Yet even more terrible news Patrick Stewart, Star Trek actor and acclaimed thespian, dies aged 86 https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/oct/29/patrick-stewart-dead?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Patrick Stewart, Star Trek actor and acclaimed thespian, dies aged 86

Star Trek: the Next Generation and X-Men actor died at his home after ‘a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia’

theguardian.com

Sad news Walter Koenig, actor best known as Chekov on Star Trek, dies aged 90 https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/oct/26/walter-koenig-actor-star-trek-dies?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Walter Koenig, actor best known as Chekov on Star Trek, dies aged 90

The actor appeared in the cult 1960s show as well as many of the films but also worked as a writer

theguardian.com

Please make it stop. I get AI-generated emails from "book marketers" at the rate of one a week. Today I got one for a book that's not even mine.

Have been doing some gardening for my elderly parents, using tools that are older than me. There's something deeply satisfying using tools that were built to last.

There are clearly many reasons why people are switching to Vivaldi. Interestingly, my little survey shows that the top reasons have more to do with our values than particular features. The #1 reason (77%) is the fact that we do not have built in AI. #2 is […] [Original post on social.vivaldi.net]

I am deeply honored to be awarded this year's Loftus Space Sustainability Award by the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety. I'm looking forward to meeting colleagues in the space sustainability community at the IAASS meeting in Antibes next month.

My first visit to Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery today. Only had a couple of hours, but would have liked to have stayed all day. This was one of the highlights - Einstein by Epstein.

Got interviewed recently for a short film called "In the Great Silence". The teaser looks interesting! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzljay0iHSU

Finally - some #rain

About 10 minutes to go before we get to 96% coverage of the Sun. It's already getting rather creepy. (The image is rubbish because it was made with a pinhole in a piece of card.) #eclipse

A warm evening, and open air Shakespeare - "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Perfect!

Garfield Sobers has died. Sad news. One of the greatest cricketers ever.

32C in the shade here, and the forecast is for even higher temperatures in the coming days. It's still June.

Came across a stone snowman in Varel today. The Wattenmeer is a beautiful place for walking.

So #Boro are still in with a shout https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/may/19/southampton-kicked-out-of-championship-playoff-final-docked-four-points-for-spying?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Received my author copies of "1956" this morning. Always exciting to see a physical copy of a book. Depressing, though, to think that 70 years on we are still doing the same stupid stuff... #amWriting

PSG Vs Bayern - what a terrific game of football

My book about the year 1956 is finally out! Researching it was a lot of fun. Am looking forward to receiving my author copies. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-16574-9 #amwriting

1956: A Year of Wonder in Science Fiction and Beyond

This book explores how the year’s landmark works—films such as Forbidden Planet and Invasion of the Body Snatchers

link.springer.com

@leonteev Hope you have a lovely day!

York is such a beautiful city. Spent the afternoon mooching around it's many secondhand bookshops - a lovely way to spend a few spare hours.

Am in Highgate to see "Tom Lehrer is Teaching Math and Doesn't Want to Talk to You" again. Highly recommended!

Hay fever has started. Sigh...

Sad news. Dan Simmons, author of Hyperion and The Terror, dies aged 77 https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/mar/02/author-dan-simmons-death-hyperion-terror?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Dan Simmons, author of Hyperion and The Terror, dies aged 77

Award-winning science fiction and horror writer died in Colorado on 21 February with family at his side

theguardian.com

🔊 Calling UK early career researches in astro, particle & nuclear physics. Please sign this open response to the proposed cuts at STFC ⚛️🧪🔭 "Protecting the UK's reputation as a science superpower requires not only investment, but continuity, confidence, and people" ✍️ ecr-openletter-stfc.github.io

Christopher Berry@cplberry.bsky.social · 9mo ago

An excellent open-letter enumerating the dangers to early career researchers and then wider society of proposed changes to UK science funding ecr-openletter-stfc.github.io Early-career researchers may like to add their signatures 🧪⚛️🔭 #AcademicSky #UKpol

At Vivaldi we continue to make choices that are different from our competitors. We have chosen to not integrate AI or crypto, but instead we integrate a wealth of other features, based on the wishes of our users. We are a European company with most of the team based in Norway and Iceland, a few […]

Oof. Hoping for a full and speedy recovery for Sheila Williams.

Locus Magazine@locusmag.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Sheila Williams Hospitalized locusmag.com/2026/01...

Well New Year's Eve has officially started for us: have just watched "Dinner for One"

Have just learned that John Varley died a few weeks ago. Sad news. One of the greatest #SF writers of all time.

Breakthrough Listen Observations of 3I/ATLAS with the Green Bank Telescope at 1-12 GHz https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.19763 The authors rule out isotropic continuous-wave transmitters above 0.1W at the location of 3I/Atlas. A mobile phone is roughly an isotropic continuous-wave transmitter at a […]

Have switched from Firefox to Vivaldi - so far, I'm very happy with that decision