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JoBrodie

@jobrodie.bsky.social

1.8K followers 2.1K following 1.5K posts

London, scicomm, pylons, aircraft, techy stuff (digital enthusiast), blogging, sound, bunting, QMUL, trees, big ships, science talks, film music, the designs of Iznik pottery and William De Morgan. Recently re-watched #Seinfeld :-)

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JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · Nov 11

"Monday's child is fairly tough
Tuesday's child is tender enough
Wednesday's child is good to fry
Thursday's child is best in pie.
Friday's child makes good meat roll
Saturday's child is casserole
But the child that is born on the
Sabbath day, is delicious when eaten in any way."

The front cover illustration of Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf by Catherine Storr from 1973. A young girl stands on a wooden chair in a kitchen with a black and white chequered floor pattern, she holds the lid up from a blue pan from which emanates a delicious smell. A wolf stands paws clasped in front of him, eyes closed, enjoying the smell.

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JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 3h

Mixed messages in Westerham / Biggin Hill yesterday with umpteen England and UK flags hoisted up the lamp posts - but all at half mast.

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 3h

If you have uBlockOrigin or something like that you can hide the little AI pencil icon (well, at least for now) by putting this in your dashboard. Copy and paste

! 10 Oct 2025 www.blogger.com
www.blogger.com##.RigwLb > path
www.blogger.com##.RigwLb
www.blogger.com##.t3WIjb > span

Screenshot of text / code to paste in to shush the annoying AI pencil
! 10 Oct 2025 https://www.blogger.com
www.blogger.com##.RigwLb > path
www.blogger.com##.RigwLb
www.blogger.com##.t3WIjb > span

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 3h

The insertion of AI into everything reminds me of Clippy and also Michael Palin as an ex-leper, capering around Brian and his mum in The Life of Brian, demanding attention www.youtube.com/watch?v=REUu...

Monty Python - Ex Leper

YouTube video by Weidmoo

www.youtube.com

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JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 3h

Google's Blogger is beta testing inserting links into blog text automatically so people can use its search function to find out more. I'm not activating it (sounds annoying and will probably send people to Google's AI search results). Currently optional, hopefully it won't subsequently be imposed.

**Try our new beta features**: Create a more engaging reading experience with the help of Google
Google Search links: Based on your blog content, Blogger will automatically identify key words and phrases in your post and insert search links in case your readers want to explore more. In Compose view, look for the pencil icon at the top-right of the page to get started.

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Reposted by JoBrodie

sophiacollins.bsky.social @sophiacollins.bsky.social · 3h

Oh, they were just delaying while they worked out who to give it to that would troll him the most.

Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 4h

This is a breaking news story.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize

This is a breaking news story.

bit.ly

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JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 15h

Love dipping in to this (free, online, fun, Discord), to find out how I can better support students / school children / teachers / career advisors in hearing about more jobs in computing (plus computing-adjacent careers) in the UK techdevjobs.wordpress.com

Leon Noel @leonnoel.bsky.social · 16h

I've helped 1000+ people get jobs in tech

This is the most amount of interviews, callbacks & offers I've seen in almost two years

For the next 30 days, I'm going live on Discord every day to help you land one too!

If you are feeling stuck, join us in 15mins

leonnoel.com/discord

Join the Learn w/ Leon & Friends Discord Server!

We are engineers who believe in community before code & provide a 100% free path to becoming a software engineer! | 73204 members

leonnoel.com

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 18h

I thought this was a modified Spitfire (propeller is different from what I've usually seen) but it's actually this Mustang. Same-ish Merlin engine so sounds the same flyaspitfire.com/aircraft/p-5.... However I can find no record of this flight so it's a bit mysterious.

P-51D MUSTANG - WD-C - Fly a Spitfire

flyaspitfire.com

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 20h

Was he more enthusiastic once at the airshow, or not really a fan of aircraft?

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 21h

Popped to Biggin Hill for some aircraft-enjoying, which is probably a more accurate term for me than planespotting.

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 1d

This is delightful, from pal Helen Pilcher who is still not on Bluesky :) www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Dogs name toys while elephants name each other. Animal language is more complex than we imagine | Helen Pilcher

If we really want to grasp what animals are ‘saying’, we need to understand their communication on their terms, not ours, says science writer Helen Pilcher

www.theguardian.com

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 2d

I love the Barbican generally but this lack of exploitation of an event on their own premises baffled me. In contrast the Royal Albert Hall, when screening Independence Day alongside a live orchestra performing David's score, invited the aliens :D
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfVV...

Independence Day: LIVE in Concert in Royal Albert Hall - 22 September

YouTube video by Filmmuziek Journaal

www.youtube.com

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 2d

Coincidentally the Barbican has an actual martini bar. Imagine having a concert (where the 2nd half is all the Bond themes / songs & therefore many in the audience will likely be Bond film fans who might fancy a martini) and having only 1 member of staff to cope with all the shaking-not-stirring.

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 2d

I wrote this in 2015, partly inspired by a concert of David Arnold's film music (he wrote the score to several James Bond films) at the Barbican which they didn't particularly tweet about brodiesnotes.blogspot.com/2015/11/mark...

Marketing: why don't venues promote events happening at their venue even if organised by a third party?

brodiesnotes.blogspot.com

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 2d

I also see this with organisations that host events which fail to woohoo events that a third party has booked the venue for. Genuinely "huh?".

