Jonathan Pinnock
@jonathanpinnock.com
Writes software and fiction. Tries to keep the two apart. Books published by Farrago and others. Supremo and Grand Panjandrum at the Worldwide Subbub Organisation. Occasional badger videos. He/him. https://linktr.ee/jonpinnock
Pinned
Jonathan Pinnock
@jonathanpinnock.com
· Nov 12
Welcome my new followers. I clearly seem to be on some kind of list. In case any of you are interested, I write things. I've written seven novels, six of which are in the Mathematical Mystery series: moderately clever plots, quite funny, diverse cast. Also...
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
If I went to Switzerland and won a Swiss watch precision contest, I would literally never talk about anything else
I went to Geneva a few weeks ago and spoke on a panel about the nature of time for a Geneva Watch Days event. While I was there, on a lark, I entered a competition to most precisely calibrate a Swiss watch. And today I found out that I won! 😃 www.instagram.com/reel/Dd6hUTB...
October 1, 2026 at 4:08 PM
If I went to Switzerland and won a Swiss watch precision contest, I would literally never talk about anything else
17 flopper at skittles tonight, lads. Still got it.
September 30, 2026 at 9:37 PM
17 flopper at skittles tonight, lads. Still got it.
Never knew this. Every one a banger.
Jackie Jackson died two days ago. His death did not get the fanfare that the big celebrities get but I assure you he was no less than any of them: a titan astride the earth. In this thread, a few of the songs he played bass on. You know these songs. You know their bass parts.
youtu.be/DKVB_CtU8XQ
youtu.be/DKVB_CtU8XQ
Pressure Drop
YouTube video by Toots & The Maytals - Topic
youtu.be
September 25, 2026 at 8:29 PM
Never knew this. Every one a banger.
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
If you aren’t cheering by the end you have no soul
September 25, 2026 at 6:41 PM
If you aren’t cheering by the end you have no soul
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
When was the last time our Secretary of State for Culture displayed anything approaching this degree of public enthusiasm for our world-class arts industry? Has she been seen anywhere? Given impending charter renewal... did she even bother to visit a single prom?
Never been to the opera before?
Now’s your chance. We’re giving away 70,000 free tickets to the @metopera at the iconic Lincoln Center. Go to on.nyc.gov/opera to enter the lottery. There’s not a bad seat in the house.
Now’s your chance. We’re giving away 70,000 free tickets to the @metopera at the iconic Lincoln Center. Go to on.nyc.gov/opera to enter the lottery. There’s not a bad seat in the house.
September 25, 2026 at 8:31 AM
When was the last time our Secretary of State for Culture displayed anything approaching this degree of public enthusiasm for our world-class arts industry? Has she been seen anywhere? Given impending charter renewal... did she even bother to visit a single prom?
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
A warning about the supposed final Fall album that’s coming out soon: it is NOT a real Fall album, it’s just Mark E Smith rambling nonsense over music that has no connection to the vocal
September 24, 2026 at 4:56 AM
A warning about the supposed final Fall album that’s coming out soon: it is NOT a real Fall album, it’s just Mark E Smith rambling nonsense over music that has no connection to the vocal
I’m sorry, what? Can this man do anything wrong?!
Never been to the opera before?
Now’s your chance. We’re giving away 70,000 free tickets to the @metopera at the iconic Lincoln Center. Go to on.nyc.gov/opera to enter the lottery. There’s not a bad seat in the house.
Now’s your chance. We’re giving away 70,000 free tickets to the @metopera at the iconic Lincoln Center. Go to on.nyc.gov/opera to enter the lottery. There’s not a bad seat in the house.
September 24, 2026 at 4:43 PM
I’m sorry, what? Can this man do anything wrong?!
I can never remember the name of the Mac app that compares two text files, so I end up googling "Mac WinDiff" every bloody time.
September 24, 2026 at 8:04 AM
I can never remember the name of the Mac app that compares two text files, so I end up googling "Mac WinDiff" every bloody time.
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
“Giant ___ are what you take, walking on the moon” - what word do you think would fit best in the blank space above? A) Crabs B) Flippers C) Heirloom Tomatoes D) Breaths E) Henchmen F) Prongs G) Liberties or F) Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roths?
September 22, 2026 at 1:48 PM
“Giant ___ are what you take, walking on the moon” - what word do you think would fit best in the blank space above? A) Crabs B) Flippers C) Heirloom Tomatoes D) Breaths E) Henchmen F) Prongs G) Liberties or F) Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roths?
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
Losing my mind while doing some research for my creature design lecture that the closest relative to the maned wolf is the bush dog. Like there has gotta be a fable where the maned wolf took all the leggie from its cousin
September 20, 2026 at 2:14 AM
Losing my mind while doing some research for my creature design lecture that the closest relative to the maned wolf is the bush dog. Like there has gotta be a fable where the maned wolf took all the leggie from its cousin
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
The RNLI is the closest you will ever get to actual Batman. When rescue is visibly, viscerally, obviously impossible; when the water is a smothering, thundering black wall and the wind is screaming straight from Hell; when you are absolutely going to die: someone’s hand pulls you out and you don’t.
September 19, 2026 at 10:36 AM
The RNLI is the closest you will ever get to actual Batman. When rescue is visibly, viscerally, obviously impossible; when the water is a smothering, thundering black wall and the wind is screaming straight from Hell; when you are absolutely going to die: someone’s hand pulls you out and you don’t.
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
R.I.P. Stephanie Cole. Seen here as Muriel Carpenter in Talking Heads - Soldering On by Alan Bennett (10th May 1988)
September 18, 2026 at 3:27 PM
R.I.P. Stephanie Cole. Seen here as Muriel Carpenter in Talking Heads - Soldering On by Alan Bennett (10th May 1988)
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
Every year on 19 December, the famous Christmas lights at Mousehole in Cornwall are dimmed between 8 and 9pm, leaving just the Cross and Angels shining down across the village and out to sea.
September 18, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Every year on 19 December, the famous Christmas lights at Mousehole in Cornwall are dimmed between 8 and 9pm, leaving just the Cross and Angels shining down across the village and out to sea.
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
I have spent weeks shadowing the RNLI and I can tell you, they do it out of nothing more than compassion.
Wrote about the heroes I've met over the years in this free-to-read post.
nicolakelly.substack.com/p/the-rnli-a...
Wrote about the heroes I've met over the years in this free-to-read post.
nicolakelly.substack.com/p/the-rnli-a...
The RNLI aren't traitors; they're heroes
I have spent weeks shadowing lifeboat crews. Here's what they do and what it's like.
nicolakelly.substack.com
September 17, 2026 at 7:53 PM
I have spent weeks shadowing the RNLI and I can tell you, they do it out of nothing more than compassion.
Wrote about the heroes I've met over the years in this free-to-read post.
nicolakelly.substack.com/p/the-rnli-a...
Wrote about the heroes I've met over the years in this free-to-read post.
nicolakelly.substack.com/p/the-rnli-a...
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
Friend shared this video of a man unveiling the library he hid when he fled Damascus in 2011. It’s incredible
September 17, 2026 at 9:41 AM
Friend shared this video of a man unveiling the library he hid when he fled Damascus in 2011. It’s incredible
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
Nice campaign by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products. Enjoy!
September 17, 2026 at 7:34 AM
Nice campaign by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products. Enjoy!
Good start to the skittles season last night. Solid win, and I even notched up a spare, despite some wild misses.
September 17, 2026 at 8:32 AM
Good start to the skittles season last night. Solid win, and I even notched up a spare, despite some wild misses.
For anyone who's ever felt like just giving up...
Arguably the greatest song to be recorded 4 times by 3 iterations of a band under 3 different names and in 2 languages, and then remixed once before it reached number 2 (eventually scoring a number 1 when it was covered by my mate's little brother's band a decade and a half later)
41 re
September 17, 2026 at 8:31 AM
For anyone who's ever felt like just giving up...
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
I spent 8 years living in a village in the middle of nowhere not far from an immigration detention centre. On one evening I was locking up the pub (for clarity I worked there I hadn’t just broken into it)
Two men appeared from the pub car park shadows. They were walking slowly towards me
Two men appeared from the pub car park shadows. They were walking slowly towards me
September 16, 2026 at 11:28 AM
I spent 8 years living in a village in the middle of nowhere not far from an immigration detention centre. On one evening I was locking up the pub (for clarity I worked there I hadn’t just broken into it)
Two men appeared from the pub car park shadows. They were walking slowly towards me
Two men appeared from the pub car park shadows. They were walking slowly towards me
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
September 13, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
REACHER: I need help with my iPhone
SUPPORT: regular iPhone or duo?
REACHER: how can I tell
SUPPORT: if it folds it’s the duo
*extremely loud crunching noise*
REACHER: it’s the duo
SUPPORT: regular iPhone or duo?
REACHER: how can I tell
SUPPORT: if it folds it’s the duo
*extremely loud crunching noise*
REACHER: it’s the duo
September 10, 2026 at 2:58 AM
REACHER: I need help with my iPhone
SUPPORT: regular iPhone or duo?
REACHER: how can I tell
SUPPORT: if it folds it’s the duo
*extremely loud crunching noise*
REACHER: it’s the duo
SUPPORT: regular iPhone or duo?
REACHER: how can I tell
SUPPORT: if it folds it’s the duo
*extremely loud crunching noise*
REACHER: it’s the duo
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
also Wikipedia didn't just happen and people adapted. it was sloppy in the 2001-2002 period and then a group of editors (including people who had been there right from day one also including myself) worked out principles for making the project work with a lot of hard graft over the next few years.
This is so funny. When I was at uni, lecturers never said Wikipedia was "slop", they simply cautioned students to check its citations. Which you can't do with LLMs because they just make things up and are *designed* to stop you thinking critically about what you're reading
You know things are going well when you’ve entered Day Three of Posting Through It.
September 9, 2026 at 9:17 PM
also Wikipedia didn't just happen and people adapted. it was sloppy in the 2001-2002 period and then a group of editors (including people who had been there right from day one also including myself) worked out principles for making the project work with a lot of hard graft over the next few years.
Reposted by Jonathan Pinnock
Since its foundation in 1824 the bravery of Royal National Lifeboat Institution volunteers has saved more than 146,700 lives at sea.
Hundreds of those volunteers have died attempting to save others. They are the best of us.
Hundreds of those volunteers have died attempting to save others. They are the best of us.
September 8, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Since its foundation in 1824 the bravery of Royal National Lifeboat Institution volunteers has saved more than 146,700 lives at sea.
Hundreds of those volunteers have died attempting to save others. They are the best of us.
Hundreds of those volunteers have died attempting to save others. They are the best of us.