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Kieran Lowe

@kieranran.bsky.social

Work in news and public affairs. Climate change/energy/tech, Pokรฉmon, X-Men & LGBT+ rights. ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ retreating from the bad apps

1,949 Followers  |  423 Following  |  178 Posts  |  Joined: 09.09.2023  |  1.9652

Latest posts by kieranran.bsky.social on Bluesky

this is by far the worst reading of Alan Mooreโ€™s Watchmen Iโ€™ve ever seen and if you spend an appreciable amount of time online you will know what a crowning achievement that is

12.10.2025 14:18 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1036    ๐Ÿ” 202    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 31    ๐Ÿ“Œ 11
A mock-up of an old D&D guide detailing the properties of magical items, featuring "Altmanโ€™s Quill of Artifice". The entry reads:
This enchanted quill, made from the feather of a harpy, serves as a magical scribe and sage, able to answer all its ownerโ€™s queries. The owner must use it to write a question at the top of a piece of paper or parchment, such as โ€œWhere is the secret entrance to the Kingโ€™s treasury?โ€ or โ€œHow can I cure lycanthropy?โ€ Acting under its own power, it will write an answer. But despite its apparent (and often genuine) usefulness, this item is cursed.
Roll d20 to determine the result of any query: 1 Hopelessly wrong, 2-5 Contains major errors, 6-10 Contains minor errors, 11-16 Accurate but incomplete, 17-20 Fully accurate.
Apply modifiers in line with the rules for consulting sages (see Table 62) depending on the nature of the question (general 0, specific -2, exacting -4) and the availability of relevant knowledge (complete 0, partial -2, non-existent -6). The DM should choose the nature of any errors, as well as the consequences of believing them.
If the answer is less than fully accurate, that will not be obvious, as the quill of artifice writes in a confident and authoritative manner. A reader may scrutinise the answer to attempt to notice any problem, but to succeed they must pass an intelligence check at a penalty of -2. Anyone who has previously failed such a check makes all future checks at -4. The owner of the quill is particularly vulnerable, permanently losing one point of intelligence with each inaccurate answer that is believed. The owner will be unaware of this loss, and will become fiercely possessive of the quill, refusing to give it up and distrusting anyone who doubts its output.
A remove curse spell may make the owner willing to part with it, but the loss of intelligence is irreparable.

A mock-up of an old D&D guide detailing the properties of magical items, featuring "Altmanโ€™s Quill of Artifice". The entry reads: This enchanted quill, made from the feather of a harpy, serves as a magical scribe and sage, able to answer all its ownerโ€™s queries. The owner must use it to write a question at the top of a piece of paper or parchment, such as โ€œWhere is the secret entrance to the Kingโ€™s treasury?โ€ or โ€œHow can I cure lycanthropy?โ€ Acting under its own power, it will write an answer. But despite its apparent (and often genuine) usefulness, this item is cursed. Roll d20 to determine the result of any query: 1 Hopelessly wrong, 2-5 Contains major errors, 6-10 Contains minor errors, 11-16 Accurate but incomplete, 17-20 Fully accurate. Apply modifiers in line with the rules for consulting sages (see Table 62) depending on the nature of the question (general 0, specific -2, exacting -4) and the availability of relevant knowledge (complete 0, partial -2, non-existent -6). The DM should choose the nature of any errors, as well as the consequences of believing them. If the answer is less than fully accurate, that will not be obvious, as the quill of artifice writes in a confident and authoritative manner. A reader may scrutinise the answer to attempt to notice any problem, but to succeed they must pass an intelligence check at a penalty of -2. Anyone who has previously failed such a check makes all future checks at -4. The owner of the quill is particularly vulnerable, permanently losing one point of intelligence with each inaccurate answer that is believed. The owner will be unaware of this loss, and will become fiercely possessive of the quill, refusing to give it up and distrusting anyone who doubts its output. A remove curse spell may make the owner willing to part with it, but the loss of intelligence is irreparable.

I finally realised what AI dependency reminds me of

10.10.2025 13:20 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 18    ๐Ÿ” 7    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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I've been wondering why Dominion Voting Systems suddenly reached settlements with Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and One America News.

Turns out, it's been purchased by a Republican-owned election tech firm that insisted on it, per Axios.

www.axios.com/2025/10/09/d...

09.10.2025 18:55 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2878    ๐Ÿ” 1509    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 134    ๐Ÿ“Œ 245

If a news organisation is making -200% margin after five years, it is not a commercial operation and should be assumed to have a different purpose.

09.10.2025 09:28 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1038    ๐Ÿ” 374    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 34    ๐Ÿ“Œ 14
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Two graphs in todayโ€™s FT.

Notice the UKโ€™s position on both graphs.

