Fantastic result against a fine Mexican team in a cauldron of a stadium. One of the best performances I've seen from an England team in a world cup. Bring on Norway.
Ian Butler
@drbutty.bsky.social
Geochemist, petrologist and experimental geoscientist - University of Edinburgh. Cricket, rugby, walking, photography, real ale and the Lake District. Man of Kent, currently exiled in Scotland.
The gents' bogs in the (rather splendid) Lakes Brew Co pub in Ambleside have been papered with pages from "Cumbria" magazine circa 1950s. Try the Cumbrian recipes in these photos ... "Delicious, where did you get the recipe? I got it off a toilet wall!"
St Martin's in my home city, #Canterbury, this morning - it's been maybe 40 years since I visited. In continuous use for god bothering since at least 597, and possibly built 4th Century if you believe that Bede fellow. The central part is Saxon, most of the rest (inc tower) dates to the 1300s.
A visit to the #BritishMuseum confirms that the Romans must have played cricket. Here's a statue of a Roman umpire in match regalia giving a batsman out. Billy Bowden notably used the same "Roman" style to dismiss a batsman. #cricket #rome
A long walk in #London today. Maybe 15 years since I last did it, and today's skyline is a bit different. Hyde Park to Marble Arch, to Buckingham Palace, to the South Bank by Westminster and on to Tower Bridge and then back over the river and on to Covent Garden. The weather brought out the crowds.
Those enjoying the #Olympic #curling may (or may not!) enjoy our preprint on the rock physics of curling stones. Not quite out of the peer review process, but it should help you get to sleep after all the excitement 😃 doi.org/10.5194/egus...
Where curling stones collide with rock physics: Cyclical damage accumulation and fatigue in granitoids
Abstract. Fatigue and damage accumulation in granitoids are classical, but poorly characterised, rock mechanics problems. We explore these phenomena by examining curling stone impacts. Curling stones ...
doi.org
Congratulations to the person who designed the seats in the departures area of Luton Airport. Quite astonishingly uncomfortable.
Today is the birthday of the absolute Rolls Royce of fast bowlers - Michael Holding. A graceful run-up and action, searing pace, and absolute aggression. More lately one of the best commentators on the game. One of my favourite players I watched in my youth. #whisperingdeath
As a geologist who likes to read about history and archaeology, it's always a pleasure to be able to contribute to research papers on those topics.
Edinburgh Archaeology@edinburgharchaeo.bsky.social · 6mo ago📣 Published #OpenAccess in AJBA @bioanth.org 📣 “The Use of Micro-CT Analysis of the Second Metacarpal to Assess Cortical Bone Loss in Archeological Human Skeletal Remains” by Luisa Less, @drbutty.bsky.social & Dr SL Newman onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... 🩻 @hcaatedinburgh.bsky.social 1/3
He was bound to drop that scarf in some time zone or other.
Big Finish Insider@bigfinish.bsky.social · 6mo agoCan I just say something...? 🧣
I've just watched the "highlights" from the 5th Test in Sydney. Will Jack's, can't bat, can't bowl, can't field. Potts was bowling like a loose popgun. England a shambles. Travis Head and Steve Smith played well for their tons. This has been a poor #Ashes series - poor cricket and some poor pitches.
York providing the scenery (and pubs) for the Xmas and New Year break.
I can't get excited about England winning at the MCG, even though it's the first win on Australian soil since 2011. It's not that the #Ashes is a dead rubber, it's more that the quality of cricket from both sides at the MCG was dismal. #bbccricket #TMS
Staying in an AirBnB. Very nice, and comfortable. BUT, there are 7 (seven!) pillows on the bed, including the decorative ones that are no f****** use to man nor beast, FFS. There are only 5 coat hangers in the wardrobe. WT actual F? Why would you do that?
... And that concludes this year's synchrotron based research. Four hectic beamtime sessions covering the properties of energetic materials, damage and seismicity in real and synthetic rocks, plus some weird rocks from ocean drilling. I've earned my pint of Three Brewers Porter.
As it turns out, I didn't much enjoy listening to day 2 of #ashes2025 overnight. England's batters covering themselves in glory once again 🙄
Ian Butler@drbutty.bsky.social · 9mo agoJust watched the #Ashes2025 highlights from day 1 in Perth. A ridiculous day of cricket. Some shocking batting by England, although fair play to Mitchell Starc's bowling. Grand, aggressive fast bowling by England to come roaring back. Looking forward to listening to day 2 on the radio overnight.
Just watched the #Ashes2025 highlights from day 1 in Perth. A ridiculous day of cricket. Some shocking batting by England, although fair play to Mitchell Starc's bowling. Grand, aggressive fast bowling by England to come roaring back. Looking forward to listening to day 2 on the radio overnight.
Salisbury Cathedral today - I was avoiding the fringes of Storm Amy. Spectacular architecture, and Magna Carta (did she die in vain?).
Fake microscopy images generated by AI are indistinguishable from the real thing www.chemistryworld.com/news/fake-mi... #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #ChatGPT #AcademicSky #AcademicChatter #Research #Ethics #Microscopy #Nanoscience #ScholarlyPublishing #AcademicPublishing #Misconduct #Fraud
Fake microscopy images generated by AI are indistinguishable from the real thing
Materials scientists warn that raw data and replication studies are needed to tackle the looming threat of near-undetectable AI fraud
chemistryworld.com
F*** me gently! ... Just asked for a 1/3 of an imperial stout (just a third, it's 14% ABV after all). Was warned that it's £9 for a third. HOW MUCH!? That's 27 quid a pint! Old codger alert, but I can recall when a fiver bought a night out (including a bag of chips).
British NIMBYism is truly a sight to behold. “We are rejecting this solar farm, because one time I saw an electric vehicle on fire, which reminded me that decades ago a coal mining disaster killed lots of children”.
Oxford Clarion@oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 11mo agoA solar farm that could have powered “all the households in Witney” has been refused permission by West Oxfordshire District Council. Councillors were concerned about the risk of fire, one drawing parallels to the 1966 Aberfan disaster: “Until someone can guarantee it is safe, I can’t support it.”
If you make loud phone calls using speakerphone while in a pub, it could be a sign that you're a c**t.
England were thrashed by SA earlier this week, and today England pulled off a record win against SA. It's like modern sides have little or no batting resilience - once a few wickets are lost, the collapse follows soon after. #bbccricket #tms #cricket #EngvSA
Saw this in the latest edition of Elements. A bit harsh, I think ... Molybdenite isn't *that* boring and it's a useful high temp lubricant (where would experiment al petrology be without it?).
From a pub in Brierly Hill - the Fox and Grapes. This was part of a photo montage celebrating the Baggies, including WBA greats like Cyrille Regis (among others). 1931 FA cup final ( WBA 2 Birmingham 1) ... They don't write advertising strap lines like this any more.
