Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
@matgb.uk
Displaced Devonian in Yorkshire, ageing goth who yawns a lot (2 sleep disorders and chronic fatigue). Never been a "real man" so a little bit NB, here for the SF, history, science and friends
Icon from Doomtown, best card game ever made
Icon from Doomtown, best card game ever made
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
It’s that remarkable kind of charisma where you know that he didn’t fuck the couch but it wouldn’t matter if he did, because he’s an inherent couchfucker.
not so much uncharismatic as anticharismatic. all the charisma within a 10 mile radius ups and leaves as soon as he starts speaking.
JD Vance: "How many of you really like turkey?"
Many soldiers raise their hands.
Vance: "You're all full of shit."
Many soldiers raise their hands.
Vance: "You're all full of shit."
November 29, 2025 at 4:46 AM
It’s that remarkable kind of charisma where you know that he didn’t fuck the couch but it wouldn’t matter if he did, because he’s an inherent couchfucker.
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
I have a powerful urge to run a Star Wars TTRPG Blues Brothers adventure.
"It's 106 light years to Corelia, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of death sticks, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses."
"Hit it."
"It's 106 light years to Corelia, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of death sticks, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses."
"Hit it."
November 28, 2025 at 6:27 AM
I have a powerful urge to run a Star Wars TTRPG Blues Brothers adventure.
"It's 106 light years to Corelia, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of death sticks, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses."
"Hit it."
"It's 106 light years to Corelia, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of death sticks, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses."
"Hit it."
It me, it was me the first time Jennie got me to listen to the whole thing
Still think it's an utterly incongrous juxtaposition but it remains one of the best bass riffs ever
Still think it's an utterly incongrous juxtaposition but it remains one of the best bass riffs ever
Man Who Thought Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ Was Over In For Thrill Of His Fucking Life https://theonion.com/man-who-thought-fleetwood-macs-the-chain-was-over-in-for-thrill-of-his-fucking-life/
November 28, 2025 at 5:28 PM
It me, it was me the first time Jennie got me to listen to the whole thing
Still think it's an utterly incongrous juxtaposition but it remains one of the best bass riffs ever
Still think it's an utterly incongrous juxtaposition but it remains one of the best bass riffs ever
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Absolutely this
The Blue Labour right have become the Militant of 2025 - a tiny but hyperactive and densely networked sect working relentlessly to drag Labour towards their niche pursuits and away from the values and priorities of core Labour voters.
November 28, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Absolutely this
See, I always thought it was a hard 'g', fa-RAGG, the soft g being a weird French affectation, but I may have got my vowel shift mixed up again, wouldn't be the first time
We offer a grand discount of fuck all this Friday.
Cos we don’t price gouge for the rest of the year.
Get your t towel books and stuff at www.markthomasinfo.co.uk/store/
Cos we don’t price gouge for the rest of the year.
Get your t towel books and stuff at www.markthomasinfo.co.uk/store/
November 28, 2025 at 1:18 PM
See, I always thought it was a hard 'g', fa-RAGG, the soft g being a weird French affectation, but I may have got my vowel shift mixed up again, wouldn't be the first time
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
UNBOUND AUTHORS: Leftover copies of your books in the UK (MacMillan) warehouse will be pulped within the next week or two. DM me for a link to the warehouse stock list and contacts.
If you have no dosh, another publisher (Wilton Sq) is willing to buy the books & distribute on a 50/50 profit split
If you have no dosh, another publisher (Wilton Sq) is willing to buy the books & distribute on a 50/50 profit split
November 27, 2025 at 3:25 PM
UNBOUND AUTHORS: Leftover copies of your books in the UK (MacMillan) warehouse will be pulped within the next week or two. DM me for a link to the warehouse stock list and contacts.
If you have no dosh, another publisher (Wilton Sq) is willing to buy the books & distribute on a 50/50 profit split
If you have no dosh, another publisher (Wilton Sq) is willing to buy the books & distribute on a 50/50 profit split
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Americans, talking about the Palaeolithic: imagine a burger
Apparently, Paleolithic garden burgers (patties of legume and grains) may have been a thing! And they flavored food with mustard, and used medicinal plants like yarrow and chamomile!
