Kat Kayelem 🏳️‍⚧️

This part of the year continues to confuse me.

Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.

Could we all agree to move everything around a bit so it makes a bit more sense..? It's the tenth month now; that's December.

That would confuse me if I didn't know; think I'd default to treating anything unfamiliar in the middle of an intersection as some strange new kind of roundabout.

"IT ABSOLUTELY WILL STOP!!!"

A disturbingly colourful Lego diorama featuring a rocky outcrop from which some kind of industrial effluent discharges into a river. Whatever is flowing out of that pipe is virulently green and most definitely hazardous to any kind of environment. All the fish in the river are dead and most of the plant life has succumbed. There are also a number of chemical drums that have clearly been dumped, bearing radiological and other hazard warnings. Several of the drums are leaking. Fortunately, there is a four person Hazmat team on the case, all properly suited up and toting various detectors and other equipment. From the other side of the river, a reporter is giving a piece to camera. Bricksanto are probably in for some serious fines once news of this gets out.

A front-on view of a Lego environmental disaster. The various abandoned drums of who-knows-what horrors are rather brightly-coloured but anything but cheerful. Whatever is flowing out of the discharge pipe is obnoxiously green and looks to have killed every last fish in the river. One of the hazmat team has retrieved a dead fish. In her other hand she holds a Geiger counter. She looks horrified. Behind her is an assortment of electronic equipment, hastily set up on the crates it arrived in. Another member of the team is standing atop the outlet, where a blackened and nearly dead tree stands. It's branches hold a last few leaves, desperately clinging onto life. Another team member is balanced on some rocks in the middle of the stream, scanning the outflow with his Geiger counter, while the fourth member looks to be studying the main heap of leaky drums. On the opposite bank of the river, a reporter stands, microphone in hand, facing her cameraman.

A view upstream shows the true level of devastation this illegal chemical dump has caused. Most of the plants in and around the river are dead, and those that aren't look decidedly sickly. A number of dead fish float down the river. On the right-hand bank, the rocky ground rises over the effluent outlet, crowned by a black and almost leafless tree. A heap of various different chemical drums has been left at the foot of the outcrop. Some carry radiological hazard warnings while others simple display a skull and crossbones and "Danger." The four hazmat-suited scientists are busy examining the scene and collecting evidence, while a journalist on the other bank is giving a live report of the situation.

An elevated view of the rocky outcrop and the effluent discharge pipe that passes through it. One of the scientists is stood beside the nearly-dead tree, studying the remaining plant-life, a radiation detector held in one hand. At the base of the small, rocky hill, at least a dozen chemical drums lie in a disorganised heap. Some are red, others yellow, orange, green and black. Some are obviously damaged and are leaking who-knows-what. The plants around them are brown and lifeless. Another hazmat-suited scientist is passing a radiation detector over one of the drums. He looks worryingly excited, given that the gauge on his detector looks to be pinned at full scale. A dead fish is visible, floating on the stream.

It's #MinifigMonday (again!?) and this time there's more than just autumn leaves in the air. In fact the air probably contains a number of things no sensible minifig would want any part of. I'm not sure this team is entirely sensible, though. #Lego #AFOL #MOC #MyOwnCreation #Hazmat #ToxicWaste

Extremely nasty piece of shit with some influence.

RW article seems pretty good:

rationalwiki.org/wiki/Jesse_S...

Lost it completely at "Benedict his Cumberbatch".

There is coffee in my nose and it's YOUR FAULT..!

(Or mine for reading your posts with a coffee...)

Apart from the overwhelming degree of cuteness, that's a really nice photo, too. Lovely effect from the backlit fur :-)

Have a compliment from someone who sometimes thinks they know what they're doing with a camera...

I can hear this image.

Yay..!

Just discovered Fascinating Horror and Fascinating History, purveyor of fascinating (yes!) YT videos wot I've been watching for ages, are on this thing:

bsky.app/profile/fasc...
bsky.app/profile/funh...

A mid-sixties valve table radio; wooden case; a horizontal glass panel includes the tuning scale with knobs for volume and tuning and a 'magic eye' tuning indicator; above this, a cloth-covered panel behind which is the loudspeaker; below the glass panel is a row of cream push-buttons.

The back panel of the radio in the previous image. A hardboard panel with an irregular pattern of ventilation holes includes red printed text identifying the set as a 'Carmen 3', model number S632A3, made by 'Electronica' in Romania. Smaller text advises against connecting the chassis to ground or removing the back while it's plugged in.

