The Dickin Medal is the highest award that can be issued to animals in British military service. Bearing the words "We Also Serve" it has been awarded 75 times since its creation in 1943. Only one cat has ever received the award. This is the story of Able Seacat Simon, of HMS Amethyst. 🧵 1/25

This thread is just as good at explaining UK anger with Starmer as it is US anger at centrist Dems

The backstory of @ellisjrosen.bsky.social's evil squirrel cartoons

New year, same rules… Onwards!

Went for my first run after a month off from surgery - felt really good and looking forward to getting back into proper training for the London Lea Valley 50km. I’m running to raise money for Step Forward, a charity that supports youth in Tower Hamlets - including an excellent LGBTQIA+ youth group.

A festive freebie for anyone up and about and already a bit bored. It’s issue 1 of Stramash’63 as a PDF. Link should be good for a month www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/dnuza...

Unbelievably, #DuvetKnowItsChristmas generates such good will on social media that over the years we've raised somewhere approaching a quarter of a million quid for homeless charities. If you can spare a bob or two, sling some to Centrepoint, and here's the link: www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know...

One of the best Christmas movies.

In deeply unsurprising news, the foxes said they'd prefer the hen house doors to be left wide open.

this field biologist does a great job highlighting the insidiousness of AI editing these one-click AI edit buttons are incredibly appealing to many photographers, amateurs and professionals alike, and are framed as innocuous this is worth sharing and educating people about

He’s laundered a genocide. He demonises desperate people seeking asylum. He panders to Reform at the expense of people of colour. He’s implementing transphobic policies. He cuts benefits for disabled people. “Inoffensive”? He’s deeply offensive if you are affected by any of this (Lewis isn’t)

Check the lyrics, gang vocals and riffs. Mashaal is a community minded band made up of immigrants and the children of immigrants, and their demo puts the racists and xenophobes in the UK on blast. mashaal.bandcamp.com/album/demo #hardcore #punk #asian

When we interact with automated (or "automated") systems, whether by choice or not, we are engaging with a global system of labor exploitation buttondown.com/maiht3k/arch...

New: Our Palestine Holiday Book Gift Guide From history to memoir to frontline journalism. These are books that tell Palestinian stories on Palestinian terms. bookshop.org/lists/books-...

I’d forgotten about this one. Really good album, released on the mighty Iron Lung Records label.

Great Post-Trash interview with Aaron Turner – talking Pharaoh Overlord amongst other things: post-trash.com/news/2025/12...

I collaborated with CMYK and Angela Kirkwood on the redesign of cult classic game Magical Athlete! I worked on the brand identity, art direction, and all the graphic design for components like cards & tokens. Now ask me how much math I had to do to make an evenly spaced game board with 31 spaces...

From ‘balancing the books’ & way it views migrants, its lurch towards AI, the embracing of Palantir, & its begrudging opposition to the Gaza genocide, it feels like this Labour govt is just a mildly sanitised version of the US one. If they could launch their own version of ICE I’m sure they would.

This ode to rocking and never stopping seems to be missing from a lot of end-of-year lists. You’ve got to rock your own way! steroidband.bandcamp.com/album/chainm...

It’s small business Saturday. Buy quirky, different, unusual and unique. My little offering dozens of pride themes science and Sci Fi pins. proudscience.etsy.com Also, what should I make in 2026?!

Such a cool and inspiring story

NEW SHOWS: June 2nd-3rd at @iklectikartlab.bsky.social June 2nd: @merzbow.net , Cavalera & Bernocchi June 3rd: Merzbow (Solo Set) Tickets available now via Dice link.dice.fm/Merzbow-Cava...

Quite a few albums I really liked on this list especially those from Oromet, Messa, Hell, Chat Pile and Sumac. 🎸 ⚡️

🌲 THE BIG CHRISTMAS GIFT THREAD! 🌲 If you are a creator or small shop/business, reply to this post with: - pics and a brief description of what you do (don't forget the alt text!) - a link or details on how people can buy I will boost you! Everyone else: buy the cool things! Repost this post! ⛄

Due to popular demand, Smote are repressing their sold out album 'Clyppan'. – 250 copies on 'Transparent Blue' vinyl from all good record shops – 150 copies on 'Transparent Lime' vinyl, via the Rocket shop: rocketrecordings.com/products/cly... The repress is released on 23rd January.

Okay, this is a cool idea.

Your occasional reminder that @bookshop.org is open for all of your Christmas book shopping needs. Every sale supports independent bookstores, the books arrive beautifully packaged, and they even have gift wrapping options. Buy some great books and stop paying for Jeff's botox uk.bookshop.org?next=t

New interview with the Messthetics on the humbling and inspiring experience of covering Sonny Sharrock's 'Ask the Ages' in full, which they'll do again on Friday in D.C., along with James Brandon Lewis: darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/like-tryin...

There seem to be mentions of “powering up” these data centres, but I couldn’t see anything in this strategy about water sourcing and cooling them down…

CREATIVES! A gang of us are organising an auction raising funds for mutual aid groups in Sudan, amid the war on civilians. Can YOU contribute to the auction? Perhaps a piece of art or music? Signed books? Embroidery? Half an hour of creative mentoring? Sign up here! www.sudancoup.com/auction

"Home Office data suggests that recent immigrants are more likely to be working than British nationals and make higher wages than them." ✍️ Lauren Gilbert argues that migrants to the UK are net fiscal contributors, adding much more to the economy than they take out, ukandeu.ac.uk/lower-migrat...

This might be of interest to a few people The Boring Fund: Small (£200) grants to UK non-profits, charities and voluntary groups who just need a bit of help to pay for boring running costs like web hosting, admin, insurance etc Apply by 30 November www.christinapoultoncreative.co.uk/boring-fund

😲😲😲 consequence.net/2025/11/henr...

Always fascinating watching people underestimate the size of London vs other UK ciries. On an average weekday, more journeys are made on JUST the Elizabeth line than the ENTIRE population of Liverpool. If the Tube was a city, its average daily passengers would make it the 2nd largest in the UK.

Go get hypnotised by Smote.

SO much of the cultural and artistic nostalgia that society chases was just art made when people got paid to do it. Lavish movie posters made by human artists, video games made by people without sixteen different investment companies breathing down their neck, movies made by studios taking a chance.

Found this on the AO3 subreddit, and I'm about to let it change my whole life (or at least work really hard to internalize it wrt my writing).

I remember, many years ago now (with ny transport strategist hat on) being asked in a BBC interview if Crossrail would be Khan's biggest legacy. The thing that had the biggest impact on London. I said: "No. It'll be ULEZ." (The low emissions zone)

An exhibition of fantasy maps all drawn by the fantasy author, Ursula K. Le Guin, has opened in central London. www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/map...

Did you know that if you buy my book on Amazon, Jeff Bezos makes 5 times as much as I do on each copy sold? Sharing some behind-the-scenes book math on why buying directly from presses is best for EVERYONE (except Bezos) in my newsletter today! aubreyhirsch.substack.com/p/book-math

You’re spoiled for choice this weekend #comics folk If you can’t come to Brighton, #Inkblot Festival is happening on Saturday in Manchester And on Saturday South London has the first #Goblin Market Both look absolutely amazing

News! Goblin Market Small Press Comics Fair Comes to Stanley Arts, South London this Sunday, October 19th. www.brokenfrontier.com/goblin-marke...

Yes! The excellent Halt and Catch Fire is available to watch in the UK again. Time for a rewatch! www.itv.com/watch/halt-a...

A shakedown is never far behind wherever this gangster is involved. As with Ukraine, as with Gaza, he will seek to benefit and enrich himself… or else.

Can’t decide what to buy on Prime Day? Try: absolutely nothing, and then go support indie bookstores instead 📚

"The Mysterious Cities of Gold" french/japanese series (1982) for free on Youtube (worldwide / French+English dubs). >> www.youtube.com/@MCO_Officie...

“We were comfortable with the discomfort”: Six Finger Satellite’s J Ryan Six Finger Satellite frontman and synth player J Ryan talks to @jjstannard.bsky.social about the making of the Rhode Island group’s newly reissued 1995 Severe Exposure album www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/i...

Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy: www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...

Krallice, Oathbreaker and Agriculture are among the first round of artists announced for Roadburn 2026 www.treblezine.com/krallice-agr...

HOLY SHIT: Previously unreleased live Bad Brains from 1980 & 1981 coming in November! shorefire.com/releases/ent...