Ian McDowall
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grokezilla.bsky.social
Ian McDowall
@grokezilla.bsky.social
92 followers 390 following 18 posts
Retired software engineer, and history nerd.

I'm also on Mastodon - https://mastodon.social/@imcdowall

BTW, I decline to fill out age verification which is required for DMs in the UK. So don't be offended if I don't respond to chats.
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Reposted by Ian McDowall
littlevmills.bsky.social
“Uses GenAI” is an S tier red flag up there with “transphobic” and “doesn’t put their dog on a leash”
January 29, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
badsquiddogames.bsky.social
Great Eastern Models popped up om my feed today - a woman owned model railway shop. It looks amazing and I want to go visit even though I don't do trains. I would if this was my local shop! Super cool to see.
Two railway shop owner ladies holding some trophies with trains behind them
January 29, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
thisisradinsky.bsky.social
There’s a website to go check out what Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope are observing live it’s so good

spacetelescopelive.org
Space Telescope Live
Explore official, up-to-date information on current, past, and upcoming investigations by NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes.
spacetelescopelive.org
January 27, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
workingclasshistory.com
#OtD 24 Jan 1986 print workers at Rupert Murdoch's News International went on strike against the new, open shop, no-strike plant at Wapping in London. They were all sacked and replaced by scabs and after a year they were defeated stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9655...
January 24, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
runawayfromhumans.bsky.social
Anti-MAGA watercolor artist moving over here due to the TikTok takeover. Please add me to any traditional art, left leaning politics! Shares some recent paintings of mine!
January 23, 2026 at 7:51 AM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
bcantrill.bsky.social
I cannot recommend @evrat.bsky.social's Shell Game podcast highly enough: the first season is wild -- and the second season is absolutely unhinged. Hilarious, thought-provoking and timely; a must-listen!
www.shellgame.co/podcast
Shell Game | Evan Ratliff | Substack
A podcast about things that are not what they seem, hosted by journalist Evan Ratliff. Season 2, which kicks off on November 12, tells the story of enterprise and entrepreneurship in the AI age. Or: h...
www.shellgame.co
December 13, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
jdmccafferty.bsky.social
Card players drawing weapons, Jacob Matham, 1619 - 1625 (Rijksmuseum)

It always ends badly that gambling & drinking ....
January 17, 2026 at 10:53 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
mirtocomune.bsky.social
A mouse and her favorite possessions.
January 15, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
bradguigar.com
In the new chapter of Evil Inc, Miss Match and Captain Heroic have "The Team-Up Talk." go.evil-inc.net/Ch17cover
Evil Inc promo — The Team-Up Talk. “When heroes and villains get personal… things get complicated.”
January 12, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
davekellett.bsky.social
Bluesky pals! I have a sci-fi graphic novel called DRIVE, & it's my favorite thing I've ever done! If you need a long, escapist read at the moment the entire thing is free to read, here: drivecomic.com
(THIS PAGE: Hail and Well-Met)
PANEL 1: LOS TRES PRIMOS stand together in a spaceship, looking forward. In the middle of them is the rhinn, GENN, at the ship controls. THIN PRIMO: Ahoy, Machito! This is Los Tres Primos! Greetings to our young cousin and the entire crew! PANEL 2: The CAPTAIN, in the Machito, stands behind CUDDOW who stands at a console, tongue out operating a screen. CAPTAIN: Orla, wait one sec to answer that hail. [whispering] Cuddow, turn off Imperial transcription, please, and purse the file. [Speaking loudly again] HAIR AND WELL-MET, PRIMOS! I didn’t expect to meet YOU on the path to Tierra! PANEL 3: The thin primo, in hologram, responds. THIN PRIMO: Normally we steer clear of home…but we’re DESPERATE to stop friends from making a mistake. PANEL 4: The CAPTAIN watches the thin primo on hologram. CAPTAIN: What friends? THIN PRIMO: THE NYX. They sent along a cryptic message, saying “These Nyx will have enforced the Empire’s Justice.” They believe they have the right to arrest the Emperor, and turn him over tot he courts. PANEL 5: The CAPTAIN continues to speak to the thin primo via hologram. CAPTAIN: AREST THE EMPEROR? Them and what army? THIN PRIMO: EXACTLY. They’ve built a fleet of Cruz drive warships, apparently… but it’s a disaster int he making. PANEL 6: Back on Los Tres Primo’s ship, the Primos gather around the hologram of the CAPTAIN. LARGE PRIMO: They Nyx are brilliant — BUT THEY’VE NEVER FOUGHT ANYONE. THIN PRIMO: EVER! SQUAT PRIMO: Du Fu gave them no natural predators! No wars! No Sustained combat! They’re gonna crumple with the first punch to the nose. PANEL 7: Close up on the thin primo, under-lit in horror. THIN PRMO: I don’t care how good their M-waves are: firepower can’t compensate for inexperience. Unless we stop them, Captain, THE NYX WILL BE SLAUGHTERED. —— Want to read the full story? Join us at Patreon.com/drive for the *FULL* Tales of the Drive archives, art giveaways, fun community, and more! DRIVE copyright Dave Kellett. Colors by Beth Reidmiller
January 8, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
roricomics.bsky.social
Man, I just don't know how anyone gets over the GLARING reason not to use Generative AI for writing & visuals: It's non-consensual training on artists' work, environmentally devastating impact (esp. on poor areas) & it being pushed by the worst people in the world combined w/the pointlessness of it.
November 8, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
howlinggriffon.bsky.social
Just a reminder that there's a #BloodBowl Season 3 tourney in the Essex/Cambridge area on 7th December. We have 17 signed up so far and room for 30 players.
howlinggriffon.bsky.social Howlinggriffon @howlinggriffon.bsky.social · Oct 20
My buddy Mr_Frodo has decided to) run a Season 3 #BloodBowl tourney on 7th December, hoping that the rules will actually come out prior to that date!

