Simon Petrie (he/him)
@fomalhaut451.bsky.social
Writer of short books w. long titles, eg 'I Have No Legs And I Must Manspread'. Hemulen. Titan tragic. Cisgender. Pakeha in Oz. He/him.
Picture of the staff who operate this bluesky account
December 7, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Picture of the staff who operate this bluesky account
Internet was slow; I got to see the accessibility text on this Guardian article's images (www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...) as they loaded. The descriptions are AI slop: Hegseth is 'a women looking right' [sic]; Trump accordioning beside H is 'two men side by side'.
Just stop this, it's wrong.
Just stop this, it's wrong.
Pressure grows on ‘reckless’ Hegseth as twin scandals engulf Pentagon chief
Defense secretary defiant but allegations of war crimes and blistering watchdog report increase calls for him to go
www.theguardian.com
December 6, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Internet was slow; I got to see the accessibility text on this Guardian article's images (www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...) as they loaded. The descriptions are AI slop: Hegseth is 'a women looking right' [sic]; Trump accordioning beside H is 'two men side by side'.
Just stop this, it's wrong.
Just stop this, it's wrong.
Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)
COVID Shots Tied to a Lower Risk of Death From Any Cause: 25% overall mortality reduction, 74% reduction of risk of dying from COVID-19. www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdi...
COVID Shots Tied to a Lower Risk of Death From Any Cause
Advantage held even after removing coronavirus-related deaths from the mix
www.medpagetoday.com
December 6, 2025 at 9:44 PM
COVID Shots Tied to a Lower Risk of Death From Any Cause: 25% overall mortality reduction, 74% reduction of risk of dying from COVID-19. www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdi...
evergreen skeet
How will the bed ever get made without cat?!?
December 6, 2025 at 10:35 PM
evergreen skeet
Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)
well if i gotta eat people, at least it's not the ordinary ones
2. This is an extremely small sample size in a house in Pompeii. And yet many headlines are universalizing in order to say ALL Roman slaves ate better than the freeborn. We know that this is absolutely not true.
Look at this Reuters headline:
Look at this Reuters headline:
December 6, 2025 at 5:01 PM
well if i gotta eat people, at least it's not the ordinary ones
If you see this, repost this with your model of positive masculinity
December 6, 2025 at 10:09 AM
If you see this, repost this with your model of positive masculinity
Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)
Star Wars (1977)
They're coming out with a huge new machine that fucking sucks
December 6, 2025 at 2:47 AM
Star Wars (1977)
This looks highly intriguing:
For those who, like me, love speculative and alien evolution, there's a remarkable new book out, "Wildlife on the Planet Furaha" by Gert van Dijk. www.crowood.com/book/wildlif...
Wildlife on the Planet Furaha | The Crowood Press
On the planet Furaha, Gert van Dijk creates a biosphere on a new world along with its solar system. Evolution on Furaha found solutions to life’s problems that remained unused on Earth. There are in-d...
www.crowood.com
December 4, 2025 at 6:39 AM
This looks highly intriguing:
Re-upping this for the visibilities, innit
A new issue of AntipodeanSF has launched, bearing with it my flash bonbon 'How and why The Adequacy bought a hat':
www.antisf.com/the-stories/...
www.antisf.com/the-stories/...
How and why The Adequacy bought a hat - AntipodeanSF
AntipodeanSF publishes the best speculative flash fiction (SF, F, H) on the web.
www.antisf.com
December 3, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Re-upping this for the visibilities, innit
Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)
If you feel like some exo-planet exploration, galaxy-spanning alien-filled space opera or a hopeful apocalypse, look no further...
coeurdelion.short.gy/tnFZjG
coeurdelion.short.gy/tnFZjG
December 3, 2025 at 9:58 AM
If you feel like some exo-planet exploration, galaxy-spanning alien-filled space opera or a hopeful apocalypse, look no further...
coeurdelion.short.gy/tnFZjG
coeurdelion.short.gy/tnFZjG
Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)
Plugging this more widely as it's quite useful for reading expensive publications for nowt, if you are Australian (or at least Australia-based).
