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...

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

monbiot.com

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.

Our World in Data@ourworldindata.org · 2d ago

The largest cause of deforestation is, and has been, the expansion of farmland. But the production of which products, in particular, has been driving this in recent decades? A recent study, published in Nature Food by Chandrakant Singh and Martin Persson, answered this question.

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

Rain! Proper rain! #ukweather #ukdrought

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. 🧵

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

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/...

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

theguardian.com

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.

Top priority for both teams: take every opportunity to cheat. #worldcup

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

...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. 🤯

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.

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.)

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

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.

A reality check for those who have just invested in SpaceX. www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn0g...

Why Returning From Mars Is Impossible: Feynman's Warning

YouTube video by Imagine Physics

youtube.com

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

A beautiful mayfly took a long rest on my hand this afternoon during our walk.

The Eurovision Song Contest presenters speak American. #eurovision #eurovisionsongcontest

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?

Beautiful decay, in the holloways coming down from Coneygree Wood this afternoon. #fungi #woodlandwalks

Why is @zackpolanski.bsky.social on X at all, let alone retweeting?

Midsummer Hill this a.m. The pictures show adjacent areas of the east side of the hill that a few years ago was regenerating woodland. It was cleared in the name of "conservation". The first area is covered in bluebells, the second brambles and bracken. And tree stumps. #bluebells #malverns

No photo, but my wife has just seen a mink in our urban garden in a Herefordshire country town. :-( #alienwildlife #ukwildlife #mink

We're excited to have the legendary songer-songwriter Charlie Dore play at the Ale House, Colwall, on Friday May 8th, with the hugely talented Gareth Huw Davies. Tickets from Pindrop Events: pindropevents.co.uk #livemusic

That's a very powerful image. It speaks to me, being from the Black Country. Thanks for posting this.

Adela@adelapazos.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The early bird catches the worm 📷 Don McCullin (Early morning, West Hartlepool, 1963) #monochrome #bnwphoto #noiretblanc #blackandwhite #monochromephotography #blackandwhitephoto #BWPhotography #bnw_captures #blackandwhitephotography #fineartstreetphotography #streetphotography #conceptual

I recently rediscovered this article. It begins with the assertion: "in high dimensions, the volume of a sphere goes to zero." It really is an astounding mathematical fact, at least to me, and the article by Toph Tucker covers it so well. observablehq.com/@tophtucker/... #math #maths

Please can I have some sunshine and some good news?

A rare closeup photo of us all:

🤎