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Richard Carter, FCD

@friendsofdarwin.bsky.social

270 followers 390 following 490 posts

Writer • #HebdenBridge offcumden • #CharlesDarwin fanboy • European Interested in where #science, #histsci and #nature intersect. Writing book about looking at the world through #Darwin ’s eyes. https://richardcarter.com https://friendsofdarwin.com

richardcarter.com

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Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 13h

Turns out I never use any of the additional keys either.

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 1d

After the reading, the obligatory note-making, transcribing and cross-linking from my index-card bookmark.

I find the friction/hassle of making hand-written notes then having to re-type them into my system is a useful way of determining which notes are actually important to me. #Zettelkasten

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Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 1d

The covers of all the books I’ve read (so far) this year. Follow the link below to my website then click the individual covers to read my review:
richardcarter.com/books-2025/

The covers of all the books I've read this year.

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 3d

OK, (asking for a friend) you’ve got me worried now… Should I be worried about my penis? I don’t usually give it a moment’s thought.

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 3d

Very much looking forward to seeing @profaliceroberts.bsky.social strut her stuff in Bradford tomorrow evening: how the Roman Empire evolved into a Christian empire. Right up my street! Bonus points if she manages to sneak in a reference to Darwin!

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 4d

FINALLY finished boxing off our indoors coal-bunker. Power tools, electrical cabling and a lot of swearing were involved. The last time someone spent this long on a wall, Emperor Hadrian was very upset.

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Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 6d

189 years ago today…

On the 2nd of October [1836] we made the shore of England; and at Falmouth I left the Beagle, having lived on board the good little vessel nearly five years.
—The Voyage of the Beagle, ch. 21

…After which, Charles Darwin remained a landlubber to the end of his days.

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Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 8d

NOOOOO!!! Kelloggs have ruined All-Bran! They’ve reduced the bran content from 86% to 78%, padding it out with flour.

IN WHAT WAY CAN REDUCING THE BRAN CONTENT IN A PRODUCT 86%-ACCURATELY NAMED ‘ALL-BRAN’ POSSIBLY MAKE IT ‘TASTIER THAN EVER’?

I am incandescently irked!

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Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 10d

28-Sep: On this day in 1838, Charles Darwin made some notes inspired by the writings of Rev. Thomas Malthus, and a famous simile was born. Here’s a lightly edited account from my book ‘On the Moor: science, history and nature on a country walk’… #HistSci
friendsofdarwin.com/articles/dar...

28-Sep-1838: Darwin brainstorms Malthus

On 28 September 1838, Charles Darwin made some notes inspired by the writings of Rev. Thomas Malthus, and a famous simile was born.

friendsofdarwin.com

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 15d

23-Sep: On this day in 1832, young Charles Darwin made an important discovery at Punta Alta, near Bahia Blanca in Argentina: the fossil remains of what he took to be a species of rhinoceros. It was actually an extinct species of giant ground sloth, or Megatherium… #histsci

23-Sep-1832: Darwin discovers a ‘rhinoceros’

…for which, read ‘giant ground sloth’ or ‘Megatherium’.

friendsofdarwin.com

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Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 17d

Spent 40 minutes providing FaceTime tech support to my 90-year-old dad this afternoon. Whenever he tried to print a photo on his printer, it came out in black and white.

It turned out he has a black and white printer.

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 17d

No cause for alarm

Don’t worry: I haven’t been taken seriously ill; I’ve just updated my profile photo.

richardcarter.com

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 21d

Great night out!

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Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 21d

17-Sep: On this day is 1842, Charles Darwin moved to his forever home, Down House, in Kent. Here’s the story… friendsofdarwin.com/darwin-comes... #HistSci

Darwin comes to Downe

On 17th September 1842, Charles Darwin moved into Down House. It was to remain his home for the rest of his life.

friendsofdarwin.com

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Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 22d

Very much looking forward to seeing Fran Lebowitz in Manchester this evening.

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 22d

16-Sep: On this day in 1835, Charles Darwin first set foot on the Galápagos Islands…
friendsofdarwin.com/articles/dar...

16-Sep-1835: Darwin sets foot on the Galápagos Islands

Darwin first sets foot on the Galápagos Islands.

friendsofdarwin.com

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 22d

Unscheduled Movie Night.

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 22d

Yes, I am seriously considering adding a black bar to the top of my wallpaper.

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 22d

Last night, I dreamt I received some A1 writing advice from a famous author whose work I very much admire… #AmWriting

Dream advice

Writing advice from an oneiric avatar.

richardcarter.com

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Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 23d

This new see-through menu bar on my Mac is doing my head in. How does this improve the quality of anything? Am I seriously going to have to resort to black wallpaper?

(I’ve tweaked all the settings, including turning off the transparency, but they all look dreadful.)

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Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 23d

15-Sep: On this day in 1832, Charles Darwin’s legendary powers of observation temporarily let him down while travelling with gauchos in Patagonia, when he failed to realise the people wearing chaps weren’t all chaps… #HistSci

15-Sep-1832: Gauchess

On 15th September 1832, Charles Darwin’s legendary powers of observation temporarily let him down.

friendsofdarwin.com

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Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 24d

In a civilised society, he would be in gaol.

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 25d

TO NKROACHMENT: literally YARBLES.

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 26d

There was big Ice Age Art exhibition at the British Museum a few years back. I couldn’t get to it because it was in such a remote part of the country. I’m guessing the Keighley exhibition was based on that. The new BM Director was raised in Hebden Bridge and went to the Keighley museum as a kid.

Richard Carter, FCD @friendsofdarwin.bsky.social · 27d

Finally managed to visit the Ice Age Art exhibition at Cliffe Castle, Keighley (closes Sunday). Shown here, two reindeer swimming, carved on mammoth ivory 16,000 years ago by some unknown genius living in a rock-shelter in modernday France. These people shared their environment with living mammoths!

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