Brian Dolan
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smarterdonkey.net
Brian Dolan
@smarterdonkey.net
190 followers 150 following 84 posts
Hobby photographer - Hispanophile - Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society - air traffic wrangler. He / Him.
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Reposted by Brian Dolan
alexvont.bsky.social
If you feel like donating to the RNLI, here’s a link. I just have. Their minimum donation is £2: I think it might be nice for them to receive a lot of donations this week, even if they’re mostly very modest. Just so they know a lot of people out here appreciate their work. rnli.org/support-us/g...
Donate to the RNLI and help save lives at sea
Your donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here.
rnli.org
September 10, 2026 at 9:07 AM
smarterdonkey.net
"Changing the map obviously does not change the world. But correcting a representation that distorts it is already an act of truth" - French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. www.euronews.com/2026/09/05/p...
Paris drops Mercator projection: France now looks smaller on world maps
France is redrawing its world map: deeming the Mercator projection misleading, the foreign ministry will drop it in favour of a map that better reflects actual continental sizes, especially Africa.
www.euronews.com
September 5, 2026 at 6:09 PM
smarterdonkey.net
Still has that fresh new guitar smell straight out of the box 🎸 Quite impressive the quality of entry level guitars today. #EastCoastGuitars #AndertonsMusic #NewToy #Guitar #ElectricGuitar
A silver telecaster style guitar with black pick guard, still in the cardboard box it arrived in. East Coast guitars name and website on the box.
August 25, 2026 at 10:18 PM
smarterdonkey.net
It's going to take a while to get used to waiting for my film to be developed to see my photos again, but a definite vintage vibe from my #KodakGold and #Olympus #OM10 #SLR on the recent trip to Malaga. #FilmIsNotDead
The multi colour cube exterior of the Pompidou Centre Malaga, with a small (about 2m tall) palm tree in the foreground. A closer view of the multi-coloured panels making up the exterior of the Pompidou Centre Malaga, with reflections of some clouds in a blue sky. A small white lighthouse in Malaga harbour, framed by some palm trees and a white wooden trellis providing shade for the tourists walking below. A view of the La Equitiva building in Malaga, viewed from the pedestrianised Calle Larios, near midday with very bright sunlight and blue sky.
June 30, 2026 at 7:41 AM
Reposted by Brian Dolan
xkcd.com
Beam Pipe

xkcd.com/3257/
Comic. [Person with shoulder-length hair standing on ladder next to large machine with her hand on it. Another person watches from the ground.] [caption] This year’s physics Nobel will go to the scientists who figured out that you could make the large Hadron Collider more powerful by covering part of the beam pipe with your thumb.
June 11, 2026 at 7:48 PM
smarterdonkey.net
Choosing colour or black and white for your next photo is a much bigger commitment when you shoot film! #Olympus #OM10 #kodak #agfa #35mm #35mmfilm #filmphotography
A 1980’s Olympus OM10 SLR camera with some rolls of Agfa black and white, and Kodak colour film next to it.
June 9, 2026 at 6:41 PM
smarterdonkey.net
Flight may have been two hours late - but an hour from touchdown and made it to the city centre, checked into hotel, and now enjoying wine at a little bar int he centre of Malaga - waiting for my croquettas. 🇪🇸🍷
A glass of white wine on a black table. It is an outside table in a little bar with the lights of city streets in the background.
June 8, 2026 at 8:31 PM
Reposted by Brian Dolan
reckless.bsky.social
sometimes you just have to go all-caps in the headline www.theverge.com/podcast/9170...
April 23, 2026 at 2:06 PM
smarterdonkey.net
View from my work window - sunset behind the Donegal hills. #sunset #donegal #ireland #shotoniphone
A line of hills to the north west, silhouetted with clouds illuminated by the recently set sun, appearing to glow with reds and oranges.
April 22, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Reposted by Brian Dolan
janrosenow.bsky.social
Spain's renewables build-out has structurally decoupled its electricity prices from gas markets. Gas now sets the price in only 15% of hours, compared to 90% in Italy.

