Tau Cetaceans
@tau-cetaceans.bsky.social
Foreign service brat, escaped NASA lab monkey, recovering planetary geologist, aspiring sci-fi novelist, armchair geopolitician, history buff, alternate history buff, future history buff, non-fan of the current cyberpunk dystopia. 🇺🇳 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 ♾️🖖🥥🫏🐿
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Tau Cetaceans
@tau-cetaceans.bsky.social
· Aug 14
point well taken... though I do have this little issue that one of my main hobbies (since circa 1993) is writing the sci-fi timeline wiki thingy, one facet of which is that it incorporates / adjusts to IRL current events... /1
"Il nous dirait, comme l'hôte des bois: La nature n'a fait ni serviteur ni maître; Je ne veux ni donner ni recevoir de lois.
Et ses mains ourdiraient les entrailles du prêtre, Au défaut d'un cordon pour étrangler les rois."
Et ses mains ourdiraient les entrailles du prêtre, Au défaut d'un cordon pour étrangler les rois."
January 9, 2026 at 8:02 PM
"Il nous dirait, comme l'hôte des bois: La nature n'a fait ni serviteur ni maître; Je ne veux ni donner ni recevoir de lois.
Et ses mains ourdiraient les entrailles du prêtre, Au défaut d'un cordon pour étrangler les rois."
Et ses mains ourdiraient les entrailles du prêtre, Au défaut d'un cordon pour étrangler les rois."
1) that remake of Day of the Jackal pretending that the Boston MTA was the DC Metro
2) the planetary geologist on Prometheus was a sniveling idiot
3) magic wand carbon dating in Prometheus - without calibrating for a different star's rad flux, or that it was pointing at non-carbonate rock walls...
2) the planetary geologist on Prometheus was a sniveling idiot
3) magic wand carbon dating in Prometheus - without calibrating for a different star's rad flux, or that it was pointing at non-carbonate rock walls...
#FilmSky, a quick question; what is the pettiest thing you have had to be annoyed at a film? I ask because I am watching The Gift from 2000, and the main character does divination with Zener Cards, which are not the same thing as Tarot at all. Why go for a more boring looking option?
January 6, 2026 at 12:16 AM
1) that remake of Day of the Jackal pretending that the Boston MTA was the DC Metro
2) the planetary geologist on Prometheus was a sniveling idiot
3) magic wand carbon dating in Prometheus - without calibrating for a different star's rad flux, or that it was pointing at non-carbonate rock walls...
2) the planetary geologist on Prometheus was a sniveling idiot
3) magic wand carbon dating in Prometheus - without calibrating for a different star's rad flux, or that it was pointing at non-carbonate rock walls...
either what wikipedia somewhat blandly calls "the Russian Constitutional Crisis of 1993"... or that time clinging to a cliff outside the Temple of a Monkey God... the less said of the better...
January 2, 2026 at 9:56 PM
either what wikipedia somewhat blandly calls "the Russian Constitutional Crisis of 1993"... or that time clinging to a cliff outside the Temple of a Monkey God... the less said of the better...
far down the list on reasons why that guy naming a new class of battleships (that Congress hasn't funded, and naval strategists don't want) after himself is so forking enraging...
but the Trump-class now comes up in image searches for "USS Defiant" along with the result that God would have intended
but the Trump-class now comes up in image searches for "USS Defiant" along with the result that God would have intended
December 24, 2025 at 1:14 AM
far down the list on reasons why that guy naming a new class of battleships (that Congress hasn't funded, and naval strategists don't want) after himself is so forking enraging...
but the Trump-class now comes up in image searches for "USS Defiant" along with the result that God would have intended
but the Trump-class now comes up in image searches for "USS Defiant" along with the result that God would have intended
even assuming we don't get into a stupid war (e.g. invading Venezuela and/or Greenland) before Trump leaves office...
