Dr Michael Fraser
@ffinlo.bsky.social
Personal account. Works in a university. Non-resident Manx 🇮🇲. Supports Ukraine 🇺🇦.
As of Wednesday, and without warning, it seems Bonners, one of the last remaining fresh produce suppliers in Oxford's Covered Market has closed. This is very sad. Market needs diversity.
Bonners were absolute stars during Covid lockdown.
cc. @oxfordclarion.bsky.social
Bonners were absolute stars during Covid lockdown.
cc. @oxfordclarion.bsky.social
December 6, 2025 at 11:03 AM
As of Wednesday, and without warning, it seems Bonners, one of the last remaining fresh produce suppliers in Oxford's Covered Market has closed. This is very sad. Market needs diversity.
Bonners were absolute stars during Covid lockdown.
cc. @oxfordclarion.bsky.social
Bonners were absolute stars during Covid lockdown.
cc. @oxfordclarion.bsky.social
"Ellan Vannin" Disaster
In the terrific hurricane that prevailed on Friday morning, Dec. 3rd, 1909, the s.s. Ellan Vannin of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's fleet, went down with all hands, in some thirty feet of water, about a mile or more on the Liverpool side of the Mersey Bar.
In the terrific hurricane that prevailed on Friday morning, Dec. 3rd, 1909, the s.s. Ellan Vannin of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's fleet, went down with all hands, in some thirty feet of water, about a mile or more on the Liverpool side of the Mersey Bar.
December 3, 2025 at 9:01 AM
"Ellan Vannin" Disaster
In the terrific hurricane that prevailed on Friday morning, Dec. 3rd, 1909, the s.s. Ellan Vannin of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's fleet, went down with all hands, in some thirty feet of water, about a mile or more on the Liverpool side of the Mersey Bar.
In the terrific hurricane that prevailed on Friday morning, Dec. 3rd, 1909, the s.s. Ellan Vannin of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's fleet, went down with all hands, in some thirty feet of water, about a mile or more on the Liverpool side of the Mersey Bar.
Just a small selection of works by Tom Stoppard.
November 29, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Just a small selection of works by Tom Stoppard.
"While the cause remains unclear, Woodward said it was unlikely to be a cyber-attack as a service so large was unlikely to have a single point of failure."
xkcd.com/2347/
xkcd.com/2347/
November 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
"While the cause remains unclear, Woodward said it was unlikely to be a cyber-attack as a service so large was unlikely to have a single point of failure."
xkcd.com/2347/
xkcd.com/2347/
Old building in even newer building (from last week).
November 2, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Old building in even newer building (from last week).
October 26, 2025 at 4:37 PM
I was a tad confused by the point relating to ChatGPT & the VC. Whilst overuse of an em-dash (—) is apparently a ChatGPT 'tell', the usage there is actually an en-dash (–), which e.g. Word will auto-correct from a double hyphen (--).
(See University style guide, www.ox.ac.uk/public-affai..., p.13)
(See University style guide, www.ox.ac.uk/public-affai..., p.13)
October 19, 2025 at 8:09 AM
I was a tad confused by the point relating to ChatGPT & the VC. Whilst overuse of an em-dash (—) is apparently a ChatGPT 'tell', the usage there is actually an en-dash (–), which e.g. Word will auto-correct from a double hyphen (--).
(See University style guide, www.ox.ac.uk/public-affai..., p.13)
(See University style guide, www.ox.ac.uk/public-affai..., p.13)
A flying what, you say?
October 1, 2025 at 7:25 PM
A flying what, you say?
Jane Goodall, "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees", National Geographic Magazine 124:2 (August 1963), pp. 272-308.
www.cuttersguide.com/pdf/National...
www.cuttersguide.com/pdf/National...
October 1, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Jane Goodall, "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees", National Geographic Magazine 124:2 (August 1963), pp. 272-308.
www.cuttersguide.com/pdf/National...
www.cuttersguide.com/pdf/National...
Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities -- What's on in those fantastic new performance spaces?
Quite a lot! (From April 2026)
www.schwarzmancentre.ox.ac.uk/whats-on
Quite a lot! (From April 2026)
www.schwarzmancentre.ox.ac.uk/whats-on
September 30, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities -- What's on in those fantastic new performance spaces?