09.10.2025 08:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 119    ๐Ÿ” 44    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 8    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

Iโ€™m finally catching up on #MAFSUK and I canโ€™t get over how awful the grifter โ€œexpertโ€ Paul Carrick Brunson is - heโ€™s a manipulative misogynist and I think quite a dangerous presence to have in a position of power even in a stupid reality show. Heโ€™s no John Aiken. CPL Productions should get rid

07.10.2025 19:49 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Cass Review does not guide care for trans young people Good medicine is guided by the values of the patient, not those of a clinician, politician or commentator. The Cass Review, lacking expertise and compromised by implicit stigma and misinformation, doe...

Well Australia is seeing the Cass Review for what it is - a political sham!
www.mja.com.au/journal/2025...

06.10.2025 06:04 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 119    ๐Ÿ” 41    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 6
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Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

05.10.2025 09:08 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 37662    ๐Ÿ” 16921    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 807    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2382

If there was ever an example of the Israeli government not being a reflection of British Jews itโ€™s their decision to give Tommy Robinson a heroโ€™s welcome

The fact itโ€™s the minister for diaspora affairs makes it even more absurd, because I donโ€™t know a single Jewish person who would think this is ok

05.10.2025 11:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 63    ๐Ÿ” 17    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Did You Know?
@frog-page
When provoked, FROGS will defend themselves by traveling back in time to make sure you were never born!

Did You Know? @frog-page When provoked, FROGS will defend themselves by traveling back in time to make sure you were never born!

๐Ÿธ

05.10.2025 05:39 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 570    ๐Ÿ” 97    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 23    ๐Ÿ“Œ 15
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Blustery day, isn't it? Here's the National Grid: Live generation data. Wind and solar are generating 74.2% of our electricity. Gas is generating 13.1%. And yet our household electricity prices are pegged to... the volatile price of gas. Which is the basis on which the right attacks... renewables.

04.10.2025 08:10 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 589    ๐Ÿ” 270    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 19    ๐Ÿ“Œ 16

Itโ€™s easy to say that this is the last desperate hurrah of a dying party, but can we be clear: Trumpโ€™s ICE agents are literally kidnapping people, detaining them without due process in concentration camps (yes, this is the right term) and 1000s have disappeared. These are fascist practices.

04.10.2025 21:14 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 891    ๐Ÿ” 388    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 21    ๐Ÿ“Œ 15

There are lots of reasons not to leave ECHR. But apart from anything else, it just doesn't solve the problem the Tories/Reform think it does.

E.g. the Supreme Court judgment re Rwanda being unsafe explicitly said it was not based on ECHR.

04.10.2025 08:42 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1402    ๐Ÿ” 339    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 91    ๐Ÿ“Œ 20
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sympathy is a knife: vaguely based on a charliโ€™s relationship with taylor but mainly about charliโ€™s own insecurities and self-doubts

actually romantic:

02.10.2025 13:28 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 322    ๐Ÿ” 30    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 5

Charli xcx in 2024, explaining her songs that explore the feelings of insecurity and jealousy that arise as a woman in music who fans and the press constantly compare to other women
Taylor Swift: and I took that personally

02.10.2025 14:41 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 44    ๐Ÿ” 12    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

I love this. The purest essence of Kemi - incredibly wrong, bizarrely belligerent about it, and also wrong in a way where you just go โ€œhave you considered reading anything other than your Twitter feed?โ€

02.10.2025 17:52 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 815    ๐Ÿ” 206    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 61    ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
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Thatcher โ€˜would be appalled by Kemi Badenochโ€™s vow to scrap climate actโ€™ Former environment minister Lord Deben said the Tory leaderโ€™s decision was a vote-loser

Margaret Thatcher would have been โ€œappalledโ€ at plans by the Tory party leader Kemi Badenoch to scrap the Climate Change Act, according to Lord Deben. The Tory peer said it would cost jobs & votes.

Former Tory MP Lord Sharma said it "risks future investment"

www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

02.10.2025 14:08 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 18    ๐Ÿ” 5    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

Going to synagogue on the holiest day of the year should never, ever end with you lying dead simply because youโ€™re a British Jew

Never

The implications for this for the UK Jewish community are going to be enormous

So many of us have been so, so scared about this moment

02.10.2025 12:28 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 73    ๐Ÿ” 12    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
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How Jane Goodall changed the way we see animals - and the world Jane Goodall, who chronicled the social lives of chimps, has died, but has left a lasting legacy on how we view the natural world

My piece on the exceptional legacy of Jane Goodall www.newscientist.com/article/2498...

02.10.2025 10:03 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 152    ๐Ÿ” 40    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
Two equilateral triangles side by side. The one on the left is labeled 20th century politics and is cut in half horizontally, with the smaller top half labeled 'right' and the larger bottom half labeled left. The triangle on the right is cut in half vertically, with the left side labeled right and the right side labeled left - this triangle is captioned 21st century politics.

