Mike Knell
@blat.at
Middle-aged Anglo-Austrian SRE, he/him. In a love-hate relationship with amateur radio since 1985. Drummer. Cat staff member. Big fan of diversity, inclusion, empathy and humanity in general. Not a fan of bigots.
The Financial Times is now calling Trump a crackpot. Given its usual highly diplomatic tone of voice this is quite an
achievement.
achievement.
January 19, 2026 at 2:41 PM
The Financial Times is now calling Trump a crackpot. Given its usual highly diplomatic tone of voice this is quite an
achievement.
achievement.
I heard a Greenlander described as "Trump's man in Nuuk" interviewed on the radio and he's so obviously looking to become Trump's quisling "ruler". He should remember that being a quisling didn't end up well for OG trope-namer Vidkun Quisling.
January 19, 2026 at 7:45 AM
I heard a Greenlander described as "Trump's man in Nuuk" interviewed on the radio and he's so obviously looking to become Trump's quisling "ruler". He should remember that being a quisling didn't end up well for OG trope-namer Vidkun Quisling.
Reposted by Mike Knell
January 18, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by Mike Knell
Friedrich Nietzsche, 1875.
January 18, 2026 at 4:43 PM
Friedrich Nietzsche, 1875.
Reposted by Mike Knell
The Brian Blessed Audiobook Collection
January 16, 2026 at 10:20 PM
The Brian Blessed Audiobook Collection
Became citizen and applied for passport: Tuesday
Passport arrived: Thursday
That's almost Swiss levels of efficiency..
Passport arrived: Thursday
That's almost Swiss levels of efficiency..
January 15, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Became citizen and applied for passport: Tuesday
Passport arrived: Thursday
That's almost Swiss levels of efficiency..
Passport arrived: Thursday
That's almost Swiss levels of efficiency..
Reposted by Mike Knell
Columbo in his first episode looks like a dog that's just come back from the groomer
October 14, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Columbo in his first episode looks like a dog that's just come back from the groomer
American people: ICE is behaving like the Gestapo.
German media: Can't argue with that, looks Gestapo-ish to us for sure.
American media: ICE are nothing like the Gestapo. Here's why.
German media: Can't argue with that, looks Gestapo-ish to us for sure.
American media: ICE are nothing like the Gestapo. Here's why.
January 14, 2026 at 5:50 PM
American people: ICE is behaving like the Gestapo.
German media: Can't argue with that, looks Gestapo-ish to us for sure.
American media: ICE are nothing like the Gestapo. Here's why.
German media: Can't argue with that, looks Gestapo-ish to us for sure.
American media: ICE are nothing like the Gestapo. Here's why.
Anyone else remember when a group of peacefully protesting students got pepper-sprayed in 2011 and it caused a national scandal? ICE walking around with massive cans of the stuff and casually spraying it into car air vents and at people just because they dare to "talk back" is quite the contrast.
January 14, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Anyone else remember when a group of peacefully protesting students got pepper-sprayed in 2011 and it caused a national scandal? ICE walking around with massive cans of the stuff and casually spraying it into car air vents and at people just because they dare to "talk back" is quite the contrast.
I'm generally a big fan of the Who but having now listened to "Tommy" for the first time in my life I think it's fair to say "good lord, is that all?". The most charitable thing I can find to say is that well, maybe it hasn't aged well. An over-long concept album disguised as "rock opera". Oh dear.
January 14, 2026 at 12:11 PM
I'm generally a big fan of the Who but having now listened to "Tommy" for the first time in my life I think it's fair to say "good lord, is that all?". The most charitable thing I can find to say is that well, maybe it hasn't aged well. An over-long concept album disguised as "rock opera". Oh dear.
Austria certainly has its faults like any country (I can say that in public now I'm a citizen) but around here it's not unknown for cops who use excessive force to end up unemployed or even in jail, often on the testimony of their own colleagues. Cellphone video and CCTV have changed everything.
January 13, 2026 at 9:26 PM
Austria certainly has its faults like any country (I can say that in public now I'm a citizen) but around here it's not unknown for cops who use excessive force to end up unemployed or even in jail, often on the testimony of their own colleagues. Cellphone video and CCTV have changed everything.
Just how many agencies have jurisdiction in the US to cosplay as soldiers and threaten the public with firearms? Do the National Weather Service and the Library of Congress have their own heavily armed tactical units with nationwide jurisdiction over people who fold the page corners down on books?
January 12, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Just how many agencies have jurisdiction in the US to cosplay as soldiers and threaten the public with firearms? Do the National Weather Service and the Library of Congress have their own heavily armed tactical units with nationwide jurisdiction over people who fold the page corners down on books?
I'm doing this to show solidarity with the wine moms of Minneapolis. Best slacktivism EVER. ✊
January 12, 2026 at 5:46 PM
I'm doing this to show solidarity with the wine moms of Minneapolis. Best slacktivism EVER. ✊
The deranged yet hilarious stuff about "armies of wine moms" committing heinous crimes against armed-to-the-teeth ICE agents in full soldier cosplay that's permeating outlets like Fox and Newsmax is a dead giveaway that they're feeling threatened. They should. Moms organise stuff *all the time*.