the complete nullification of US reliability is going to increase the number of nuclear-armed nations in the short-term and probability of a nuclear war in the medium-term /1
the complete nullification of US reliability is going to increase the number of nuclear-armed nations in the short-term and probability of a nuclear war in the medium-term /1
Japan needs to possess nuclear weapons, prime minister's office source says
A source within Japan's prime minister's office said Thursday that the country needs nuclear weapons, remarks that deviate from the country's long-standing non-nuclear principles and could trigger bac...
english.kyodonews.net
December 20, 2025 at 12:59 PM
even assuming we don't get into a stupid war (e.g. invading Venezuela and/or Greenland) before Trump leaves office...
the complete nullification of US reliability is going to increase the number of nuclear-armed nations in the short-term and probability of a nuclear war in the medium-term /1
the complete nullification of US reliability is going to increase the number of nuclear-armed nations in the short-term and probability of a nuclear war in the medium-term /1
it never stops boggling my brain that a fascist trillionaire who has disowned his trans daughter - is nominally a fan of an avowedly anarcho-socialist utopia where transexuality is a social norm...
my dude... you are exactly the kind of person Special Circumstances would be concerned with
my dude... you are exactly the kind of person Special Circumstances would be concerned with
December 20, 2025 at 1:22 AM
it never stops boggling my brain that a fascist trillionaire who has disowned his trans daughter - is nominally a fan of an avowedly anarcho-socialist utopia where transexuality is a social norm...
my dude... you are exactly the kind of person Special Circumstances would be concerned with
my dude... you are exactly the kind of person Special Circumstances would be concerned with
look, I'm not at all surprised the January 6th pipe bomb guy turned out to be a neo-Nazi
the also being a brony thing though? uh...
weridest
fucking
timeline
the also being a brony thing though? uh...
weridest
fucking
timeline
the January 6th pipe bomb guy was a brony who faved over 300 pictures of a nazi my little pony character on Derpibooru, the fandom's largest image site.
@derpibooru.bsky.social
@derpibooru.bsky.social
December 16, 2025 at 1:18 PM
look, I'm not at all surprised the January 6th pipe bomb guy turned out to be a neo-Nazi
the also being a brony thing though? uh...
weridest
fucking
timeline
the also being a brony thing though? uh...
weridest
fucking
timeline
in all my years of GMing cyberpunk and cyberpunk-adjacent things like Shadowrun...
could never have come up with something as messed up as Palantir IRL
could never have come up with something as messed up as Palantir IRL
December 14, 2025 at 12:52 PM
in all my years of GMing cyberpunk and cyberpunk-adjacent things like Shadowrun...
could never have come up with something as messed up as Palantir IRL
could never have come up with something as messed up as Palantir IRL
petty but fair
and it does raise an obvious corollary - what MAGA type bears the highest degree of physical resemblance to Pol Pot?
and it does raise an obvious corollary - what MAGA type bears the highest degree of physical resemblance to Pol Pot?
December 14, 2025 at 1:31 AM
petty but fair
and it does raise an obvious corollary - what MAGA type bears the highest degree of physical resemblance to Pol Pot?
and it does raise an obvious corollary - what MAGA type bears the highest degree of physical resemblance to Pol Pot?
went to advanced screening of Serenity, chock full of die-hard Firefly fans.. it went to black instead of finished credits, I ad libbed the zombie "grrr... argh..." sound from the Mutant Enemy production company credit that comes at end of every Firefly episode... entire theater burst out laughing
Raising the always fun question: What are your most memorable theater-going experiences?
Mine also include The Matrix, Blair Witch, and being way too stoned in Belgium when Fellowship of the Ring was sold out so we sat in the back row for Mulholland Drive instead.
Mine also include The Matrix, Blair Witch, and being way too stoned in Belgium when Fellowship of the Ring was sold out so we sat in the back row for Mulholland Drive instead.
It was hands-down one of the most memorable theater-going experiences I can remember, a collective 30-minute butt-clench/armrest-grab for the final climb. And we knew he lived! Wild.
