Nicholas Whyte 白怀珂
@nwhyte.bsky.social
He/him. International affairs strategist & expert, science fiction fan, psephologist; posts personal. Will block rude people and bigots. http://fromtheheartofeurope.eu
Hugely enjoyed the latest @octothorpecast.bsky.social - and in particular they make an important staffing recommendation to @brisbane28.org which I hope will be listened to. open.spotify.com/episode/0xel...
165: E Ese Efe Ese
Octothorpe · Episode
open.spotify.com
I’m not writing about the 2023 Hugo Investigation report I've had various people ask about the recent investigation/trial into the 2023 investigation and trial into the 2023 Hugo Awards. The report and appendices are available to WSFS members, and if you have access to the LA Con business meeting…
I’m not writing about the 2023 Hugo Investigation report
I've had various people ask about the recent investigation/trial into the 2023 investigation and trial into the 2023 Hugo Awards. The report and appendices are available to WSFS members, and if you have access to the LA Con business meeting section of their website, you can read the report. I agree that it is frustrating that this isn't more publicly available, but this is a nightmarishly difficult line Worldcon has to follow. There is an ethical and legal need to follow a fair process; there is a need to avoid any liability regarding defamation laws in both the USA and in Scotland (because the process kicked off at the Glasgow Worldcon); there is also a need to be accountable to the membership, and so the compromise is this limited access.
camestrosfelapton.wordpress.com
The money quote from Gabriel Moshenska’s paper, “The Legend of Ea-Naṣir: How a Babylonian Businessman Became an Internet Meme” in the Journal of Contemporary Archaeology, Vol 12, No. 1 (2025)
![Perhaps the pinnacle of Ea-Nasir-related excitement came in March 2021, when Geneva-based commodity traders Mercuria Energy Trading discovered that they had been defrauded in a deal to buy 10,000 tons of low-grade copper. When the shipments from Turkey arrived in China the containers were discovered to be filled with stones covered in copper-coloured paint. The memetic response was immediate: 'Ea-Nasir is that YOU', a tumblr post that gained more than 30,000 reactions with a screenshot of the news report and the hashtags #Ea-Nasir #he's back. Comments included 'There [sic] legend returns, stronger than ever before'; 'DAMN YOU EA-NASIR'; and also 'Ok, did I miss something that everyone here knows who he is? I had to google it and could not figure out why everyone got the reference'.° Other responses to the copper scam included a screenshot of the movie title-card for 'The Return of the King', and an adapted Star Wars image macro: 'Somehow, Ea-
Nasir has returned'.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:b3igdpkqbhsgvfs3hberapj7/bafkreihdrro6lfm7zrtmbibowzqk3pqypqxvhx5lkkof7r4s7wiwyn3hqy)
Bede's World! Bede's World! Party time! Venerable!
The One Inspiration, passing Start Point in Devon. It is three years old, 400m long, 60m wide, registered in Liberia, and left Busan in Korea 32 days ago. It will arrive in Rotterdam early tomorrow morning.
I think the @eppgroup.bsky.social has played this very badly. They have put political party posturing over the security of the EU.
EUalive @eualive.bsky.social · 3d agoSpain issues ultimatum to Italy over Schengen checks triggered by Ceuta crisis eualive.net/spain-issues... EPP slams Madrid for snubbing European Parliament hearing while thousands of migrants remain in the enclave
Caitriona on the breakdown of the social contract in Korea. (And not only there.) open.substack.com/pub/caitrion...
Korea Ran Out of Numbers
Korean has a word for what a generation has given up. By the seventh version, hope was on the list. This isn't only a Korean story.
open.substack.com
Ray Bradbury’s 1950 story, “There Will Come Soft Rains”, ends with a household AI calling out today’s date in the ruins of a post-Holocaust world.
Ray Bradbury’s 1950 story, “There Will Come Soft Rains”, starts with a household AI reminding its owners of their appointments. But nobody is listening; they have all been killed in a nuclear war.
The breakfast stove gave a hissing sigh and ejected from its warm interior eight pieces of perfectly browned toast, eight eggs sunny side up, sixteen slices of bacon, two coffees, and two cool glasses of milk. "Today is August 4, 2026," said a voice… www.libraryofshortstories.com/onlinereader...
There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury
“Today is Mr. Featherstone’s birthday. Today is the anniversary of Tilita’s marriage. Insurance is payable, as are the water, gas, and light bills.”
libraryofshortstories.com
I tend to feel that it is polite to refer to people (and countries) in the way that they prefer. www.npr.org/2026/08/04/g...
Nauru, the world's 3rd-smallest country, changes its name to Naoero
The Pacific Island country of Nauru has changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, its president said, matching the spelling and pronunciation in the national language.
npr.org
Looks like 22 EU leaders need an urgent course on understanding and handling hybrid warfare. "United we stand, divided we fall." #StrongerTogether🇪🇺 @eucopresident.consilium.europa.eu @kajakallas.bsky.social @teresaribera.ec.europa.eu @andriuskubilius.ec.europa.eu www.politico.eu/article/ceut...