Countries that invested early in clean power are far less exposed to fossil fuel price shocks. Those that didn't now pay the price.
March 19, 2026 at 11:27 AM
smarterdonkey.net
One bonus of Japan to Europe flights routing eastbound, was this view of the sun coming up over Quttinirpaaq National Park (Inuktitut for “land at the top of the world”) in the far north of Canada. #Quttinirpaaq #Canada #Arctic #Travelphotography #Fjord #PlaneWindowPhotos
Blue sky over a frozen landscape. Snow covered mountains on either side of a frozen fjord are illuminated on one side by the low sun.
March 16, 2026 at 3:01 PM
smarterdonkey.net
Osaka Castle with plum blossoms. (Like cherry blossoms, but from plum trees #science) Two tigers on each wall of the upper floors represent strength, courage and protection. And a need to make sure you stocked up on crisps because they eat a lot. #osaka #crouchingtiger #japan #travelphotography
A 5 storey padoga style white castle with green roof tiles and gold decoration stands framed by some trees and bushes. In the foreground a plum orchard with pink blossoms on the trees. High up in the distance the green roof tiles of Osaka Castle are visible before a cloudy sky. Looking across a large moat, with high walls on the far side. At the top of the walls are a line of trees, behind which stand Osaka Castle, a white building with gold decorations on the outside, and vivid green tiles.
March 13, 2026 at 9:06 AM
smarterdonkey.net
Traditional style Japanese restaurant, with small private dining rooms, with some local speciality Kobe beef ready to cook on the hot stone grill. #japan #kobebeef #wagyu #beef #food #travelphotography #nippon #osaka
A small private dining room in a traditional style Japanese restaurant. A semicircular wooden table stands next to a stone wall, and bamboo and paper sliding partitions separate it from the hallway and other rooms. A photo showing the table, with a round hot stone grill in the background. Beside it is a plate with five slices of raw Kobe beef on a straw bed, next to some onions on wooden skewers, all waiting to be cooked. A white service dish with a selection of dips is next to them. A close up of two slices of the Kobe beef on a straw bed waiting to be cooked. A wooden label has a red stamp at the top, certifying this is the authentic Kobe version of Wagyu beef the text below translates as Gensen Rosu, ‘premium loin’.
March 12, 2026 at 11:59 AM
smarterdonkey.net
Even in the middle of the tourist hotspot of Dotonbori, small traditional shrines can be found. #osaka #japan #nippon #shrine #travelphotography #dotonbori
A small outdoor temple. Dozens of white lanterns with red and black writing hang from the beams above, There are stone pillars along the wall on the left, with wooden prayer boards above them. And a wooden chest in front of a round stone altar in the middle. A ceramic bowl with incense burners inserted into sand inside it sits on a stone plinth. Behind is a small altar with flowers on either side. And white Japanese lanterns with black and red writing hang above. A small board in the shrine explains the background: Hozenji Yokocho started as a street where vendors gathered to sell goods to worshippers at Hozenji, a small shrine, during the Edo era. Now there are a lot of stalls where unique restaurants and bars line up at the narrow street covered by stones. Because of the nostalgic atmosphere it has become popular among entertainers and cultured people, and the street is also mentioned in novels and popular songs.
March 12, 2026 at 11:49 AM
smarterdonkey.net
Luckily I chose a quiet time to take in the serene and calming sights of Dotonbori, Osaka. #dotonbori #japan #nippon #osaka #travelphotography
A narrow covered shopping street, in the evening with stores all lit up. The street between them is full of people as far as you can see into the distance. A bright red octopus sign over a store, it is wearing a headband, and is advertising the stores speciality of fried octopus balls by holding a bunch of them in its arms. Overhead signs in two next door shops, one is a giant samurai head, with a moustache, and baring their teeth, next door the samurai’s hand reaches out holding some sushi. 🍣 A group of people eating in a brightly lit, red painted corner cafe. Over the entrance a large green dragon keeps watch.