Quite a lot! (From April 2026)
www.schwarzmancentre.ox.ac.uk/whats-on
Quite a lot! (From April 2026)
www.schwarzmancentre.ox.ac.uk/whats-on
Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, looking up at the atrium dome. (Taken at about 0830 yesterday.)
September 30, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, looking up at the atrium dome. (Taken at about 0830 yesterday.)
Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Oxford University, at 0630 this morning, in anticipation of its opening day.
September 29, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Oxford University, at 0630 this morning, in anticipation of its opening day.
You may have a point...
September 28, 2025 at 7:58 AM
You may have a point...
Dinner's going ok.
September 17, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Dinner's going ok.
![TITLE
Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets US President Donald Trump
DESCRIPTION
17/09/2025. Windsor, United Kingdom. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria meets US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania as they are hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla during the President's historic second State visit at Windsor Castle.
Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
DATE TAKEN
2000-01-01 00:06:12 [sic]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:jhqhtccbuavpjnayatnlbju2/bafkreibkmai6hworo7xw3hrijeqnmxfzmthphkayw7pnlp3fctv3trdrzi@jpeg)
UK fighter jets to join NATO operation to bolster European security
The UK will contribute Typhoons to NATO's Eastern Sentry mission, after Russian drones violated Polish airspace
www.gov.uk/government/n...
@darthputinkgb.bsky.social
The UK will contribute Typhoons to NATO's Eastern Sentry mission, after Russian drones violated Polish airspace
www.gov.uk/government/n...
@darthputinkgb.bsky.social
September 15, 2025 at 5:58 PM
UK fighter jets to join NATO operation to bolster European security
The UK will contribute Typhoons to NATO's Eastern Sentry mission, after Russian drones violated Polish airspace
www.gov.uk/government/n...
@darthputinkgb.bsky.social
The UK will contribute Typhoons to NATO's Eastern Sentry mission, after Russian drones violated Polish airspace
www.gov.uk/government/n...
@darthputinkgb.bsky.social
[prompted to xkcd...]
September 5, 2025 at 7:29 AM
[prompted to xkcd...]
"The Guardian is printing the names of all Palestinian journalists listed by the CPJ as having died as a result of Israeli military action since Oct 2023 as part of a day of action in condemnation of the killings & in solidarity with those journalists who remain."
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
September 1, 2025 at 6:37 AM
"The Guardian is printing the names of all Palestinian journalists listed by the CPJ as having died as a result of Israeli military action since Oct 2023 as part of a day of action in condemnation of the killings & in solidarity with those journalists who remain."
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
![[Blondie is lecturing, pointing at a futuristic holographic display emanating upwards from a unit on the floor. It shows a presentation that features a timeline with two visible dates, 1899 and 1970. At the top of the hologram are two lines of text, above "1899" are three lines of text, above "1970" is one line of text, below "1899" are two lines of text, and below "1970" is one line of text; all of these lines of text are illegible.]
Blondie: Historical records show millions of business transactions occurred on Dec 30th, 1899.
Blondie: This economic activity sparked the digital age, culminating in a "data festival" on Jan 1st, 1970, when many early digital files were created.
[Caption under the panel:]
It's going to be weird when historians forget why some dates show up a lot.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:jhqhtccbuavpjnayatnlbju2/bafkreiakfis4evug553zrmnpfy5rbsbot5ijhpvz727nbblujxhokxt7te@jpeg)
August 29, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Back to the future with the Grauniad.
August 25, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Back to the future with the Grauniad.
"The Prime Minister hosted President Zelenskyy in Downing Street 🌻🇺🇦
They looked ahead to tomorrow’s talks between President Trump & President Putin in Alaska, which present a viable chance to make progress as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious about peace."
www.gov.uk/government/n...
They looked ahead to tomorrow’s talks between President Trump & President Putin in Alaska, which present a viable chance to make progress as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious about peace."
www.gov.uk/government/n...
August 14, 2025 at 12:21 PM
"The Prime Minister hosted President Zelenskyy in Downing Street 🌻🇺🇦
They looked ahead to tomorrow’s talks between President Trump & President Putin in Alaska, which present a viable chance to make progress as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious about peace."
www.gov.uk/government/n...
They looked ahead to tomorrow’s talks between President Trump & President Putin in Alaska, which present a viable chance to make progress as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious about peace."
www.gov.uk/government/n...