Ilanin
@ilanin.bsky.social
Definitely not a tiny twentysomething French racing driver. @putdorianedown.bsky.social, but not talking about motorsports. Probably gaming/puns/maybe coding who knows?
Adam MacNaughtan, who wrote one of my favourite songs about living well and dying young (below), died this week aged 86. RIP, but also I do feel slightly cheated. open.spotify.com/track/28F67c...
Cholesterol
open.spotify.com
December 11, 2025 at 1:03 AM
Adam MacNaughtan, who wrote one of my favourite songs about living well and dying young (below), died this week aged 86. RIP, but also I do feel slightly cheated. open.spotify.com/track/28F67c...
Vice Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee be like:
fuck Coronel
November 22, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Vice Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee be like:
The British switching in 1752 but the States General of the Netherlands doing so in 1582 creates the mysterious case of the time-travelling Prince of Orange during the Glorious Revolution of 1688, where William departed the Dutch coast on the 11th November and landed at Torbay on the 5th...
this Easter egg does not appear to be regional specific! The U.K. switched in 1752 so I guess Apple calendars is just holy Roman Catholic
November 16, 2025 at 8:32 PM
The British switching in 1752 but the States General of the Netherlands doing so in 1582 creates the mysterious case of the time-travelling Prince of Orange during the Glorious Revolution of 1688, where William departed the Dutch coast on the 11th November and landed at Torbay on the 5th...
Can you see the magic word I put in the post below that caused the bot to follow me? Confused me for a while given that I wasn't using it in the relevant context...
November 2, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Can you see the magic word I put in the post below that caused the bot to follow me? Confused me for a while given that I wasn't using it in the relevant context...
"I'm sure nothing will go wrong if I try to hold on to the pawn in the Queens' Gambit Accepted without knowing the theory", an occasional series
November 1, 2025 at 11:26 PM
"I'm sure nothing will go wrong if I try to hold on to the pawn in the Queens' Gambit Accepted without knowing the theory", an occasional series
In possibly-related news to the daft thing that I just put on @putdorianedown.bsky.social, I'm really getting along with Positron, the new IDE from the RStudio chaps. Not tried to use it for Python yet but the R stuff flows better than it did in RStudio I think.
October 27, 2025 at 11:43 PM
In possibly-related news to the daft thing that I just put on @putdorianedown.bsky.social, I'm really getting along with Positron, the new IDE from the RStudio chaps. Not tried to use it for Python yet but the R stuff flows better than it did in RStudio I think.
The Royal Navy, having largely swept the seas of anything vaguely hostile at its outset, would spend much of the 19th century engaging forts. Unfortunately a ship is quite a large target whereas to do any real damage to a fort requires precise gunlaying and they never really did get the hang of it.
#OTD 24 October 1808 the Danish fortress at Christiansø island in the Baltic under the commandant Johan Henrik August von Kohl, beats off an attack by a Royal Navy squadron of 2 ships- of-line and 6 frigates.
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
October 24, 2025 at 10:06 AM
The Royal Navy, having largely swept the seas of anything vaguely hostile at its outset, would spend much of the 19th century engaging forts. Unfortunately a ship is quite a large target whereas to do any real damage to a fort requires precise gunlaying and they never really did get the hang of it.
One should always put Chesterton on a committee intended to provide recommendations on the removal of fences. It is quite likely that several current regulatory processes are unnecessarily bureaucratic but you can't determine that without bringing in the people who actually know why they're there.
Such a bad way of doing this sort of thing. Business responds, "I don't like X," Civil Service responds, "But X provides important co-benefits Y and Z," in equivocal advice to a non-expert Minister, and nothing changes.
Nostalgia time for policy geeks - the Red Tape Challenge is back!
www.gov.uk/government/c...
www.gov.uk/government/c...
October 21, 2025 at 2:00 PM
One should always put Chesterton on a committee intended to provide recommendations on the removal of fences. It is quite likely that several current regulatory processes are unnecessarily bureaucratic but you can't determine that without bringing in the people who actually know why they're there.
