🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
@gobsmacked.bsky.social
Your basic Bay Area boy: flâneur, film buff, hiker, foodie, culture vulture, PhD dropout. Underemployed and over-caffeinated.
Liberté, Egalité, Flâneurité!
Liberté, Egalité, Flâneurité!
Reposted by 🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
JUST IN: Betty Reid Soskin, the beloved former park ranger with the National Park Service, has passed away at 104.
December 21, 2025 at 9:21 PM
JUST IN: Betty Reid Soskin, the beloved former park ranger with the National Park Service, has passed away at 104.
Same. My lists for my three field exams had 300+ books and articles, all of which I read in the first two years of PhD - along with all the books and papers I had to read for my grad seminars and for the classes I was teaching. I pretty much read 8 hours a day. It was great.
I read about 350 books to prepare for my comprehensive exams as a PhD student. That is exactly what we do.
If you have the time to read every book and article in your area of study and in related areas, then more power to you!
December 21, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Same. My lists for my three field exams had 300+ books and articles, all of which I read in the first two years of PhD - along with all the books and papers I had to read for my grad seminars and for the classes I was teaching. I pretty much read 8 hours a day. It was great.
“Everything starts somewhere, although many physicists disagree”
December 21, 2025 at 9:31 PM
“Everything starts somewhere, although many physicists disagree”
Reposted by 🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
The shorteste daye
The longest nighte
Welcome, sun
Welcome, lighte
The longest nighte
Welcome, sun
Welcome, lighte
December 21, 2025 at 6:05 AM
The shorteste daye
The longest nighte
Welcome, sun
Welcome, lighte
The longest nighte
Welcome, sun
Welcome, lighte
Reposted by 🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
I have just realized the entire film of The Snowman is on YouTube:
December 21, 2025 at 7:08 PM
I have just realized the entire film of The Snowman is on YouTube:
Time for my ritual, the most important in my year.
Lying out under the stars on this, the longest night of the year - the inflection point, the hinge
The stars above me glowing, the earth beneath me, cold and hard, the silence of night ruffled now and then by a breeze through the oaks and bays…
Lying out under the stars on this, the longest night of the year - the inflection point, the hinge
The stars above me glowing, the earth beneath me, cold and hard, the silence of night ruffled now and then by a breeze through the oaks and bays…
December 21, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Time for my ritual, the most important in my year.
Lying out under the stars on this, the longest night of the year - the inflection point, the hinge
The stars above me glowing, the earth beneath me, cold and hard, the silence of night ruffled now and then by a breeze through the oaks and bays…
Lying out under the stars on this, the longest night of the year - the inflection point, the hinge
The stars above me glowing, the earth beneath me, cold and hard, the silence of night ruffled now and then by a breeze through the oaks and bays…
Your favourite songs
No order, no hurry, no limits, just music
(another seasonal one)
m.youtube.com/watch?v=A8eW...
No order, no hurry, no limits, just music
(another seasonal one)
m.youtube.com/watch?v=A8eW...
December 21, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Your favourite songs
No order, no hurry, no limits, just music
(another seasonal one)
m.youtube.com/watch?v=A8eW...
No order, no hurry, no limits, just music
(another seasonal one)
m.youtube.com/watch?v=A8eW...
You could give the most famous footballer a ludicrously expensive watch… or you could do this bsky.app/profile/mgua...
How many food insecure people in India could you feed with $1.2 million?
How many villages could you give a safe water source? How many schools could you build?
A watch. For a very wealthy sports figure
How many villages could you give a safe water source? How many schools could you build?
A watch. For a very wealthy sports figure
Anant Ambani, son of India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, gifted the soccer star a seven-figure watch on his recent trip to India.
December 21, 2025 at 7:01 PM
You could give the most famous footballer a ludicrously expensive watch… or you could do this bsky.app/profile/mgua...
Reposted by 🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
About 21,000 San Francisco customers were still without power on Sunday, almost all of them in the Richmond District, after the PG&E blackouts.
There is no clear timeline for restoration. The substation fire that seemed at fault was "extensive."
missionlocal.org/2025/12/sf-r...
There is no clear timeline for restoration. The substation fire that seemed at fault was "extensive."
missionlocal.org/2025/12/sf-r...
PG&E outage: 21,000 still without power in S.F. — no timeline for restoration
Almost all of the San Francisco homes and businesses affected are in the Richmond District. It's unclear when power will be returned to them.
missionlocal.org
December 21, 2025 at 6:55 PM
About 21,000 San Francisco customers were still without power on Sunday, almost all of them in the Richmond District, after the PG&E blackouts.
There is no clear timeline for restoration. The substation fire that seemed at fault was "extensive."
missionlocal.org/2025/12/sf-r...
There is no clear timeline for restoration. The substation fire that seemed at fault was "extensive."
missionlocal.org/2025/12/sf-r...
Reposted by 🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
Looking for a New Year's resolution that is good for your mind and (relatively) easy to keep? Check out the Institute of Historical Research seminars for January 2026. Fourteen seminars in week 1 alone. Free, broad-ranging, open to the public and usually available both in person and online.
Events
Stay up to date with the upcoming events organised or hosted by the Institute of Historical Research
www.history.ac.uk
December 21, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Looking for a New Year's resolution that is good for your mind and (relatively) easy to keep? Check out the Institute of Historical Research seminars for January 2026. Fourteen seminars in week 1 alone. Free, broad-ranging, open to the public and usually available both in person and online.
