Original post: universeodon.com/@georgetakei...

NASA shuts down another instrument on the first Voyager probe to save power As the space probe's power level dropped unexpectedly after a routine maneuver, NASA had to quickly shut down another measuring instrument.

Voyager 1 was originally designed to operate for about 5 years. It is still sending data from interstellar space, nearly 50 years after launch.
#NASA shuts down another instrument on the first #Voyager probe to save power heise.de/-11263584

Postback, Donate By Post For Free It’s easy to donate items by post for free to Oxfam, extend the life of your pre-loved items, and help support life-changing projects for people living in poverty. Order your bag online or by phone...

#CircularEconomy
You can now order a special prepaid Oxfam Postback bag at OxfamIreland.org, or by phone. Fill it with your unwanted items and An Post will deliver it to the charity at no cost
Postback, Donate By Post For Free | Oxfam Ireland www.oxfamireland.org/postback-don...

Sarah Moss: The unshed tears of men with big trucks are costly indeed How different would Ireland have been this last century if the tears of women were a national emergency?

Good opinion piece here.

How different would Ireland be if grown women ‘close to tears’ could bring the country to a standstill? – The Irish Times www.irishtimes.com/life-style/p...

@kildarecoco.bsky.social on Bluesky We are delighted that Naas Library and Cultural Centre has been chosen as one of ten venues across the county to host an exhibition on the 1926 Census. The exhibition will take place in July. Read about it here: https://ow.ly/skg650YKOZi #Kildare #YourCouncil

Great to see

@greencollective.io great analysis as always. Picking up on the scant data on *when* data centres draw power (Feb newsletter?): is the any evidence that Ireland's demand curve is flattening? Could this be due to data centres?

That is a shame. I thought your post was insightful. It is a shame if it led to negative comments or ad hominin personal attacks

Government to undertake ‘fundamental security review’ after fuel protests | BreakingNews The €505 million in additional measures comes on top of and extends some of last month’s €250 million package in response to fuel costs

How great would it be if this review looked at treating the cause rather than the symptom, by recommending the fast-tracking of more renewable rollout, EV car & truck charging infra, heavily subsidised solar + heat pumps, electric public transport etc.

www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/gove...
#IrishPol

🇮🇪 is notable for the scale of redistribution:
Market-income Gini (before taxes): ~0.45
Disposable-income Gini (after taxes): ~0.27–0.29 🇮🇪 has very strong redistribution through taxes and social transfers, bringing inequality well below the OECD average www.oecd.org/en/data/indi...

Good timeline above. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip.

And just for context:

Garda Commissioner declares national fuel protests an ‘exceptional event’; Ambulance and fire services to curtail operations due to fuel shortages Country on the brink of economic chaos as people panic-buy fuel and forecourts start to run dry.

www.independent.ie/irish-news/g.... Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan referred to “outside actors” attempting to manipulate events politically, but did not cite funding or financial links.

The Blockade Is the Message How a Fuel Price Spike Became a Fascist Audition

And here. forlouth.medium.com/the-blockade...
And there have been arrests. I think, on balance the Gardaí have acquitted themselves well. It could have been a whole heap worse. And compared to the summer anti-immigrant prostests violence has been *relatively* rare.

iBallesty (@iBallesty@mastodon.ie) Attached: 1 image This is no longer #FuelProtestIreland. This has been hijacked by the regular rabble-rousers. This is now a anti-establishment campaign. #disinformation Is rife. Protest is after n...

thanks for sharing. Good early investigation here: mastodon.ie/@iBallesty/1...

Turning debt into forests: the finance tool making a comeback While Africa and Latin America have dominated these deals, Asia has lagged behind with just 13% of total global ‘debt-for-nature’ swaps.

#ClimateFinance #DebtForNature swaps—where countries #GreenFinance debt for funding environmental protection making a comeback as #ClimateAction. Once common, today’s deals are larger and bank‑led. Latin America and Africa dominate, Asia a key area.🔗 theconversation.com/turning-debt...

We need to have the conversation /public health campaign, on how to minimize the chances of #covid19 --> #LongCovid. Rest and fully recover helps. Paxlovid? (Dubious). Metformin (BMI dependent?). See thread here: bsky.app/profile/ibal...