December 13, 2025 at 6:05 AM
went to advanced screening of Serenity, chock full of die-hard Firefly fans.. it went to black instead of finished credits, I ad libbed the zombie "grrr... argh..." sound from the Mutant Enemy production company credit that comes at end of every Firefly episode... entire theater burst out laughing
if only New York City had a crack team of specialists (maybe you could call them ghost-busters?) operating out of I dunno, an abandoned firehouse, that could be called upon at times like these...
NYC Mayor Adams warns Zohran Mamdani that Gracie Mansion is haunted: ‘Beware of the ghost’
Zoh’s going to get ghosted. Outgoing woo-woo-loving Mayor Eric Adams spookily warned successor Zohran Mamdani that his soon-to-be new home of Gracie Mansion is haunted. “Beware of the ghost,” Adams...
www.aol.com
December 11, 2025 at 12:49 AM
if only New York City had a crack team of specialists (maybe you could call them ghost-busters?) operating out of I dunno, an abandoned firehouse, that could be called upon at times like these...
actual dream had: was in command of a Galaxy-class in LEO, using photon torpedoes, phasers and transporter beams to ruin Vladimir Putin's day
grim reality: turned down LEGO Enterprise-D for xmas b/c Paramount in bed with Trump
(also nobody is giving me a real Galaxy-class starship because reasons)
grim reality: turned down LEGO Enterprise-D for xmas b/c Paramount in bed with Trump
(also nobody is giving me a real Galaxy-class starship because reasons)
December 10, 2025 at 11:49 AM
actual dream had: was in command of a Galaxy-class in LEO, using photon torpedoes, phasers and transporter beams to ruin Vladimir Putin's day
grim reality: turned down LEGO Enterprise-D for xmas b/c Paramount in bed with Trump
(also nobody is giving me a real Galaxy-class starship because reasons)
grim reality: turned down LEGO Enterprise-D for xmas b/c Paramount in bed with Trump
(also nobody is giving me a real Galaxy-class starship because reasons)
me: (need to focus on things besides US politics)
wikipedia current events portal: elections in Guinea-Bissau
me: (does deep dive on Guinea-Bissau's political history)
me: (awaits election results)
me: (still waits)
news: TA DA!!!
me: ah, okay, we can just do another coup d'etat, I guess...
wikipedia current events portal: elections in Guinea-Bissau
me: (does deep dive on Guinea-Bissau's political history)
me: (awaits election results)
me: (still waits)
news: TA DA!!!
me: ah, okay, we can just do another coup d'etat, I guess...
Guinea-Bissau coup: Soldiers seize power and detain President Umaro Sissoco Embaló
The military takeover comes as the West African nation was awaiting the results of Sunday's election.
www.bbc.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:58 AM
me: (need to focus on things besides US politics)
wikipedia current events portal: elections in Guinea-Bissau
me: (does deep dive on Guinea-Bissau's political history)
me: (awaits election results)
me: (still waits)
news: TA DA!!!
me: ah, okay, we can just do another coup d'etat, I guess...
wikipedia current events portal: elections in Guinea-Bissau
me: (does deep dive on Guinea-Bissau's political history)
me: (awaits election results)
me: (still waits)
news: TA DA!!!
me: ah, okay, we can just do another coup d'etat, I guess...
really don't think elevating a former fighter pilot turned astronaut turned Senator into the poster child of the resistance is going to work out for them in the long run... say in 2028...
(but maybe that's my "please not Gavin" wish-casting speaking)
(but maybe that's my "please not Gavin" wish-casting speaking)
November 25, 2025 at 7:58 PM
really don't think elevating a former fighter pilot turned astronaut turned Senator into the poster child of the resistance is going to work out for them in the long run... say in 2028...
