I've only just seen this, so haven't had a proper look, but it seems very damning of the #cassreview. "our analyses resulted in all seven reviews being assigned an overall rating of a high risk of bias due to methodological limitations and a failure to adequately address these limitations in […]

In which I claim that a few annoying #fediverse problems (and ATproto too) could be solved by using URI schemes the way they’re designed to be used: https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/202x/2025/04/16/Decentralized-Schemes

In my day job, I work for a media company that focuses on the toy industry. Apropos of nothing, I decided to add the Mastodon plushie (aka #plushtodon) to the latest products on our Toy Insider website. Please boost this so our editors will frustratingly tell me to stop trying to make Mastodon […]

#onthisday in 1942, Admiral Syfret accepted the formal surrender of the French forces in Diego Suarez. The next day, Churchill sent a note to 29th Independent Infantry Brigade, whom he had observed in training some months before. He wrote, "I was sure when I saw you at Inverary nine months ago […]

98-year old Ken has a message for Elon Musk: "We've crushed fascism before, and we'll crush it again" https://youtu.be/lw4ZjhOukwU

Yesterday afternoon I went to a "Picnic of #pride and resistance" with the youngest and Snowy, our dog. It was a lovely afternoon. At one point a young child came and stroked Snowy. The woman with him remarked that she was one of his two mums, and it was great to see the (#trans and #nonbinary) […]

This morning, I posted a letter to my MP and several others, based on this advice from TransLucent. I've written to my MP about #trans issues (particularly puberty blockers) several times before, and never got a reply. They were emails, but this one was a physical letter. Translucent says […]

This morning, I posted a letter to my MP and several others, based on this advice from TransLucent. I've written to my MP about #trans issues (particularly puberty blockers) several times before, and never got a reply. They were emails, but this one was a physical letter. Translucent says […]

I've set up a store so that you can now buy my books directly from me. To celebrate, until Friday 9th May you can use code FEDI25 to get 25% off all purchases. https://russellphillips.uk/books/ #coldwar #indiettrpg #militaryhistory #secondworldwar @indiettrpg @militaryhistory @worldwarshistory

At 1:45pm #onthisday in 1980, three shots were heard from inside the Iranian Embassy. The hostage Abbas Lavasani had been murdered, but nobody outside the embassy knew that yet. At 6:46pm Lavasani's body was dumped outside the embassy. Within an hour, the #sas had assaulted the building […]

#onthisday in 1942, the Allied invasion of #madagascar began on the west coast. The defenders there were unable to report this to their higher command because Percy Mayer, an #soe agent, had cut telephone cables. I'll be giving a talk about the invasion at #wehavewaysfest in September […]

Help us challenge the Supreme Court’s judgment on trans rights | Good Law Project The donations are continuing to roll in. Right now the pot has swelled to over £351,000. I hate that money matters for justice these days. It’s billionaires and rich American Christofascists who’ve put their […]

Finally, someone has noticed that male #authors are disadvantaged in #publishing 🙄 /sarcasm > Cook told The Bookseller: “There has never been an independent publisher that champions literary fiction by men. Which is not to say we won’t publish fiction by women in the future – but the emphasis […]

I was listening to Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Iron Maiden earlier today. Now I'm lying in bed wondering, at what point when he was reading the original, did Steve Harris think, "This would make an excellent rock song"?

I'm very excited to announce that I will be giving a talk about the invasion of #madagascar at #wehavewaysfest in September. I went to my first We Have Ways Fest last year. It's a great festival, with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. If you go, come and say hello. Tickets are available now […]

I like reading #ebooks on both my phone and an #ereader. I used to read on Kindle because it kept the books in sync, regardless of where I bought them. But now I use #koreader on my #kobo ereader and my phone, and it also syncs them, but with the added benefit that Amazon doesn't track my […]

Everybody needs a #proofreader.

I've set up a store so that you can now buy my books directly from me. To celebrate, until Friday 9th May you can use code FEDI25 to get 25% off all purchases. https://russellphillips.uk/books/ #coldwar #indiettrpg #militaryhistory #secondworldwar @indiettrpg @militaryhistory @worldwarshistory

LUSH partners with trans-led groups to stand up for trans rights - We are Lush https://weare.lush.com/press-releases/lush-partners-with-trans-led-groups-to-stand-up-for-trans-rights/

@TotesTanked another one arrived today 😀

#onthisday in 1980, six terrorists attacked the Iranian Embassy in London, taking twenty-six people hostage. Thus started a six-day siege, which ended dramatically when the #sas assaulted the embassy under the watchful gaze of TV cameras. https://russellphillips.uk/nimrod #histodons […]

Test various Linux distros easily on your web browser without making a live USB and installing on your personal computer! https://distrosea.com #linux #opensource

Government Actually Threatens Wikipedia’s Editorial Freedom; Self-Proclaimed Free Speech Warriors Suddenly Have Other Plans | Techdirt https://www.techdirt.com/2025/04/28/government-actually-threatens-wikipedias-editorial-freedom-self-proclaimed-free-speech-warriors-suddenly-have-other-plans/

