The World Crossed a Major Solar Milestone. (It has now installed 3 terawatt-hours of solar, enough to power ~400–500 million average homes worldwide.) No One Noticed

The World Crossed a Major Solar Milestone. No One Noticed

The next phase of the boom may reveal a shift in who is gaining access to the technology.

bloomberg.com

Brilliant letter from Stuart Thompson to Jeremy Clarkson about his comments that benefit claimants should write weekly thank you letters to tax payers detailing how they spend their benefits each week.

another load of these just landed boomkat.com/products/see...

"Most tech analysts are aware that Chinese models have Chinese Communist Party controls built into them, but the problem is often understood too narrowly. Many assume that these models simply refuse to answer politically sensitive questions..." www.worldpoliticsreview.com/china-ai-mod...

The Global Danger of China’s State-Controlled AI Models

The spread of Chinese AI models with built-in censorship mechanisms could quietly shape the global information environment for the worse.

worldpoliticsreview.com

‘Palantir’s market capitalisation has risen to $320 billion, 150 times earnings. The 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵 has speculated that “Palantir might be the most overvalued firm of all time.”’ @petergeoghegan.bsky.social and @lucasamin.bsky.social on Palantir’s NHS contract. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Peter Geoghegan and Lucas Amin · ‘This looks absolutely rubbish’: Palantir and the NHS

A decade ago Palantir was largely unknown in the UK. It now holds public contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds...

lrb.co.uk

Sharing this thread from yesterday as @negativlandland.bsky.social are providing some great details on their planned reissue series that's coming together. Shout out to @sidfudd.bsky.social, as credited in the thread, for the work being done! Can't wait! cc @steadystate.bsky.social

Negativland@negativlandland.bsky.social · last wk.

NEGATIVLAND’S SECOND ALBUM , “POINTS,” IS NOW ON BANDCAMP, AND OUR FIRST ALBUM RE-ISSUE IS… ALMOST HERE! negativlandland.bandcamp.com/album/points It's taken us an embarrassingly long forever to get here, but here we are - after endless delays

And if you have any interest in music whatsoever, definitely watch the whole documentary series (10 episodes in all), covering the entire history of music. The whole thing is here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis... Very positively reviewed by the Guardian too: www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

For the Record: An Incomplete History of Music review – it’s amazing that this staggering show exists

Charlotte Ritchie presents a wildly ambitious and unapologetically brainy YouTube documentary that takes in Big Bang soundwaves, singing dolphins and an astonishing amount in between. Don’t miss it fo...

theguardian.com

Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has approved the controversial data centre on behalf of Angela Rayner, overruling Tower Hamlets Council and local opposition. Brick Lane local residents react:

It’s now official: June–July 2026 was the most anomalously warm two-month period ever recorded in France by a staggering margin. France is now virtually certain to record its warmest summer on record.

I love how new audiences continue to discover & appreciate this diagram from my 2014 book 'Dinosaurs Without Bones' (@pegasus-books.bsky.social). Before including it in the book, I imagined, calculated, & drew it, then asked a physicist to peer-review it. Physics, math, & paleontology made fun! 🧪🦕🤮

Luke Knox@lukeknox.me · 5d ago

this is my new favorite diagram

Kyoto, Enkoji Temple, Jizo statue

A artificial-intelligence tool dubbed Raygun can miniaturize or supersize a natural protein without disrupting the protein’s shape or ability to function go.nature.com/4fFKvdT

This AI ‘Raygun’ can shrink and supersize proteins — opening the door to easy editing

Nature - Model modifies existing proteins using probability approach.

go.nature.com

This is from the short TV series Orson Welles' Sketch Book. The whole show was just him talking to the camera for about 15 minutes, plus some sketches he drew. 6 episodes (included in the playlist linked below) & a postscript episode, all of which can be seen on YouTube. youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Orson Welles Sketchbook (1955) - YouTube

The complete collection of episodes from "Orson Welles' Sketchbook" including the hard to find final episode.

youtube.com

(108) Philip Glass - String Quartet No. 3 "Mishima" , VI - YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4XM...

Philip Glass - String Quartet No. 3 "Mishima" , VI

YouTube video by TheCatalystQuartet

youtube.com

This is brilliant. A special series about how the fossil fuel industry captured climate research to push their agenda: pollute now, clean up later. Thanks to @propublica.org and @amywestervelt.bsky.social projects.propublica.org/carbon-captu...

Carbon Captured

How the fossil fuel industry turned the plan to solve climate change into a plan to save itself

projects.propublica.org

This is good, necessary, common sense" www.banfacialrecognition.com/venues/

Ban AI Surveillance at Live Events

Artists and venues take the pledge: no facial recognition at shows.

banfacialrecognition.com

You know what doesn’t get shut down when heatwaves and droughts dry up the rivers? Wind and solar.

Off the Beaten Path, painting by Padraig McCaul, Irish artist.

Amongst all the brouhaha over Nolan’s Odyssey, here’s a link to the first movie depicting the fall of Troy. It’s from 1911, it’s Italian, it’s only half an hour and IT’S FREE. I’ve just watched it and you might wish to do the same! It’s great.

"The Fall of Troy" (1911) - Full Movie

YouTube video by Movie_Seeker

youtu.be

Listening, yet again, to Chris Watson's El Tren Fantasma, one of the most wonderful soundscape recordings I've ever heard. For me, it's a travel staple. I can't explain exactly why, but I love listening to it while flying. Perhaps wishful thinking.

El Tren Fantasma by Chris Watson

Listen now on your favorite streaming service. Powered by Songlink/Odesli, an on-demand, customizable smart link service to help you share songs, albums, podcasts and more.

album.link

christ if that’s not a metaphor for our times

Somehow, Cambridge Analytica has returned. Sort of.

Someone Has Brought Cambridge Analytica Back as a Zombie Slop Farm

Cambridge Analytica has returned, in a very 2026 way: CambridgeAnalytica.org is now an AI-powered content farm.

trib.al

check this shit out

Chloe Cumming@chloecumming.bsky.social · 5d ago

I’ve added the two Sesame Street based watercolour on Yupo paintings to my paintings shop, both 7 x 7 inches, a practical and excellent size for a thing. Please (speaking to the ether) can I have a positive and vast response! Go my pretties! www.chloecumming.com/paintings

jesus. www.dw.com/en/germanys-...

Germany's heat death toll nears 10,000

Germany's heat-related death toll for 2026 has already surpassed every full-year total since 2016 — and is expected to climb as another spell of extreme temperatures takes hold.

dw.com

That was fast. Google sent me a statement saying it is now “rolling back“ this AI feature after our demonstration and others from OSINT researchers www.404media.co/google-earth...

New from 404 Media: Google Earth has introduced an AI feature that lets anyone fabricate completely bullshit satellite images. In our own tests, we added a “bomb blast and crater” to an area of Los Angeles. This is a misinformation time bomb, will 100% be abused www.404media.co/google-earth...

Not likely

First Class Post.

Nightjar Press@nightjarpress.bsky.social · last wk.

nightjarpress.weebly.com/news

My pamphlet 'Amorous Electrons', which draws on the music & writing of Daphne Oram (1925-2003), co-founder of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop & first woman to design & construct an electronic musical instrument, is published today & is now available to buy from the @intergraphiabooks.bsky.social site…