Chess moves I'm proud enough of to brag about, an occasional series. This one looks bad for black, doesn't it? But....
16... Qc7!!
IRL my opponent failed to notice the main problem and the game ended
17 g5?? Qxc2#
But even if you do...
17 Rxd4 (or c3) Qxf4+
18 Kb1 Bxg5 and the Queen is trapped.
16... Qc7!!
IRL my opponent failed to notice the main problem and the game ended
17 g5?? Qxc2#
But even if you do...
17 Rxd4 (or c3) Qxf4+
18 Kb1 Bxg5 and the Queen is trapped.
October 17, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Chess moves I'm proud enough of to brag about, an occasional series. This one looks bad for black, doesn't it? But....
16... Qc7!!
IRL my opponent failed to notice the main problem and the game ended
17 g5?? Qxc2#
But even if you do...
17 Rxd4 (or c3) Qxf4+
18 Kb1 Bxg5 and the Queen is trapped.
16... Qc7!!
IRL my opponent failed to notice the main problem and the game ended
17 g5?? Qxc2#
But even if you do...
17 Rxd4 (or c3) Qxf4+
18 Kb1 Bxg5 and the Queen is trapped.
It would be a useful feature of Windows if I could tick a box somewhere to inform it that a particular HDMI output didn't have speakers and sound devices should quit trying to output to it. Apropos of nothing in particular and definitely not Spotify trying to play to my monitor AGAIN.
October 7, 2025 at 9:16 AM
It would be a useful feature of Windows if I could tick a box somewhere to inform it that a particular HDMI output didn't have speakers and sound devices should quit trying to output to it. Apropos of nothing in particular and definitely not Spotify trying to play to my monitor AGAIN.
You know the economy's bad when even the Volcanoes are going out of business.
Iceland Is No Longer The Low-Cost Pit Stop To Europe Thanks To Volcanoes, Airline Going Out Of Business
Iceland Is No Longer The Low-Cost Pit Stop To Europe Thanks To Volcanoes, Airline Going Out Of Business
Exceptionally cheap flights to Europe with a stop in Iceland are suddenly a thing of the past.
www.jalopnik.com
October 6, 2025 at 3:40 PM
You know the economy's bad when even the Volcanoes are going out of business.
Apparently nobody wants to talk to recreational cyclists so I guess I'll shut up then.
September 26, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Apparently nobody wants to talk to recreational cyclists so I guess I'll shut up then.
@spotify.com, do you really think this is a helpful search return?
September 19, 2025 at 5:46 PM
@spotify.com, do you really think this is a helpful search return?
A sensible comparison to this would be to point out how Starmerism actually works to win elections. Because it's somewhat questionable this could apply to the US (is this politics? No, it's a discussion on strategy). Quick 🧵on that:
trump’s numbers are tanking and there is a palpable desire in the electorate for a real alternative and yet the only money in democratic politics is for doing starmerism
September 17, 2025 at 4:45 PM
A sensible comparison to this would be to point out how Starmerism actually works to win elections. Because it's somewhat questionable this could apply to the US (is this politics? No, it's a discussion on strategy). Quick 🧵on that:
If you were in a British school in the 1990s this ship name is hilarious. Otherwise I suspect it just seems a bit odd.
There are very few problems which aren't solved, or at least moved somewhere else, by the application of sufficient force.
And figuring 18" torpedoes weren't getting him anywhere, Keyes shifted his flag to HMS Myngs and its 21" warheads.
And figuring 18" torpedoes weren't getting him anywhere, Keyes shifted his flag to HMS Myngs and its 21" warheads.
September 16, 2025 at 8:57 PM
If you were in a British school in the 1990s this ship name is hilarious. Otherwise I suspect it just seems a bit odd.
Microsoft once again disapprove of me having multiple hobbies
September 15, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Microsoft once again disapprove of me having multiple hobbies
I'm fairly sure the disconnect between the statistics saying "the US is richer than Europe" and the everyday experience of people saying "no it isn't" is basically entirely the relative wealth of the 1% at this point. This is probably an issue on both continents for different reasons.
