Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 5h

Lovely to see a bunch of Mrs Trellis references :)

Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 6h

I was prepared for a "Graun being all highbrow" hatchet job, but having read the article and looked at the work. Nope, that all looks terribly shit. The Invader in formaldehyde is sort of fun but should be on the street, if not just in a sketchbook.

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 6h

That'd be nice.

Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 20h

Oh and my favourite video for a mashup (well, sort of) is this ad for Volkswagen that masterfully sets Richard Burton reading Under Milk Wood to Cliff Martinez's Don't Blow It from his sublime score for Solaris. I'd love more of this youtu.be/5U9I7QrpSkk?...

Volkswagen Night Drive Golf Ad

YouTube video by Pompeyman17

youtu.be

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 20h

This is utterly beautiful in every way: youtu.be/wfJVAoTE2PI?...

Sigur Rós - Valtari [Official Music Video]

YouTube video by Sigur Rós

youtu.be

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Reposted by Adrian Giddings

Hallie Rubenhold @hallierubenhold.bsky.social · 1d

Absolutely love this post. Another example why we need to study history from the bottom up, not necessarily top down.

Sathnam Sanghera @sathnam.bsky.social · 2d

In @thetimes.com letters page today

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 1d

Donald Trump will imminently declare war on Norway. Or 20,000% tariffs or some other whiny bullshit.

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 2d

It's pronounced Lester for avoidance of doubt.

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 2d

Once got in a London taxi with some American friends who asked to go to Leicester Square but pronounced it 'lie-sester' - as we drove off I said to the driver 'and I know where it is' in my London accent. We both smiled at each other as he turned the taxi round and went in the right direction.

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 3d

I'd low key love to have a slightly broken photocopier, one that doesn't jam but does have a duff fuser unit.

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 3d

You'll get lovely texture when you scan it back in to use in the layout for your next TTRPG.

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Reposted by Adrian Giddings

bakoon @bakoon.bsky.social · 4d

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Reposted by Adrian Giddings

SIMONE 🩷 @simonee.bsky.social · 4d

when u think about it, nunchucks are just very chunky circular knitting needles

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 4d

I know, it's bad enough when they move all the other stuff around. I suppose to increase sales of adjacent products.

I'm one of those weirdos that sorts their shopping list by aisle. Then again I shop with my brother and rather than following the plan he just wanders around.

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 4d

My Tesco moved everything in the frozen section and put up signs at the end of the aisles to tell people where the thing they can no longer find now is.

So pointless.

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 5d

Good morning?

The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli. A sleeping female figure almost falling off the top of her bed with an implike incubus sitting on her stomach and a spectral horse looking on from the foot of the bed.

Me in bed this morning, clearly having been there too long as Catface, my white and black ragdoll cat is very nearly sitting on my throat demanding attention.

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Reposted by Adrian Giddings

Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 6d

When I was researching my book Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India, I learned of a 1000-year-old myth about Roman tech being used to build killer robots to guard the Buddha's remains in Pataliputra, and a Hungarian folklorist read my book & got excited about it, & she managed to dig up a🧵(1/3)

Romanised Pali manuscript of the Lokapannati

Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India
p. 60
Bhoota Vahana Yanta
Bhoota Vahana Yanta means “spirit movement machine.” The term is used
for several varieties of robot drone assassins and sword-wielding machine-
men mentioned in the Lokapannati, a Pali-language text written between
1000 and 1200 CE by Saddhammaghosa of Thaton, but concerning
events that took place much earlier, around 500 to 200 BCE.
According to the story, robots were first invented by engineers of the
early Roman Republic. These robots were used for commerce, in agriculture,
as a police force, and as executioners. The secret of how to build these
spirit-engines was fiercely protected. If any engineer dared to take the designs
out of the city, one of his own executioner robots would come after
him and kill him.
At that time, in Pataliputra (then in the kingdom of Magadha, now
Patna in the state of Bihar), there lived a young man who had heard of the
Romans’ magical androids. He became so determined to learn the secrets
of their manufacture and share them with the people of Magadha that he
arranged his own death. Then, on his deathbed, he vowed to be reincarnated
as a Roman.
This indeed took place. In his new life, the man grew up to join the
Roman guild of engineers. He even married the daughter of the Master
Robot-Maker, and had a son by her.
Once he learned the secrets of the Bhoota Vahana Yanta, the man resolved
to transfer the information back to Pataliputra. But he was well
aware that now, since he was a member of the guild, he would be killed as
soon as he left. So he cut a gash in his thigh, inserted the plans in his flesh,
and sewed the wound back up.

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 6d

When I've got this all cut to shape and trued up, I'm hoping it needs less prayer and guy ropes to keep it together than the old rose arch I'm building it around.

A dilapidated rose arch viewed from the side with a new one under construction around it.

A dilapidated rose arch viewed from the front with a new one under construction around it.

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Reposted by Adrian Giddings

Laurence Mitchell @eastofelveden.bsky.social · 8d

Absorbed by nature, SE Bulgaria #FingerPostFriday

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Reposted by Adrian Giddings

John Self @john-self.bsky.social · 8d

"My name's Kitty. I could have married, I've given gallons of blood and I can't stomach whelks, so that's me for you."

RIP Patricia Routledge.

Patricia Routledge Kitty

YouTube video by ukcomedy

www.youtube.com

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 8d

I used to 'commute' from London to Cheltenham pretty regularly on the coach. Rarely more than 5 minutes late, as you say definite seat ridiculously cheaper and not much slower. Bonus pts for actually going to the town centre rather than the station which required a cab ride. I <3 National Express.

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 8d

Look at all these adorable little bastards.

We used to mainly have house sparrows, when we had the expensive fat balls we'd frequently get raided by a host of starlings, but currently it's all great and blue tits.

💙

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Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 8d

Fair well to the finest Bouquet.

Adrian Giddings @cunabula.bsky.social · 8d

I feel a strange whining in the Force...

Sarah Mullally is named as first female archbishop of Canterbury

No 10 announces decision although role will not legally be taken on until January, before an enthronement service

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Adrian Giddings

Journal of Art in Society @artinsociety.bsky.social · 8d

Astonishing sculpture of 60 detailed figures carved from a single block of Carrara marble ~ Francesco Bertos’ Fall of the Rebel Angels (c 1730). Suspicion that his skill was beyond human ability led to his being questioned by the Inquisition. Tks @JonathanMendel1
gallerieditalia.com/en/vicenza/e...

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