Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 11h

Excellent! I confess I bought it pretty much because I really like him (McCloskey) on the Rest Is Classified podcast, checked out his novels, was fancying something different, so thought I’d get it as well.

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 12h

Latest set of book purchases from @waterstones.bsky.social. Who Will You Save, an SF short story collection by @garethlpowell.bsky.social, and Damascus Station, the debut spy thriller novel by ex-CIA analyst David McCloskey (found via the excellent @restisclassified.bsky.social podcast).

Two books on a book shelf. Who Will You Save, by Gareth L Powell. Damascus Station by David McCloskey.

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 5d

There's nothing like spending a weekend driving our 2014 Nissan Micra with my iPhone + Apple Maps as the satnav instead of our Tesla Model 3 with its built-in satnav to realise just how epically shit the Tesla satnav is.

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 9d

Just came across a work document where someone has taken the company's standard Word template and set the paragraph spacing for the Normal style to zero, and then put a blank line between each paragraph.

Why would you do this?

Who hurt you?

Reposted by Jonny Nexus

Eric Douglas @ericdouglas999.bsky.social · 9d

'The Nerve', a new female-founded media title is up and running, bringing independent journalism, a dash of culture and a weekly Stewart Lee column.
www.thenerve.news

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 15d

Excellent! Brilliant news. (Gar’s both a great writer and a really good mate).

Gareth Hanrahan @mytholder.bsky.social · 15d

And the news: www.orbit-books.co.uk/orbit-books-...

Acquisition Announcement: The Dungeon Book by Gareth Hanrahan

Orbit is thrilled to announce the acquisition of two new standalone fantasy books from Gareth Hanrahan, author of The Gutter Prayer and The Sword Defiant. Senior Commissioning Editor Emily Byron ac…

www.orbit-books.co.uk

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Reposted by Jonny Nexus

Nicholas Whyte @nwhyte.bsky.social · 15d

Nicola Sturgeon on Kamala Harris’s book. Eloquent and blistering.

observer.co.uk/culture/book...

Kamala Harris has no lessons for the Democrats – or herself

In 107 Days, her despair-inducing account of the 2024 presidential election, Harris is uninterested in the true causes of her defeat, and unable to offer...

observer.co.uk

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 18d

My maternal grandfather, born in 1908, had to have his lunch at exactly 1 pm, his dinner at exactly 5 pm, and would only eat certain foods.

But yeah, sure, Paracetamol causes autism.

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 19d

Finally got round to cancelling my Disney Plus subscription. Took quite a bit of searching (and Googling) to find the appropriate menu option. To be honest, I've got more streaming stuff than I know what to do with, so it's a bit of a no-brainer.

Screenshot of form. "Other" radio button is selected. Below, in a text edit, text has been entered saying: You are appeasing a neo-fascist government by sacking Jimmy Kimmel for criticising the regime.

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 20d

I've mentioned before that I will be a guest of honour at @armadacon.bsky.social at the end of next month, but I made a post giving a few more details. buttondown.com/TheNexusFile...

ArmadaCon 2025, Sir Terry Pratchett, And Me

In 1988, four hundred years after Sir Francis Drake set out from Plymouth to defeat the Spanish Armada, a science-fiction and fantasy convention was held in...

buttondown.com

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 22d

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling...

Boiling vessel - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 22d

Americans 🇺🇸: We don’t have kettles in our kitchens.

Brits 🇬🇧: We have kettles built into our tanks and armoured personnel carriers.

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 22d

The soles on my deck shoes are so worn that if they were tyres, I'd be illegal. Just went slipping and sliding my way across a freshly mopped floor.

Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 27d

Playing Tiny Frontiers for the first time.

Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 28d

I would thought the rule of thumb would be that if a subject is taught in years 6 to 8 at secondary school, that subject should be on offer at every university.

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 28d

Sorry, is it not to be expected that each university will offer a full suite of standard subjects (like history) with it only being when you get to more niche things (archeology, say) that it will only be certain specialist universities that offer it?

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Reposted by Jonny Nexus

Danie Ware @danacea.bsky.social · Sep 10

Trans friend of mine, someone I've known for almost forty years, throughout her transition and everything she went through to become who she was all along...

...was assaulted is ASDA yesterday, by a security guard. Told her 'men were not allowed the ladies' loo' and physically dragged her out.

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 28d

I mean don't get me wrong, regardless of the ECHR and the ruling, this *is* assault, but I'm worried that the ruling and the subsequent stuff the ECHR said have created a smokescreen that gives cover to horrible actions like this. :(

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 28d

The fucking, awful, horrible thing is that I'm worried that if she does, the police might then cite the crap the ECHR put out following the supreme court ruling (where they seemed to take a quite limited ruling, and then go way beyond what the ruling had said). :(

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 28d

I remember having that in the Cafe Nero in Brighton. Had to change my daughter on the floor of the gents toilets. Asked staff afterwards about the lack of a changing table, and they said there was one in the ladies.

I was like, that's nice, but how does that help me?

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Reposted by Jonny Nexus

Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 29d

I need you to understand what this country feels like right now for those of us who look different. I'm sitting here, trying to plan for Saturday, make sure I don't even need to go to the corner shop for milk, like it's Christmas Day or lockdown. Why? Because I live near where Yaxley-Lennon will 1/

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 29d

@somersetccc.bsky.social could be on the verge of an epic victory against Yorkshire if the bastard rain that's been bastard raining for huge chunks of the first three days would just stop bastard raining.

Screenshot of cricket score.
Day 4 of 4 · 8 Sep - 11 Sep
Somerset vs Yorkshire
Somerset 441-6 dec (127.0)
Yorkshire 56-5 (15.5)
Rain - Yorkshire trail Somerset by 385 runs with 5 wickets remaining

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Reposted by Jonny Nexus

Gareth Hanrahan @mytholder.bsky.social · Sep 10

As John says, THE SWORD DEFIANT is available at a big discount for Audible members in the UK at the moment.

John Jarrold @johnj.bsky.social · Sep 10

If you're an Audible member, THE SWORD DEFIANT, the audibook of the first volume of the brilliant LANDS OF THE FIRSTBORN fantasy trilogy by @mytholder.bsky.social , is available for £3.99 from today until September 19...go for it!

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Reposted by Jonny Nexus

Susan Murray @pulpthorn.bsky.social · Sep 9

Bagpuss is tired. He's been out in the cold for years, and now Control wants to bring him in at last - but only after one final assignment. He must travel back to the place where it all began and betray Professor Yaffle.

Children's TV favourite Bagpuss to reawaken for new film

It will be the first new official Bagpuss production since the original beloved 1974 series.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · Sep 7

My non-economist and very much layman's attempt to explain an apparently true but hugely counter-intuitive fact, which is that when a bank loans you money, they're not moving existing money to you, but creating new money.

buttondown.com/TheNexusFile...

Most Money Is Created By Banks, Not Governments

If you think money is created by governments or their central banks then think again, because most money is created by commercial banks when they make loans....

buttondown.com