Two equilateral triangles side by side. The one on the left is labeled 20th century politics and is cut in half horizontally, with the smaller top half labeled 'right' and the larger bottom half labeled left. The triangle on the right is cut in half vertically, with the left side labeled right and the right side labeled left - this triangle is captioned 21st century politics.

Facebook memories reminds me that this was a year ago - undoubtedly the greatest political graphic of all time, taken from the 'Conservatism in Crisis' pamphlet released by Kemi Badenoch.

01.10.2025 10:10 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 104    ๐Ÿ” 25    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 11    ๐Ÿ“Œ 5
Preview
What is a reactionary centrist, and does the UK have them? A term favoured by US progressives can help us understand Britainโ€™s drift to the right

"In 2012, 60 trans-related articles were published by Britainโ€™s media. By 2022, it was more than 7,500, according to figures from Trans Media Watch. The media is not responding to public rage against vulnerable minorities; it is helping to create it." www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/709...

01.10.2025 13:52 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 466    ๐Ÿ” 163    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4    ๐Ÿ“Œ 12

donโ€™t climb it - it says right there please donโ€™t disturb it!

29.09.2025 11:18 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

โ€œWe studied more than 70 different elections that took place in 12 western European countries over several decades, and found that when mainstream parties take more anti-immigration positions, it leads to more support for the radical right, not less.โ€

27.09.2025 11:32 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 501    ๐Ÿ” 293    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 14    ๐Ÿ“Œ 46

jurassic perk (not living at the same time as humans)

27.09.2025 05:37 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 87    ๐Ÿ” 40    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 5    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

canโ€™t say I see the same value in my Unlimited subscription with it ended tbh

26.09.2025 07:28 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I was sceptical and generally donโ€™t read anything under the Avengers brand but @meakoopa.bsky.socialโ€™s Avengers Academy was a true delight every week, always thoughtful and relevant, likely even more so for younger readers, and beautifully plotted and drawn. Marvel should find a way to relaunch it.

26.09.2025 07:27 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

The thing about Labour levelling up and giving money to โ€˜smarten up town centresโ€ is that you can paint a shop all you like but if people have no money to spend in a shop because their bills are too high and shopkeepers canโ€™t afford the rent then your town centre will remain desolate

25.09.2025 10:40 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 359    ๐Ÿ” 87    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 19    ๐Ÿ“Œ 14
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Comment: Why are we going backwards on racism in Britain? Black and Asian people have increasingly equal opportunities to reach the top, but a viscerally and unacceptably unequal experience of public space

This country made significant progress against racism in my lifetime - but we did not do so by chance. There is a visible visceral regression in experiencing of overt racism because the toxic fringe with the most extreme views have a sense of permission & impunity
www.easterneye.biz/racism-in-uk...

25.09.2025 06:47 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 690    ๐Ÿ” 245    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 35    ๐Ÿ“Œ 19
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I love Avengers Academy so much! Itโ€™s such a breath of fresh air for young marvel heroes. Itโ€™s about to hit 60 issues tomorrow. I hope it gets an omnibus one day.

23.09.2025 18:21 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 121    ๐Ÿ” 15    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
4 frame comic. First frame we see a tent and a crowd. text reads : Charlie Kirk didn't hold debates on college campuses. What he was organizing were flash mobs where his supporters rallied at colleges to create ideal conditions for drama. 2nd frame, someone is speaking at a mic while people with red caps are holding phones up. text reads: Students who dared to stand up to him were facing a sea of hostile faces. The goal was to make them feel vulnerable to get good footage out of them. 3rd frame, we see the person from the 2nd in a youtube thumbnail. text reads : clips were then edited and clickbait thumbnail created to drive the highest engagement possible. the game was rigegd from the onset. 4th frame, we see a silhouette of Kirk. text reas: Charlie Kirk was "winning every debate" because there was no debate. It was a campaign to radicalize young men and purposefully make campuses unsafe to women and minorities.

4 frame comic. First frame we see a tent and a crowd. text reads : Charlie Kirk didn't hold debates on college campuses. What he was organizing were flash mobs where his supporters rallied at colleges to create ideal conditions for drama. 2nd frame, someone is speaking at a mic while people with red caps are holding phones up. text reads: Students who dared to stand up to him were facing a sea of hostile faces. The goal was to make them feel vulnerable to get good footage out of them. 3rd frame, we see the person from the 2nd in a youtube thumbnail. text reads : clips were then edited and clickbait thumbnail created to drive the highest engagement possible. the game was rigegd from the onset. 4th frame, we see a silhouette of Kirk. text reas: Charlie Kirk was "winning every debate" because there was no debate. It was a campaign to radicalize young men and purposefully make campuses unsafe to women and minorities.

Charlie Kirk never cared about debates.

23.09.2025 14:16 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2553    ๐Ÿ” 1071    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 37    ๐Ÿ“Œ 25

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