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Cyrus Mody

@ccmmody.bsky.social

historian of sci/tech/energy/enviro @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social; http://nanobubbles.hypotheses.org; http://managingscarcity.com; The Squares https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262543613/the-squares/. CV at https://surfdrive.surf.nl/s/9zriQ8wKY6eJfp4.

1087 Posts1896 Follower 796 Folgt

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · 5d ago

Some public history of science at the Delaware State Fair

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · 2w ago

found this little guy on some Mody family stationery today. not sure if the snake is specific to the medical branch of the family (my GGF, GF & uncles) or if other lines used it too. what a cutie!

a snake twined around a stick with a banner beneath reading "Dum Spiro Spero"

Cyrus Mody@ccmmody.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I'm rather fond of the Mody family motto, "dum spiro spero" (while I breathe I hope) but TIL that it's also the motto of the White Rajahs of Sarawak and the state of South Carolina?! might be time to look for a better one. any suggestions?

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · 2w ago

great write-up by @lawrencelundy.bsky.social of our convo ab/ tech bubbles. really helpful to see my old work on CNTs & superconducting computing & newer research on @nanobubbles.bsky.social in light of Lawrence's Qs ab/ how to apply historical findings. cntdispatch.substack.com/p/bubbles-cr...

Bubbles, Cryotrons, and CNTs

Edition #011: Imagine a bubble that only bursts when there’s somewhere better to go with Cyrus Mody, Author of Greedy Science: Creating Knowledge, Making Money, and Being Famous in the 1980s

cntdispatch.substack.com

Maastricht University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social · 3w ago

Congratulations to @michielbron.bsky.social on receiving the KHMW Dirk Jacob Veegens Prize for his PhD thesis 'The Petro-atom', supervised by @ccmmody.bsky.social & @vincentlagendijk.bsky.social! The award recognises outstanding research in economic, political and social history. 📸Marlise Steeman

All Our Yesterdays @allouryesterdays.bsky.social · 4w ago

Vol. 2, no. 4 of the CO2 Newsletter, April-May 1981 is now downloadable. Founded by American geologist William Barbat, each was 8 pages of excerpts from recent reports, editorials and deeply researched articles. All 18 issues are heart-breakers. 1/9 allouryesterdays.info/2026/07/08/c...

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · 4w ago

for those attending #ESHS-HSS (esp. on the ESHS side), watch this space! I, @moneschleper.bsky.social, @rafdebont.bsky.social & our colleagues hope to have some news soon which you can preview 👇

a powerpoint slide with images of Maastricht and the text "See you in Maastricht!"

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · last mo.

since this comes up occasionally: from Christophe Lécuyer, "Ion Implantation," in Between Making and Knowing: Tools in the History of Materials Research [A WSPC Encyclopedia of the Development and History of Materials Science], ed. @randomjetship.bsky.social & me (World Scientific, 2020): 341-348.

But his concept was later realized by physicists and engineers
working for High Voltage Engineering Corporation (HVEC) and Ion
Physics Corporation (IPC), two firms located along Route 128 near
Boston.5 HVEC was a maker of accelerators for physics research. It
had been established by Robert Van de Graaff and John Trump, two
MIT faculty members, to design and fabricate electrostatic instruments
for nuclear physics research. IPC was the firm’s subsidiary
specializing in the execution of R&D contracts for the federal government,
especially the military services, such as an ion engine it
made for the Army Ballistic Missile agency.

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · last mo.

really nice special issue @thomabr.bsky.social (and colleagues)!

Yale Classics Library@yaleclassicslib.bsky.social · last mo.

Centaurus Vol. 67, No. 4 (2025) www.brepolsonline.net/content/jour... @brepols.net @eshhs.bsky.social #openaccess Academic Workspaces as Sites of Production, Adaptation, and Circulation of Knowledge @thomabr.bsky.social

Monika Dommann @modomodo.bsky.social · last mo.

Instrumentenhistoriker:innen aller Länder : bewerbt Euch! www.gdch.de/gdch/stiftun...

Hans-R.-Jenemann-Stiftung | Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker e.V.

Die Hans-R.-Jenemann-Stiftung der GDCh und DBG vergibt jährlich den Paul-Bunge-Preis für Arbeiten zur Geschichte wissenschaftlicher Instrumente.

gdch.de

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · last mo.

in honor of July 4 - without the War of Independence we would not have great art such as this:

My father was master of the situation. He had made a little fantasy for himself, that Jorkins should be an American, and throughout the evening he played a delicate, one-sided parlour-game with him, explaining any peculiarly English terms that occurred in the conversation, translating pounds into dollars, and courteously deferring to him with such phrases as "Of course, by your standards..."; "All this must seem very parochial to Mr. Jorkins"; "In the vast spaces to which you are accustomed..." so that my guest was left with the vague sense that there was a misconception somewhere as to his identity, which he never got the chance of explaining. Again and again during dinner he sought my father's eye, thinking to read there the simple statement that this form of address was an elaborate joke, but met instead a look of such mild benignity that he was left baffled.

