Brian O'Halloran
@playingwithdust.bsky.social
Die hard Cruyffian. Ex astrophysicist. QPR devotee, for my multiple sins. Single parent.
Pinned
Time for a (re) introduction for my new followers! I'm Brian, a fallen astrophysicist living on the Copper Coast in Waterford, Ireland. Most of my feed will be photos of this gorgeous part of the world, plus my astrophotography.
Oh, plus terrible football takes.
Oh, plus terrible football takes.
Reposted by Brian O'Halloran
Reposted by Brian O'Halloran
An Earth-directed CME is on the way! Predicted arrival time is 10 UT on Feb 18 +/- 7 hr according to the NASA M2M WSA ENLIL+Cone model.
The model is predicting Kp 6-8 possible, but I always take these with a grain of salt and am only thinking G1-G2 for this CME (if it arrives).
#heliophysics
The model is predicting Kp 6-8 possible, but I always take these with a grain of salt and am only thinking G1-G2 for this CME (if it arrives).
#heliophysics
February 16, 2026 at 7:44 PM
An Earth-directed CME is on the way! Predicted arrival time is 10 UT on Feb 18 +/- 7 hr according to the NASA M2M WSA ENLIL+Cone model.
The model is predicting Kp 6-8 possible, but I always take these with a grain of salt and am only thinking G1-G2 for this CME (if it arrives).
#heliophysics
The model is predicting Kp 6-8 possible, but I always take these with a grain of salt and am only thinking G1-G2 for this CME (if it arrives).
#heliophysics
I still want to be Ruud Krol when I grow up.
One of the finest sweepers ever, and was ridiculously cool
One of the finest sweepers ever, and was ridiculously cool
February 16, 2026 at 7:07 PM
I still want to be Ruud Krol when I grow up.
One of the finest sweepers ever, and was ridiculously cool
One of the finest sweepers ever, and was ridiculously cool
Just hoping that as his coffin is heading into the furnace, they'll hear his voice say over the PA...
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning"
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning"
Robert Duvall, who played the smooth mafia lawyer in "The Godfather" and stole the show with his depiction of a surfing-crazed colonel in "Apocalypse Now," has died at the age of 95, his wife has said.
Godfather star Robert Duvall dies aged 95, wife says
Robert Duvall, who played the smooth mafia lawyer in "The Godfather" and stole the show with his depiction of a surfing-crazed colonel in "Apocalypse Now," has died at the age of 95, his wife has said...
www.rte.ie
February 16, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Just hoping that as his coffin is heading into the furnace, they'll hear his voice say over the PA...
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning"
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning"
Greatest player that I ever got to see live. The man was a genius.
(The Euro 92 Dutch kit was a thing of beauty - they really should have won the tournament too. That performance against Germany was just glorious)
(The Euro 92 Dutch kit was a thing of beauty - they really should have won the tournament too. That performance against Germany was just glorious)
February 16, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Greatest player that I ever got to see live. The man was a genius.
(The Euro 92 Dutch kit was a thing of beauty - they really should have won the tournament too. That performance against Germany was just glorious)
(The Euro 92 Dutch kit was a thing of beauty - they really should have won the tournament too. That performance against Germany was just glorious)
No, no, no, absolutely not in tears after watching the Emissary/Sisko episode of #StarfleetAcademy
This series has absolutely been a very pleasant surprise, not what I was expecting at all.
This series has absolutely been a very pleasant surprise, not what I was expecting at all.
February 16, 2026 at 5:51 PM
No, no, no, absolutely not in tears after watching the Emissary/Sisko episode of #StarfleetAcademy
This series has absolutely been a very pleasant surprise, not what I was expecting at all.
This series has absolutely been a very pleasant surprise, not what I was expecting at all.
Reposted by Brian O'Halloran
Is it too early to hit the wine?
February 16, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Is it too early to hit the wine?
Reposted by Brian O'Halloran
Summer Olympics scandal: our labwork revealed that the gold medal swimmer took paracetamol once in the past two years. Disqualified.
Winter Olympics scandal: let's catch those cheating moose-fuckers with a combination of geometry and spite!
Winter Olympics scandal: let's catch those cheating moose-fuckers with a combination of geometry and spite!
Sweden curling set up a sting operation to catch Canada cheating i’m fucking losing it
February 16, 2026 at 3:17 PM
Summer Olympics scandal: our labwork revealed that the gold medal swimmer took paracetamol once in the past two years. Disqualified.
Winter Olympics scandal: let's catch those cheating moose-fuckers with a combination of geometry and spite!
Winter Olympics scandal: let's catch those cheating moose-fuckers with a combination of geometry and spite!
Reposted by Brian O'Halloran
This is happening because OpenAI - a company that does not have anything even approaching a viable business model and is setting money on fire - used borrowed money to advance buy all of the raw materials for RAM production so competitors couldn’t get it
this RAM crisis feels like it’s going to ruin consumer electronics over the next decade. Bloomberg reports that Sony is considering pushing the PS6 release to 2028 or even 2029 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
February 16, 2026 at 1:01 PM
This is happening because OpenAI - a company that does not have anything even approaching a viable business model and is setting money on fire - used borrowed money to advance buy all of the raw materials for RAM production so competitors couldn’t get it
Reposted by Brian O'Halloran
mom they’re roasting the US economy on mastodon again
February 16, 2026 at 7:37 AM
mom they’re roasting the US economy on mastodon again
Finally home.