Coming together to eat the food we share has been part of humanity from the very beginning. I wrote this post after a Thanksgiving week lecture on evidence for Neanderthals and other ancient people making prepared mixtures of grains, lentils, and other foods.
www.johnhawks.net/p/a-neandert...
www.johnhawks.net/p/a-neandert...
November 26, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Americans, talking about the Palaeolithic: imagine a burger
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
There is a case for ‘Buffalo Stance’ being the start of the 1990s. Neneh Cherry easily the coolest person in the world at this point.
November 28, 2025 at 9:44 AM
There is a case for ‘Buffalo Stance’ being the start of the 1990s. Neneh Cherry easily the coolest person in the world at this point.
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Overton windows ltd have installed your new double glazing several streets to the right
Great illustration of the austerity ratchet in Britain - restoring the pre-Osborne welfare state treated like wild-eyed radicalism
Aside from anything else, the benefit cap was introduced in 2013. Claiming that going back to 2012, to a benefit system designed by Tories but missing some of the most egregious and punitive excesses, is a sign of a "return" to even the real 1970s let alone the media boogeyman 1970s, is bollocks.
November 28, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Overton windows ltd have installed your new double glazing several streets to the right
Oh gods, he didn't warn me
Suspect I'll need to create more shelf space on Monday
Suspect I'll need to create more shelf space on Monday
It's the most wonderful time of the year! It's Record Store Day, and time to see what Father Vinyl has left under the record shop counter for all the good middle-aged men.
November 28, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Oh gods, he didn't warn me
Suspect I'll need to create more shelf space on Monday
Suspect I'll need to create more shelf space on Monday
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Check out my short celebration for Heaven Sent anniversary. The designing of The Veil
Heaven Sent: Happy 10th Anniversary (Doctor Who) The Veil. youtu.be/-ykezb_a-S0?... via @YouTube
Heaven Sent: Happy 10th Anniversary (Doctor Who) The Veil. youtu.be/-ykezb_a-S0?... via @YouTube
Heaven Sent: Happy 10th Anniversary (Doctor Who) The Veil.
YouTube video by How I Filmed This - Rachel Talalay
youtu.be
November 28, 2025 at 5:52 AM
Check out my short celebration for Heaven Sent anniversary. The designing of The Veil
Heaven Sent: Happy 10th Anniversary (Doctor Who) The Veil. youtu.be/-ykezb_a-S0?... via @YouTube
Heaven Sent: Happy 10th Anniversary (Doctor Who) The Veil. youtu.be/-ykezb_a-S0?... via @YouTube
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
But who is to say an earthwork is a linear border? Who is to say the Pictish kingdom of Cé stopped at X point and went no further?
Long have people used such marks in the landscape to find little kingdoms, often uncritically; people, instead of place, ought to be prioritised, as they once were
Long have people used such marks in the landscape to find little kingdoms, often uncritically; people, instead of place, ought to be prioritised, as they once were
November 28, 2025 at 6:06 AM
But who is to say an earthwork is a linear border? Who is to say the Pictish kingdom of Cé stopped at X point and went no further?
Long have people used such marks in the landscape to find little kingdoms, often uncritically; people, instead of place, ought to be prioritised, as they once were
Long have people used such marks in the landscape to find little kingdoms, often uncritically; people, instead of place, ought to be prioritised, as they once were
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Yes, govt bent to pressure from MPs over the benefit cap.
That's how parliamentary democracy works - and why it's a good thing.
It means a leader has to carry a wider movement with them. There's a counter-pressure to the strategists in No. 10.
It matters that we elect a Parliament, not just a PM.
That's how parliamentary democracy works - and why it's a good thing.
It means a leader has to carry a wider movement with them. There's a counter-pressure to the strategists in No. 10.
It matters that we elect a Parliament, not just a PM.