Once I thought my father had gone too far, when he said: "I am afraid that, living in London, you must sadly miss your national game."

"My national game?" asked Jorkins, slow in the uptake, but scenting that here, at last, was the opportunity for clearing the matter up.

My father glanced from him to me and his expression changed from kindness to malice; then back to kindness again as he turned once more to Jorkins. It was the look of a gambler who lays down fours against a full house. "Your national game," he said gently, "cricket," and he snuffled uncontrollably, shaking all over and wiping his eyes with his napkin. "Surely, working in the City, you find your time on the cricket-field greatly curtailed?"

At the door of the dining-room he left us. "Good night, Mr. Jorkins," he said. "I hope you will pay us another visit when you next 'cross the herring pond.'"

"I say, what did your governor mean by that? He seemed almost to think I was American."

"He's rather odd at times."

"I mean all that about advising me to visit Westminster Abbey. It seemed rum."

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · last mo.

seems like a good time to revive one of my oldest business ideas: a chain of coffee shops, with each franchise named after a different famous headland or promontory: Cafe of Good Hope, Cafe Cod, Cafe Horn, Cafe Verde, Cafe Canaveral & of course Cafe Fear.

the Don Draper meme, where the chart says "chain of coffee shops named after famous capes"

Darian Meacham @posteurope.bsky.social · last mo.

🚨We're hiring!🚨 Associate or Full Professor with the broad focus "Philosophy and the City" @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social @maastrichtu.bsky.social @ccmmody.bsky.social @sallywyatt.bsky.social @tullioviola.bsky.social @danishanley.bsky.social vacancies.maastrichtuniversity.nl/job/Maastric...

Associate or Full Professor: Philosophy and the City

vacancies.maastrichtuniversity.nl

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · last mo.

eager for the #ESHS-HSS cèilidh but feels like I need to do some homework first. best filmic representation of a cèilidh? watched I Know Where I'm Going recently; that one certainly advances the plot (such as it is), but best I've seen so far has to be Local Hero: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qdV...

Victor's Song Local Hero

YouTube video by Jeff Miles

youtube.com

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · last mo.

the death of Colette Shulman (accomplished journalist in her own right, but also wife of Marshall Shulman) reminds me of the Kreminology dramedy I'd love to see made, There's a New Marshall in Town. it'd be ab/ the rivalry b/t ... www.nytimes.com/2026/06/27/b...

Colette Shulman, Soviet Analyst With On-the-Ground Insights, Dies at 94

nytimes.com

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · last mo.

Philly people watching the World Cup! well, mostly @icpetrie.bsky.social - maybe you saw this clip of Croatia fans partying with some newlyweds outside City Hall? but probably you didn't see the spin that the Dutch commentators put on it (translation in the alt text) www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aZc...

a TV showing a bunch of soccer bros in a bar, no wait - a television studio? on a screen above the bros, some Croatia fans partying in Philly. the subtitles say, in Dutch, "and here once again it's proven that the bride..."

"really is smarter than the groom." close-up of one of the bros grinning wryly, with a couple younger Dutch dudes who will one day have smarter wives in the background.

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · last mo.

in anticipation of Iran v. Egypt tonight (& to help you get your minds off the heat) a little visual explanation of where my daughter & I got our names. anyway, get ready to party like it's 525 BCE!

the epic handshake meme; one arm reads "Persian diaspora," the other "White Midwesterners w one foot in the 19th century"

the Captain Planet meme. the five ringbearers are labeled "Persian disapora," "Italian diaspora," "fans of MTV cartoons," "fans of Olympic sports in which Eastern Europeans do well," and "Cake fans"

Vanessa Bateman @vbateman.bsky.social · last mo.

My article about wapiti and red deer in 20th cent New Zealand is out with @animalhistory.bsky.social ! 🦌🚁🏔️ It’s a wild story about colonial animals + technology, trophies + pests, the venison + velvet industry, and hybridity doi.org/10.1525/ah.2... #envhist #animalhist #histech

A man in a red jumpsuit stands behind a very large and sedated red deer stag with large antlers. A small helicopter is grounded behind them in the distance. Taken in New Zealand in 1976.

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · last mo.

Dutch reporters referring to Kansas City as "Kansas" analogous to calling NYC "New York" - yeah, why not? native English-speaking journos based in NL locating Arrowhead Stadium in the state of Kansas - nope nope nope nope, try again. www.dutchnews.nl/2026/06/oran...

Oranje ready to take on Tunisia as storm clouds gather in Kansas - DutchNews.nl

The Netherlands take on Tunisia in their final World Cup group match in the early hours of Friday morning, but weather forecasters say the match could be disrupted by storms. Thunder, lightning, heavy...

dutchnews.nl

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · last mo.

