Ben Evans

Ben Evans

@ogkittylyst.bsky.social

Cisqueer author / educator / software eng known for #architecture #performance #observability #Java #JVM Chaos acc: #cats #antifascism #queer >> #tech Cornishman in Barcelona. He / him. More: @kittylyst@mastodon.social

975 followers1.4K following2.7K posts

Ben Evans reposted

Tim
@timblue.bsky.social

Replying to @sexabolition.blog

In 1992 Olympics Zhang Shan entered an open skeet event and beat all the men, winning gold. The following year women were not allowed to enter. When women's events were brought back the events were segregated and the targets placed at a different distance so that the results could not be compared.

Ben Evans reposted

George Takei
@georgetakei.bsky.social

My heart is heavy. Walter Koenig, our Ensign Pavel Chekov, passed away early today. Walter and I met on the bridge of the Enterprise in the 1960s, and we stayed friends for nearly six decades. When Brad and I married in 2008, Walter stood beside us as our best man.

Ben Evans reposted

Yun
@rubydofox.bsky.social

I want all trans people to know that Erika Hilton is a black transwoman and the most-voted congresswoman in the history of Brazil, with 1.5 millions votes. She campaigned for Lula over the last three weeks. WE TRANS PEOPLE CAN EXIST IN POLITICS. It’s not a dream. It’s already a reality in Brazil!

Ben Evans reposted

Bruno Dies
@brunodias.dev

the contrast between seeing US democrats fall over themselves to embrace idiot transphobia all year and tonight seeing footage of the president embracing my (trans) congresswoman, Erika Hilton, at the election night party

Ben Evans reposted

Patrick Wyman
@patrickwyman.bsky.social

Lula winning is great for the planet, great for Brazil, and great for people who aren't revanchist assholes everywhere in the world, but let's not forget that it's also going to make some of the worst people on Earth extremely sad and mad. We should enjoy that, as a little treat.

Ben Evans
@ogkittylyst.bsky.social

If Yaxley-Lennon has genuinely found enough self-awareness to honestly embrace the Addict's Prayer & the journey that goes along with it then that is for him. However, "forgiveness" does not mean "gullible" or "born yesterday" - so a few more actions that demonstrate change would seem to be required

Otto English@ottoenglish.bsky.social

If patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel, then "performative pietism" is surely the panic room inside.

Ben Evans reposted

Barna.News
@barnanews.bsky.social

Barcelona Reaffirms Veto on Stopover Cruises Barcelona City Council has reaffirmed its veto on stopover cruise ships, reiterating plans to reduce their presence due to low passenger spending and high urban impact. https://barna.news/barcelona-reaffirms-veto-on-stopover/

barna.newsBarcelona Reaffirms Veto on Stopover CruisesBarcelona City Council has reaffirmed its veto on stopover cruise ships, reiterating plans to reduce their presence due to low passenger spending and high urban impact.

Ben Evans reposted

Mike Knell
@blat.at

You can see in this photo from the 1980s how everyone is chatting away to each other and making new friends on the Tube. That's how it used to be before smartphones came along and ruined everything.

Colin Smith@colinsmith.bsky.social

Francis Bacon snapped on London’s Piccadilly Line at lunchtime sometime in the 80s by Johnny Stiletto.

Ben Evans
@ogkittylyst.bsky.social

I have eaten the faces that were on the numpties Forgive me they were delicious so bitter and so utterly expected.

Hannah Graham@drhannahgraham.bsky.social

Now independent MSP Amanda Bland has spoken for the first time on why she left the Reform UK party in Holyrood: because of what she calls "abusive, misogynistic behaviour" by Reform leaders, who are named in this piece.

Ben Evans reposted

flyingrodent
@flyingrodent.bsky.social

Another one here where the British press just smashed fuck out of a member of the public’s life for no good reason, just because they wanted to and nobody will stop them doing at. And they’re still going, even now.

Ben Evans reposted

Katharine Hayhoe
@katharinehayhoe.com

Peak application of dendrochronology. 10/10, no notes.

Markus Eichhorn@markuseichhorn.bsky.social

Scandal in Nottingham as Ye Olde Trip doesn't even make it into the top ten oldest pubs in England. Even worse is that it's beaten by a pub in Southwell. The shame.

theguardian.comWhich is really England’s oldest pub? Tree-ring dating helps settle debateHistoric England archaeologist says some inns’ claims to date back 1,000 years are inaccurate and oldest dates from 1400s

Ben Evans reposted

Joe Noonan
@joenoonan.bsky.social

"I think that the European Union, both as it is and into the future, has been severely damaged by the absence of any moral position. "How can these people be aware of all of this and not call it a genocide?" - Michael D. Higgins

irishexaminer.comFrom Gaza to AI, Michael D Higgins warns of a world losing its moral compassIn a wide-ranging Irish Examiner interview, the former president discusses Gaza, climate failures, artificial intelligence and Ireland’s changing defence policy

Ben Evans reposted

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. * * *

Ben Evans reposted

Kieron Gillen
@kierongillen.bsky.social

Cyberdyne Systems employees have petitioned to stop the sale of its T-800 Terminators for the purpose of terminating.

WBUR@wbur.org

Dozens of employees at Boston Dynamics have petitioned the company to stop the sale of its robot dogs to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

trib.alICE wants robot dogs. Boston Dynamics' workers urge company to 'cancel the sale'Dozens of employees at Boston Dynamics have petitioned the company to stop the sale of its robot dogs to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Ben Evans reposted

TAHK0
@tahk0.bsky.social

Guillermo Del Toro dropping another one liner that’s exactly how I feel about AI slop, the “punishment” is built in