Alan Fresco
@alanf.bsky.social
An opinionated Edinburger mainly interested in the outdoors, science and politics. Currently raging against the dying of the light.
Good article here on the safety of self driving cars in the US. Yes, they're safer. Are Self-Driving Cars Really Safer Than Humans? A Data Driven Insight share.google/58YOH41d4ix8...
Absolutely insane footage of rock avalanches currently sweeping across the entire south face of the Matterhorn, as filmed from Cervinia! 🔥😱 📽️ Via @meteovalledosta
Full credit to ConHome for coming out against him tho
I believe in second chances - but not for former neo-Nazis | Conservative Home
Again, I reiterate that I am all for second chances. But there comes a point in which one cannot extend the generosity of yet another attempt. Bonehill-Paine - I believe -, despite what he has done si...
conservativehome.com
In case any Edinburgh social history people are interested: I have an MSc student looking at bath- and wash-house usage statistics, and he's turned up a Carnegie report from 1918 with these photos of the Simon Square wash-house.
You have to wonder about the mindset of the person operating a drone that's hunting down a fat old bloke in a car park to try and kill him for no reason at all. Personally I hope they succumb to PTSD and spend the rest wracked with guilt.
MAKS 26 👀🇺🇦@maks23.bsky.social · 2d ago❗️Zelensky: Today, many were shocked by another video of the Russian drone safari against people in Kherson. The man was injured by the explosion. The world must see this. It must see every fact that Russia has gone mad, and every fact that the Russian military enjoys killing and mocking people.
This is a fair-minded and useful primer on the real questions about Net Zero, and if all Badenoch was doing was questioning the implementation of the policy, she would have a point. BUT...
James O'Malley@jamesomalley.co.uk · 2d agoIn which I argue that, er, Kemi Badenoch has a point about something.
Of course Farage's 'policy' doesn’t work. It isn't intended to work. It's meant to cause a splash in the unthinking press (and GMB) and thereby get Doris at Number 33 Lambert Road, Peterborough to go 'Ooh at last someone is trying to do something about these awful boat crossings.' That's it.
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 3d agoFormer navy officer criticises Reform plan to use military to stop small boats
Happy 65th Birthday, August 4th, to the best President in US History. The black man "they" feared, led with humor, dignity & grace for 8 yrs scandal-free, has a beautiful & accomplished family, and is beloved by millions around the world. @barackobama.bsky.social #BarackObama #ThePeoplesPresident
Exam-invigilation musing: there is clearly money to be made marketing caffeinated syrup to macho twerps. I might try to get a piece of the action with an energy drink called "The Joule in the Clown".
I’d love it if we could select our location (country, region etc) in our @bsky.app profiles. And then filter posts by location, ideally with different levels of granularity - eg Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, Europe, World. Feature request?! @lexicon.community @atproto.com @eurosky.social @mu.social
Went to the Sandra George exhibition at City Art Centre, Edinburgh today. Marvellous www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Exhibition painting a portrait of Edinburgh's housing schemes
A new exhibition of photographer Sandra George's work shows life on Edinburgh's streets in the 1980s and 1990s.
bbc.co.uk
I expect Trump is suddenly too busy to return his calls. He's not known for his loyalty.
The Times and Sunday Times@thetimes.com · 2d agoThe football boss is said to have been seeking the president’s help after sports figures were outraged by his plan to sell off a minority stake
I'd like someone to explain to me why this method of collecting protein is more cruel than breeding and killing chickens for meat.
Alastair McIntosh@alastairmci.bsky.social · 2d agoThis, NatureScot, will damage attitudes to conservation locally: Agnes Rennie of the community land group for Ness, Lewis: "The guga hunt … reinforces our unique communal identity and helps families keep ancient Gaelic customs alive and relevant in the modern world." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Do you have a child travelling alone? Don't worry, our Concierge service will look after them like it’s one of their own.
If you’ve seen the counter intuitive argument that Europe is having a low wildfire year, you may find this explainer of the data from @hannahritchie.bsky.social of interest. In short the Balkans and Southern Europe are below their normal average hannahritchie.substack.com/p/europe-wil...
Is Europe having a bad wildfire year?
Several countries in Europe are having a very large wildfire year; this is offset by lower burn in the Balkans
hannahritchie.substack.com
I do rather get the impression when it comes to Covid restrictions that some adults behave in much the same way as children complain that they don't want to take the nasty medicine.
The News Agents@thenewsagents.co.uk · 6d ago“I’m glad we live in a country that is deferential to expertise - but at times in the pandemic, that did go too far.” “I’m not sure school closures were a price worth paying.” Lewis on how ‘legitimate questions’ have emerged - and should be asked - about how we handled Covid.
Credit where credit's due, the mods can be fair on this issue.
Politics journalism isn't good training for science journalism. The idea that things are true regardless of opinion requires different talents to report.
The Good law project letter about malicious allegations about plagiarism and Prof Arday is still up for signature and people are still signing it, even after the Guardian and Times interviews.
Completely unrelated to this story, except that it involves Alaska Airlines — but Sen. Lora Reinbold lost her last-ditch appeal in front of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this week. She had asked the full court to review a three-judge panel's rejection of her suit against the airline. #akleg
Jack Jenkins@jackjenkins.me · 4d ago“…the airline said in a statement[:] ‘For the foreseeable future, the guest will not be permitted to travel on our flights.’” … “She said she wants to contact an attorney and intends to continue preaching on planes.” www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2026/...
I think a key tl;dr is that even if we belatedly realised the risk TO children was low, the risk FROM children to society - as transmission vectors - was still high.
Prof Christina Pagel@chrischirp.bsky.social · 5d ago🧵On @thenewsagents.co.uk yesterday, school closures and the lab leak theory were offered as two examples of legitimate questions that were hard to ask. Both have in fact been asked constantly since 2020. But here's a thread on why I think they were wrong and dangerous on school closures 1/12
A quick preview of the refurbished Kings Theatre which was open to visitors this evening.
Westminster Voting Intention: LAB: 27% (+5) RFM: 23% (=) CON: 17% (-3) GRN: 12% (-2) LDM: 12% (+1) SNP: 3% (=) Via OpiniumResearch, 29-31 Jul. Changes w/ 15-17 Jul.
How do you know when you picked the wrong budget Hotel? I don’t know all the clues, but I just learned one of them 
Shockerooni! Man who behaved like scum actually is scum. I'm seeing a pattern here. Vile Nazi salute thug exposed as serial stalker and abuser - Daily Record share.google/NmfIz1vZTdKH...
Vile Nazi salute thug exposed as serial stalker and abuser
Ryan Marshall was pictured making the “sieg heil” gesture at the Unite the Clans rally in Glasgow last Saturday, which resulted in at least 15 arrests.
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