Credit where it’s due: the demonstration remained largely peaceful and well‑controlled, which is admirable. I hope the stand‑down is temporary and that government acts in good faith. You had my support initially, but it was lost by day three due to the protest […]

[Original post on mastodon.ie]

ENO Breathe - ENO 11 May 2026

#Covid19
A brilliant example of arts + medicine working together: ENO Breathe offers online, evidence‑based breathing support through singing for people with #LongCovid and other respiratory challenges.
Currently NHS‑referral only (England).
🔗 www.eno.org/engage/eno-b...

I watched the same thing happen in #ChileDespertó 2019. A legitimate protest, essentially about the cost of living, morphed into a massive violent protest led by an amorphous partisan few and definitely fuelled by outside sources
This will be very difficult for the government to get under control

A once legitimate protest hijacked and divertered into an anti establishment protest by a disgruntled minority, too afraid to protest the 🇺🇸 Embassy but happy to disrupt the ordinary working folk. Effective protest would be planned, regular and negotiated. www.thebriefing.ie/who-is-fundi...

They've already shut down Rosslare port to freight.

This is no longer #FuelProtestIreland. This has been hijacked by the regular disgruntled few. This is now a anti-establishment campaign. #disinformation
Is rife.

Who is funding the online campaign? www.thebriefing.ie/who-is-fundi...

This is no longer #FuelProtestIreland. This has been hijacked by the regular rabble-rousers. This is now a anti-establishment campaign. #disinformation
Is rife. Protest is after negotiation.

Who is funding the fuel protest's online campaign? www.thebriefing.ie/who-is-fundi...

🇮🇪 **Ireland respiratory virus update (Week 13, 2026):**
✅ Influenza & RSV activity has decreased and is now at baseline
✅ #COVID19 remains low and stable
✅ Other respiratory viruses detected at low levels
💉 #Vaccination, strong surveillance & IPC remain key to […]

[Original post on mastodon.ie]

🇮🇪 Respiratory virus update (Week 13):
✅ Influenza & RSV down to baseline;
✅ #COVID19 low & stable;
✅ other respiratory viruses at low levels. 💉 #Vaccination, surveillance & IPC remain key. 🔗 www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respirat... #LongCovid #PreventLongCovid

There is growing evidence that the algorithm is being “nudged”. The protest, without central leadership was easy prey to amplification, and hijacking by the usual rabble-rousers www.thebriefing.ie/who-is-fundi...

iBallesty (@iBallesty@mastodon.ie) Attached: 1 image #Ireland #PolIE #FuelprotestsIreland don’t “go viral” by accident. 
Liz Carolan breaks down how #Meta’s platforms (Facebook + WhatsApp), paid ads, and weak ad transparency helped ...

Interesting piece in #TheBriefing
#FuelprotestsIreland don’t “go viral” by accident. Liz Carolan breaks down how #Meta’s platforms (Facebook + WhatsApp), paid ads, and weak ad transparency helped scale Ireland’s […]
[Original post on mastodon.ie] (mastodon.ie/@iBallesty/1...)

There’s a pic in circulation in Irish farmer WhatsApp groups purporting to be of petrol prices in Portugal today. It’s being used to suggest the govt here isn’t doing as much as others to support farmers. I’ve been sent it several times. It must be old or unrepresentative.
1/2

www.ft.com/content/6fb3105e-d661-4c...

Every few years, software is declared “dead”.
This time, it’s AI agents that are supposedly going to wipe out SaaS.

Feels familiar.

AI will be no different. Models can reason, but they don’t understand payroll […]

#Ireland #PolIE

#FuelprotestsIreland don’t “go viral” by accident. Liz Carolan breaks down how #Meta’s platforms (Facebook + WhatsApp), paid ads, and weak ad transparency helped scale Ireland’s fuel protests—and how once mobilised, movements are quickly hijacked […]

[Original post on mastodon.ie]

www.ft.com/content/6fb3105e-d661-4c02-99f2-8f5b14048107

Will AI wipe out SaaS? No, models can reason but can't manage payroll, supply chains or regulatory close without enterprise software, trusted data and proper governance. Software isn't being replaced; it's being asked to do more

Excellent analysis from buff.ly/FdChEi8
Wind met 40.7% of electricity demand in March, making it the largest domestic power source on the Irish grid — only the second March this has happened (after 2024).
☀️hit a record too: 115.3GWh from solar farms, up ~20% YoY, supplying 3.1% of demand — a record.