Bone Direcrow

Bone Direcrow

@kapowaz.net

Designer/Engineer. Maker of things. Emoji artisan. Keyboard enthusiast (@kapowaz.industries). Coventry City fan. Invented @-replies. Not John Green. Non-American. He/Him.

1K followers734 following7.2K posts

Bone Direcrow reposted

Stephen Collins
@stephencollins.bsky.social

What’s that you say? Liz has a new book out which even the Telegraph is saying is even more unhinged than the last one? Wonderful, I’ll post this then.

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

lol the BBC’s both-sideism extends to digging up a palaeontologist defending the private sale of a dinosaur skeleton, because god knows billionaires need their side told

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

Bournemouth have scored 13 goals and taken 10 points away from Old Trafford in their last four visits. Three of them have been 3-0. Absolutely nuts.

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

As a parent the clocks changing is simply a new and exciting way to experience sleep deprivation one way or another.

Lewis@lgambrose.bsky.social

Yeah an extra hour of sleep sounds great, but is it as good as having a kid who doesn't understand the concept, gets enough sleep, and wakes you up as if the clocks didn't go back?

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

Share who you think looked the hottest anyone has looked in a movie

Andy Dawson@andydawson.bsky.social

Share who you think looked the hottest anyone has ever looked in a movie

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

This is proper mental. We’re months from some sort of new Section 28.

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. * * *
Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

If the team that made the Mass Effect series isn't a viable business then I have absolutely no idea what is going on with videogames any more.

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

In a few years time we’ll look back at the current fascism-enabling era of BBC News with rose-tinted nostalgia as it gradually slides further and further into Reach Media-esque clickbait and popups

Michael Savage@michaelsavage.bsky.social

BBC News is a good example of big cuts still to come. Today, it has told staff of 100 more job losses, saving £5.5m. That's on top of previous cuts of £25m and £1.8m. But it has to get to a total of £51m in cuts - so still plenty to come next year.

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

If I were a British musician I would be talking to my label about excluding my catalog from this station.

Press Gazette@pressgazette.co.uk

GB News is launching GB Music Radio, a 24-hour digital station only playing artists from Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on 2 November. Chief revenue officer Ross Sergeant said this "gives advertisers something genuinely new". radiotoday.co.uk/2026/10/gb-m...

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

The prospective Reform MP candidate saying ‘day one, build concentration camps’ kind of puts a bow on the whole thing

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

There’s something fundamentally broken with society. Genuinely.

Marie Le Conte@youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com

hatttttttte this I hate it I hate it it makes me so sad I hate it www.ft.com/content/989c...

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

One of the reasons I did this is because I'm so sick to death of the BBC's credulous yet breathless coverage of Man City, which they just demonstrated again in MOTD, talking of ‘air of defiance’, ‘fueling the fans’ etc.

Bone Direcrow@kapowaz.net

I’ve updated my Football Predictor web app for 2026/27*. It has a new feature which I call ‘genuine mode’ which excludes Manchester City from the Premier League, and disregards all fixtures involving them from the tabulation. kapowaz.github.io/football-pre...

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

*Only Premier League and Championship for now — League One and Two cost money from the API. I've also disabled the ‘AI Prediction’ feature as there’s just too many matches remaining for this to be efficiently calculated at this stage.

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

Yet more surprising finds in the barrel of the Rotten Apples Party

Cat Neilan@catneilan.bsky.social

Exclusive: Reform mayor Luke Campbell is under police investigation for allegedly cyberflashing a female member of staff Campbell, an Olympic gold boxer, is accused of having shown a a senior female officer four fully “naked and sexualised images” of himself observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

observer.co.ukReform mayor under police investigation for alleged cyber...Luke Campbell, an Olympic gold medallist boxer and rising star in Nigel Farage’s party, is accused of showing naked pictures of himself to female colleague
Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

I’m so bored of US culture being seen as UK culture by default. Why would anyone not from the US know this? It’s pernicious and I’m done with it.

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

I’ve long struggled with the fact the BBC does enormously good stuff in the bigger picture whilst simultaneously platforming bigots and helping to ratchet up right-wing rhetoric. It’s a valuable institution that shouldn’t be allowed to collapse. But god do they make it hard sometimes.

Tim Bale@timbale.bsky.social

An estimated 97% of households use the BBC's services each week. "Many, however, take the BBC for granted – until they’re deprived of it. A study in 2022 found that after nine days without it, 70% of those who’d said it was poor value changed their minds."

theconversation.comWhat’s behind the BBC’s funding crisis? An expert explainsIt means more programmes will face the axe as cost-cutting continues.
Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

oh I have thoughts about this related to the absolute _reams_ of content agentic tools generate...

This post is unavailable.

Bone Direcrow reposted

Prince Charles Cinema
@princecharlescinema.com

The Prince Charles Cinema Secures its Future The Prince Charles Cinema is thrilled to announce that we have signed a new 25-year lease with no break clause, ensuring our projectors will keep rolling for years to come. #YouSavedthePCC

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net
Ron Filipkowski@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social

Pretty clear that Trump/Hegseth are doing everything they can to force Ukraine to surrender to Putin by withholding all US assistance while actively helping fund the Russian war machine to kill as many civilians as possible including kids. What a dark, evil chapter in US history.

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

You’ve got: - zero corporation tax - operating in international waters, so no legal protections for workers *or* customers - constant upsell and gouging - exploitative use of metrics to create precarious employment conditions for staff - no regard for the environmental impact of the ships

Bone Direcrow reposted

Anil Dash
@anildash.com

You know, the thing is, I had drafted this piece a month ago, and then never published it, because I thought maybe it was too mean.

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

Fascinating how two separate replies to this both mentioned Obama AND George Soros. Struck a nerve?

Bone Direcrow@kapowaz.net

Russia influenced a sovereign democratic referendum. To what degree is immaterial: that they influenced it is what counts. As a result, about the only thing we can say with certainty is that it *wasn’t* a clean, uninfluenced outcome.

Bone Direcrow
@kapowaz.net

Sadly none of the videos work any more but this article from Adam Curtis’ archived BBC blog is a fascinating read. I often think about it in the context of Slow Horses, which feels a more accurate reflection of ‘the Service’ than Le Carre or James Bond. www.bbc.co.uk/webarchive/h...

bbc.co.ukBUGGERBUGGER The recent revelations by the whistleblower Edward Snowden were fascinating. But they - and all the reactions to them - had one enormous assumption at their heart.  That the spies know what t...