Tom Swanson
@swansontea.bsky.social
Retired clockmaker of the atomic persuasion. Formerly at the US Naval Observatory.
Reposted by Tom Swanson
why is terry the only one who gets their own type of cloth
January 5, 2026 at 9:02 PM
why is terry the only one who gets their own type of cloth
It would be interesting to correlate responses with ages, b/c past a certain point the most ridiculous way you hurt yourself is sleeping or getting out of bed.
What's the most ridiculous way you ever hurt yourself? I got out of the tub, skidded in water and tripped over the toilet. Ankle sprain.
😅
😅
January 5, 2026 at 10:13 PM
It would be interesting to correlate responses with ages, b/c past a certain point the most ridiculous way you hurt yourself is sleeping or getting out of bed.
Reposted by Tom Swanson
TODAY'S OBSCURE GRAMMATICAL CHALLENGE
Make a band subjunctive
Would That They Were Giants
Make a band subjunctive
Would That They Were Giants
January 5, 2026 at 9:20 PM
TODAY'S OBSCURE GRAMMATICAL CHALLENGE
Make a band subjunctive
Would That They Were Giants
Make a band subjunctive
Would That They Were Giants
Will they introduce the law officers who carried it out? Were they FBI?
UN Ambassador Michael Waltz: "There is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country. This was a law enforcement operation."
January 5, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Will they introduce the law officers who carried it out? Were they FBI?
“The ends justify the means” caucus
This is just sickening. Back when people were saying "Primary every Democrat," we should have stuck with that
January 5, 2026 at 4:20 PM
“The ends justify the means” caucus
Turning this around: insisting on gutting renewables means a bunch of people cosplaying as Rambo get to fulfill their fantasies of blowing shit up
Yeah.
A definite side benefit of investing in wind and solar would be not having to literally conquer another country to steal their oil.
A definite side benefit of investing in wind and solar would be not having to literally conquer another country to steal their oil.
January 5, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Turning this around: insisting on gutting renewables means a bunch of people cosplaying as Rambo get to fulfill their fantasies of blowing shit up
“Plan” should be the word in scare quotes.
Per WASH POST, Stephen Miller will play an “elevated role” in Venezuela (what could go wrong!) and Machado won’t be president because she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize Trump wants (yes, seriously)
Couldn’t make it up if we tried
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Couldn’t make it up if we tried
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
January 5, 2026 at 3:17 PM
“Plan” should be the word in scare quotes.
Reposted by Tom Swanson
This is the funniest thing that's ever happened on Threads.
January 5, 2026 at 4:47 AM
This is the funniest thing that's ever happened on Threads.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Fetterman on Fox & Friends on Trump's Venezuela coup: "I don't know why we can't just acknowledge that it's been a good thing what happened ... I think we should really appreciate exactly what happened here."
January 5, 2026 at 1:08 PM
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Yeah, there’s often a “second strike” after police take their target into custody.
TRUMP: We were prepared to do a second strike if we needed. We're still prepared
Q: That's off the table now?
TRUMP: No it's not. If they don't behave, we will do a second strike
Q: Will Americans troops be on the ground?
TRUMP: It depends
Q: That's off the table now?
TRUMP: No it's not. If they don't behave, we will do a second strike
Q: Will Americans troops be on the ground?
TRUMP: It depends
January 5, 2026 at 1:50 AM
Yeah, there’s often a “second strike” after police take their target into custody.
Reposted by Tom Swanson
weeds are cool and all, but there should be other tumblethings
January 4, 2026 at 7:16 PM
weeds are cool and all, but there should be other tumblethings
It’s bad enough that my TV needed to do an update and there’s no way to no do it (“ok“ is the only button), and that it wasn’t already downloaded, but it required an interaction in the middle, like I’m sitting there just watching the progress bar for 20 minutes
January 4, 2026 at 11:56 PM
It’s bad enough that my TV needed to do an update and there’s no way to no do it (“ok“ is the only button), and that it wasn’t already downloaded, but it required an interaction in the middle, like I’m sitting there just watching the progress bar for 20 minutes
Reposted by Tom Swanson
For those of us not in the cult, this is what we hear when anyone from the Trump administration speaks.
For the people in the back, this is satire and so well done…
For the people in the back, this is satire and so well done…
January 4, 2026 at 7:56 PM
For those of us not in the cult, this is what we hear when anyone from the Trump administration speaks.
For the people in the back, this is satire and so well done…
For the people in the back, this is satire and so well done…
How many times do we have to see that not pushing back just emboldens him? What dems can do is limited, but it’s not zero, and more than tepid responses about being troubled
TRUMP: “We need Greenland”
The guardrails are gone
The guardrails are gone
January 4, 2026 at 8:38 PM
How many times do we have to see that not pushing back just emboldens him? What dems can do is limited, but it’s not zero, and more than tepid responses about being troubled
Reposted by Tom Swanson
Ok. So. They anonymised the sheep.
January 4, 2026 at 1:10 PM
Ok. So. They anonymised the sheep.
Reposted by Tom Swanson
Cat 😸Tube Transport System #ThursdayThoughts
January 1, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Cat 😸Tube Transport System #ThursdayThoughts
If it’s hiding, how big can it be?
Somewhere at the edge of mathematics lurks a number so large that it breaks the very foundations of our understanding - and in 2025 we came a step closer to finding it
Mathematicians spent 2025 exploring the edge of mathematics
Somewhere at the edge of mathematics lurks a number so large that it breaks the very foundations of our understanding - and in 2025 we came a step closer to finding it
www.newscientist.com
January 4, 2026 at 4:24 PM
If it’s hiding, how big can it be?
Reposted by Tom Swanson
What if none of these things is a distraction from the other things and instead they're all just horrible things
January 3, 2026 at 8:03 PM
What if none of these things is a distraction from the other things and instead they're all just horrible things
Reposted by Tom Swanson
Maduro Requests Lindsay Halligan to Prosecute Him
January 3, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Maduro Requests Lindsay Halligan to Prosecute Him
I think that play is called the flea-fuckup
January 3, 2026 at 11:49 PM
I think that play is called the flea-fuckup
Reposted by Tom Swanson
Thank god Chuck Schumer isn’t alive to see this.
January 3, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Thank god Chuck Schumer isn’t alive to see this.
Thanks to this 🧵I think I understand why the US can be a net exporter of oil but still importing oil (there are different types; IOW, like most topics, what seems simple is a lot more complicated once you see the details)
January 3, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Thanks to this 🧵I think I understand why the US can be a net exporter of oil but still importing oil (there are different types; IOW, like most topics, what seems simple is a lot more complicated once you see the details)
I wonder if they got and served an arrest warrant
January 3, 2026 at 7:16 PM
I wonder if they got and served an arrest warrant
Think maybe FIFA is re-thinking that peace prize?
Me neither
Me neither
January 3, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Think maybe FIFA is re-thinking that peace prize?
Me neither
Me neither
Reposted by Tom Swanson
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
January 3, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.