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@wedge.black

Reticulating splines Visit http://wedge.black for me

532 followers1.2K following2.1K posts

Pinned

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@wedge.black

Tragically limp that I use something called an ‘iPad’ (balloon-animal font) instead of an Ono-Sendai Tetratronic CyberDeck (lightning-skull font).

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Ian McQue
@ianmcque.bsky.social

Listening to a report about Google chopping down a quarter of a million trees in Finland to build a data centre while washing out yoghurt pots for the recycling

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@wedge.black

So Anne Hathaway travels millions of years back in time, and returns to the present but 20 minutes before she left. So there are two Anne Hathaways in the present. Change my mind.

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@wedge.black

omgosh I’ve just realised – in the present, she rang her husband to save him, but she didn’t save her kids or herself. so she and her kids are going millions of years into the past without her protective husband.

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Kieron Gillen
@kierongillen.bsky.social

My mind is just collapsing at the "we have far-right entryist groups offering themselves as middle-men to hook you up with professional hitmen, but our big priority is covering up pride pins" of the present BBC.

Leicester Gazette@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *

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Nikola
@greasyboiler.bsky.social

Decades of hard-won progress erased in a few short years by a handful of politicians & newspaper editors who figured that non-stop screeching about asylum seekers and trans people was the only way to maintain electoral consent for perma-austerity while every part of the state visibly rots.

Adam Bienkov@adambienkov.bsky.social

"This hatred, it’s like a cancer. It spreads because people will always say, ‘Oh, it’s just the illegals.’ It’s not. “From what I experienced, it was anyone who was remotely different, different creed, different colour, different sexuality.” www.theargus.co.uk/news/2665180...

theargus.co.ukActor describes 'abysmal racism and homophobia' he faced in ChichesterAn assault on a cast member of a play in Chichester was "just the tip of the iceberg" of the "racism, xenophobia and homophobia" the cast faced in the town, an actor has claimed.
dot Black
@wedge.black

as i finish a packet of sweets (8 sweets = 1 portion, so i had 4 portions) i like to recognise that the packet will either be around a thousand years or be burnt to release chemicals into our air

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@wedge.black

I don’t understand this phishing email. While I have not clicked, I have hovered on the links and they are real. But Amazon always address me by name, and I have not received £2.49, I don’t think. What do you reckon?

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@wedge.black

It’s real! Checked my account in the app and I have £2.49! Why did their email fail to use my name?

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@wedge.black

“We’re going to the abandoned hospital.” — Every building is abandoned, so… “I’ve heard it’s haunted.” — From who? You are alone. Hide and seek was a good idea though. #Apocalypse

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@wedge.black

War Machine War Machines War Machine 3: Misfire War Machine Reconstruction Thoth War Machine: Da’ath War Machine: The Twins War Machine: Earth War

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@wedge.black

How exciting - my town has a ‘banking hub’ as many banks can’t afford a high street presence. And it includes our post office! Open 9 to 5. Closed weekends. Fuck you very much 😊

dot Black
@wedge.black

ah. it isn’t a post office. It just sells stamps, holiday insurance, and does pensions. like many towns, we all just gave to use corner shops for sending parcels. the post office and royal mail brands can’t survive this genericism.

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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C)
@doctorow.pluralistic.net

No matter where you shop, you're getting screwed by Amazon. Amazon has found a way to make everything you buy - at Target, at a mom-and-pop shop, even direct from the manufacturer - more expensive. And they're not the only one: Expedia's done the same thing, but for hotel rooms.

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Martin Wattenberg
@wattenberg.bsky.social

Four dimensions is too many! Let's unfold this 4D cube to three dimensions, then two, and then one. Don't worry, we'll put it back together again. The math is lovely, but it's the rhythm and dance of the lines that fascinates me here.

dot Black
@wedge.black

I knew it! wolf should be spelled with a u, wulf but scribes didn’t want to write uuulf for readability reasons and so it became uuolf

This post is unavailable.

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Dr Keith 🎃 Wilson
@keithwilson.eu

Over 36,000 strong and growing, there has never been a better time to move your #Bluesky account to #Eurosky! Developed and hosted within the EU, rather than the US, Eurosky is subject to EU data protection and privacy laws. Plus a eurosky.social, mu.social or custom handle… What’s not to like?

Eurosky Social@eurosky.social

RIP EU-Haul 🪦 Welcome Eurosky Migration Service 🤗 They grow up so fast 🥹 -> move.eurosky.tech

dot Black
@wedge.black

This is our ‘Smiths’ now that TG Jones shut it down. So while we get a new library next year, we don’t have a real bookshop. If I had £5k, i could be tempted to set up a secondhand + new bookshop, but it would need 50 customers a week and that just seems unlikely in my small town.

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David Thomas MooahahahAHAHA!
@dtmooreeditor.bsky.social

Replying to @ewacat.bsky.social

actual article: fleeting reference to diagnoses exceeding projections, then many paragraphs on how not enough is being done to support people after diagnosis BBC headline: "ADHD over diagnosed"

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davemakes🔶
@mixolumia.com

Replying to @mixolumia.com

Maybe I can ask a friend what a Googlebook is on Google Talk, I mean Google Buzz, I mean Google Wave, I mean Google+, I mean Google Hangouts, I mean Google Spaces, I mean Google Allo, I mean Google Duo, I mean Google Meet, I mean Google Chat