Income inequality in the United States dipped last year, with median household income rising slightly.
Income inequality dipped and fewer people moved, according to largest survey of US life
Income inequality in the United States dipped last year, with median household income rising slightly. The U.S.
bit.ly
September 11, 2025 at 7:50 PM
I'm fairly sure the disconnect between the statistics saying "the US is richer than Europe" and the everyday experience of people saying "no it isn't" is basically entirely the relative wealth of the 1% at this point. This is probably an issue on both continents for different reasons.
This graph does the rounds from time to time and I'm definitely a fan. It's easy to interpret, too. The "overrepresented" characters are the ones who represent a more traditional myth. Aragorn is the hero of the monomyth; in LotR his role is first bodyguard and then decoy.
Lord of the Rings characters: screen time vs mentions in the book.
The further from the dotted line, the further off trend.
By reddit user austinw-8 www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeau...
The further from the dotted line, the further off trend.
By reddit user austinw-8 www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeau...
September 11, 2025 at 3:16 PM
This graph does the rounds from time to time and I'm definitely a fan. It's easy to interpret, too. The "overrepresented" characters are the ones who represent a more traditional myth. Aragorn is the hero of the monomyth; in LotR his role is first bodyguard and then decoy.
My kitchen scales broke at the weekend, for reasons which are annoying but also my fault. Having found a replacement I like the look (the reviews) of I searched to see what the best price was and, um, it seems that Best Buy felt the need to inform me that this particular set of scales was "unisex".
September 8, 2025 at 8:12 PM
My kitchen scales broke at the weekend, for reasons which are annoying but also my fault. Having found a replacement I like the look (the reviews) of I searched to see what the best price was and, um, it seems that Best Buy felt the need to inform me that this particular set of scales was "unisex".
A few thoughts about current French events (1/145)
Diminish a book
Gatsby? Enh
Gatsby? Enh
Diminish a book
To Lightly Harm a Mockingbird
To Lightly Harm a Mockingbird
September 8, 2025 at 1:47 PM
A few thoughts about current French events (1/145)
Like most people who allegedly have a professional career I have a LinkedIn, so they send me random emails with allegedly relevant things in. Google truncates these emails, as is its wont. So anyway this means I have a message saying "We're pleased to share that [name], our Chief Technical....."
September 2, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Like most people who allegedly have a professional career I have a LinkedIn, so they send me random emails with allegedly relevant things in. Google truncates these emails, as is its wont. So anyway this means I have a message saying "We're pleased to share that [name], our Chief Technical....."
Mildly concerned that it's now 3 in a row Steam has sent me an email saying that a game on my wishlist is on sale and I'm sure I've never heard of it. This either means I spend too long clicking through discovery queues, Steam is randomly adding games to my wishlist, or I'm going senile.
September 1, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Mildly concerned that it's now 3 in a row Steam has sent me an email saying that a game on my wishlist is on sale and I'm sure I've never heard of it. This either means I spend too long clicking through discovery queues, Steam is randomly adding games to my wishlist, or I'm going senile.
Do I have opinions about politics? Yes. Will you see any here? No, I'm a civil servant. Technically, the civil service code doesn't prevent me sharing any and all opinions about politics, but it's way easier to do things that way than it is to think about it case by case.
August 27, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Do I have opinions about politics? Yes. Will you see any here? No, I'm a civil servant. Technically, the civil service code doesn't prevent me sharing any and all opinions about politics, but it's way easier to do things that way than it is to think about it case by case.
OK so at least one of the reasons to make this account was to alternatively cheerlead and whine about Expeditions: Rome, a game I am a) playing and b) have complicated opinions about. It's genuinely a good tactics RPG, I'm really enjoying it and I'm definitely going to play it all the way through.
August 21, 2025 at 10:19 PM
OK so at least one of the reasons to make this account was to alternatively cheerlead and whine about Expeditions: Rome, a game I am a) playing and b) have complicated opinions about. It's genuinely a good tactics RPG, I'm really enjoying it and I'm definitely going to play it all the way through.