Tim Smith
@tr-smith.bsky.social
Senior Dev by day: Excel, Power Query, C#, XSLT
Armchair medievalist all other times: More Dante than Piers, more Ofeo than Gawain. Brother to Pearl poet.
Husband and dad. Church bassist
Armchair medievalist all other times: More Dante than Piers, more Ofeo than Gawain. Brother to Pearl poet.
Husband and dad. Church bassist
Well, that's it, account deactivated on X. Probably taken far too long but there were/are some great people there. But the latest grok debacle is too much. What a sad end to a site that used to be such a fun place
January 4, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Well, that's it, account deactivated on X. Probably taken far too long but there were/are some great people there. But the latest grok debacle is too much. What a sad end to a site that used to be such a fun place
Reposted by Tim Smith
One of the perks of having small kids is you're socially allowed to be feral again, running around soft play, doing silly voices, climbing stuff, and everyone just thinks you're a "great parent". Dreading the day they grow up and I have to go back to pretending I'm normal.
January 4, 2026 at 10:20 AM
One of the perks of having small kids is you're socially allowed to be feral again, running around soft play, doing silly voices, climbing stuff, and everyone just thinks you're a "great parent". Dreading the day they grow up and I have to go back to pretending I'm normal.
Even more so than usual, the 14th century is looking like an attractive place
January 3, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Even more so than usual, the 14th century is looking like an attractive place
It's always encouraging to listen to @scott.hanselman.com and this podcast was helpful as I gear up for the new year. "Make delightful things" is going on the New Year Resolutions
open.spotify.com/episode/1R7r...
open.spotify.com/episode/1R7r...
Scott Hanselman: The Future of Software Engineering - Episode 382
open.spotify.com
December 31, 2025 at 12:54 PM
It's always encouraging to listen to @scott.hanselman.com and this podcast was helpful as I gear up for the new year. "Make delightful things" is going on the New Year Resolutions
open.spotify.com/episode/1R7r...
open.spotify.com/episode/1R7r...
It's a good party when you talk to someone whose enthusiasm for the Divine Comedy and Boccaccio
December 30, 2025 at 12:50 PM
It's a good party when you talk to someone whose enthusiasm for the Divine Comedy and Boccaccio
We realised last night it's a competition between #CallTheMidwife and #StrangerThings for the TV, my money would be on Sister Monica Joan to kerb stomp Vecna every time...
December 26, 2025 at 10:54 AM
We realised last night it's a competition between #CallTheMidwife and #StrangerThings for the TV, my money would be on Sister Monica Joan to kerb stomp Vecna every time...
Reposted by Tim Smith
NEW: Organ tuners have been leaving temperature and humidity records in little-known books for decades. 🎹
They reveal how temperatures inside churches have changed over time due to climate change and increased heating.
A new scoop for The Reengineer!
www.thereengineer.pro/p/church-org...
They reveal how temperatures inside churches have changed over time due to climate change and increased heating.
A new scoop for The Reengineer!
www.thereengineer.pro/p/church-org...
Church organ tuning records mirror our warming climate
The records appear to reflect climate change, as well as the increased heating of churches in winter
www.thereengineer.pro
December 22, 2025 at 12:13 PM
NEW: Organ tuners have been leaving temperature and humidity records in little-known books for decades. 🎹
They reveal how temperatures inside churches have changed over time due to climate change and increased heating.
A new scoop for The Reengineer!
www.thereengineer.pro/p/church-org...
They reveal how temperatures inside churches have changed over time due to climate change and increased heating.
A new scoop for The Reengineer!
www.thereengineer.pro/p/church-org...
Reposted by Tim Smith
Mucking about with your mates is one of the fundamental drivers id innovation. For instance, SMS was originally an engineer-to-engineer protocol that some kids found on their parents' home phones
I have seen kids with otherwise restricted internet access use a shared google doc as a sort of enormous chat room. I can only assume that whoever introduced the ban has never met a teenager.
December 23, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Mucking about with your mates is one of the fundamental drivers id innovation. For instance, SMS was originally an engineer-to-engineer protocol that some kids found on their parents' home phones
The excitement at realising that, as an adult, I can play on the Switch in bed if I want to, was spoilt by the subsequent realisation I need my reading glasses to do so....
December 21, 2025 at 1:10 PM
The excitement at realising that, as an adult, I can play on the Switch in bed if I want to, was spoilt by the subsequent realisation I need my reading glasses to do so....
