@estherarens.bsky.social
Library systems, content, metadata, acquisition, team work, leadership. Choral music. Running.
Pinned
Our next concert "The spirit of truth" on Sat, 5th July 2025 at St Andrews Jarrom Street in #Leicester (LE2 7DH)
www.leicestershirechorale.org.uk/concert/the-...
Yesterdays gluttonous feast was [partly] walked off in glorious sunshine rhis morning.
December 26, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Son wished for a certain ‘bauble’. How could we not grant this wish? #TheBaubleToEndAllBaubles
December 25, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Reposted
I’ve collated a list of UK and Irish mental health support and domestic violence support lines open over the festive period, 24hrs a day. Do share - you may never know who needed to see it.
The holidays can be a really tricky time for so many people.

Whether you’re alone or with others, know you can speak with someone if you’re feeling sad or low. You matter, and your feelings are valid.

Need someone to talk to? A range of helplines, both voice and text open 24 hrs:
December 24, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Unusually for me, I’m already on leave. It’s simply wonderful: put up some missing lampshades, sorted through box room, found space for CD shelves, hung up a picture and a couple of the children’s crafty things. #domesticBliss
December 23, 2025 at 6:40 AM
#TinyJoys is a misty walk with son and friend
December 23, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Reposted
"We don't want men in women's restrooms so we'll enact laws forcing men to use women's restrooms."

We are ruled by our inferiors.
December 13, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Reposted
Long shot, but does anyone in Switzerland have an emergency Theremin to loan tomorrow night ( Friday 12 December )?
#ViaMardot is playing a show in St Gallen, and the airline lost her equipment!!!

We can help pay for a courier if needed, please share to get this message out!!
#theremin #switzerland
December 11, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Reposted
And I say again … how will they enforce this?!? Do trans women have two heads? Will there be people there to ‘denounce’ anyone who - subjectively - ‘looks a bit too much like a ‘fella’’?!? The sheer crassness of it …
December 6, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Love my city #leicester
December 3, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Ever so slight scratch in my throat only yesterday evening. A million razors whenever I swallow since 3am. Blocked but also runny nose since 4am. #feelingSorryForMyself
November 29, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Reposted
The Netflix number is five years old and the ChatGPT number pre-dates GPT-5 by a couple of months so there are plenty of caveats here, but I expect the order of magnitude remains about correct
November 29, 2025 at 2:28 AM
Reposted
Out of curiosity I decided to try and run the numbers on how much Netflix you can watch for the energy cost of a ChatGPT prompt

As far as I can tell it's between 5.1 and 10.2 seconds, depending on which end of the 2019 IEA Netflix energy usage […]

[Original post on fedi.simonwillison.net]
November 29, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Good! news
this is amazing news - the HPV vaccine promises to eliminate cervical cancer in countries where uptake is high.
Vaccinating boys and girls. It works bitches.
November 26, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Reposted
Did you know I have a shop that celebrates human nature? And there's 10% off at the moment with the code TAKE10.

https://manwhohasitallshop.com/
November 21, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Did most of tax return yesterday. Did parkrun despite pouring rain. Some laundry. Sorted & rearranged some kitchen shelves. Cooked. Had big pot of tea & listened to audiobook. Went to cinema for live opera broadcast.
Why am I not happy?
November 22, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Thia absolute classic
In highly important news from history today, it’s the 80th anniversary of the 21st birthday of Christopher Tolkien, notable now for the wording (especially the small print) of the invitation to the party
November 22, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Not seen a single teaspoon for months and this morning there were two in the staff kitchen. #goFigure
‘The half life of the teaspoons was 81 days.’
70 teaspoons placed in tearooms around the institute & observed weekly over 5 months. 80% of spoons disappeared; spoon halflife~81 days. Communal room halflife lower than in specific labs. 250 spoons annually required to maintain 70 spoon population.

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
November 20, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Reposted
Really looking forward to more from #NAGWebinarWeek tomorrow w/ What Doesn’t Come Shelf-Ready and What Do Cataloguers Do With It? w/ @annewelsh.bsky.social from Beginning Cataloguing.
booking info: nag.org.uk/event/welsh/ - free & open to all
I feel like it might open a can of shelf un-ready worms!
What Doesn’t Come Shelf-Ready and What Do Cataloguers Do With It? – National Acquisitions Group
nag.org.uk
November 19, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Reposted
Good to see the problems facing our colleagues @britishlibrary.bsky.social being raised here by @hetanshah.bsky.social (of @britishacademy.bsky.social). If this had happened in France it would be considered a national problem to be urgently addressed! www.cityam.com/the-british-...
The British library is in crisis: why does nobody care?
The widespread indifference to the British Library's crippling cyberattack demonstrates a perilous failure to value the knowledge infrastructure vital for national prosperity
www.cityam.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Reposted
✨Introducing the world premiere recording of seven choral works from the Arundel Choirbook, one of the most significant collections of English polyphony from the early 16th century.

The full album will be available 28th November but you can listen to a single now on Spotify ✨
November 14, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Reposted
It's the Seasonal Reposting Competition! Repost this over the weekend, and on Sunday one lucky person will win a signed copy of one of my books. For you or the #crossword addict in your life: 50 fiendish @theguardian.com #puzzles and all the stories behind them:
boatmancryptics.co.uk/crossword-bo...
November 14, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Reposted
The Python Software Foundation has turned down a $1.5m grant from the National Science Foundation as it came with a restriction that they would not operate any programs (at all - not just funded by the grant) that promote diversity, equality or inclusion…
pyfound.blogspot.com/2025/10/NSF-...
The PSF has withdrawn a $1.5 million proposal to US government grant program
In January 2025, the PSF submitted a proposal to the US government National Science Foundation under the Safety, Security, and Privacy of Op...
pyfound.blogspot.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Annual staff discussions (not called appraisals here) done today - incl. my own and all mandatory training. 💪
October 30, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Reposted
If you are in or near Leicester I’ll be giving the inaugural Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture at De Montfort University on 27 Nov. I’ll be exploring what insights the humanities & social sciences can provide for policymakers and how policy can support them
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shaping-a-...
Shaping a Brighter Future
The first event in our Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture Series, delivered by Hetan Shah, Chief Executive, The British Academy
www.eventbrite.co.uk
October 27, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Reposted
We've got a new job available here in the archive! We're looking for an Archive Assistant to support our collections team.

For more information, head to jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/job_detail/3...
October 27, 2025 at 1:04 PM