The same radio as before, now with the back cover removed. A small elliptical speaker is visible along with the audio output transformer, both screwed to the speaker panel. Below these, a metal chassis on which is the variable capacitor for tuning, three valves, two cylindrical IF transformers, a cylindrical electrolytic capacitor (for smoothing the HT supply). Hanging off the right of the chassis is the mains transformer providing the HT and heater supplies, but not providing mains isolation.

In case anyone's wondering, this is a radio in my collection, resurrected and photographed about 15 years ago. It's the only set in my custody with an interesting mistake on the tuning scale. More pics:

Wonder what happened to the Ligth Programme..?

Chris is one of the good guys; he has the authority to shut places down if they don't meet current standards.

He of all people will know more about how not-pristine bits of the UK food system are and has probably seen things I'd rather not know about...

I didn't take Chris's post as 'bragging' or 'taking a victory lap', if that's what you're implying; but I've followed him for bloody ages and know how seriously he takes food safety. It's his job.

‘Innit Marvellous?’: The Galton and Simpson Archive project Saving Hancock and Steptoe and more

FOLKS! Look, I KNOW I have been banging on about this for ages BUT we are now at THE FINAL PUSH. We need about £500 to complete the crowdfunder. If any of you would like to donate - and honestly, just a small amount helps - we'll be done in no time.

yustart.hubbub.net/p/galtonands...

Sorry, I meant to do the thing but forgot, as my head's like... one of those things with the holes.

I have now done the thing.

Thank you for banging on about this for ages.

Brb, just off to create several hundred socks to like any post I can find featuring a French pre-dread...

Say what you like about doom-scrolling; there is some seriously high-quality doom these days...

This seems very not good...

A Lego diorama of a large greenhouse set in a neatly manicured garden featuring a number of flowering bushes. The greenhouse is set at an angle and outside the front there is a table with umbrella, a lawnmower and other gardening tools, and two female minifigures. There is also an orange cat vying for attention, and a pink flamingo. The greenhouse has solar panels on the roof and there are water butts for collecting rainwater.

A view of the right-hand side of the Lego greenhouse. There are baskets of flowering plants on the side and a compost bin to the rear, as well as a small raccoon who may be considering raiding said bin for anything vaguely edible. A small blue bird sits on the peak of the greenhouse roof and a couple of its fellows are bimbling about among the shrubbery. No word on the presence of any knights.

A view of the front of the greenhouse. The door is open and the gardener has come out to show her visiting neighbour the plant she has just re-potted. There is a table with pink umbrella, a wheelbarrow and various other gardening tools. The greenhouse is adorned with a number of baskets containing flowering plants.

A view of the left-hand side/rear of the greenhouse. There is another water butt towards the front and more baskets of flowering plants. A raccoon sits at the rear corner.

It's that time again and for this week's #MinifigMonday we're enjoying the outdoors and doing a spot of gardening with the Collectable Minifigure Gardener. Nancy G. Roman has popped over to see her neighbour and catch up on all the latest gossip.

#Lego #AFOL #MOC #MyOwnCreation #BloomScrolling

Petition: Do not introduce Digital ID cards We demand that the UK Government immediately commits to not introducing a digital ID cards. There are reports that this is being looked at.

One of the unexpected things I've learned from my advocacy for trans people is how malignant parts of the State can be, how it can misuse data for positively evil purposes. It's taught me people can't be safe with a digital ID card and so I've signed this. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

Moving to Scotland is looking more attractive with each passing day. Need to escape.

The tunnel is slow going, maybe I'll start building a glider in the loft.

This.

🧵

UK PM Starmer urged to dump digital ID before it's announced : Labour accused of sneaking in plans it denied before the general election

Was just reading about this on El Reg...

"Labour said it was not planning a digital identity scheme in advance of last year's general election."

If implemented, expect it to mis-gender or otherwise 'out' trans people. Maybe not initially; guaranteed to be tacked on afterwards.

Georeferenced Maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland

Was curious... and it's an excuse to look at old maps; located it on Google Streetview then headed for NLS maps for a start.

What is now a car-park is 'Warehouses' on OS 25 Inch, 1892 - 1914. If this link works, I've added a marker.

maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/...

Der Zweite Raum

CR-78 State

Canned Warmth

Subtly downgrade a band

System 6

Volume, measured in 'cups'.

I was Internet years old before discovering there are sets of measuring cups; ⅛ cup, ¼ cup, ½ cup...

Ballsed up cooking stuff from US magazines trying to use a china teacup...

... and as for measuring dry ingredients by volume..? Loose? Tamped down a bit? <headdesk>

how to fart on a plane without others noticing