Nick Grant
@ecominimalnick.bsky.social
Energy consultant and design engineer. Specialising in Passivhaus building, archives and museums. Teaching building physics with https://coaction.org.uk The Good Building Book with Jon Broom - https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/good-building-book-9781399417136/
Murderous heat, an endangered food supply, decimated landscapes: embrace the Mediterranean life | George Monbiot
Murderous heat, an endangered food supply, decimated landscapes: embrace the Mediterranean life | George Monbiot
As climate disaster stares us in the face, the radical right says ‘Embrace the Mediterranean life’. Embrace death, more like it, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
theguardian.com
Russian attack on Kyiv region kills at least 14 people, say Ukrainian authorities
Russian attack on Kyiv region kills at least 14 people, say Ukrainian authorities
Air raid alerts last for more than an hour as Moscow inflicts another heavy bombardment on Ukraine’s capital Russian strikes in and around Kyiv killed at least 14 people, injured 27 and damaged warehouses, emergency service officials said. Some reports put the death toll at 15. Air raid alerts lasted for more than an hour as Moscow’s forces continued a series of deadly heavy attacks on the Ukrainian capital. The military administration said seven sites were hit in an assault that began on Wednesday after midnight. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/w... This is about AI going rogue without human prompting or help and with safety measures in place.
When A.I. Goes Rogue (Gift Article)
It was the stuff of science fiction — until recently.
nytimes.com
Thanks Nick. I’m banking on you & Dai to reclaim that Harewood podium finish 😉
Tish Murtha’s searing documentation of broken Britain www.huckmag.com/article/tish...
Tish Murtha’s searing documentation of broken Britain
Vandalism on a Grand Scale — Capturing youth unemployment and poverty in north-east England during the ’80s, the photographer never lived to see her work…
huckmag.com
Solid uninsulated brick wall at midday before it had time to fully heat up.
All set for Richard’s Castle Soapbox race tomorrow with @jurajmikurcik.bsky.social at the wheel for Team Passivaggressive. Always the cheapest cart on the podium despite some impressive crashes! Great event raising money for local charities. www.richardscastlesoapbox.co.uk
Soap Box Derby | Richards Castle | Race your carts 28th June 2026
Our Soap Box Derby is held on Hanway Common, Richards Castle on 28th June 2026, 10am to 4pm
richardscastlesoapbox.co.uk
Not exactly the Dakar rally but managed 60 mile round trip keeping up with traffic on 90 yo Cotton MC. 1932 Rudge engine doing about 100 miles per UK gallon.
Absolutely. However it doesn’t matter how fit or heat adapted you are if you can’t loose heat of metabolism you die.
Robert Lepage, PhD., P.Eng.@rtmlepage.bsky.social · last mo.It's also really important to note that nearly all these heat strain experiments derive from healthy and fit young men (mostly in the military). These curves change drastically for the elderly and vulnerable.
⚠️ NOW HIRING: UK Prime Minister (AGAIN) youtu.be/5NPD12TE7W4?...
Now Hiring: UK Prime Minister (2026) - Larry & Paul
YouTube video by Larry & Paul
youtu.be
Rigged up a 12V fan and speed controller, tie wrapped to a small tripod to keep me cool at the computer when it warms up this afternoon. You can buy USB fans but I have not tried them.
24C in the shade, under trees by a pond at 205m above sea level in rural Herefordshire at 8.20am . . .
I do come across people using fans to try and cool a room without people in it (a store say). When you stand in front of the fan it feels like it is cooling but the room mysteriously just gets hotter than without the fan!!
I have not checked out the references but this article raises some counterintuitive points about fans. www.science.org/content/arti...
When is it too hot to use a fan?
Climate chamber experiments in older people offer conflicting answers
science.org
It's just one long stream of BS from these fossil fuel-backed clowns. Adopting their policies would destroy a million jobs (see next post) while creating almost none in return. Total environmental and social vandalism. The absolute state of "conservatism". www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Populist and rightwing figures take aim at Ed Miliband and UK net zero policies at ‘anti-woke Davos’
Kemi Badenoch, who joined US anti-abortion activists and European far-right parties at ARC, described energy secretary as a ‘villain’
theguardian.com
Healthy humans can survive high temperatures but die if we can't dump the heat we generate. Over 100F/37C the only mechanism is evaporation which slows as RH rises. We can't cheat physics. (OK, we radiate to a clear sky but gain heat from hot surfaces & solar). www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-...
What Does Andy Burnham Believe? Refreshing zeteo.uk/p/what-does-...
What Does Andy Burnham Believe?
After a stunning by-election victory for the Labour candidate in Makerfield, the race for Downing Street has been thrown wide open. Mehdi, Shehab and special guests examine what will happen next.
zeteo.uk
Lovely to see all the greenery. A decade or so ago (!!) I was working on detailed design for this home in Hereford. My fondest memory was working with Howard Meadowcroft - sketching, doodling, trying to make the passivhaus work for Bauhaus-inspired aesthetics. I'll be there on Tuesday pm.
Passivhaus Trust@passivhaustrust.bsky.social · 2mo agoDo Passivhaus homes stand the test of time? Visit the Fish Factory, a certified Passivhaus home in Hereford, to find out. Built in 2015, hear from the project team and occupants during the #PHOpenDays. ⏰ Tour Date: 23 June 📍 Location: Hereford 🎫 Book your #free visit: bit.ly/PHopendays26
The joy today is that hatred lost. Doesn't matter what you think of Burnham. Farage tried to invite a race riot. He dealt in explicitly racial rhetoric. If he'd won, many journalists would have considered it a vindication of his approach and branded our outrage evidence of how out of touch we are.
Triumph in Makerfield: Everything is about to change open.substack.com/pub/iandunt/...
Triumph in Makerfield: Everything is about to change
Andy Burnham is now certain to be the next prime minister
open.substack.com