This book business is even MORE baffling as the publisher directly benefits from more ppl hearing about the book so surely want to share stuff about it.

Alom Shaha @alomshaha.bsky.social · 2d

Publishers to authors: you need to be active on social media
Authors to publishers: Sure! Could you help me make some stuff to help promote my book:
Publisher:
Author: please
Publisher:
Author: at least repost this for me?
Publisher:

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Reposted by JoBrodie

Alom Shaha @alomshaha.bsky.social · 2d

Sometimes feel I’m the only author I know who’s willing to talk openly in public about the many shitty aspects of the publishing industry. Spoke at a book event recently and so many people contacted me afterwards how “refreshing” it was to hear my take. Sigh.

Alom Shaha @alomshaha.bsky.social · 2d

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JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 2d

I also feel that my ability to pay someone through UK university finance systems is at an Olympic gold level ;)

Reposted by JoBrodie

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2d

Window Screen

xkcd.com/3151/

4-panel comic. (1) [person in front of window, shaped like a trapezoid with a curved top] This weekend, I had to make an oversized screen for a porch window. (2) [person sitting with hands on head surrounded by images of assorted equations and measurements] It involved countless tiny problems, each somehow way harder than it should be. Oblique angles. Curved edges. Noncoplanarity. (3) [person in front of window with screen on it, with building detritus strewn on the ground] ...I solved them all. I measured precisely. I did trigonometry. I made custom parts. And it fit *perfectly.* No gaps, no ripples. (4) [person typing at computer] I know that your foundation normally limits its purview to physics, medicine, peace, chemistry, and literature. However, if you review the attached photos showing how well the screen fits into the...

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JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 3d

Making a Hallowe'en zine for CS4FN, free to download. Needs a bit of tweaking as the little bat fell off the bottom when printed. Or rather was severed in the middle (not unreasonable for Hallowe'en I suppose).
Icons from various Pixabay creators, will all be linked here cs4fn.blog/halloweenzine/

A screenshot of page 1 of the mini zine.

How it prints out. The front page says Happy Hallowe'en from CS4FN in bold text with space to colour in the letters. Also to colour in are a broom, cauldron with vapours rising, potion bottles and a witches hat. At the bottom of the CS4FN text hangs half a bat as he was severed in the printing process as I got the margins a bit wrong.

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 3d

Digital inclusion in SCOTLAND, money available to help folk with that find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/grants/conne...

Deadline 30 Oct 2025, 23:59
They've put (midnight) in brackets next to 23:59. I bet the back story involved 00:00 at some point ;)

Connecting Scotland Digital Inclusion Fund
The Connecting Scotland Digital Inclusion Fund supports projects that tackle digital exclusion in Scotland. The Scottish Government administers and manages the Fund, which is deploying funding from the UK Government’s Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund.
Opening date: 2 October 2025, 10:00am
Closing date: 30 October 2025, 11:59pm (Midnight)

Summary

The Connecting Scotland Digital Inclusion Fund supports projects that tackle digital exclusion in Scotland. The Scottish Government administers and manages the Fund, which is deploying funding from the UK Government’s Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund.

£442,327 of the Connecting Scotland Digital Inclusion Fund is being distributed via this call for applications.

Applicants may request funding between £10,000 and £50,000, depending on the scope and nature of the proposed project.

A separate £321,692 of funding, also from the UK Government's Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, is to be distributed via the Scottish Government’s CivTech Round 11 challenge. This pot of funding, totalling over £1 million when including additional Scottish Government funding, falls outwith the process detailed here. Applicants interested in pursuing this opportunity should consult the link above.

Funding is available under the following two categories:

Category 1: £321,692: Resource support for projects that replicate or scale best practice in digital inclusion interventions or deliver innovative approaches to tackling digital exclusion

Category 2: £120,635: Capital investment in equipment and assets to support delivery of digital inclusion activities (e.g. laptops, devices, software).

Applicants must state which category (or categories) they are applying for, and applications can combine Categories 1 and 2.

Your project must address digital exclusion in Scotland and meet at least one of the following objectives:

support innovative initiatives to increase digital participation, producing new insights on what works;

support best practice with the ambition to scale and replicate successful digital inclusion activities across Scotland.

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 4d

I tried the Hej! Workshop in Greenwich (community working space) but didn't realise it was meant to be chatty (failed to spot its Deskpass Mood badged as Lively) & have piped music / store announcements coming through. Every voice heard indeed... blackheathandbeyond.wordpress.com/2025/04/15/g...

Words painted onto a wall saying "inclusive, adjective - where everyone is valued and every voice heard"

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 4d

Nice shot.

747 on the right with an A380 behind it.

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 4d

Big Jet TV live
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmC2...

Airbus A380 aircraft coming in to land at Heathrow's 27R runway.

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 5d

That does seem quite likely!

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 5d

This low-flying glider over London is either a glitch or a bad idea (surely) www.flightradar24.com/GCUGC/3c8364d2

Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map | Flightradar24

View flight on Flightradar24

www.flightradar24.com

JoBrodie @jobrodie.bsky.social · 5d

@michaelrosenyes.bsky.social Have you ever explored phrasing by academics in their papers? I think this is a pretty unbeatable start to the 1976 paper about a man who died from rabies.
"Seven weeks after he was bitten on the lip by a puppy in the Gambia..." pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/944605/