For what it's worth, people in Australia can get free membership of the National Library, and with that you can read the ABR free. It's how I came to enjoy this lovely little bit of savagery.
www.library.gov.au/research/gui...
www.library.gov.au/research/gui...
Join the Library | National Library of Australia (NLA)
table {mso-displayed-decimal-separator:"\."; mso-displayed-thousand-separator:"\,";} tr {mso-height-source:auto;} col {mso-width-source:auto;} td {padding-top:1px; padding-right:1px; padding-left:1px; mso-ignore:padding; color:black; font-size:11.0pt; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; text-decoration:none; font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif; mso-font-charset:0; text-align:general; vertical-align:bottom; border:none; white-space:nowrap; mso-rotate:0;} Join the Library to request collection items to use in our reading rooms and access subscription databases through eResources.
www.library.gov.au
December 3, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Plugging this more widely as it's quite useful for reading expensive publications for nowt, if you are Australian (or at least Australia-based).
Insert a movie into another movie
Last Tango In The Cars That Ate Paris
Last Tango In The Cars That Ate Paris
Insert a movie into another movie
Clash of Remember the Titans
Clash of Remember the Titans
Insert a movie into another movie:
The Seventh Sixth Fifth Element Sense Seal
The Seventh Sixth Fifth Element Sense Seal
December 3, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Insert a movie into another movie
Last Tango In The Cars That Ate Paris
Last Tango In The Cars That Ate Paris
Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)
Adding alt text to this because this is fucking amazing and everyone deserves to read it.
December 2, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Adding alt text to this because this is fucking amazing and everyone deserves to read it.
Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)
This is a really beautiful and sad thread and I'm grateful to have read it
LONG RAMBLING EMOTIONAL THREAD:
It's World AIDS Day. Since the Administration has decided to keep it quiet, I'd like to share my introduction to AIDS.
I grew up in Seattle. My mom remarried a man who had a brother who was a King County Sheriff's Deputy. His name was Terry and he was gay. 1/x
It's World AIDS Day. Since the Administration has decided to keep it quiet, I'd like to share my introduction to AIDS.
I grew up in Seattle. My mom remarried a man who had a brother who was a King County Sheriff's Deputy. His name was Terry and he was gay. 1/x
December 2, 2025 at 6:30 AM
This is a really beautiful and sad thread and I'm grateful to have read it
Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)
Probably the best thing I ever posted on that other site, wish I could permanently transplant it to my timeline here.
November 9, 2024 at 9:33 PM
Probably the best thing I ever posted on that other site, wish I could permanently transplant it to my timeline here.
Someone across the road is doing that shovel-scraping-across-gravel thing repeatedly and slowly, and I am about ready to, as I believe the expression has it, go full ham
December 2, 2025 at 6:29 AM
Someone across the road is doing that shovel-scraping-across-gravel thing repeatedly and slowly, and I am about ready to, as I believe the expression has it, go full ham
pelvic flaw exercise
December 2, 2025 at 5:18 AM
pelvic flaw exercise
petition to rename the Suzuki Swift the Suzuki Misnomer, because it's just not
December 2, 2025 at 3:04 AM
petition to rename the Suzuki Swift the Suzuki Misnomer, because it's just not
Like This Train - The Muttonbirds
www.youtube.com/watch?v=svu_...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=svu_...
December 1, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Like This Train - The Muttonbirds
www.youtube.com/watch?v=svu_...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=svu_...
Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)
A new issue of AntipodeanSF has launched, bearing with it my flash bonbon 'How and why The Adequacy bought a hat':
www.antisf.com/the-stories/...
www.antisf.com/the-stories/...
How and why The Adequacy bought a hat - AntipodeanSF
AntipodeanSF publishes the best speculative flash fiction (SF, F, H) on the web.
www.antisf.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:05 AM
A new issue of AntipodeanSF has launched, bearing with it my flash bonbon 'How and why The Adequacy bought a hat':
www.antisf.com/the-stories/...
www.antisf.com/the-stories/...
Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)
I was diagnosed with #HIV in 1998, when I was 30.
Many of my friends had died of AIDS. I did not expect to live to 50.
I’m 58 now.
HIV treatment works.
Treatment also makes it impossible for me to pass HIV on during sex.
Ensure HIV treatment for all.
End HIV stigma.
#WorldAIDSDay
Many of my friends had died of AIDS. I did not expect to live to 50.
I’m 58 now.
HIV treatment works.
Treatment also makes it impossible for me to pass HIV on during sex.
Ensure HIV treatment for all.
End HIV stigma.
#WorldAIDSDay
December 1, 2025 at 8:46 AM
I was diagnosed with #HIV in 1998, when I was 30.
Many of my friends had died of AIDS. I did not expect to live to 50.
I’m 58 now.
HIV treatment works.
Treatment also makes it impossible for me to pass HIV on during sex.
Ensure HIV treatment for all.
End HIV stigma.
#WorldAIDSDay
Many of my friends had died of AIDS. I did not expect to live to 50.
I’m 58 now.
HIV treatment works.
Treatment also makes it impossible for me to pass HIV on during sex.
Ensure HIV treatment for all.
End HIV stigma.
#WorldAIDSDay
A new issue of AntipodeanSF has launched, bearing with it my flash bonbon 'How and why The Adequacy bought a hat':
www.antisf.com/the-stories/...
www.antisf.com/the-stories/...
How and why The Adequacy bought a hat - AntipodeanSF
AntipodeanSF publishes the best speculative flash fiction (SF, F, H) on the web.
www.antisf.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:05 AM
A new issue of AntipodeanSF has launched, bearing with it my flash bonbon 'How and why The Adequacy bought a hat':
www.antisf.com/the-stories/...
www.antisf.com/the-stories/...
Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)
Enormous shout-out to the Australian and Kiwi librarians standing up to Elsevier. This is killer.
Librarians versus the world
Photo of London’s National Art Library by Sebastien LE DEROUT on Unsplash Here at the Research Whisperer, we love librarians. They are smart, dedicated people who want to help you with your researc…
researchwhisperer.org
December 1, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Enormous shout-out to the Australian and Kiwi librarians standing up to Elsevier. This is killer.
The Muskrat, from Tove Jansson's 'Comet in Moominland' and 'Finn Family Moomintroll'
every time I go for a long walk outside & feel sunlight on my face, unfortunately my mood improves immediately. I will learn nothing from this
December 1, 2025 at 6:32 AM
The Muskrat, from Tove Jansson's 'Comet in Moominland' and 'Finn Family Moomintroll'
Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)
This is madness.
All books by Normal People and Conversations with Friends author Sally Rooney set to be withdrawn from sale.
The 34-year-old Irish author says: “The disappearance of my work from bookshops would mark a truly extreme incursion by the state into the realm of artistic expression.”
All books by Normal People and Conversations with Friends author Sally Rooney set to be withdrawn from sale.
The 34-year-old Irish author says: “The disappearance of my work from bookshops would mark a truly extreme incursion by the state into the realm of artistic expression.”
Sally Rooney books may be withdrawn from UK sale over Palestine Action ban, court told
Rooney has said she intended to use royalties from her work "to go on supporting Palestine Action."
www.bbc.com
November 29, 2025 at 10:38 AM
This is madness.
All books by Normal People and Conversations with Friends author Sally Rooney set to be withdrawn from sale.
The 34-year-old Irish author says: “The disappearance of my work from bookshops would mark a truly extreme incursion by the state into the realm of artistic expression.”
All books by Normal People and Conversations with Friends author Sally Rooney set to be withdrawn from sale.
The 34-year-old Irish author says: “The disappearance of my work from bookshops would mark a truly extreme incursion by the state into the realm of artistic expression.”