Rick Gaehl
@rickgaehl.bsky.social
Retired bloke in Devon who identifies as European and is interested in politics, the environment, photography, the arts, history, cycling, and stuff.
All photos are mine unless credited elsewhere.
Also to be found here: https://mstdn.social/@RickGaehl
All photos are mine unless credited elsewhere.
Also to be found here: https://mstdn.social/@RickGaehl
Pinned
Rick Gaehl
@rickgaehl.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Lots of new people joining BlueSky just now, which is a good thing.
I try to post a new photo every day, but also post stuff about politics, climate change, and other issues.
I welcome new followers, but I tend not to follow back if you have a scant bio or posting history, or unless I know you.
I try to post a new photo every day, but also post stuff about politics, climate change, and other issues.
I welcome new followers, but I tend not to follow back if you have a scant bio or posting history, or unless I know you.
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
“A petition demanding a full inquiry into Russian influence in UK politics has surged past 100,000 signatures after being shared at remarkable speed across social media.”
Russian influence petition surges past 100,000 signatures
A petition demanding a full inquiry into Russian influence in UK politics has passed 100,000 signatures
eastangliabylines.co.uk
November 30, 2025 at 11:01 AM
“A petition demanding a full inquiry into Russian influence in UK politics has surged past 100,000 signatures after being shared at remarkable speed across social media.”
November 30, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
Reflections don’t repeat - they reinvent the seen
November 29, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Reflections don’t repeat - they reinvent the seen
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
This is a corkscrew hazel - a plant with sculptural qualities, which looks great in winter and spring. In summer, it has rather drab foliage, but it remains a garden favourite because of its winter look.
There's a great story about its discovery here: bit.ly/3KtF6cU
#Photography #Gardening #Frost
There's a great story about its discovery here: bit.ly/3KtF6cU
#Photography #Gardening #Frost
November 29, 2025 at 10:11 AM
This is a corkscrew hazel - a plant with sculptural qualities, which looks great in winter and spring. In summer, it has rather drab foliage, but it remains a garden favourite because of its winter look.
There's a great story about its discovery here: bit.ly/3KtF6cU
#Photography #Gardening #Frost
There's a great story about its discovery here: bit.ly/3KtF6cU
#Photography #Gardening #Frost
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
There were originally plans for 13,000 people to attend Your Party conference. There are about 2,500 people here. The ACC in Liverpool is VERY big. Labour conference is here. It does look a tad sparse so far...
November 29, 2025 at 12:00 PM
There were originally plans for 13,000 people to attend Your Party conference. There are about 2,500 people here. The ACC in Liverpool is VERY big. Labour conference is here. It does look a tad sparse so far...
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
Just 5,000 more votes needed to reach 100,000. Can we do it by lunchtime?
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
Petition: Call a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy
We are concerned about reported efforts from Russia to influence democracy in the US, UK, Europe and elsewhere. We believe we must establish the depth and breadth of possible Russian influence campaig...
petition.parliament.uk
November 29, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Just 5,000 more votes needed to reach 100,000. Can we do it by lunchtime?
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
You know when pro-HS2 people said it was about capacity more than speed, and the West Coast Main Line was filling up? Now we have no national rail strategy, no HS2 to Manchester and this absurd stupidity. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Soon-to-be-axed 7am Manchester-London train will still run – but without passengers
Exclusive: Rail regulator pulls Avanti service from timetable from mid-December but it is needed for staff travel
www.theguardian.com
November 29, 2025 at 8:17 AM
You know when pro-HS2 people said it was about capacity more than speed, and the West Coast Main Line was filling up? Now we have no national rail strategy, no HS2 to Manchester and this absurd stupidity. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
This is a corkscrew hazel - a plant with sculptural qualities, which looks great in winter and spring. In summer, it has rather drab foliage, but it remains a garden favourite because of its winter look.
There's a great story about its discovery here: bit.ly/3KtF6cU
#Photography #Gardening #Frost
There's a great story about its discovery here: bit.ly/3KtF6cU
#Photography #Gardening #Frost
November 29, 2025 at 10:11 AM
This is a corkscrew hazel - a plant with sculptural qualities, which looks great in winter and spring. In summer, it has rather drab foliage, but it remains a garden favourite because of its winter look.
There's a great story about its discovery here: bit.ly/3KtF6cU
#Photography #Gardening #Frost
There's a great story about its discovery here: bit.ly/3KtF6cU
#Photography #Gardening #Frost
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
November 28, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
High on the battered walls of the Pantheon, in Rome, there is a row of rectangular windows. I don't know their purpose, but I love these 2,000-year-old walls, which support the world's largest, un-reinforced, concrete dome.
