Phil Benson

Lord Heseltine, "Brexit is now having a debilitating effect on the UK.. It will be reversed, not it, when..The deception of Brexit has exposed Britain"

I got rid of my old email a few years ago and started a new one. Was a bit painful at first (sharing with friends, contacts, colleagues) but ultimately worked very well...!

This is from a few days ago SE UK. If the skies clear I'll try again! (weather hasn't been great alas!)

Good luck! Listening now in fact...

Good piece. We stopped going out, frequently that is the odd weekly/fortnightly treat notwithstanding, some years back. Its the lack of value that gets me. I don't mind paying ££ but it has to be better than what I can make at home (say). And often it isn't. Right. Time for the Bialetti ...

The physics of sinking boats (thanks Kenny. Sigh), porn in public and the "drag queen theory" of interviewing... quite the journey in today's @quietriotpod.bsky.social! oh, and some politics as well 😂

YouTube video by Sabine Hossenfelder “Termination Shock” Could Explain Recent Global Warming, Some Climate Scientists Think

Another must watch from Sabine:

youtu.be/5UsKzOkOn-c?...

Podyssey Season 2 @alexpodyssey.bsky.social is now very close to reality - threshold is being able to pay production costs and expert contributors for 10 episodes (season will be 20 episodes, but will pick up numbers/support as it goes).

Please, become a monthly supporter.

www.ko-fi.com/podyssey

one for @quietriotpod.bsky.social ?

I wish those colours were easier to differentiate... all i see is the same blue/green... or is it me?

Comet C/2025 Lemmon. Not the best shot... moving target and all that. Still, not a bad effort... #astrophotography

Was there a reply from Keir? Or was this Just Another Speach from LK?

This is similar to my view. After all I have a passport and a drivers license. Both are IDs attached to a database. As for the data thats already 'out there' too. And finding a bill 'from the last 6 months' is just stupid particularly in a digital age. Agree with Kenny though the comms was crap..!

The Eagle Nebula, featuring the "pillars of creation". Taken last week from Malaga using an 80mm telescope, around 3.5 hours total exposure time. #astrophotography

The M33 galaxy in the constellation Triangulum. Taken last week from outside Malaga, Spain. 3.5 hours total exposure time.

Thanks for running it, really nice to hear the three of you "unplugged" as it were! I was half listening, half cooking dinner so I'll have to ask my question next time ;-)

OBAMA: It's fair to say that 80% of the world's problems involve old men hanging on who are afraid of death and insignificance, and they won't let go. They build pyramids, and they put their names on everything. They get very anxious about it.

New paper! The last of Eloïse Bretagne's PhD papers is out! Here we generalize our models for permeability to magma mush at any melt fraction. Take a look if you want to model percolative flow of melt through a magma mush and if you want to account for crystal shape.
OA: dx.doi.org/10.1029/2025...

Quarter of UK university physics departments at risk of closing, survey finds Four out of five making staff cuts as physicists say findings are ‘great concern’ for UK’s leadership in important areas

Nice to see my former colleague Daniel talk about this important issue. But I fear the damage is already done.

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Verrückter Fakt des Tages: #vfdt
Uranus stinkt. Natürlich hat kein Mensch jemals die Uranus-Atmosphäre gerochen, aber Messungen zeigen, dass sich dort Schwefelwasserstoff befindet, der auch verdorbenen Eiern ihren charakteristischen Geruch gibt.

When Iraq invaded Kuwait the response was practically instant. Granted the scenario (Oil+US) was different but given this threat is on our doorstep, why the procrastination? Has Europe lost it's nerve?

Good conversation, cheers Kenny, Authur. What I'd really like to know is, at what point will the UK, Germany, France, Italy (et al.) actually start to move/position armour to counter this threat? Plus aircraft squadrons? A no fly zone ought to have been established years ago, surely?

Reminds me of the "salami slicing" scene in the sitcom"Yes Prime Minister" - can't recall the episode.

At least you managed to get the bonus @quietriotpod.bsky.social pod out though eih? Small victories and all that? 😀

Calling all students: You could have access to a free FT subscription without even knowing it. Check here: www.ft.com/schoolsarefree

Last week for @ftweekend.com and @financialtimes.com I took you on a tour of three classic bars. This week: three classic restaurants, namely Rules, Quo Vadis and Bentleys. You want edgy? You’ve come to the wrong place. And to access my FT reviews head to the LinkTree in bio.

Trouble is, institutions can’t afford not to support “unfunded hobbyist research” (whatever that means) as this often generates the pilot data needed for successful grant bids. Cutting this would mean cutting this pipeline and losing expertise, which is found in a diverse range of institutions.

Indeed. But sadly expected given the low bar of current UK politics. There’s no prospect of my voting for labour (or anyone come to think of it) for similar reasons.

BREAKING: They're scrubbing @banksy

The court is erasing Banksy's mural just like it's erasing our right to protest.

I’ve spent the summer searching here and there for the much heralded uprising.