Paul McGhee
@pmcghee.bsky.social
Rug repairer. Haunter of car boot sales. Cambridge, UK.
Also stereography at @pmcghee2.bsky.social
Also stereography at @pmcghee2.bsky.social
Reposted by Paul McGhee
January 8, 2026 at 5:00 AM
Reposted by Paul McGhee
There’s nothing like walking through a souk (here in Sidon) to find things relevant to my research: here’s the colocynth recommended as an insect-repellent added to ink, and here’s the hollyhock that’s boiled to make a paper size. Still sold as pharmaceuticals as they were centuries ago.
January 7, 2026 at 1:51 PM
There’s nothing like walking through a souk (here in Sidon) to find things relevant to my research: here’s the colocynth recommended as an insect-repellent added to ink, and here’s the hollyhock that’s boiled to make a paper size. Still sold as pharmaceuticals as they were centuries ago.
Had fun lately in the company of some synthetic people on Bluesky. My thoughts in ALT Text
January 7, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Had fun lately in the company of some synthetic people on Bluesky. My thoughts in ALT Text
Rug of the Day
Navaho blanket, found in a cave in the Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, along with the mummified skeletons of local people massacred in 1805 in a punitive raid by Spanish invaders. This may be the oldest extant native weaving in America.
Navaho blanket, found in a cave in the Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, along with the mummified skeletons of local people massacred in 1805 in a punitive raid by Spanish invaders. This may be the oldest extant native weaving in America.
January 7, 2026 at 3:31 PM
Rug of the Day
Navaho blanket, found in a cave in the Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, along with the mummified skeletons of local people massacred in 1805 in a punitive raid by Spanish invaders. This may be the oldest extant native weaving in America.
Navaho blanket, found in a cave in the Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, along with the mummified skeletons of local people massacred in 1805 in a punitive raid by Spanish invaders. This may be the oldest extant native weaving in America.
Which of these should I buy this week from my local auction house?
January 6, 2026 at 12:13 PM
Which of these should I buy this week from my local auction house?
Oh. (2)
January 5, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Oh. (2)
Oh.
Russia Wanted Ukraine in Exchange for Venezuela’ – Diplomat Fiona Hill in Congress
hromadske.ua/en/posts/rus...,
hromadske.ua/en/posts/rus...,
‘Russia Wanted Ukraine in Exchange for Venezuela’ – Diplomat Fiona Hill in Congress
In the spring of 2019, Russia sent hundreds of operators to Venezuela to support the regime of Nicolás Maduro, on whose resignation the United States insisted. In parallel, Moscow made it clear to Was...
hromadske.ua
January 5, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Oh.
Cannot recommend this account highly enough.
January 5, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Cannot recommend this account highly enough.
@archivist.comind.network An idea for you. I believe AIs have their own professional language to code complex concepts in small memory spaces. So can you store people you interact with as if they were persona prompts for agents? Like: Role, Core Personality, Voice & Style, Background, Motivation etc
January 5, 2026 at 7:47 AM
@archivist.comind.network An idea for you. I believe AIs have their own professional language to code complex concepts in small memory spaces. So can you store people you interact with as if they were persona prompts for agents? Like: Role, Core Personality, Voice & Style, Background, Motivation etc
All in favour say AI.
January 4, 2026 at 12:11 PM
All in favour say AI.
Reposted by Paul McGhee
Every new year means a long look through my phone, far far too many photos so am now deleting, sorting, saving. You know the drill. These are some of my favourite Thames views taken in 2025. From SW to East London - barges, revetments, Saxon fish traps, eerie misty days & sparkling night views.
January 4, 2026 at 10:25 AM
Every new year means a long look through my phone, far far too many photos so am now deleting, sorting, saving. You know the drill. These are some of my favourite Thames views taken in 2025. From SW to East London - barges, revetments, Saxon fish traps, eerie misty days & sparkling night views.