(but maybe that's my "please not Gavin" wish-casting speaking)
(but maybe that's my "please not Gavin" wish-casting speaking)
aside from how Musk is stealing this idea from the Culture novels, and that it'd work better in a far future anarcho-socialist utopia than some capitalist implementation with existing tech
a modest proposal: if you commit a crime, the only car you are permitted to buy is a Cybertruck, mark of shame
a modest proposal: if you commit a crime, the only car you are permitted to buy is a Cybertruck, mark of shame
November 16, 2025 at 4:15 AM
aside from how Musk is stealing this idea from the Culture novels, and that it'd work better in a far future anarcho-socialist utopia than some capitalist implementation with existing tech
a modest proposal: if you commit a crime, the only car you are permitted to buy is a Cybertruck, mark of shame
a modest proposal: if you commit a crime, the only car you are permitted to buy is a Cybertruck, mark of shame
Reposted by Tau Cetaceans
Hear me out: David Tennant as James Bond. But he dresses like the 10th Doctor and every time somebody points out something contradictory about his background or timeline, he just breaks the fourth wall and winks at the camera. Continuity problems solved.
November 11, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Hear me out: David Tennant as James Bond. But he dresses like the 10th Doctor and every time somebody points out something contradictory about his background or timeline, he just breaks the fourth wall and winks at the camera. Continuity problems solved.
If you see this, post an album cover with a motor vehicle on it.
November 8, 2025 at 11:18 AM
If you see this, post an album cover with a motor vehicle on it.
ah man - TIL the official Shadowrun canon (since 4th edition at least) is that James Baker III was the losing GOP candidate against Dukakis in 1988... and here I was assuming it would have been this guy...
Shadowrun: the cyberpunk dystopia where Iran-Contra had meaningful consequences...
Shadowrun: the cyberpunk dystopia where Iran-Contra had meaningful consequences...
a man in a suit and tie appears on a pbs news show
Alt: Bob Dole in a suit, blinking his eyes in an unsettling way - PBS News Hour logo in upper right
media.tenor.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:14 AM
ah man - TIL the official Shadowrun canon (since 4th edition at least) is that James Baker III was the losing GOP candidate against Dukakis in 1988... and here I was assuming it would have been this guy...
Shadowrun: the cyberpunk dystopia where Iran-Contra had meaningful consequences...
Shadowrun: the cyberpunk dystopia where Iran-Contra had meaningful consequences...
recent coping mechanism - e.g. focusing on the long-term / interstellar phase of sci-fi worlds-building / timeline... and fuzzing the near-term bit... feels like this sometime
"taking the long view" being at an uncomfortable venn diagram intersection of geology major and cishet white male privilege
"taking the long view" being at an uncomfortable venn diagram intersection of geology major and cishet white male privilege
The Late Bronze Age collapse plunged the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East into a period of chaos and starvation, but 300 hundred years later, the region emerged stronger and more prosperous than ever. Could the same thing happen here in the United States?
October 28, 2025 at 4:21 AM
recent coping mechanism - e.g. focusing on the long-term / interstellar phase of sci-fi worlds-building / timeline... and fuzzing the near-term bit... feels like this sometime
"taking the long view" being at an uncomfortable venn diagram intersection of geology major and cishet white male privilege
"taking the long view" being at an uncomfortable venn diagram intersection of geology major and cishet white male privilege
Nowhere Man
Everyone has a 1-2 season TV show they sorely miss and not enough people knew about that you are always praising the heavens about.
What's yours?
What's yours?
September 13, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Nowhere Man
on one hand - the Maduro Regime are a bunch of economy-wrecking, election-rigging, protest-crushing narco-petro-state commies who can't be trusted to speak the truth...
on the other - the Trump Regime is a bunch of things I am running out of space to type - who can't be trust to speak the truth...
on the other - the Trump Regime is a bunch of things I am running out of space to type - who can't be trust to speak the truth...
Venezuela suggests video of boat apparently carrying drugs is AI
Venezuela's Communications Minister Freddy Ñáñez is claiming a video of the U.S. striking a boat in the Caribbean is AI-generated. CBS News' Charlie D'Agata has more details after President Trump said...
www.cbsnews.com
September 4, 2025 at 12:11 PM
on one hand - the Maduro Regime are a bunch of economy-wrecking, election-rigging, protest-crushing narco-petro-state commies who can't be trusted to speak the truth...
on the other - the Trump Regime is a bunch of things I am running out of space to type - who can't be trust to speak the truth...
on the other - the Trump Regime is a bunch of things I am running out of space to type - who can't be trust to speak the truth...