November 27, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Yes, govt bent to pressure from MPs over the benefit cap.
That's how parliamentary democracy works - and why it's a good thing.
It means a leader has to carry a wider movement with them. There's a counter-pressure to the strategists in No. 10.
It matters that we elect a Parliament, not just a PM.
That's how parliamentary democracy works - and why it's a good thing.
It means a leader has to carry a wider movement with them. There's a counter-pressure to the strategists in No. 10.
It matters that we elect a Parliament, not just a PM.
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Nothing like good mileage to bring things into perspective
It's Friday, and apparently bluesky is ready for this fun revelation:
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
November 27, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Nothing like good mileage to bring things into perspective
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Why is people leaving this country and no longer wanting to come to this country a good thing?? Cos it sounds like the kind of thing the happens to a shithole country, not a good one
November 27, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Why is people leaving this country and no longer wanting to come to this country a good thing?? Cos it sounds like the kind of thing the happens to a shithole country, not a good one
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Aye, Bamber had the most remarkable life, from "Share My Lettuce" via "The Christians" to "Ghosts". And that quiz.
Here's the obit i penned shortly after his death.
web.archive.org/web/20250714...
Here's the obit i penned shortly after his death.
web.archive.org/web/20250714...
Weaver's Week 2022-02-13 - UKGameshows
web.archive.org
November 27, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Aye, Bamber had the most remarkable life, from "Share My Lettuce" via "The Christians" to "Ghosts". And that quiz.
Here's the obit i penned shortly after his death.
web.archive.org/web/20250714...
Here's the obit i penned shortly after his death.
web.archive.org/web/20250714...
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen:
The Sisters of Mercy
Therapy?
Belly
Page & Plant with Arthur Brown support
The Royal Phil doing Carmina Burana
The Sisters of Mercy
Therapy?
Belly
Page & Plant with Arthur Brown support
The Royal Phil doing Carmina Burana
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen:
David Bowie
Therapy?
Radiohead (Creep era)
Buddy Guy
Squeeze
David Bowie
Therapy?
Radiohead (Creep era)
Buddy Guy
Squeeze
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen:
Crowded House (x2)
Hozier
Elton John
Fleetwood Mac
Blue Rodeo (x3)
Crowded House (x2)
Hozier
Elton John
Fleetwood Mac
Blue Rodeo (x3)
November 27, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen:
The Sisters of Mercy
Therapy?
Belly
Page & Plant with Arthur Brown support
The Royal Phil doing Carmina Burana
The Sisters of Mercy
Therapy?
Belly
Page & Plant with Arthur Brown support
The Royal Phil doing Carmina Burana
This is a really good comprehensive overview of the current evidence on Devon being the cradle of world civilization
Well worth your time, good maps too
Well worth your time, good maps too
Did you know Bronze Age Cyprus had trade connections all the way to Britain? Tin was imported from south-west England, playing a fundamental role in the transition from copper to full tin-bronze metallurgy across Europe and the Mediterranean.
🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
From Land's End to the Levant: did Britain's tin sources transform the Bronze Age in Europe and the Mediterranean?
Bronze Age–Early Iron Age tin ingots recovered from four Mediterranean shipwrecks off the coasts of Israel and southern France can now be provenanced to tin ores in south-west Britain. These exceptionally rich and accessible ores played a fundamental role in the transition from copper to full tin-bronze metallurgy across Europe and the Mediterranean during the second millennium BC. The authors’ application of a novel combination of three independent analyses (trace element, lead and tin isotopes) to tin ores and artefacts from Western and Central Europe also provides the foundation for future analyses of the pan-continental tin trade in later periods.
doi.org
November 27, 2025 at 6:28 PM
This is a really good comprehensive overview of the current evidence on Devon being the cradle of world civilization
Well worth your time, good maps too
Well worth your time, good maps too
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
This story by @artcrimeprof.bsky.social is fucking great
‘By his own estimate, Jonathan Tokeley-Parry smuggled three thousand antiquities out of Egypt in 65 trips over six years. His success was down to his skill as a “fabricator”.’