Congratulations, @monicavasile.bsky.social!

Monica Vasile 🐾@monicavasile.bsky.social · last mo.

On Monday, I defended my PhD thesis, Saving Species. I am now officially an environmental historian (with a very large diploma to prove it) #envhist

Defense @ Maastricht University with suppervisors, assessment committee & paranymphs

Peter van Dam @phvandam.bsky.social · last mo.

Working on the history of environmentalism? Join us in Amsterdam for a workshop next Spring! Environmental Protests in Motion – Reassessing the History of Western European Environmental Movements from the 19th Century to the Present - Amsterdam, 13 May 2027. www.hsozkult.de/event/id/eve...

Umweltproteste in Bewegung – Neubewertung der Geschichte der Westeuropäische Umweltbewegungen vom 19. Jahrhundert bis zur Gegenwart

Angesichts neuer Herausforderungen an die Geschichte der Umweltproteste wollen wir mit einem Workshop ansetzen, der sich mit den Vorstellungen, Netzwerken und Praxen von Umweltbewegungen, ihrer Protag...

hsozkult.de

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · 2mo ago

How many guys named Cyrus (or variants thereof) are in the stands at the Iran-Belgium match in LA right now?

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Houston voetbal fans houden van Oranje!

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · 2mo ago

anyone know of a 1st use of the concept "sociotechnical systems"? this letter from Tom Hughes to Harvey Brooks sure makes it sound like Brooks was the one who dropped it into Hughes' vocabulary, at least. but is that how it got into wider circulation?

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · 2mo ago

happy Juneteenth, everyone! for me also a special day as it's my father's birthday (conveniently close to Father's Day). today's his centenary, so I thought a little commemoration was in order. Cawas (or CMS) Mody, nicknamed Billy (Urdu for cat) b/c of his cat-like eyes...

a bald man holding a pipe and a woman wearing sunglasses, both dressed "well" for the fashions ~1970. they are outdoors, and people are walking near them. at the bottom is handwritten "at the horse races - Poona"

Tina Adcock @tinaadcock.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Ah, the late 1950s, when it was predicted that not one, but 10 MILLION atomic bombs were needed to extract oil from the oil sands 🤦🏻‍♀️

Newspaper article dated April 16, 1959 with headline “Suggests 10 Million Bombs Needed A-Blast All Oil Sands”

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · 2mo ago

now beaming out to commuters all over the US - @hughesstephanie.bsky.social's piece on alternative energy innovation in the 1970s [introduced ~5:24, piece starts ~5:53]: www.marketplace.org/episode/2026...

Is AI the answer to inflation?

New Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh has said that AI will push down inflation. How would that work?

marketplace.org

Cyrus Mody@ccmmody.bsky.social · 2mo ago

great piece on alternative energy & the 1970s oil crises by @hughesstephanie.bsky.social in today's @marketplace.org Tech. thx to Stephanie for the opportunity to share insights from work w/ @odinnmelsted.bsky.social @michielbron.bsky.social & Jelena Stankovic: www.marketplace.org/episode/2026...

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · 2mo ago

history rhyming, if not repeating. docs from the Kansas Natural Guard's campaign against the Wolf Creek nuclear plant ~1981. 45 years later, their descendants at the Prairie Dog Alliance taking up the mantel again. from the Kenneth Spencer Research Library at KU. NB @kansananthropocene.bsky.social

lynda williams@lyndalovon.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Prairie Dog Alliance has done incredible work trying to shut down this insane project from Deep Fission. #noNukes #NukeSky #StopNuclearAI newrepublic.com/article/2116...

Martin Meiske @mmeiske.bsky.social · 2mo ago

⏰Reminder: the deadline for the Joel A. Tarr #Envirotech Article Prize is coming up fast, so be sure to get your submissions in before July 1, 2026! #envhist #histtech

Martin Meiske@mmeiske.bsky.social · 5mo ago

📢CfA: 2026 Joel A. Tarr #Envirotech Article Prize! The prize recognizes innovative publications that explore new ways of thinking about the interplay between technological systems and the natural environment. Early-career scholars especially encouraged! #histtech #envhist 🗓 Deadline: July 1, 2026

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · 2mo ago

kudos for the cool coup, Kaw Valley Soccer Association! www.theguardian.com/football/202...

How Algeria won over a Kansas town – and became the World Cup’s unlikeliest love affair

Lawrence, a college town of about 100,000 in northeastern Kansas, has embraced Les Fennecs with a fervor that has surprised everyone but the people who live there

theguardian.com

Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · 2mo ago

it's official! @michielbron.bsky.social & @siegfriedevens.bsky.social will share the inaugural William Burr Dissertation Prize in Nuclear History from @shafrhistorians.bsky.social & @mcgillqueensup.bsky.social! could not be happier for these amazing ECRs. www.shafr.org/index.php?op...