Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 2h

Something to do with psychology.
Those things burn at 800°C? Most folk don’t encounter anything that hot, ever, so your repeated warning means nothing

… if I leave my grill pan on the hob unattended, it’ll get way too hot to handle even with an oven glove. Still means nothing

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 3h

I recall Prof David Crich buying me a pint or two in there in Dec ‘86; I forget the occasion. I forget the beer too; I think it was sonething at the heavier sweeter end of the Young’s range of that era

Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 3h

Possibly looking for RFK Jr’s brain, in case he dumped it with the dead bear by mistake

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 3h

I remember the old days when you had time to spare to hold forth about Las Vegas’s hot tubs; way more dangerous than mere tear gas

Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 3h

Always use the gun if you can; 150-odd shells, as opposed to 20 or so torpedoes.
The most successful submarine commander of all time made a total of one (1) sinkings by torpedo, the rest were scuttlings by boarding party, or gunnery as shown

Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 3h

Vikings? The private equity managers of the Old Norse world? Tsk.

Reposted by Patrick Middleton

Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 9h

Cartoon by @edwexler.bsky.social.

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 4h

AI porn?

As opposed to conventional porn that teaches kids hugely unrealistic expectations, such as, how soon a plumber might turn up?

Mmmmm.

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 6h

You ratio’d them? Cool!

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Reposted by Patrick Middleton

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 6h

Chicago ‘Splatatouille’ was probably a squirrel, say researchers

Scientists from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, look at 37 species to identify cause of ‘rat hole’ in pavement With a front paw outstretched and its tail at an angle, the creature that fell on to wet concrete in Chicago left quite the memento mori. Now, researchers say they have unmasked the identity of the victim, revealing the famous “rat hole” was most probably made by a squirrel. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 6h

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 8h

Coulda been worse.
Geezer could have kept stopping, allowing them time to try to catch up …

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Reposted by Patrick Middleton

Simon Verdegem @simonverdegem.bsky.social · 10h

In 1917, during 3rd Ypres, 11/Northumberland Fusiliers returned to the front lines after a brief rest and took over from the 13/Durham Light Infantry. C company, with 2/Lt. L.W. Ablett and 2/Lt. E.D. Bruty, went in support trenches near Reutel on 12 Oct.

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 18h

The BBC broadcast some of that speech.
It was toe-curling.
Behind his left shoulder, I believe it was the King of Saudi Arabia that could be seen to get his mobile phone out and start reading

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 1d

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 2d

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 2d

… Clarkson would split the vote, more or less guarantee the seat for Labour

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Reposted by Patrick Middleton

Rachel Maddow @maddow.msnbc.com · 2d

“With your patient and rigorous work, you can act as a barrier against those who, through the ancient art of lying, seek to create divisions in order to rule by dividing,” he said. “You can be a bulwark of civility against the quicksand of approximation and post-truth...”

apnews.com/article/pope...

Pope urges news agencies to stand as bulwark against lies, manipulation and post-truths

Pope Leo XIV has encouraged international news agencies to stand firm as a bulwark against the “ancient art of lying” and manipulation.

apnews.com

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 2d

Alan Turing on the £50 note?
Bah.
Shoulda picked Bill Penney

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 2d

Tommy Flowers, come on down

Reposted by Patrick Middleton

Bethany Moore @historyandmoore.bsky.social · 3d

Bits and pieces seen left on the wall at Ulster Tower yesterday afternoon, which the group were fascinated with. Including a driving band, a round still with cordite in and the remains of a boot. I wonder who it belonged to...

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 2d

Snap!

M10 Achilles (tank destroyer, Royal Ordnance 17pdr gun) at La Roche en Ardennes, picture taken July 2025

Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 2d

+1

Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 2d

This is an exact encapsulation of why I moved to Bluesky.

No amount of handwringing in the Atlantic about how I owe some eternal Promethean suffering to the discourse is going to make me stay on a site I hate, that stopped doing anything for me professionally years ago.

Well – no. Bluesky may or may not be, as one centre-right friend who felt unwelcome put it, “self-righteous island”. But the idea that’s why we went is nonsense. That I’ve largely stopped posting on a site that’s done more to shape my career and social circle than the rest of the internet combined is less about avoiding rival opinions (I love arguing with people who are wrong!) than with the fact the site simply became unusable. It stopped generating the things (good jokes, interesting debate, clicks) I wanted; it became extremely good at generating the things (racists, pornbots, racist pornbots) I did not.

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Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 3d

Intriguing. How 'bout tantalum, indium or neodymium, stuff US industry uses?

Patrick Middleton @leeharveyosmond.bsky.social · 3d

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