Remember: there are no calories in December
December 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Remember: there are no calories in December
Reposted by 🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
Once when we wanted to show the ineffectual dithering of The Good Place Committee, we had one of them say, "There are rules, procedures. This is The Good Place -- we can't just *do stuff.*" We almost didn't include it, because we thought it was a little on the nose.
WELKER: Massie and Khanna say they are looking at options including impeachment and contempt for DOJ officials. Would you support those steps?
KAINE: I think that's premature
KAINE: I think that's premature
December 21, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Once when we wanted to show the ineffectual dithering of The Good Place Committee, we had one of them say, "There are rules, procedures. This is The Good Place -- we can't just *do stuff.*" We almost didn't include it, because we thought it was a little on the nose.
Reposted by 🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
Extremists are using AI voice cloning to supercharge propaganda. Experts say it’s helping them grow
Extremists are using AI voice cloning to supercharge propaganda. Experts say it’s helping them grow
Researchers warn generative tools are helping militant groups from neo-Nazis to the Islamic State spread ideology
www.theguardian.com
December 21, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Extremists are using AI voice cloning to supercharge propaganda. Experts say it’s helping them grow
It’s funny because it’s true
All the discourse on reading the papers you cite misses the reality that what matters in modern academia isn’t reading papers but downloading their PDFs onto your hard drive. If people are trying to cite something whose PDF they haven’t downloaded, that is a major breach of etiquette
December 21, 2025 at 6:37 PM
It’s funny because it’s true
Reposted by 🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
The Brancacci Chapel, Sta.Maria del Carmine, Florence. So much genius in such a small space! Amazing frescoes by the Lippi's, Masolino and especially by Masaccio, whose day is today.
December 21, 2025 at 2:11 PM
The Brancacci Chapel, Sta.Maria del Carmine, Florence. So much genius in such a small space! Amazing frescoes by the Lippi's, Masolino and especially by Masaccio, whose day is today.
Reposted by 🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
Reposted by 🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
First responders love this kind of thing
Much of SF lost power last night. Waymos blocked intersections across the city, even though they are Wayless than 1% of cars on the roads. They accumulated at their failure points--intersections with no green lights, in busy areas, and shut down traffic there.
December 21, 2025 at 4:51 PM
First responders love this kind of thing
Tuscan farro soup - warm and nourishing for the long night
December 21, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Tuscan farro soup - warm and nourishing for the long night
Mainstream media and the punditocracy just stuffed with quislings and appeasers
BRENNAN: This isn't everything you asked for just yet, but would you acknowledge that they are complying with the spirit if not the intent of your law?
MASSIE: No. They're flouting the spirit and the letter of the law. It's very troubling the posture that they've taken.
MASSIE: No. They're flouting the spirit and the letter of the law. It's very troubling the posture that they've taken.
December 21, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Mainstream media and the punditocracy just stuffed with quislings and appeasers
Reposted by 🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
“It was so cheap in those days…and I was so broke. Those companies were dealers, got you hooked, lulled you into complacency with rates that made no sense unless someone was getting exploited, which of course we understood. It wasn’t actually cheap: We just paid for it in other ways.”
In Which We Deserve Options Other Than Rapists and Robots
I don’t want to be assaulted by a driver, nor surveilled by cat-killing robot cars. Is this really the best we can do?
www.coyotemedia.org
December 21, 2025 at 5:20 PM
“It was so cheap in those days…and I was so broke. Those companies were dealers, got you hooked, lulled you into complacency with rates that made no sense unless someone was getting exploited, which of course we understood. It wasn’t actually cheap: We just paid for it in other ways.”
Once again taking the road less traveled on
December 21, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Once again taking the road less traveled on
How many food insecure people in India could you feed with $1.2 million?
How many villages could you give a safe water source? How many schools could you build?
A watch. For a very wealthy sports figure
How many villages could you give a safe water source? How many schools could you build?
A watch. For a very wealthy sports figure
Anant Ambani, son of India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, gifted the soccer star a seven-figure watch on his recent trip to India.
Indian Billionaire’s Son Reportedly Gifted This $1.2 Million Richard Mille Watch To Lionel Messi
Anant Ambani, son of India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, gifted the soccer star a seven-figure watch on his recent trip to India.
www.forbes.com
December 21, 2025 at 2:47 PM
How many food insecure people in India could you feed with $1.2 million?
How many villages could you give a safe water source? How many schools could you build?
A watch. For a very wealthy sports figure
How many villages could you give a safe water source? How many schools could you build?
A watch. For a very wealthy sports figure
Your favourite songs
No order, no hurry, no limits, just music
(a seasonal one)
m.youtube.com/watch?v=QlVo...
No order, no hurry, no limits, just music
(a seasonal one)
m.youtube.com/watch?v=QlVo...
December 21, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Your favourite songs
No order, no hurry, no limits, just music
(a seasonal one)
m.youtube.com/watch?v=QlVo...
No order, no hurry, no limits, just music
(a seasonal one)
m.youtube.com/watch?v=QlVo...
Reposted by 🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
I believe in Newgrange supremacy. 5 millennia, zero bullshit. Older than Stonehenge and has a roof, get fucked. Solstice icon, no choice but to stan, etc. etc. etc.
December 21, 2025 at 8:26 AM
I believe in Newgrange supremacy. 5 millennia, zero bullshit. Older than Stonehenge and has a roof, get fucked. Solstice icon, no choice but to stan, etc. etc. etc.
Reposted by 🌲Gobsmacked ye merry, gentlemen🌲
Rare footage of St Paul’s Cathedral testing its giant flamethrower
December 21, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Rare footage of St Paul’s Cathedral testing its giant flamethrower