#Photography #FensterFreitag #Rome #History #Architecture #Church
#Photography #FensterFreitag #Rome #History #Architecture #Church
November 28, 2025 at 10:29 AM
High on the battered walls of the Pantheon, in Rome, there is a row of rectangular windows. I don't know their purpose, but I love these 2,000-year-old walls, which support the world's largest, un-reinforced, concrete dome.
#Photography #FensterFreitag #Rome #History #Architecture #Church
#Photography #FensterFreitag #Rome #History #Architecture #Church
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
In other words if you don't use your brainpower you lose it
Which is like muscles really
Which is like muscles really
When people learn with ChatGPT instead of following their own searches, they end up knowing less, caring less, and producing worse advice, even when the facts are the same.
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Experimental evidence of the effects of large language models versus web search on depth of learning
Abstract. The effects of using large language models (LLMs) versus traditional web search on depth of learning are explored. A theory is proposed that when
academic.oup.com
November 28, 2025 at 2:11 PM
In other words if you don't use your brainpower you lose it
Which is like muscles really
Which is like muscles really
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
Coincidence corner: Nigel Farage and crypto.
From the new Private Eye, out now.
From the new Private Eye, out now.
November 28, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Coincidence corner: Nigel Farage and crypto.
From the new Private Eye, out now.
From the new Private Eye, out now.
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
A brief reminder that everyone should leave X and let that heil hole rot away as it deserves to
Small changes to ‘for you’ feed on X can rapidly increase political polarisation www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Small changes to ‘for you’ feed on X can rapidly increase political polarisation
Study finds that a week of political content can bring about a shift in views that previously would have taken three years
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 10:55 AM
A brief reminder that everyone should leave X and let that heil hole rot away as it deserves to
High on the battered walls of the Pantheon, in Rome, there is a row of rectangular windows. I don't know their purpose, but I love these 2,000-year-old walls, which support the world's largest, un-reinforced, concrete dome.
#Photography #FensterFreitag #Rome #History #Architecture #Church
#Photography #FensterFreitag #Rome #History #Architecture #Church
November 28, 2025 at 10:29 AM
High on the battered walls of the Pantheon, in Rome, there is a row of rectangular windows. I don't know their purpose, but I love these 2,000-year-old walls, which support the world's largest, un-reinforced, concrete dome.
#Photography #FensterFreitag #Rome #History #Architecture #Church
#Photography #FensterFreitag #Rome #History #Architecture #Church
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
The idea that if you keep teaching the word guessing programme words it will wake up is like if you keep breeding horses to run faster one of them will give birth to a locomotive”
Cory Doctorow on why AI singularity is a stoopid idea
⬇️
Cory Doctorow on why AI singularity is a stoopid idea
⬇️
Surpassing human capabilities isn’t the biggest threat that AI poses, says activist and author of “Enshittification” Cory Doctorow.
November 26, 2025 at 7:05 PM
The idea that if you keep teaching the word guessing programme words it will wake up is like if you keep breeding horses to run faster one of them will give birth to a locomotive”
Cory Doctorow on why AI singularity is a stoopid idea
⬇️
Cory Doctorow on why AI singularity is a stoopid idea
⬇️
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
November 27, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
It was an honour to chair this meeting.
November 27, 2025 at 2:28 PM
It was an honour to chair this meeting.
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
The predictable crushing uniformity of the coverage of this Budget tells you an awful lot about the priorities of those papers, and also why there's actually quite a lot to praise in it bylinetimes.com/2025/11/26/t...
November 27, 2025 at 9:40 AM
The predictable crushing uniformity of the coverage of this Budget tells you an awful lot about the priorities of those papers, and also why there's actually quite a lot to praise in it bylinetimes.com/2025/11/26/t...
November 27, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Reposted by Rick Gaehl
I wonder where the ill-informed get their info?
Actually, I don't.
Actually, I don't.
New net migration figures at 930am.
Net migration fell half a million to 344,000 in 2024 from 848k in 2023
56% of people think it went up last year
17% think stayed the same
14% think it went down
2025 figure to be lower again
16% expect that
38% think it will be up
31% about the same
Net migration fell half a million to 344,000 in 2024 from 848k in 2023
56% of people think it went up last year
17% think stayed the same
14% think it went down
2025 figure to be lower again
16% expect that
38% think it will be up
31% about the same
November 27, 2025 at 8:54 AM
I wonder where the ill-informed get their info?
Actually, I don't.
Actually, I don't.