January 12, 2026 at 9:43 AM
The deranged yet hilarious stuff about "armies of wine moms" committing heinous crimes against armed-to-the-teeth ICE agents in full soldier cosplay that's permeating outlets like Fox and Newsmax is a dead giveaway that they're feeling threatened. They should. Moms organise stuff *all the time*.
Nothing says "British people" quite like filling your street with cars parked so badly that the bin lorry can't get through to empty your bins then deciding that the solution to the problem is not to talk to the council but to complain to the local paper.
January 12, 2026 at 9:16 AM
Nothing says "British people" quite like filling your street with cars parked so badly that the bin lorry can't get through to empty your bins then deciding that the solution to the problem is not to talk to the council but to complain to the local paper.
Spread over the next few posts because character limits is an English translation of today's front page editorial in Austrian newspaper Der Standard. If only the American and British press did this rather than the usual "Is Trump really a misogynistic fascist? Some experts disagree." stuff. 1/8
January 12, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Spread over the next few posts because character limits is an English translation of today's front page editorial in Austrian newspaper Der Standard. If only the American and British press did this rather than the usual "Is Trump really a misogynistic fascist? Some experts disagree." stuff. 1/8
Reposted by Mike Knell
It's actually a good thing that previously apolitical normies are finally getting angry and starting to speak out. We need the numbers in the streets and at the polls.
If your response to them is "no, fuck you, too late," then you don't actually care about stopping Trump. You're just preening.
If your response to them is "no, fuck you, too late," then you don't actually care about stopping Trump. You're just preening.
January 11, 2026 at 7:49 PM
It's actually a good thing that previously apolitical normies are finally getting angry and starting to speak out. We need the numbers in the streets and at the polls.
If your response to them is "no, fuck you, too late," then you don't actually care about stopping Trump. You're just preening.
If your response to them is "no, fuck you, too late," then you don't actually care about stopping Trump. You're just preening.
Reposted by Mike Knell
I don’t think we should have ceded control quite so quickly and without so much as a fight.
January 10, 2026 at 2:52 AM
I don’t think we should have ceded control quite so quickly and without so much as a fight.
The 10th of January is the tenth anniversary of the death of David Bowie, the event which upset the balance of the cosmos and pitched the world into the darkness that began with the Brexit vote a few months later. Ten years is long enough for the planet to mourn. The turnaround starts here. #bowie
January 9, 2026 at 9:42 PM
The 10th of January is the tenth anniversary of the death of David Bowie, the event which upset the balance of the cosmos and pitched the world into the darkness that began with the Brexit vote a few months later. Ten years is long enough for the planet to mourn. The turnaround starts here. #bowie
Earlier today I followed Apple's repair manual to replace the display on my MacBook Pro having procured original parts via their online parts store. And it worked fine. Hooray for right to repair laws.
Fun fact: One of the internal TORX screws had a completely stripped head. Yep, from the factory.
Fun fact: One of the internal TORX screws had a completely stripped head. Yep, from the factory.
January 9, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Earlier today I followed Apple's repair manual to replace the display on my MacBook Pro having procured original parts via their online parts store. And it worked fine. Hooray for right to repair laws.
Fun fact: One of the internal TORX screws had a completely stripped head. Yep, from the factory.
Fun fact: One of the internal TORX screws had a completely stripped head. Yep, from the factory.
Reposted by Mike Knell
Had forgotten the utter joy of this. And if you feel inspired to donate after watching it, the U.K. Comic Relief website is www.comicrelief.com
The charity vid has always been my favourite thing on the internet, nothing else comes close.
Flight of the Conchords - Feel Inside (and stuff like that) - official Cure Kids long version
YouTube video by CureKidsNZ
www.youtube.com
January 8, 2026 at 12:31 PM
Had forgotten the utter joy of this. And if you feel inspired to donate after watching it, the U.K. Comic Relief website is www.comicrelief.com
Reposted by Mike Knell
These are apparently facial reconstructions of a 2,300-year-old Pazyryk Scythian male and female from the same kurgan in Berel, Kazakhstan and not - as I first thought - that couple I met at a Spiral Tribe soundsystem in 1992 who sold me E that turned out to be paracetamol.
January 8, 2026 at 8:28 AM
These are apparently facial reconstructions of a 2,300-year-old Pazyryk Scythian male and female from the same kurgan in Berel, Kazakhstan and not - as I first thought - that couple I met at a Spiral Tribe soundsystem in 1992 who sold me E that turned out to be paracetamol.
TIL that during the planning for the London Olympics opening ceremony some unfortunate researcher phoned up the Who's manager to ask if Keith Moon might be interested in taking part. They were politely informed that it might prove hard to reach him as he had died in 1978.
January 3, 2026 at 7:29 PM
TIL that during the planning for the London Olympics opening ceremony some unfortunate researcher phoned up the Who's manager to ask if Keith Moon might be interested in taking part. They were politely informed that it might prove hard to reach him as he had died in 1978.