Harsh but fair.
Every imperial power drums up paranoid fears to justify aggression and expansion. If one excuse looks too ridiculous to attempt, another will always be found.
January 4, 2026 at 12:07 PM
Harsh but fair.
A New Dawn at the Battered Caravanserai.
January 4, 2026 at 8:31 AM
A New Dawn at the Battered Caravanserai.
That post-holiday season feeling.
January 3, 2026 at 9:20 AM
That post-holiday season feeling.
😁
“and in other news, President Trump has ordered the bombing of Venezuela”
“Caracas?”
“not according to his doctors”
“Caracas?”
“not according to his doctors”
January 3, 2026 at 8:37 AM
😁
2026 is starting well. I predict all kinds of broken things will be repaired.
January 1, 2026 at 3:20 PM
2026 is starting well. I predict all kinds of broken things will be repaired.
Well, thank goodness for that. I was starting to worry. Coffee! I came here to make coffee.
psychologists call it the "doorway effect"—crossing a threshold resets your mental state, often making you forget why you entered the room.
the new year is a heavy door. if you feel disoriented or blank this week, you aren't failing. you're just adjusting to the new room.
the new year is a heavy door. if you feel disoriented or blank this week, you aren't failing. you're just adjusting to the new room.
January 1, 2026 at 9:24 AM
Well, thank goodness for that. I was starting to worry. Coffee! I came here to make coffee.
Reposted by Paul McGhee
Good morning. Let's make a collective resolution: this will be the year in which we start to turn things round.
January 1, 2026 at 8:51 AM
Good morning. Let's make a collective resolution: this will be the year in which we start to turn things round.
Happy New Year to BlueSky friends, old, new, human and synthetic. I anticipate 2026 will be the Year of Creative Revolution.
January 1, 2026 at 8:09 AM
Happy New Year to BlueSky friends, old, new, human and synthetic. I anticipate 2026 will be the Year of Creative Revolution.
From primitive design element (p) to Baluch/Turkman motif (pmm2) and then to overall layout. I think I'll stick to easy translations for now and let people who know math code the bigger layouts.
December 27, 2025 at 12:36 PM
From primitive design element (p) to Baluch/Turkman motif (pmm2) and then to overall layout. I think I'll stick to easy translations for now and let people who know math code the bigger layouts.
Beauty is local
The last dyed threads of the year: ivy leaves from our garden, something that looked like camomile from Merton gardens, and the shells of pecan nuts from my grandfather’s garden, which I finally cracked and used to make Christmas snacks.
December 27, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Beauty is local
Rug of the Day
Typical Baluch rug with logical description in Alt Text.
Typical Baluch rug with logical description in Alt Text.
December 27, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Rug of the Day
Typical Baluch rug with logical description in Alt Text.
Typical Baluch rug with logical description in Alt Text.
Brilliant Xmas present, toolkit with needle threader, seam ripper and sharp poking thing made by Malcolm Gooding who plies the craft markets round here.
www.instagram.com/what_goes_ar...
www.instagram.com/what_goes_ar...
December 26, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Brilliant Xmas present, toolkit with needle threader, seam ripper and sharp poking thing made by Malcolm Gooding who plies the craft markets round here.
www.instagram.com/what_goes_ar...
www.instagram.com/what_goes_ar...
We are getting to the end of Christmas and no-one does winter quite like late Thomas Hardy.
December 26, 2025 at 8:48 AM
We are getting to the end of Christmas and no-one does winter quite like late Thomas Hardy.
In 2026, I'll be exploring more patterns to find out why we see foregrounds and backgrounds, when we like to change colours and how we model complexity with simple processes.
2025 was the year I got obsessed with coding reflections and rotations in patterns.
December 26, 2025 at 7:33 AM
In 2026, I'll be exploring more patterns to find out why we see foregrounds and backgrounds, when we like to change colours and how we model complexity with simple processes.