Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Michael Cruickshank

@cruickshank.bsky.social

5.9K followers 820 following 740 posts

Geospatial analyst, OSINT investigator, and journalist. Investigating the intersection of climate resilience and human systems, and sometimes writing fiction. From 🇦🇺, now in 🇪🇺. 📍Berlin, Germany https://www.michaelcruickshank.me/

www.michaelcruickshank.me

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Michael Cruickshank

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 1d

I really should spend less time creating in-universe maps for the sci-fi novel I'm working on and more time finishing writing it, but I digress...

3 1 10

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 1d

Yeh - they are basically DDR/Soviet Union cosplayers without the Communism. The tech level is mostly around 1970s level, with a few outliers such as electric cars and solar panels.

The biggest problem I have is that reality keeps catching up to the near-future sections, forcing me to rewrite.

1 1

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 1d

Great! The first chapter can be read here: static1.squarespace.com/static/5f7b1...

It’s a good introduction to the setting and style of the novel. If you like it, let me know and I can send you another 300 pages or so.

1 1

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 1d

If you are interested, I can send you the text :) - Always looking for critical feedback.

1 1

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 1d

Also, before anyone tells me the 'Russian' is wrong, I know, and it's intentional - in the setting they speak a grammatically devolved version of the language with a lot of loan words from English, Polish and Ukrainian.

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 1d

I really should spend less time creating in-universe maps for the sci-fi novel I'm working on and more time finishing writing it, but I digress...

3 1 10

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 3d

Kaisers (rip) used to sell a Temu TimTam called ‘Sydney’. It paled in comparison to the original.

1 3

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 5d

Some images from today’s outing on Ilha das Flores.

1 9

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 6d

Paid a visit to the westernmost point of Europe* today. So far west it's actually geologically in North America.

*Yes, I am aware of French Guyana/St Pierre and Miquelon.

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 8d

Also (I think) that image of Saturn also includes Titan. Might just be a lens artefact though.

1 2

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 8d

Sadly it’s below the horizon - might try tomorrow

2 1

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 8d

I just found this guy in the place i am staying and decided to give it a whirl

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 8d

Managed to find Saturn 🪐 on my first attempt at amateur astronomy. Had no idea you’d be able to see the rings - thought it would just be a point of light.

2 1 18

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 8d

My admittedly brief research turned up the Vikings and Catheginians as possibilities, but I don't know how much evidence their is for either.

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 10d

Was kinda already done in the Black Mirror episode San Junipero.

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 11d

Managed to make my dependency network structures for my critical infrastructure model look pretty a e s t h e t i c.

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 13d

The Russian Orthodox Church had to issue a ban on priests blessing WMDs.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/02...

1 4

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 13d

Just don't use Steamboat Mickey!

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 13d

This also breaks the automated alert system I helped create to track RSF arson attacks - a common war crime against civilians in the ongoing civil war in Sudan.
bigdatarepublic.nl/articles/det...

Detecting War Crimes from Space | Blog post by Tom Uijtdehaag - BigData Republic

In this blog post you'll read how to build an Open-Source Pipeline with SQLMesh and DuckDB. In this use case, it helps the Center for Information Resilience to detect war crimes from space!

bigdatarepublic.nl

1 3

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 13d

Looks like the FIRMS satellite fire detection system is offline due to the US government shutdown.

Just one more reminder that anyone involved in OSINT or disaster response cannot rely on US space-based assets in any critical role, given the current state of the governing regime in the country.

7 44 120

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 13d

Hmmm - it's quite outside of my area of expertise, so I'm not sure I'd have good recommendations. But this video has a more nuanced explanation of the situation with sand:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB0q...

Is the World Really Running Out of Sand?

YouTube video by Practical Engineering

www.youtube.com

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 13d

I mean it’s still an interesting examination of the sand industry and it’s role in society etc, and the Sand Mafia is a real thing , it’s just the “running out of sand” narrative that is built on a foundation of (you guessed it) sand.

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 13d

1 7

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 13d

The problem is this book is largely based on an incorrect premise. The world isn’t actually running out of sand, it just might get somewhat more expensive (and that’s probably a good thing).

1 1

Michael Cruickshank @cruickshank.bsky.social · 15d

The original song is so goated that any variant of it shares a sliver of its greatness. Sadly the content was radically off the mark, rather than radically based off Marx.

a white cat is laying on a pink blanket and looking at the camera

ALT: a white cat is laying on a pink blanket and looking at the camera

media.tenor.com