March 10, 2026 at 11:02 AM
smarterdonkey.net
Japanese Large Billed Crows just want to be your friend, or help you eat your lunch. #crow #birdsofbluesky #japan #nippon #travelphotography #wildlifephotography
A large billed crow standing on a railing next to my table examining whether I have anything tasty it could share. The crow has moved along the railing to help the next table along to eat faster.
March 9, 2026 at 10:21 AM
smarterdonkey.net
Tokyo Metropolitan Government buildings one and two. Sort of puts my local council to shame. #tokyo #tokyometropolitangovwrnment #travelphotography #cityscape #japan #nippon
Two 40 plus storey skyscrapers at night, with red, blue and green illuminations.
March 7, 2026 at 11:48 AM
smarterdonkey.net
Number two in the series; Bottles on Bars. Izakaya Edition. #tokyo #japan #nippon #travelphotography #izakaya
Sake on Shochu bottles lined up on a bar.
March 7, 2026 at 11:06 AM
smarterdonkey.net
View from the 41st floor bar of the Park Hyatt, Tokyo. #tokyo #tokyoatnight #city #travelphotography #lostintranslation #japan
View of Tokyo at night - skyscrapers in foreground - lights spreading out to the horizon.
March 7, 2026 at 10:06 AM
smarterdonkey.net
The ‘problem’ with Tokyo is that it’s quite easy to end up with slightly more cameras and lenses than you intended. #microfournerds #tokyo #japan #nippon #omsystem #olympus #camerashopping
Three camera on a wooden shelf. A silver and black OM System OM-3, a brown Olympus Pen Lite E-PL8, and in front a tiny red Kodak Charmera.
March 6, 2026 at 12:51 PM
smarterdonkey.net
Important to blend in. After only a few hours I don’t think anyone can tell im not actually Japanese with my order of sake and chips. #japan #nihon #sake #mountfuji #fujisan #travelphotography #travel
A plate of French fries with spices sprinkled on them. Behind is a traditional Japanese sake jar and cup. The cup is full of hot sake. There are various items in the background, like a menu and condiments, with Japanese script on them. A mostly blue image of a clear sky, with some water in the foreground, and the snow covered top of Mount Fuji in the middle of the frame.
March 5, 2026 at 10:42 AM
Reposted by Brian Dolan
naomiaklein.bsky.social
"These attacks are causing much suffering for Iranian people, and it’s destroying the space in which Iranians were struggling for social justice and civil liberties” - Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi, once imprisoned on death row in Iran. www.democracynow.org/2026/3/2/ira...
www.democracynow.org
March 2, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by Brian Dolan
rspbscience.bsky.social
This #InternationalDayofWomenandGirlsinScience meet just six of the inspiring women in our Conservation Science department and hear about some of their most memorable moments at the RSPB 🧪

Read the full story here: www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happen...
What’s it really like to work in science at the RSPB?
To mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we speak to six of our Conservation Scientists.
www.rspb.org.uk
February 11, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Reposted by Brian Dolan
humanists.uk
Very important!

If you support the #AssistedDyingBill and are frustrated with the Lords running down the clock, thereby subverting the democratic will of the elected chamber...

The most important thing you can do right now is sign this parliamentary petition. Sign! 👇 humanists.uk/2026/02/06/p...
TAKE ACTION: Sign petition to tell the Lords not to block Assisted Dying Bill
Sophie Blake, a 52-year-old mother with stage four breast cancer, has launched a petition calling on ‘the Government to do everything in its power to ensure that when bills are supported by MPs & the ...
humanists.uk
February 6, 2026 at 3:46 PM
smarterdonkey.net
Angry birds. #birdsofbluesky #wildlifephotography #WildIreland #stork #birds More residents of www.wildireland.org
Two storks walking towards each other. As the storks approach, both stretch open their wings. Two storks facing each other rising into the air simultaneously - here about 20cm off the ground. One stork with outstretched wings running on the ground chasing another as it flies quickly away.
January 26, 2026 at 6:46 PM