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Brian O'Halloran

@playingwithdust.bsky.social

2K followers 360 following 4K posts

Die hard Cruyffian. Ex astrophysicist. QPR devotee, for my multiple sins. Single parent.

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Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · Nov 7

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.

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Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 32m

It was briefly clear in the west as I drove home last night: fingers crossed the clouds break again after dusk.

Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 50m

The laws of thermodynamics are going to give the likes of Martin a gigantic punch in the balls.

Joe Noonan @joenoonan.bsky.social · 9h

“I don’t think we can mitigate for climate change.”

- Mícheál Martin, Taoiseach.

www.independent.ie/business/tec...

Taoiseach says some climate projects will not be fulfilled because they risk polarising society

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has rowed back on climate change commitments, saying Ireland may not be able fulfil all current initiatives due to the polarising effect it could have on society.

www.independent.ie

Reposted by Brian O'Halloran

Steph @stephanenny.bsky.social · 1h

Resource wars are famously very uniting though.

Joe Noonan @joenoonan.bsky.social · 9h

“I don’t think we can mitigate for climate change.”

- Mícheál Martin, Taoiseach.

www.independent.ie/business/tec...

Taoiseach says some climate projects will not be fulfilled because they risk polarising society

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has rowed back on climate change commitments, saying Ireland may not be able fulfil all current initiatives due to the polarising effect it could have on society.

www.independent.ie

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Reposted by Brian O'Halloran

Michael Carley @drmcarley.bsky.social · 1h

Johnny Cash used to guest star on The Muppet Show. You didn't get to do that if you were uncool.

The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 11h

Compared to Dylan and Springsteen, country-music legend Johnny Cash can seem deeply uncool. It took time for me to appreciate his profound, plainspoken strength, writes Jon Fasman.

Essay | Can We Finally Give Johnny Cash His Due?

Compared to Dylan and Springsteen, the country-music legend can seem deeply uncool. It took time for me to appreciate his profound, plainspoken strength.

on.wsj.com

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Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 1h

Prepping her for the dark underbelly of the province.

Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 1h

We've got a cloudy anticyclone sitting right on top of us (weather I absolutely detest).

Hoping for at least a clear evening or two, but it's very typical of Irish weather when time critical astronomy events are happening.

Maik Meyer ☄️ @comethunter.de · 12h

C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is now also visible in the evening sky - but much lower than in the morning. Estimated it 6.0 mag, probably brighter. Tomorrow evening I will "climb" the local mountain trying to obtain my first view of C/2025 R2 (SWAN), which will be below 10°. It will rise higher day by day.
🔭☄️

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Reposted by Brian O'Halloran

RTÉ News @news.rte.ie · 2h

A new museum dedicated to the life of the explorer Ernest Shackleton opens in Athy in Co Kildare today.

New museum on life of Ernest Shackleton opens in Kildare

A new museum dedicated to the life of the explorer Ernest Shackleton opens in Athy in Co Kildare today.

www.rte.ie

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Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 1h

Good time of year to kick this off, with the Orionids about to begin (and sporadic meteor activity at its highest). Looking forward to seeing the outputs!

Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 11h

As someone born at the upper limit, I agree.

BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 12h

after careful study, I believe only people born between 1975 and 1995 should be allowed to use the internet

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Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 11h

Cork, most likely.

Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 12h

I saw the Open AI - Nvidia investments being described as circular trading this week...

fastercapital.com/content/Ponz...

Ponzi schemes: Circular Trading or Ponzi Scheme: Decoding the Link - FasterCapital

Ponzi schemes are a type of financial fraud that have been around for over a century. While they are illegal, they continue to be a popular scheme among fraudsters. One of the ways in which Ponzi sche...

fastercapital.com

Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 12h

Best known as a Tampax ad.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=usNl...

Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 12h

"Neil, you bought a laptop with. "AI" on it. You own this too."

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Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 12h

Homer sums it up.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=A_lO...

Marge, My Friend, I Haven't Learned A Thing

YouTube video by blobbem

m.youtube.com

Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 12h

Unfortunately, yes.

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Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 12h

It absolutely **will** crash. And I say that as someone who works in that world. I have the T-shirts from previous similar episodes.

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Reposted by Brian O'Halloran

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 1d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 13h

They forgot "buying loads of astrophotography gear and drones".

WWN @waterfordwhispers.bsky.social · 18h

Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 13h

I think they used the values seen in the Weimar Republic

Reposted by Brian O'Halloran

Josh Manning @joshmanning.bsky.social · 1d

Totally get it. This is meant to provoke. Don’t give in. Find your local community and bond together. It’s what they fear most. And make it local. What works in Chicago, what works in Portland, what works in wherever next … make it yours. They don’t understand community. They only understand self.

🎃 Fiona "Fi" Webster 🎃 @fiona-webster22.bsky.social · 1d

Kristi Noem compared antifa to MS-13, Hamas, Hezbollah & the Islamic State, calling the loosely affiliated network of antifascist street activists “just as dangerous” as designated terrorist organizations.

WTF? This is making me lose my cool...

Kristi Noem compares antifa to MS-13, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Islamic State

Homeland security secretary calls loosely affiliated network of anti-fascist street activists ‘just as dangerous’

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Brian O'Halloran

Steven Perkins @stevenperkins.bsky.social · 15h

I am normally very anti-people talking in the cinema during the film, except in this one instance

Letterboxd screenshot:
Didi（弟弟）2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Watched 21 Aug 2024
When he went to delete all of his uncool YouTube videos so that he could reinvent himself as a skateboard film auteur the woman sitting next to me gasped "noooo, just set them to private!"

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Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 18h

"Catherine Connolly's scouting reports to the Italian FA were pivotal in Salvatore Schillaci's selection for Italia '90"

Reposted by Brian O'Halloran

The Verge @theverge.com · 20h

DC Comics won’t support generative AI: ‘not now, not ever’

“People have an instinctive reaction to what feels authentic.”

buff.ly

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Reposted by Brian O'Halloran

Shamim Malekmian @shamimmalekmian.bsky.social · 1d

As the media lionises Hickey for his few days in detention, remember most ordinary political prisoners in Iran don't come out of jail to glory and Patreon subs, they come out to a ruined future, if they are lucky enough to come out in one piece.

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Brian O'Halloran @playingwithdust.bsky.social · 20h

Did Tobias Fünke write this?

Kendra, regular version @kendrawcandraw.bsky.social · 15d

Please don't call it that

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