If you're in the Essex/Cambridge area, come along and join in. We'll learn the new rules together!

www.talkfantasyfootball.org/viewtopic.ph...
October 26, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
alomshaha.bsky.social
Reading was central to my happiness as a kid. Didn’t grow up in a household with books but had an amazing local library with wonderful librarians, a safe place where I also did arts and crafts and other things I didn’t at home. Libraries should be at heart of any campaign to get more kids reading
louiestowell.bsky.social Louie Stowell @louiestowell.bsky.social · Oct 26
Given that so many of the gatekeepers of books - publishers, librarians, teachers etc - were bookish children themselves, it takes an act of imagination to think about pleasure for those who don't come to it easily. For kids who don't naturally immerse deeply in text. #UKKidLit #KidLitUK
October 26, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
edzitron.com
Here’s this week’s Better Offline monologue. I walk you through why nobody should be afraid of generative video, and how it’s impossible, impractical and expensive to make movies with Sora.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...
Linktr.ee/betteroffline
Monologue: Don't Be Scared Of Sora
Podcast Episode · Better Offline · 10/24/2025 · Bonus · 13m
podcasts.apple.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
edzitron.com
I was on this shit in march

www.wheresyoured.at/core-incompe...
Per the S-1, 77% of CoreWeave's revenue comes from two of its customers, the latter of which remains unnamed, and is only referred to as “Customer C” in the document. However, based on reporting from The Information, it’s reasonable to assume it’s NVIDIA, which agreed in 2023 to spend $1.3 billion over four years “to rent its own chips from CoreWeave.”
October 22, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
peggybechko.bsky.social
Gotta love Ursala K. LeGuin Great essays on #writing #ScienceFiction and #fantasy - amzn.to/3KKkrBi
#writingCommunity
#ReadingComunity
#Booksky
October 10, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
jdmccafferty.bsky.social
William Laud, b. #otd 7 Oct 1573 and Charles I, executed 1645 and 1649 respectively, shown with a print of Cranmer, Ridley & Taylor, all executed 1555 on the wall. (British Museum, c. 1660-1699)
October 7, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
beyondshakes.bsky.social
Saturday 25th October we're performing the 1616 text for Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe and his many (occasionally posthumous) friends. Following that is our season panel discussing the Wyrd in the early modern, the plays we're covered and more - but who are these wonderful panellists?
Black background with red slashes across, indistinct image of someone screaming, overlaid with text -Saturday 25th (After Faustus) End of Season Panel Discussion with... Professor Liz Oakley-Brown is Professor in English Literature at Lancaster University. Currently working on Tudor Gothic for Cambridge University Press and teaching Premodern Gothic. Dr Rebekah King graduated from Cambridge with a PhD in English looking at how magicians were depicted on the early modern stage. As well as being a researcher, she is an award-winning writer. Dr Tabitha Stanmore Author of Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic, winner of the Katharine Briggs Award 2024 and Editor’s Pick by the New York Times. Tabitha is a specialist in medieval and early modern English magic and witchcraft.A Week of Devils, Witches, Cunning Folk and Horrorat the White Bear Theatre in Kenningtonwww.beyondshakespeare.org
October 3, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
davekellett.bsky.social
