent.bsky.social · 08/08/2026AI and Ecocivilization: The Unexpected Opportunity The same force that threatens to lock in digital feudalism, is also tearing apart the tight weave of the dominant system. Read my new article on AI and Ecocivilization jeremylent.substack.com/p/ai-and-eco...jeremylent.substack.comAI and Ecocivilization: The Unexpected OpportunityAI is accelerating the extractive powers of capitalism—but the earthquake it’s setting off may crack open pathways toward a transformation that once seemed decades away. 0105
Reposted by Ken ApplebyGeorge Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 05/08/2026I fear we might see a new alignment between a radical right death cult and a rural revivalist "simplicity" drive, which views collapse and a return to "organic" communities as a solution to decadent urbanism. A century ago this convergence led to a very bad place. www.monbiot.com/2023/10/04/t...monbiot.comThe Cruel Fantasies of Well-Fed PeopleThe astonishing story of how a movement’s quest for rural simplicity drifted into a formula for mass death 34608181
Reposted by Ken ApplebyAnnie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Beef is the top single cause of deforestation globally, by far. Next come oilseeds, especially soy and palm, but the vast majority of those is fed to livestock - chicken, pigs, dairy cows. We can't have our planet and eat it! We urgently need to shift diets away from animal-based foods. 310341
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 04/08/2026I have just paid a rare visit to my local GP, where I was seen by a locum. He was a young African man with a wonderful laugh and smile and a really lovely accent. He was also very professional, efficient and skilled, a total delight to be with. Thank you NHS. #nhs #ukimmigration 020
Reposted by Ken ApplebyGeorge Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 03/08/2026Climate science denial in physical form. The Land Rover Defender X (yup - they've gone full Musk). Price: £103,460, plus a few kids' lives. 🧵 97745214
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 01/08/2026A blackbird has just hit a bedroom window and died from the impact. I realise now that the glass-covered picture on the wall opposite the window acts as a mirror, creating the illusion that there is an open, straight passage through the house. It is going to be moved to another wall! #ukbirds 130
Reposted by Ken ApplebyGeorge Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 29/07/2026It's a point I've been trying to make for a long time: there is no good way to meet even 10% of current demand for animal products. They trash the living world, whichever way you do it. If you want to reduce your impact, switch to a plant-based diet. www.theguardian.com/environment/...theguardian.comOrganic eggs have worse impact on climate than eggs from caged chickensAdopting organic free-range model in UK could lead to greenhouse emissions equivalent to 2,316,000 tonnes of CO2, study suggests 821706471
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 27/07/2026I have just finished this latest book from @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social . It's hard to believe that his word magic could get even better, more strikingly beautiful, but it does. I think all the superlatives applied to it are valid. But it has left me with an aching sadness. 2462
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 19/07/2026Top priority for both teams: take every opportunity to cheat. #worldcup 110
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 17/07/2026I have just watched the film "Don't Look Up" and not laughed out loud so much since "The Life Of Brian". It's a brilliant, intelligent, witty, dark comedy on the state of the USA. Released 5 years ago, and things have gone from bad to worse since then. #dontlookup #netflix 000
Reposted by Ken ApplebyPhilip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 15/07/2026...the teeth developed not as mouse-like, but as conical reptilian teeth: the developmental program still latent in birds from their dinosaur ancestors tens of millions of years ago. 🤯 33810
Reposted by Ken ApplebyPhilip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 11/07/2026 Turing's 1950 paper was wonderful and playful and contradictory and of its time, but not a landmark in how to think about AI. It's really time we moved on. 2387
Reposted by Ken ApplebyPhilip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 11/07/2026I just read something that moves me to put out a reminder: there is no reason to care very much if a computer "passes the Turing Test". (And it probably doesn't relate much to Turing's Imitation Game anyway.) 5253
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 10/07/2026I recently discovered this by @philipcball.bsky.social on my bookshelves and re-read it. It's 20 years old now, but a fascinating, deep, comprehensive account of the connections between physical and social sciences. The 3-page epilogue is a gem. #goodreads 2316
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 18/06/2026I have been using #ChatGPT #CodePIlot and it has just told me that I "have accidentally built a multi-protocol asset ingestion system." I am not sure how to feel. 011
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 13/06/2026A reality check for those who have just invested in SpaceX. www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn0g...youtube.comWhy Returning From Mars Is Impossible: Feynman's WarningYouTube video by Imagine Physics 000
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 10/06/2026With high expectations, we went to see "The Tempest" at the RSC Stratford in Monday. It's a fabulous, creative and surprising production. Ariel really was aerial, beautifully played by Amara Okereke, and the live music was superb. The tempest at the start was astonishing. #rsc #shakespeare 100
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 30/05/2026A beautiful mayfly took a long rest on my hand this afternoon during our walk. 000
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 16/05/2026The Eurovision Song Contest presenters speak American. #eurovision #eurovisionsongcontest 000
Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 07/05/2026What strangeness is this? Two things in the house, a wall thermostat in the hall and a flow sensor attached to the electricity meter, both started signalling that their batteries need replacing, within minutes of each other. The one has been in place for 4.5 years the other 6 or 7 years. What next? 000