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Ken Appleby

@kenappleby.bsky.social
230 followers 356 following 523 posts

Science educated, generalist. Software engineer. Ex Symbolics Inc. Harlequin Ltd. Emacs user. Musician: applebystone.com Producer: pindropevents.co.uk Lapsed wild camper, hill climber. Published sci-fi author. Born 314 ppm CO2.

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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
We'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?
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
We'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
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Richard Feynman was a really smart man. But he did pronounce "in situ" as "in sigh too".
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
There 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
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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I 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.org
Noncoding transcription controls the developmental dynamics of long-range gene regulation
The 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 ...
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
This is so good. A hugely well-informed, intelligible and insightful analysis of so-called "AI".
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Our tomatoes have gone bananas this year. #ukgardening
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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Ah, 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.com
Anthropic researcher quits, calls AI an existential threat to humanity
An Anthropic spokesperson confirmed it believes AI could kill all humans.
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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
There'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.
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Knepp Wilding @kneppwilding.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
What 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.
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
This 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.
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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.com
John Healey backs growth but says Labour must be honest on spending
Chancellor ducks questions on whether he will have to raise taxes but says he will stick firmly to fiscal rules
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Harvest Time!
Bunches of red grapes against a red brick wall.
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This 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
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I 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.
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I 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
Photo of hardback book "Meet The Neighbors" by Steven A. Benner on wooden tabletop
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
A great article on dazzling ideas.
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
On 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
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Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
I’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.
The Poet Now Standing at Platform 3A
 
The poet now standing at platform 3A
is the delayed 16.40 speaker for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 
calling at: Longwaite; Anguish; Bleakside;
Much Wallowing-in-the-Mire; Little Hope; 
Hangdog Manor; High Dudgeon; Irk; Fuckham; Mope; 
Doldrum Parkway; Wearyside Central; and Wits End.
                                                 
We are sorry to announce this poet is delayed 
by approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. 
Please listen for further announcements.
We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.
 
The poet now standing at platform 3A
is the delayed 16.40 speaker for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Please note, this poet will now NOT be stopping at:
Great Ease; Serenity Junction; or Arrival-on-Time.




This poet has been delayed by approximately one hour 
and forty-eight minutes.
Customers are advised to stand well back from the poet, 
who’s on edge.
Please listen for further announcements.
We apologise for the disruption to your journey today.
 
The poet currently standing at platform 3A
is the delayed 16.40 speaker for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
This poet consists of nine elements: 
oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, tedium, delirium, 
odium, caffeine, shortbread, and despair.

A trolley service, featuring mild palpitations and a selection
of hot and cold sweats, is trundling through this poet.
This poet has been delayed by approximately two hours 
and twenty-three minutes.

Please listen for further disruptions.
We apologise for the announcements to your journey today.
There has been a platform altercation.
The agony at platform 3A does not stop here.
The 16.40 speaker for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 
has been disrupted.
Customers should not bore the poet at this time.
 
The platform now standing on poet 3A has been delayed
by approximately three hours and forty-two minutes.
We apologise for the apologies to your disruptions today.

If you hear an announcement that doesn’t sound right,
seek your stash. Or text a local dealer on 61016 
to help you through this. 
He’ll sort it. Seek it. Pay it. Snorted.

Please note that for your safety and comfort 
this station operates a no trains policy.
 



The fringe now standing at festival 16.40 is the delayed 
3A platform for the Edinburgh poet.
We are sorry to announce that this poet has been waylaid
by approximately four hours and twenty-two minutes.
Will passengers intending to travel on this service
make their way to the platform as the poet is now ready to jump.
 
Please note that longings must not be left unattended 
at this station. Any hope left unattended 
may be removed without warning, or destroyed.
 
This is a customer announcement.
The 16.40 speaker for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 
has terminated here.
A bard replacement service will be in operation.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.


Brian Bilston
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Pádraic Fogarty @whittledaway.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Rewilding 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.uk
Rewilding and wildfire prevention
The threat of wildfires is growing in Britain due to climate breakdown. Find out how rewilding offers a nature-based solution to reduce wildfire risk.
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
It has rained. The world smells of life again.
A cluster of rain-spotted vine leaves.
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
I'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
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
This is a really good question IMO.
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
It'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
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Help 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
A disassembled black metal-framed Futon chair on a concrete floor.
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Quite 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.
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
IMO this from @georgemonbiot.bsky.social is really worth a read. www.theguardian.com/membership/2...
theguardian.com
Don’t despair about what’s happening to our planet. That’s what they want you to feel
There 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
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Yesterday 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
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Last 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
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Jeremy Lent @jeremylent.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
AI 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.com
AI and Ecocivilization: The Unexpected Opportunity
AI 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.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I 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.com
The Cruel Fantasies of Well-Fed People
The astonishing story of how a movement’s quest for rural simplicity drifted into a formula for mass death
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Annie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Beef 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.
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
I 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
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Rain! Proper rain! #ukweather #ukdrought
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Climate science denial in physical form. The Land Rover Defender X (yup - they've gone full Musk). Price: £103,460, plus a few kids' lives. 🧵
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
A 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
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
It'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.com
Organic eggs have worse impact on climate than eggs from caged chickens
Adopting organic free-range model in UK could lead to greenhouse emissions equivalent to 2,316,000 tonnes of CO2, study suggests
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
I 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.
A photo of a paperback book, Robert MacFarlane's book "Is A River Alive".
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Top priority for both teams: take every opportunity to cheat. #worldcup
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
I 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
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Philip 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. 🤯
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Philip 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.
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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
I 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.)
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I 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
Paperback book cover: "Critical Mass" by Phillip Ball. 2006
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
I 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.
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
A reality check for those who have just invested in SpaceX. www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn0g...
youtube.com
Why Returning From Mars Is Impossible: Feynman's Warning
YouTube video by Imagine Physics
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
With 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
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
A beautiful mayfly took a long rest on my hand this afternoon during our walk.
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
The Eurovision Song Contest presenters speak American. #eurovision #eurovisionsongcontest
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Ken Appleby @kenappleby.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
What 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?
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