Bluesky pals! I have a sci-fi graphic novel called DRIVE, & it's my favorite thing I've ever done! If you need a long, escapist read at the moment the entire thing is free to read, here: drivecomic.com
(THIS PAGE: Here’s the Plan )
PANEL 1: THE CAPTAIN, NOSH, and ORLA continue their conversation from the previous page. CAPTAIN: OK, then, here’s the plan: We fly in with a nacelle sparking. Say we “caught a pebble en route.” PANEL 2: THE CAPTAIN continues, as ORLA chimes in. CAPTAIN: They won’t want to risk an explosion near the flagship…so they’ll let Cuddow and I SHUTTLE over. ORLA: No ‘Nando? He will want ‘Nando. PANEL 3: In the foreground THE CAPTAIN responds, while in the background NANDO raises his hand, mouth wide. CAPTAIN: DEFINITELY no ‘Nando. We keep that boy as far away from those tesskans as possible. NANDO: Who else LOVES this plan?? PANEL 4: THE CAPTAIN turns around to point at NANDO, looking sheepish. SKITTER floats in his chair next to him, silently. CAPTAIN: Instead, he stays here and keeps the drive spun up. And Skitter stays ready to leap at a moment’s notice. PANEL 5: THE CAPTAIN continues, motioning to CUDDOW, facing away. He raises his eyebrows at the mention of his name. CAPTAIN: All while Cuddow and I shuttle over, report on the Astheet mission, then shuttle back. PANEl 6: THE CAPTAIN leans over to talk directly to a nervous CUDDOW. CUDDOW scrunches his neck down, terrified. CAPTAIN: WE CAN DO THIS, Cuddow. We jsut gotta stay calm, stay collected, and keep our head on our shoulders. CUDDOW: THAT, SPECIFICALLY, IS MY GOAL. ——— Want to read the full story? Join us at Patreon.com/drive for the *FULL* Tales of the Drive archives, art giveaways, fun community, and more! DRIVE copyright Dave Kellett. Colors by Beth Reidmiller
October 2, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
susankayequinn.bsky.social
They've lost the 9yos
JA Westenberg @Daojoan@mastodon.social My 9 year old and his classmates have started using “that’s AI” to mean “I don’t believe you.” Me: we’re having dinosaur meat for dinner Kiddo: that’s AI Sep 24, 2025, 07:36 AM
September 24, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
hellgatenyc.com
Calling all freelance fact-checkers!

We're in need of some fact-checking assistance during the first week of October—hit us up if you're interested in fact-checking a very fun project.

Email Chris ([email protected]) for more details.
September 23, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
hornedlarkpress.com
We’re looking for some cover artists/designers for a couple of upcoming projects! But you gotta be real.
•No AI
•We have no interest in anime-style work, sorry

We need someone comfortable illustrating plants and animals (especially birds).

Please reply with a way to see your portfolio.
September 22, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
joviellety.bsky.social
💖 Hi~ I've recently been hired as Illustration & Creative Lead at The Story Division, helping publishers with graphic novel projects. I'm currently updating our artist database & looking for a wider range of art styles.

Cartoonists: post sequentials, website, availability below. No DMs/emails plz!
September 22, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Reposted by Ian McDowall
alisonfisk.bsky.social
Spectacular octopus from the floor of the women’s changing room at the Central Baths in ancient Herculaneum.

This magnificent #Roman monochrome mosaic makes quite an impact!

📷 by me

#MosaicMonday
#Archaeology
My photo shows a black and white floor mosaic with a depiction of a very striking octopus in the women’s changing room at the Central Baths in ancient Herculaneum. The octopus with eight writhing arms is composed of small black tesserae (tiles) laid in a white tesserae background
September 22, 2025 at 11:36 AM