An astrolabe's tympan (from Latin for "drum") marks lines of constant altitude and bearing, given an observer's latitude. To change latitude, historical astronomers had to carry around multiple tympans, each corresponding to a different latitude.

Microcontrollers make things less cumbersome:

Before I slow-drip the catalogue of astrolabe content stored in my brain over the next year, I should really give some credit to...

Alex Boxer's digital astrolabe, a great resource for understanding the instrument. It inspired me to create an electromechanical version:

alexboxer.com/astrolabe/

While I'm not aware of any historical Chinese astrolabes, I did add some East Asian culture to this device: the planets are colored according to the 五行!

Mercury = 水星 = Water = Blue
Venus = 金星 = Metal = Pale Yellow
Mars = 火星 = Fire = Red
Jupiter = 木星 = Wood = Green
Saturn = 土星 = Earth = Brown

I've designed a modern version of a historical instrument: the astrolabe!

In Chaucer's Treatise on the Astrolabe, the third use for the instrument is: finding the "horoscope," or the degree of the ecliptic ascending over the horizon. Here's my instrument doing that:

The guy who's going to be sworn in as the next Chief Minister of my state, telling his constituents he'll only work for Hindus and wants to see Hindus and Muslims segregated. The BJP model is here, 'development' is here, brought to you by the finest rigging, quisling BJP-voting Bengalis rejoice.

[The Apollo 11 plaque] reads: "We came in peace for all Mankind." As the United States was dropping 7 ½ megatons of conventional explosives on small nations in Southeast Asia, we congratulated ourselves on our humanity. We would harm no one on a lifeless rock. - Carl Sagan

When the Vietnamese people shot down American warplanes and captured the pilots, this is what they had to say about it:

FFer Read of the Day: "When the Oracle Speaks" by @chubertwrites.bsky.social on @escapepod.org

Part 1: escapepod.org/2025/08/07/e...
Part 2: escapepod.org/2025/08/14/e...

“Aircraft should always be vehicles of peace, never of war! No one should fear that threats of death and destruction will come from the sky,” the pope said, “After the tragic experiences of the twentieth century, aerial bombardment should have been banished forever!”

This repeats yet another pattern from the Iraq War. When the Iraqis did not behave as the Americans wanted — without the deference and gratitude that a foreign military occupier felt it was due — they became targets.

Oh my fucking God this guy really said, in the year 2026, that we are going to "UNLEASH CHANG" against Iran.

Can someone please help the American conservative movement remember what irony means? THE DUDE LOST THE WAR

www.state.gov/releases/off...

According to an organizer, “all signatories are full-time employees, and nearly 30% are Google Cloud workers.”

I wrote about my time in Minneapolis last week, about what is involved in creating bottom-up, decentralized networks of care.

margaretkilljoy.substack.com/p/our-neighb...

Completely insane. AltNPS claimed to know the name of Alex Pretti's killer, refused to say it because "the truth always comes out," and then just deleted the post.

A man was executed on the street in my hometown, and AltNPS is using that as an excuse to vaguepost for attention.

NEW: Another declaration you have to read! Alex Pretti was shot near the apartment of a doctor, who saw the shooting occur and rushed to provide emergency aid as he lay dying on the street.

They describe what they saw: "The victim had at least three bullet holes in his back."

Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.

"Please get the truth out about our son."

There's a prison revolt at a concentration camp in Texas in solidarity with Minneapolis: