Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
@matgb.uk
Displaced Devonian in Yorkshire, ageing goth who yawns a lot (2 sleep disorders and chronic fatigue). Never been a "real man" so a little bit NB, here for the SF, history, science and friends
Icon from Doomtown, best card game ever made
Icon from Doomtown, best card game ever made
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
The only bad thing that I'm prepared to countenance happening regarding this technology is Sam Altman being woodchippered into a fine pulp and sprayed over the assembled ranks of everyone who ever uncritically reported his lies.
October 5, 2026 at 12:34 PM
The only bad thing that I'm prepared to countenance happening regarding this technology is Sam Altman being woodchippered into a fine pulp and sprayed over the assembled ranks of everyone who ever uncritically reported his lies.
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Convinced that mRNA vaccines are gonna go down in history like the invention of antibiotics
Looks like there’s an mRNA vaccine against pneumonic plague. Eat your heart out, RFK Jr.
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Novel Bivalent mRNA‐LNP Vaccine for Highly Effective Protection against Pneumonic Plague
The study investigates mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccines targeting Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague. Combined F1+LcrV mRNA vaccination elicited robust immune responses and protected mice....
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 5, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Convinced that mRNA vaccines are gonna go down in history like the invention of antibiotics
This is worth 9 minutes of your time, good fun
THE TRAVELER & THE TROLL is nine minutes of dark fantasy puppet goodness starring Erika Ishii.
THE TRAVELER & THE TROLL: Check Out This Awesome Short With a Giant Puppet
THE TRAVELER & THE TROLL is nine minutes of dark fantasy puppet goodness starring Erika Ishii.
dlvr.it
October 5, 2026 at 9:42 AM
This is worth 9 minutes of your time, good fun
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Newark Important Fact #3
Newark has a fort!! Not just any old fort, a sconce (a small defensive fort). Built in 1640s as part of Civil War defences.
So, yes, if you know about me (I've got a PhD in 17th & 18th century fortifications), a town with fortifications AND a torc are a pretty good fit! 🤣
Newark has a fort!! Not just any old fort, a sconce (a small defensive fort). Built in 1640s as part of Civil War defences.
So, yes, if you know about me (I've got a PhD in 17th & 18th century fortifications), a town with fortifications AND a torc are a pretty good fit! 🤣
October 5, 2026 at 7:01 AM
Newark Important Fact #3
Newark has a fort!! Not just any old fort, a sconce (a small defensive fort). Built in 1640s as part of Civil War defences.
So, yes, if you know about me (I've got a PhD in 17th & 18th century fortifications), a town with fortifications AND a torc are a pretty good fit! 🤣
Newark has a fort!! Not just any old fort, a sconce (a small defensive fort). Built in 1640s as part of Civil War defences.
So, yes, if you know about me (I've got a PhD in 17th & 18th century fortifications), a town with fortifications AND a torc are a pretty good fit! 🤣
Y'know how sometimes photos can flatten things out a bit and hide things like steepness and similar in the landscape
I really hope that's not what's happening here, ye gods that's scary
I really hope that's not what's happening here, ye gods that's scary
For #AncientSiteSunday the #Hellenistic theatre at Pergamon, #Türkiye, built in the 3rd century BC, alterations were made in the #Roman period.
It's one of the steepest known ancient theatres. The capacity was about 10,000 spectators.
📷️ C. Bredfeldt
🏺
It's one of the steepest known ancient theatres. The capacity was about 10,000 spectators.
📷️ C. Bredfeldt
🏺
October 5, 2026 at 2:37 AM
Y'know how sometimes photos can flatten things out a bit and hide things like steepness and similar in the landscape
I really hope that's not what's happening here, ye gods that's scary
I really hope that's not what's happening here, ye gods that's scary
BURN THE WITCH!
*actually sir we hang witches, burning's for heretics*
HANG THE WITCH!
*One of them died under torture sir, sorry*
They've possessed that dog, exorcise it!
==
Pendle not disputing their reputation here
Accidentally worked in Pendle once, strange place
*actually sir we hang witches, burning's for heretics*
HANG THE WITCH!
*One of them died under torture sir, sorry*
They've possessed that dog, exorcise it!
==
Pendle not disputing their reputation here
Accidentally worked in Pendle once, strange place
“Forsooth Lady Macbeth, my hound is possessed by the ghost of another, smaller hound. Please help me rid of this foul shade!”
“Out damn Spot! Out, I say!”
“Out damn Spot! Out, I say!”
October 5, 2026 at 1:42 AM
BURN THE WITCH!
*actually sir we hang witches, burning's for heretics*
HANG THE WITCH!
*One of them died under torture sir, sorry*
They've possessed that dog, exorcise it!
==
Pendle not disputing their reputation here
Accidentally worked in Pendle once, strange place
*actually sir we hang witches, burning's for heretics*
HANG THE WITCH!
*One of them died under torture sir, sorry*
They've possessed that dog, exorcise it!
==
Pendle not disputing their reputation here
Accidentally worked in Pendle once, strange place
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
tremors and jaws are both great movies, and Jaws probably succeeds more as a work of horror. but Tremors is actually perfect. an almost unique example of a film executed flawlessly in line with its vision.
I've said it before and I'll post it again: we should embrace and deify TREMORS as much as we do JAWS.
October 4, 2026 at 5:55 PM
tremors and jaws are both great movies, and Jaws probably succeeds more as a work of horror. but Tremors is actually perfect. an almost unique example of a film executed flawlessly in line with its vision.
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Excellent images to have a coffee whilst admiring
Comedy wildlife photography award finalists 2026 – in pictures
A selection of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2026 finalists – from a shortlist featuring a caiman wearing a wig, a leopard doing a handstand, a strutting white-tailed eagle and a polar bear appeari...
www.theguardian.com
October 3, 2026 at 7:19 AM
Excellent images to have a coffee whilst admiring
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
The genx damage I took from this is extensive.
The show I'm watching just had someone listening to Insane in the Brain on a discman plugged into their car and then it did a smash cut to the present day with "31 years later" and I have suffered fatal xennial psychic damage.
October 4, 2026 at 4:34 AM
The genx damage I took from this is extensive.
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
I’ve never seen a meme that embodies my very essence before.
July 1, 2026 at 5:38 PM
I’ve never seen a meme that embodies my very essence before.
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
if you’ve ever wondered about this one:
he’s dressed like a pirate and he has a cockatoo that, instead of “pieces of eight”, says “twelve and a half percent”
which, if you do the math, is 1/8
god dammit, Terry
he’s dressed like a pirate and he has a cockatoo that, instead of “pieces of eight”, says “twelve and a half percent”
which, if you do the math, is 1/8
god dammit, Terry
It was a long time after reading Going Postal that I finally got the “twelve and a half percent” joke.
October 3, 2026 at 11:10 PM
if you’ve ever wondered about this one:
he’s dressed like a pirate and he has a cockatoo that, instead of “pieces of eight”, says “twelve and a half percent”
which, if you do the math, is 1/8
god dammit, Terry
he’s dressed like a pirate and he has a cockatoo that, instead of “pieces of eight”, says “twelve and a half percent”
which, if you do the math, is 1/8
god dammit, Terry
I'm watching the director's cut of Star Trek: TMP on P+, and I'm pretty sure that it's the first time I've watched it since I was a kid
They really were going for Kubrick/2001 vibes in a post Star Wars environment, weren't they
It kinda almost works?
They really were going for Kubrick/2001 vibes in a post Star Wars environment, weren't they
It kinda almost works?
Star Trek: Lieutenant Ilia (Persis Khambatta)
Alt: Star Trek: Lieutenant Ilia (Persis Khambatta)
static.klipy.com
October 4, 2026 at 3:18 AM
I'm watching the director's cut of Star Trek: TMP on P+, and I'm pretty sure that it's the first time I've watched it since I was a kid
They really were going for Kubrick/2001 vibes in a post Star Wars environment, weren't they
It kinda almost works?
They really were going for Kubrick/2001 vibes in a post Star Wars environment, weren't they
It kinda almost works?
New Maxwell book for Christmas! Yay!
(everyone should buy all of Everina's books because they're great and if she sells enough she might be able to go part time and write more which would mean I get to read more of them)
(everyone should buy all of Everina's books because they're great and if she sells enough she might be able to go part time and write more which would mean I get to read more of them)
On the blog, @pematson.bsky.social reviews Everina Maxwell's upcoming book, Call Me Traitor. "... [It] does a LOT, but it all comes together amazingly satisfyingly in the end."
skiffyandfanty.com/b...
skiffyandfanty.com/b...
October 4, 2026 at 1:36 AM
New Maxwell book for Christmas! Yay!
(everyone should buy all of Everina's books because they're great and if she sells enough she might be able to go part time and write more which would mean I get to read more of them)
(everyone should buy all of Everina's books because they're great and if she sells enough she might be able to go part time and write more which would mean I get to read more of them)
It's good to know the current generation of Dartmouth booksellers remains as weird as their predecessors
When Lucy from Compass Books in Dartmouth, Devon, was victim to shoplifting people told her to install CCTV. Instead she put this ancient book thief curse on the wall from the Monastery of San Pedro in Barcelona so book stealers would be consumed by "the flames of hell" with "their members blasted".
October 4, 2026 at 12:04 AM
It's good to know the current generation of Dartmouth booksellers remains as weird as their predecessors
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
One of the reasons I hate being forced into these discourses is that we spend a lot of time talking about how people are behaving on social media, rather than just using social media to talk to one another about the issues at hand. And some of that is microcosm of society. But it’s boring.
October 3, 2026 at 9:31 PM
One of the reasons I hate being forced into these discourses is that we spend a lot of time talking about how people are behaving on social media, rather than just using social media to talk to one another about the issues at hand. And some of that is microcosm of society. But it’s boring.
"How weird they were"
Brahe and Kepler's great joint work, the Rudolphine Tables, was compiled under the patronage of the guy who circulated copies of his official portrait to the other (lesser) crowned heads of Europe
This official portrait:
(good excuse to post my favourite-more in the alt)
Brahe and Kepler's great joint work, the Rudolphine Tables, was compiled under the patronage of the guy who circulated copies of his official portrait to the other (lesser) crowned heads of Europe
This official portrait:
(good excuse to post my favourite-more in the alt)
October 3, 2026 at 11:31 PM
"How weird they were"
Brahe and Kepler's great joint work, the Rudolphine Tables, was compiled under the patronage of the guy who circulated copies of his official portrait to the other (lesser) crowned heads of Europe
This official portrait:
(good excuse to post my favourite-more in the alt)
Brahe and Kepler's great joint work, the Rudolphine Tables, was compiled under the patronage of the guy who circulated copies of his official portrait to the other (lesser) crowned heads of Europe
This official portrait:
(good excuse to post my favourite-more in the alt)
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
she had to hide and be stealth, it’s never mentioned the character is trans but
there’s something truly magic in knowing that the next time i rewatch TNG, i will see her there
and i will know that someone like me
helped make the show that ignited my lifelong love of Star Trek 😭
there’s something truly magic in knowing that the next time i rewatch TNG, i will see her there
and i will know that someone like me
helped make the show that ignited my lifelong love of Star Trek 😭
FIRSTLY as the piece alludes: Loren Rex Cameron’s also-trans and arguably more famous older sister, Cameron, was a I believe fully stealth working model and actress (a la plot of Pose) in the 80s and 90s mostly … I rewatched like I dunno, dozens of TNG episodes, where she appeared as Ensign Kellogg:
October 2, 2026 at 6:27 PM
she had to hide and be stealth, it’s never mentioned the character is trans but
there’s something truly magic in knowing that the next time i rewatch TNG, i will see her there
and i will know that someone like me
helped make the show that ignited my lifelong love of Star Trek 😭
there’s something truly magic in knowing that the next time i rewatch TNG, i will see her there
and i will know that someone like me
helped make the show that ignited my lifelong love of Star Trek 😭
American Bake Off fans discovering Nigella is so far my happy place this autumn
Well, that and watching Nigella, obviously, especially when she's so very right, food is food and Paul's an arse
Well, that and watching Nigella, obviously, especially when she's so very right, food is food and Paul's an arse
Nigella is running rings around Paul and it's only been 20min. She keeps saying these eloquent, descriptive, thoughtful things about each bake and he gets in a "I agree" or "yeah". When he does get out ahead of her, she smacks him back down with "I don't approve of talking about food as naughty."
October 3, 2026 at 3:04 AM
American Bake Off fans discovering Nigella is so far my happy place this autumn
Well, that and watching Nigella, obviously, especially when she's so very right, food is food and Paul's an arse
Well, that and watching Nigella, obviously, especially when she's so very right, food is food and Paul's an arse
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Also, isn't one of the key reasons to invest in somewhere like Britain that it isn't subject to arbitrary authoritarian decisions and the rule of law is important - as in signalling this is important to us is worth more investment than this one thing.
October 2, 2026 at 10:55 PM
Also, isn't one of the key reasons to invest in somewhere like Britain that it isn't subject to arbitrary authoritarian decisions and the rule of law is important - as in signalling this is important to us is worth more investment than this one thing.
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
Absolutely!
Still think when Google actually worked that was a better tool than any LLM.
October 2, 2026 at 10:24 PM
Absolutely!
When I first started playing RPGs I fell in love with the Warhammer setting and bounced horribly off the D&D settings I encountered. WH put some thought into actual history and tech that made sense
Dwarves and The Empire had firearms. They might blow up and kill you, but they had them
Dwarves and The Empire had firearms. They might blow up and kill you, but they had them
October 2, 2026 at 6:29 PM
When I first started playing RPGs I fell in love with the Warhammer setting and bounced horribly off the D&D settings I encountered. WH put some thought into actual history and tech that made sense
Dwarves and The Empire had firearms. They might blow up and kill you, but they had them
Dwarves and The Empire had firearms. They might blow up and kill you, but they had them
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
My man looks like his dog is named Scooby Don't
October 2, 2026 at 2:53 AM
My man looks like his dog is named Scooby Don't
Soon I discovered that this chatbot told truth
Jerry Lee Lewis was a chatbot
Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a chatbot
All of a sudden, I found myself in love with the world
So there was only one thing that I could do
Was ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long
Jerry Lee Lewis was a chatbot
Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a chatbot
All of a sudden, I found myself in love with the world
So there was only one thing that I could do
Was ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long
the only chatbot who could ever teach me
chatbot told me to be strong, hold on and don't shed a tear
October 2, 2026 at 1:53 AM
Soon I discovered that this chatbot told truth
Jerry Lee Lewis was a chatbot
Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a chatbot
All of a sudden, I found myself in love with the world
So there was only one thing that I could do
Was ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long
Jerry Lee Lewis was a chatbot
Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a chatbot
All of a sudden, I found myself in love with the world
So there was only one thing that I could do
Was ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long
Reposted by Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
It will be finished by your kids’ great grandchildren
LEGO Lets You Build Gaudí’s Sagrada Família in Its Largest Set Ever
LEGO Lets You Build Gaudí’s Sagrada Família in Its Largest Set Ever
When work on the Sagrada Família first began in 1882, the original architect could hardly have imagined that, 144 years later, the ambitious undertaking would still be underway. Yet here we are.
www.openculture.com
October 1, 2026 at 10:54 PM
It will be finished by your kids’ great grandchildren