Join us on Friday the 6th of February (12:30 - 14:30) for great music and company to raise funds for the York Energy Advice free support service. Book ahead and optionally pay by card payment at www.tickettailor.com/events/yce/2...

ufggggrrrrr.... trying to build a community solar farm but it won't stop raining

Cycle route 66 looking like the misty pools of Avalon this morning.

Some news outlets illustrating stories about Storm Chandra with photos of flooding in York, even though it's unrelated & receding. We're just too damn pretty.

#birdbot

For the six or seven people from #York on here, I'm playing a lunchtime concert Friday Feb 6th as part of Esk, 12:30 at the Unitarian Chapel. It's a fundraisier for the York Energy Advice free service for vulnerable York residents. All the details at yorkcommunityenergy.org.uk/event/luncht...

You'll remember Ovo failed Ofgem's new financial stress test in the autumn. Two energy suppliers folded last year. If another big one fails will we see some radical reform that it dodged last time?

Had a read of the Warm Homes Plan. There's a lot of good in it, but it is no radical shakeup that might address a climate emergency. Sticks with existing programmes that are working & tries to improve their reach for low income & vulnerable homes. A few things... (1/6)

Hands up if at some point in the past you thought 'well when the effects get clearer everyone will acknowledge what needs to be done, even if belatedly'. I'll admit to it.

Pah, who needs 3D printers when you can do this sort of thing with a regular laser printer and a bit of time.

Good interview with someone well worth listening to (and who I have the privilege of working with).

Being an amoral sociopath has long been a requirement for holding power, but of late seems to have become a near requirement for commenting on it too. Mainly because it's boring to hear "this is all obviously deeply wrong and everyone involved should be in prison" all the time.

Wow Windows really screwed up the Start menu huh? "Best matches" comes up with the installer I downloaded in preference to the app it installed, and under "Photos" it suggests images in my recycle bin that it can't actually open. And no way to stop it indexing Store apps that you don't have.

Fifa calling round design agencies today trying to find someone to knock up a War Prize at short notice.

We went out on new years day to check in with this beautiful grand mama.

Watched our old family favourite Spaceballs again over Christmas- struck me it might be difficult writing the sequel as so much has become reality: space arsehole grabbing resources, corrupt womanising president issuing incomprehensible orders (there's even a pussy grabbing joke!) and horny furries.

Last light of 2025 from the Sussex coast

Came out of Thomas the Baker eating a pasty and got in the way of Alan Bennett.

People who notice cool birds are better lovers everybody knows that

This is becoming a very very shameful episode - and a tragedy for these young and courageous people and their friends and families filtonactionists.com

Do I remember right that in the first Christopher Reeve superman film they explained his ability to fly by telling him "gravity's much weaker on earth" before he left, which would only really explain his thigh and neck muscles. Anyone else remember?

Attempt 2 at getting our cavity walls filled the day before going off for a long Christmas break, what could go wrong (this time)?

Just heard someone trying to get out of buying a valid train ticket by calling her mum on speakerphone who explained to the conductor that he was "ruining the festive vibe".

As the New Year approaches YCE wanted to share our top 5 achievements...

I just learnt that Severn Trent Water (maybe others) do a graduated cost for water: the first 5,000l per month are called 'essential' and charged at a low rate, with high consumption costing 6x as much. This should be how we charge for energy! (increased allowances for ppl with specific needs ofc.)

Now I think I should be excused doing short form to-camera videos as my barber says I have a weird shaped head. But I've started doing them for York Community Energy's socials. Obviously not going to insult your intelligences by posting them here though.

I signed up with Contentpass (www.contentpass.net/en) to support online media without ads - not a huge number of UK sites on there. @yorkshirebylines.co.uk have you looked into this? Is it any good?

You'd hope they'd know better than to take advice from someone whose 'give them what they want' approach is leaving him 10 points behind the far right in the polls.

Does anyone know of a train journey planner that lets you search times in the past? Don't ask why I want to know, it's nothing to do with having a time machine.

First world problem: why the hell don't they stick the PDF manual along with in the HTML interface of anything that has an HTML interface? Like routers, printers, all of that IoT stuff. Firmware upgrades bundle the new PDF alongside. Easy, & never gets lost or taken off websites.

I also get asked about this occasionally - balcony solar is currently not legal in the UK but I'm starting to see interest & ads. The gov announced a consultation on whether/how regs should change to permit it.

Have to take a moment to celebrate this historic win for the climate. Even though everyone knows it’s needed, it’s no small thing to commit to leaving fossil fuels in the ground. Epic work from the likes of Uplift and a Secretary of State who is doing the absolute best he can with what he’s got.

When Barry Chuckle died they should have planted a 2 metre Yew.

We owe so much to the courage of past protestors. Yet our so-called leaders decry those who protest to condemn injustice today and those who seek to defend our planet and protect our futures. We must uphold our civil liberties and delegalize recent efforts to stifle descent!

Happily, the Cloudflare website is still up, suggesting that they don't use Cloudflare themselves.

Thanks @commenergyengland.bsky.social for another inspiring night; awards may be nonsense but there are lots of people and groups out there busting their guts for energy justice - making slow progress but every year there are more of us. That's worth celebrating. #CEawards2025

Jeez kids grow up quick these days

I wish Mortimer and Whitehose would go bird watching instead of dragging fish from their home with a vicious hook in the mouth.

Very happy with this - and claiming credit for it through the withering commentary I wrote on my spoilt ballot in 2018. (N Yorks had the highest proportion of spoilt ballots in the country!🥇) www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

A salesman just signed off a phone call with me clearly undecided between saying 'all the best' and 'have a nice day' and so said 'all the nice day' and I have never felt such an affinity with a stranger. hermano!!

More of this sort of thing please!

Wat????

At the inaugural Clean Energy UK conference this week, NE region mayor Kim McGuiness urged us all to speak up for net zero in the face of reactionary political pushback. So let's check in on what her political party in government is doing for climate protest. A bit reactionary political pushback-y?

Have to say I agree with this. Haven't looked up the figures but people who pay for electric space/water heating will be paying more than gas heated houses so my instinct is that this should be good for fuel poverty figures. And it reduces the spark gap for decarbonisation.

Very happy to discover that @lauratmurphy.bsky.social is on Bluesky and that she's just as badass as I imagined. Yes I just read the Guardian article.

Come work with me!

Coming up this Saturday, join us to design York’s energy future - one building at a time! Join us for a creative workshop with @yorkarchive.bsky.social on Sat 25 Oct 2025, 1pm-3pm, in the Marriott Room at the York central library - find out more here: buytickets.at/yce/1787526

Look it me making community solar with mud and rain.