Mark A. Norris
@markanorris.bsky.social
Astronomer, Educator, Traveller, Human, Mild cynic.
UEFA being the good guys is really screwing with my expectations. Once private equity gets ownership of international competitions the pressure to increase shareholder returns overrides all other considerations. Boycott until this proposal and Infantino are gone. www.uefa.com/news-media/n...
Statement on behalf of UEFA and its 55 national associations
UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions.
uefa.com
Something is very wrong when UEFA are the good guys. But Infantino trying to sell off international football to Trumpist private equity vultures (and likely make himself filthy rich in the process) is a great way to put everyone on team UEFA.
In Astronomy we’d call that a selection effect. If France made the final instead of Spain no one would be counting Barcelona youth players in the final. It isn’t shocking that a league that only has two, maybe two and half competitive teams, a lot of the national team is drawn from one of them.
Russia attacked the Kyiv post office, so Ukraine responded by completely obliterating the Russian equivalent of Amazon. The assumption that Russia can just attack Ukrainian energy infrastructure again this winter seems suspect. Ukraine can respond not just in kind, but with multiples of effect.
(((Tendar)))@tendar.bsky.social · 3w agoThe burning Wildberries logistics hub in Elektrostal, Moscow region, in Russia from above. It looks like all three main halls have been compromised, and it looks like a total loss.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved the launch of Reflect Orbital’s Earendil 1 satellite — a space mirror 18 meters wide designed to reflect sunlight to the ground. skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
Observers Beware: Reflect Orbital’s Space Mirrors Approved for Launch
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved the launch of Reflect Orbital's Earendil 1 satellite — a space mirror 18 meters wide designed to reflect sunlight to the ground.
skyandtelescope.org
Ukraine is reorganising their assault troops. Starting to think about how to best take advantage if the Russians begin to crack? There is only so long their lines can hold when they are cut off from ammunition, food, fuel and replacements…
MAKS 26 👀🇺🇦@maks23.bsky.social · 4w agoSecond. The necessary transformation of the assault troops will be carried out. Today I signed a decree on the creation of the Joint Rapid Reaction Forces. This should be a new component of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which will combine the combat capability of the assault troops, …
There needs to be strict limits on political donations (10k?) and only from actual British citizens resident in the UK for tax purposes.
Adam Bienkov@adambienkov.bsky.social · 4w agoThe National Crime Agency have been "unable to identify the original source" of a £1m donation to a Reform fundraising vehicle. The NCA is now "seeking help from a foreign partner" in order to identify it www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Come on Britain we legitimately have the chance to do the most hilarious thing ever. No one serious is standing. Farage is wasting loads of money and people’s time on another vanity project. Count Binface for Clacton!
Jim Pickard@pickardje.bsky.social · 4w agoI can reveal that Labour isn't putting forward a candidate for the Clacton by-election....
In the crowded field of low quality political commentary it really is impressive just how bad Chris Mason is at his job. I guess you have to be exceptional in some way to justify the big BBC salary.
I didn’t have Russians paying more for petrol than Brits on my 2026 bingo card. But I’m happy they are.
(((Tendar)))@tendar.bsky.social · last mo.In the Krasnodar region, Russia, the few gas stations still offering limited amount of gas demand 219 Rubles per liter, around 2.50 Euro per liter, or almost 11 USD per gallon. The Russian petro state with no or expensive fuel.
Thanks to the relative sophistication of the societies involved we have a far better idea of how the pyramids were built than how stones weighing up to 30 tonnes were moved from Wales and Northern Scotland (up to 500 miles) to Stonehenge.
Kail@vivotranquil0.bsky.social · last mo.This is hilarious when you consider the best they could do was raggedy ass Stonehenge. Shit looks like a toddler kicked a bunch of Legos and walked away lmao
Great example of why building one big facility for any critical industry or capability isn’t going to work in the future. You better have lots, distributed all over and they better be cheap, otherwise low cost drones will ruin your day.
(((Tendar)))@tendar.bsky.social · last mo.TG channel „Exilenova“ obtained satellite pictures which confirm that the Space Communication Center in Vladimir, Russia, experienced several fatal blows. The main antenna - 25m satellite dish - is severely damaged, including some additional equipment and buildings.
Can’t be long before Ukraine loads a ship up and heads to the Pacific to extend their kinetic sanctions to far eastern Russia.