Well that's a new one, a Christmas round Robin lease to a new book on the to read list! But then Brian Stanley's history of the BMS was very useful when I wrote my dissertation
December 13, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Well that's a new one, a Christmas round Robin lease to a new book on the to read list! But then Brian Stanley's history of the BMS was very useful when I wrote my dissertation
Reposted by Tim Smith
December 11, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Having bought Baldurs Gate 1 _again_ (switch) maybe this will be the decade when I complete it. After my lvl1 thief was ambushed by 9 bandits, I've abandoned subtlety and Median Dave the half-orc fighter is back. His strategy of meeting problems face on with a big hammer is going well thus far
December 7, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Having bought Baldurs Gate 1 _again_ (switch) maybe this will be the decade when I complete it. After my lvl1 thief was ambushed by 9 bandits, I've abandoned subtlety and Median Dave the half-orc fighter is back. His strategy of meeting problems face on with a big hammer is going well thus far
Reposted by Tim Smith
My dad abhors any negative comments about immigrants. Asked him recently why he’s so strong on it: ‘Because we’re always happy to take the rich and clever ones. Which means it’s not about disliking immigrants. It’s about disliking the poor and vulnerable. And that’s a bad human instinct.’
December 7, 2025 at 8:31 AM
My dad abhors any negative comments about immigrants. Asked him recently why he’s so strong on it: ‘Because we’re always happy to take the rich and clever ones. Which means it’s not about disliking immigrants. It’s about disliking the poor and vulnerable. And that’s a bad human instinct.’
Important question before nativity dressing up service at church next week - were there ducks in 1st century Palestine?
December 6, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Important question before nativity dressing up service at church next week - were there ducks in 1st century Palestine?
Boethius feeling very relevant this morning....
December 6, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Boethius feeling very relevant this morning....
New example for why security through obscurity isn't
"The BBC tried this after 'Final Final Version (2) - Do Not Edit (1)' failed."
November 28, 2025 at 8:29 AM
New example for why security through obscurity isn't
Today's proofing lesson is not to rely too heavily on Wikipedia; it might not be up to date
November 19, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Today's proofing lesson is not to rely too heavily on Wikipedia; it might not be up to date
Thinking about the Pearl poem for a piece I'm writing and decided that I'll be referring to the pearl poet as "pearl father" from now on. Makes him more human and relatable
#PearlPoem #poetry #medieval #Grief
#PearlPoem #poetry #medieval #Grief
November 19, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Thinking about the Pearl poem for a piece I'm writing and decided that I'll be referring to the pearl poet as "pearl father" from now on. Makes him more human and relatable
#PearlPoem #poetry #medieval #Grief
#PearlPoem #poetry #medieval #Grief
Video of Jamiroquai's seven days in sunny June has just appeared on Spotify. I'm loving the vibe of the pianist with pipe in mouth.
Could I make that vibe work in the church worship band?
Asking for a friend obviously....
Could I make that vibe work in the church worship band?
Asking for a friend obviously....
November 8, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Video of Jamiroquai's seven days in sunny June has just appeared on Spotify. I'm loving the vibe of the pianist with pipe in mouth.
Could I make that vibe work in the church worship band?
Asking for a friend obviously....
Could I make that vibe work in the church worship band?
Asking for a friend obviously....
I haven't seen this year's yet but, in all honesty, this was then the John Lewis Christmas ad peaked youtu.be/IB_C2eOQG9g?...
The John Lewis Christmas Ad 2015 [The Dark Side Version] - Star Wars parody by The Poke
YouTube video by The Poke
youtu.be
November 4, 2025 at 10:09 PM
I haven't seen this year's yet but, in all honesty, this was then the John Lewis Christmas ad peaked youtu.be/IB_C2eOQG9g?...
Despite having been reading M R James 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 I still asked for my medieval finds to be wrapped in paper. Frankly, it's only due to the good sense of Minster Gate Bookshop in York not to tie it up with string that I'm not going to be visited by some terrifying apparition tonight....
October 31, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Despite having been reading M R James 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 I still asked for my medieval finds to be wrapped in paper. Frankly, it's only due to the good sense of Minster Gate Bookshop in York not to tie it up with string that I'm not going to be visited by some terrifying apparition tonight....
When I suggested some form of momento mori for the next men's weekend, this isn't quite what I had in mind...
I want the kind of goofing-around friendship that these guys have
October 27, 2025 at 2:32 PM
When I suggested some form of momento mori for the next men's weekend, this isn't quite what I had in mind...
Just watched both a southern and thameslink train sound their horns for a small lad who was waving to them! #wholesome
October 27, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Just watched both a southern and thameslink train sound their horns for a small lad who was waving to them! #wholesome
I maintain my position that installing a printer in Debian seems harder than it could be, but do concede that turning the printer on first may, indeed, help
October 24, 2025 at 7:30 PM
I maintain my position that installing a printer in Debian seems harder than it could be, but do concede that turning the printer on first may, indeed, help
So I've pretty much got Rend Collective's My Lighthouse sorted on the Bouzouki (well with a capo) so I think, maybe I'll give the Mandolin a go. Nope, just remembered why I had I to move my big clumsy bass player fingers to the larger fretboard in the first place
October 24, 2025 at 4:22 PM
So I've pretty much got Rend Collective's My Lighthouse sorted on the Bouzouki (well with a capo) so I think, maybe I'll give the Mandolin a go. Nope, just remembered why I had I to move my big clumsy bass player fingers to the larger fretboard in the first place