Erin L. Thompson (@artcrimeprof.bsky.social) on the blog:
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/no...
Erin L. Thompson (@artcrimeprof.bsky.social) on the blog:
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/no...
Erin L. Thompson | Fake it till you make it
Jonathan Tokeley-Parry, who died last month, had a business card in the early 1990s that described him as ‘Jonty “...
www.lrb.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 1:42 PM
This story by @artcrimeprof.bsky.social is fucking great
Wait, the 'one other person' that knew the location was Bamber Gascoigne?
What a fascinating life he had
What a fascinating life he had
One of the most beautiful bits of english eccentricity and glorious design is coming back to Sotheby’s and should be bought by a musuem (or me) for THE NATION. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Jewelled golden hare that sparked national treasure hunt set for auction
Artist and author Kit Williams hid a golden hare with clues to its precise location given in his 1979 book
www.independent.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Wait, the 'one other person' that knew the location was Bamber Gascoigne?
What a fascinating life he had
What a fascinating life he had
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
I've already got this, it's great, you should buy it too, it's on offer and it's great
IN THE SHADOW OF THE SHIP by @aliettedebodard.com is on sale at the moment in the UK! Only £1.99…
• Kobo: www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/...
• Kindle: www.amazon.co.uk/Shadow-Ship-...
This edition published by @awfulagent.bsky.social.
• Kobo: www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/...
• Kindle: www.amazon.co.uk/Shadow-Ship-...
This edition published by @awfulagent.bsky.social.
In the Shadow of the Ship ebook by Aliette de Bodard - Rakuten Kobo
Read "In the Shadow of the Ship" by Aliette de Bodard available from Rakuten Kobo. When she was sixteen, Khuyên left behind her family, the decaying sentient spaceship Nightjar, and the Tribute—the re...
www.kobo.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:36 PM
I've already got this, it's great, you should buy it too, it's on offer and it's great
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Some are suggesting you deliberately write inaccurate or confusing alt text, because they say this confuses AI scrapers that are analyzing images.
The purpose of alt text is to help people who cannot see the image. Deliberately misrepresenting the image is a gross misuse of alt text. Don't do it.
The purpose of alt text is to help people who cannot see the image. Deliberately misrepresenting the image is a gross misuse of alt text. Don't do it.
November 26, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Some are suggesting you deliberately write inaccurate or confusing alt text, because they say this confuses AI scrapers that are analyzing images.
The purpose of alt text is to help people who cannot see the image. Deliberately misrepresenting the image is a gross misuse of alt text. Don't do it.
The purpose of alt text is to help people who cannot see the image. Deliberately misrepresenting the image is a gross misuse of alt text. Don't do it.
Y'ever read something and get the feeling that perhaps it's YOU that belongs in a museum?
We are now further away from the theatrical release of Raiders of the Lost Ark (June 12, 1981) than it was from the year it takes place in (1936). We have reached the Indiana Jones event horizon.
November 27, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Y'ever read something and get the feeling that perhaps it's YOU that belongs in a museum?
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
The attack on his niece was a few years ago. Everything this scumbag has done since has been with full awareness of what he's been empowering and emboldening.
To come out with this now is gobsmacking. I don't know how he's got the nerve.
To come out with this now is gobsmacking. I don't know how he's got the nerve.
Irks me when he says this because I’ve been at an LGBT event he’s been at, I’ve seen him attend others; he is in no way unaware of this being a problem nor his own role in it
metro.co.uk/2025/11/26/k...
metro.co.uk/2025/11/26/k...
Keir Starmer's fury after neice and wife 'beaten by blokes for holding hands'
'I thought the days of beating up people because they were gay were well behind us.'
metro.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 9:21 AM
The attack on his niece was a few years ago. Everything this scumbag has done since has been with full awareness of what he's been empowering and emboldening.
To come out with this now is gobsmacking. I don't know how he's got the nerve.
To come out with this now is gobsmacking. I don't know how he's got the nerve.