(((Tendar)))@tendar.bsky.social · 2mo agoFor the first time an Ukrainian drone struck a target more than 2,000 km (1,250 miles) from Ukrainian lines. The Tyuman refinery, which is east from the Ural Mountains, was struck by a drone from the Ukrainian company "Firepoint". This has been announced by President Zelenskyy.
The solutions to the UK's problems take time, electrifying to remove dependence on foreign energy is a great example. It will make a huge positive difference, but perhaps not in time for Labour to benefit at the next election. A Reform government will pull a Trump and undo all the hard work.
Ian Dunt@iandunt.bsky.social · 2mo agoIn the face of frenzied right-wing attacks, this government has successfully executed one of the most ambitious climate change projects in the world. Time to give credit where it's due iandunt.substack.com/p/guest-post...
If that is his defence presumably they spied on every opponent and either only owned up to the three where there was independent proof, or the rest fell outside the 72 hours limit.
The Mirror@mirror.co.uk · 3mo agoSouthampton boss Tonda Eckert claimed that spying on opponents is common practice elsewhere in Europe and, as a result, he had no idea it was against the rules in English football, according to reports.
Are we absolutely sure there is no way to have them both lose?
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 3mo agoJury hands victory to Sam Altman and OpenAI in battle with Elon Musk
I guess she couldn't get the necessary 81 MPs to support her stalking horse campaign without Andy Burnham already an MP.
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 3mo agoCatherine West backs down from Starmer challenge but urges him to go by September
Increasing think the real use case of LLMs in academia is highlighting the people who really shouldn’t be academics. If you are annoyed journals don’t let you use LLMs to do your refereeing for you, just go and do something else with your life that you are better suited to.
Quick picture of the globular cluster M5 observed with the MHT at Alston Observatory last night. It is located over 24,000 light years away, and is over 10 billion years old.
Nah it’s simpler than that. They have to keep it going until SpaceX and OpenAI/Anthropic etc IPO and they can pass a $3 trillion bag of the smelliest garbage from private credit to the public. Got a pension or are invested in an index fund? You are the mark.
Andrew Lawrence@ndrew.bsky.social · 4mo agomy conspiracy theory is wall street is doing everything it can to keep everything from collapsing until dems take the house and senate so they can blame the implosion on them
Usually this argument is couched as “shouldn’t we spend the money curing hunger/cancer first?” If you really want to do that shouldn’t you be proposing cancelling the NFL (~same yearly income as NASA) or professional sport in general/or all movies (vastly more revenue than NASA)?
Ian Dunt@iandunt.bsky.social · 4mo agoOf all the arguments against space exploration this is easily the dumbest, so I'm not surprised he expresses it.
Be sure they didn’t need to. Because they weren’t losing more men than they could recruit? The Russians lose as many in Ukraine in 2-3 days as the US lost in 20 years in Afghanistan.
Hmm. If this is the way it works now isn’t the English Channel the busiest shipping lane in the world? Sounds like the UK and France can solve their budget problems…
Shipwreck@shipwreck75.bsky.social · 4mo agoWTF! The two-week ceasefire plan includes allowing both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, a regional official said.-AP
The UK must immediately and unequivocally suspend support for the US military. The Government have tried to appease him, then they tried to say they're standing up to him. Words aren't enough - it's time for action.
Marisa Kabas@marisakabas.bsky.social · 4mo agoGod help us.
Alright Americans. This is your last chance. Your usual apathy has to end or you’ll be damned for eternity. By his own words he plans to kill millions in your name. You’ve got a matter of hours to surround the White House and drive this lunatic from power.
Completely minor point. But why is Trump insistent that the UKs aircraft carriers are old? This is the second or third time he’s says that. They are both less than a decade old. Meanwhile the USS Nimitz is over 50 years old, and seems to be doing fine. It’s such a weird lie.
Was thinking that Macs are probably cheaper (especially with the Neo launch) than Windows machines now, because the office equivalents are free, not ~£100 a year like Microsoft 365.
Kevin A. Scott@sculpturatus.bsky.social · 4mo agocan we do adobe next?
Senior people in Congress need to be loudly proclaiming that any service member who carries out war crimes will face prosecution.
Anyone breaking from Trump now is doing it because $4 a gallon gas affects them personally. It’s welcome, but they don’t get any credit. They didn’t care one whit about everything else. They only care that they can’t afford to fill their ridiculous trucks. They’ll mostly crawl back if prices fall.