The officially proposed solution to trans people not being allowed to use gendered toilets, that they use the disabled toilets, is just setting up two marginalised groups in conflict with one another again instead of working together to fight the system imposing the scarcity. There aren't enough […]

A good explainer from @neil about why end to end encryption is good for everyone, not just criminals. https://neilzone.co.uk/2022/01/a-prohibition-on-end-to-end-encryption-could-leave-you-with-noplacetohide-and-thats-not-a-good-thing/

The Good Law Project are going to the European Court of Human Rights to fight for the right of #trans people to go about their lives without being outed to everyone in an increasingly transphobic society. Please donate to help […]

@TotesTanked look what I got for my birthday 😀

I watched the 1958 Dunkirk film the other day, and I can confidently say that the word bilge deserves a comeback.

I've just discovered that Amazon UK is selling Setting Europe Ablaze, my #ttrpg #soe sourcebook, for under £11, about a third of the list price (£29.99). If you want a copy, and don't mind dealing with Amazon, it's a bargain. https://authorhelp.uk?amz=1804430609 #secondworldwar

Allow transgender people to self-identify their legal gender. - Petitions https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/701159

I've got a quick favour to ask. If you're reading this post on Mastodon (or the Fediverse), please click share. How come? I recently moved across to my own self-hosted single-user server (using GoToSocial.org). For a bunch of reasons, including visibility across the Fedi, it would really help out.

The Good Law Project are raising funds to fight the recent supreme court snti-trans decision at the European Court of Human Rights. https://goodlawproject.org/crowdfunder/fighting-fund-for-trans-rights/ #trans #transrights

[#Trans rights #UK] Legally enshrine the right of adults to physically transition using NHS services - Petitions https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/704793 #ukpol #ukpolitics

The fascist United States of America:

[UK politics, disability] This is as frustrating as it is heartbreaking. The cruel impact of #Labour’s new #welfare reforms https://centralbylines.co.uk/news/health/the-cruel-impact-of-labours-new-welfare-reforms/ #pip #ukpol

I'm asking for #help again, fediverse. I'm researching Operation Colussus, when British paratroopers landed in Southern Italy in February 1941. I'd like to get in touch with people living in, or from, Calitri in #italy. If you know anyone, can you please ask them to email me […]

#feminism #feminist #antifascism #antifa #antifascist #women #woman #womensrights #misogyny #activism #HumanRights

An Author Help client recently sent me a photo of her dad reading A Ray of Light. Apparently, once he'd finished it, he told her and her mum the story. I wrote it to spread awareness of #lidice and the North Staffordshire miners, which I think deserves to be much better known. So it's […]

I'm asking for #help again, fediverse. I'm researching Operation Colussus, when British paratroopers landed in Southern Italy in February 1941. I'd like to get in touch with people living in, or from, Calitri in #italy. If you know anyone, can you please ask them to email me […]

BREAKING: VICTORY for @openrightsgroup BBW and @privacyint and other s Tthe #apple IPT case will be held in open, including the bare details of the case, so that the principles of the issue can be discussed! #e2ee #privacy

How to navigate the #publishing industry if you have social #anxiety. https://www.sfwa.org/2025/04/01/how-to-navigate-the-publishing-industry-with-social-anxiety/

I had to take the car to be fixed. The #library is closed, so I'm working in #starbucks. How do people manage to work in coffee shops? It's only half full, yet still louder than the library when they're hosting a story bears singing session.

I've just posted an opinion piece about how #fiction affects our perception of #history. https://russellphillips.uk/fact-and-fiction/ #histodons #militaryhistory @histodons @militaryhistory

Trevor Lock, the policeman who was held hostage along with others during the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980, has died aged 85. PC Lock helped keep hostages spirits up during the siege, and persuaded the terrorists that the sounds of drilling they could hear were mice. He was a very brave […]

At 04:00 UK time #onthisday in 1982 Argentinian marines and special forces landed at Lake Point, south of Stanley, starting the #falklandswar. https://russellphillips.uk/books/a-damn-close-run-thing-a-brief-history-of-the-falklands-war/ #histodons #militaryhistory #falklands #falklandislands […]

I discovered two things this morning. On IMDB, This Is Spinal Tap is rated out of 11: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0088258/ And the sequel/comeback comes out in September: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt20222166/

For some time, I've been trying to avoid buying from #amazon, and I recently discovered something that helps me with that. If you buy an #ebook from #kobo, then find it cheaper at Amazon or anywhere else, they'll refund the difference plus 10%. Last week, I had occasion to test that out. I […]

So @TotesTanked are planning to do a video on the Bradley, and are expecting some people to object because it's not a tank. I think the Bradley is a perfectly good subject, but this seems like a good time to link to my blog post about what is and isn't a tank 🙂 […]