What a day.
What a day.
At least I am warming up after my hard shoulder odyssey..
Thanks to Gary and the AA for the pick up!
Thanks to Gary and the AA for the pick up!
February 16, 2026 at 12:20 PM
Finally home.
What a day.
What a day.
At least I am warming up after my hard shoulder odyssey..
Thanks to Gary and the AA for the pick up!
Thanks to Gary and the AA for the pick up!
February 16, 2026 at 10:23 AM
At least I am warming up after my hard shoulder odyssey..
Thanks to Gary and the AA for the pick up!
Thanks to Gary and the AA for the pick up!
Reposted by Brian O'Halloran
February 16, 2026 at 7:37 AM
Hello from the M9
February 16, 2026 at 7:33 AM
Hello from the M9
And we wait for rescue.
How's your Monday morning going?
How's your Monday morning going?
February 16, 2026 at 6:49 AM
And we wait for rescue.
How's your Monday morning going?
How's your Monday morning going?
Well, am stuck on the side of the M9 northbound in Kildare: driving to work, some big object was on the road, I went over it (no chance to avoid it).
Pulled into the hard shoulder and now the car won't start.
Pulled into the hard shoulder and now the car won't start.
February 16, 2026 at 5:45 AM
Well, am stuck on the side of the M9 northbound in Kildare: driving to work, some big object was on the road, I went over it (no chance to avoid it).
Pulled into the hard shoulder and now the car won't start.
Pulled into the hard shoulder and now the car won't start.
Reposted by Brian O'Halloran
31 years ago today. My first ever sports game I attended....
(Context for those unaware)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lansdow...
(Context for those unaware)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lansdow...
February 15, 2026 at 8:28 PM
31 years ago today. My first ever sports game I attended....
(Context for those unaware)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lansdow...
(Context for those unaware)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lansdow...
Reposted by Brian O'Halloran
The world just lost an absolute legend.
February 15, 2026 at 1:44 PM
The world just lost an absolute legend.
So, I spent my weekend setting up the GigaBlue UHD Quad 4K Pro PVR: I'm now watching BBC on my bedroom TV via Plex on my laptop, having connected them on the network.
All working really well so far. Have a look at the thread/my feed on how I did it!
All working really well so far. Have a look at the thread/my feed on how I did it!
February 15, 2026 at 8:43 PM
So, I spent my weekend setting up the GigaBlue UHD Quad 4K Pro PVR: I'm now watching BBC on my bedroom TV via Plex on my laptop, having connected them on the network.
All working really well so far. Have a look at the thread/my feed on how I did it!
All working really well so far. Have a look at the thread/my feed on how I did it!
Reposted by Brian O'Halloran
Ha! Playing about with OpenViX (the new OS I installed to get Plex working/talking to the Gigablue PVR box).
It's much nicer and sleeker than the TeamBlue OS - and you can even install skins. You can make it look like a Sky box 🤣
It's much nicer and sleeker than the TeamBlue OS - and you can even install skins. You can make it look like a Sky box 🤣
February 15, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Ha! Playing about with OpenViX (the new OS I installed to get Plex working/talking to the Gigablue PVR box).
It's much nicer and sleeker than the TeamBlue OS - and you can even install skins. You can make it look like a Sky box 🤣
It's much nicer and sleeker than the TeamBlue OS - and you can even install skins. You can make it look like a Sky box 🤣
Reposted by Brian O'Halloran
Well, well, well.
Look what I just got work via my GigaBlue PVR....
Hello, Plex.
Look what I just got work via my GigaBlue PVR....
Hello, Plex.
February 15, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Well, well, well.
Look what I just got work via my GigaBlue PVR....
Hello, Plex.
Look what I just got work via my GigaBlue PVR....
Hello, Plex.
Reposted by Brian O'Halloran
As for my favourite spoonerized business name, it will never not be this furniture showroom in New Zealand...
July 22, 2025 at 10:42 AM
As for my favourite spoonerized business name, it will never not be this furniture showroom in New Zealand...
Reposted by Brian O'Halloran
I think this is part of my generation's confusion about AI.
We were raised on a culture that warned about these dangers repeatedly -- from WarGames to the Terminator films to the Matrix, and countless other dystopian futures in between -- and now those cautionary tales are being celebrated.
We were raised on a culture that warned about these dangers repeatedly -- from WarGames to the Terminator films to the Matrix, and countless other dystopian futures in between -- and now those cautionary tales are being celebrated.
Imagine when The Terminator came out if you told someone that in 40 years the world’s richest weirdo would fill the sky with a communications net, embrace AI, and now promise to build an army of robots, and nobody seems inclined to stop him.
February 15, 2026 at 6:44 PM
I think this is part of my generation's confusion about AI.
We were raised on a culture that warned about these dangers repeatedly -- from WarGames to the Terminator films to the Matrix, and countless other dystopian futures in between -- and now those cautionary tales are being celebrated.
We were raised on a culture that warned about these dangers repeatedly -- from WarGames to the Terminator films to the Matrix, and countless other dystopian futures in between -- and now those cautionary tales are being celebrated.