Jim Finnis
@jfinnis.bsky.social
Computer science lecturer: neural nets, robots, ExoMars PanCam image tools. (@jimfinnis@mastodon.social). Former gamedev. Dysgu Cymraeg. He/him. This is very much my personal account.
My colleague Tomos on the national news talking about the SKP field trials of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover! www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xGp... (yeah, the lead story is the prisoner release.)
Prisoners celebrate first wave of early release scheme - Watch Thursday's ITV Evening News
YouTube video by ITV News
youtube.com
Behind some ISO standards lurk fascinating stories. Here's ISO 18385.
depths of wikipedia@depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social · yesterday
My colleague Helen talking about the Exomars Rosalind Franklin rover trials currently going on in Spain from the Rover Operations Control Centre in Italy!
Aberystwyth University @aberuni.bsky.social · 2d ago🌌 Technology developed here at Aberystwyth University is being used in Europe's most Mars-like outdoor environment in preparation for the European Space Agency's ExoMars mission. 🖱️ tinyurl.com/mtm76jvb #ExoMars #RosalindFranklinRover #marsrover #lifeonmars #missiontomars
From The Times obit for Esther Rantzen. Nothing against Ms Rantzen but us dogsbodies trained for 9 months to “do the chores” and would like to see the obit writer survive “Red Light Fever” and operate the panel in a busy studio live on air or create believable sound effects for a convincing drama.
Lovecraft & M. R. James could only dream of writing a sentence like this.
Unless you happen to be making shit copper in ancient Mesopotamia, or accidentally say "weasel" instead of "calm sea" in a play in ancient Greece...
Ned Resnikoff@resnikoff.bsky.social · 3d agoI think about this interview with the distinguished philosopher Conan O'Brien a lot. I actually think this is a healthy way to live your life! www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/a...
![Is this how you want to go out, with a show that gets smaller and smaller until it’s gone?
Maybe that’s O.K. I think you have more of a problem with that than I do. [Laughs.] At this point in my career, I could go out with a grand, 21-gun salute, and climb into a rocket and the entire Supreme Court walks out and they jointly press a button, I’m shot up into the air and there’s an explosion and it’s orange and it spells, “Good night and God love.” In this culture? Two years later, it’s going to be, who’s Conan? This is going to sound grim, but eventually, all our graves go unattended.
You’re right, that does sound grim.
Sorry. Calvin Coolidge was a pretty popular president. I’ve been to his grave in Vermont. It has the presidential seal on it. Nobody was there. And by the way, I’m the only late-night host that has been to Calvin Coolidge’s grave. I think that’s what separates me from the other hosts.
I had a great conversation with Albert Brooks once. When I met him for the first time, I was kind of stammering. I said, you make movies, they live on forever. I just do these late-night shows, they get lost, they’re never seen again and who cares? And he looked at me and he said, [Albert Brooks voice] “What are you talking about? None of it matters.” None of it matters? “No, that’s the secret. In 1940, people said Clark Gable is the face of the 20th Century. Who [expletive] thinks about Clark Gable? It doesn’t matter. You’ll be forgotten. I’ll be forgotten. We’ll all be forgotten.” It’s so funny because you’d think that would depress me. I was walking on air after that.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qnyq7wies2uc56bzqmfz4q25/bafkreief4hu7c6hd6ymgqnsaejlaipfuj7fq4ka2tkix72pionkb3dkkdy)
River: Of course I called it in, there are five guys in balaclavas and vans next to a air base! Lamb: So of course you called it in. For fuck's sake. What was in the vans? River: I don't fucking know! Lamb: Another thing to add to the list of things you don't fucking know.
CC @inksea.bsky.social I'm torn between genius and I'm sorry
Claudia Salowski@claudiasalowski.bsky.social · 4d agoFrühstücksdöner, anyone?
A cash-strapped rural police force struggles to deal with Red Diesel gangs. Until its chief inspector realises can get the Met Police to deal with the problem... ...if he pretends they're Iranian. A new six part comedy starring Toby Jones.
The Economist@economist.com · 4d agoThe security services remain tight-lipped about possible motives. Russian sabotage, Islamist extremism and direct action from anti-war protesters were not ruled out. But, given the context, Iran would be an obvious suspect
like if you think it’s fly tipping, repost if you bet dogging
Jim Waterson@jim.londoncentric.media · 5d agoReleasing the five people arrested by the airbase on bail after 24 hours is so weird, would be fantastic if it turns out they were just up to no good on an unrelated minor jape and accidentally created an international security story.
This is the master key to deciphering contemporary debates about free speech. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/se...
God, grant me the courage to change the things I can and incredible new powers to change the things I can't.
It’s the 43rd anniversary of the day the world might have ended but for one man, and I don’t have time to write that up, and anyway why try when @garius.bsky.social has done this...?
The Day the World Didn’t End
At the height of the Cold War, with alarms screaming, one Soviet officer stopped to think. It cost him his career. It may also have saved the world. The morning of the 26th September 1983 had started ...
authory.com
Time for my favourite French Constitutional joke: Man walks into a library and says "excuse me, I'm looking for a copy of the French constitution." "I'm sorry, sir," replies the librarian, "but we don't stock periodicals."
The Facial Expressions of Tethys by artist Julius von Bismarck. A suspended high-sea buoy that moves in real time. Sensors on a twin buoy out in the Atlantic Ocean send live satellite data to motors inside the museum. This makes the indoor buoy copy the exact, real-time movements of the ocean waves.
bit weird given the play is written in early modern English but I'd pay to hear Ēalā Rōmēo, Rōmēo, for hwȳ eart þū Rōmēo? Wiðsace þīnum fæder and forsac þīnne naman; oþþe, gif þū nelt, swere mē þæt þū mīn lēofa sīe, and ne bēo iċ nā lenġ Capulēting.
DiscussingFilm@discussingfilm.net · last wk.Robert Eggers is set to direct a new film adaptation of ‘ROMEO AND JULIET’. The film will feature the actors speaking in Olde English. (Source: www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...)
This book cover popped up for various reasons, and I immediately thought "Because bloody Steerpike."
New Susannah Clarke! Fans of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and Piranesi - this may be news to you, it was to me.
Big Green Books@biggreenbooks.bsky.social · 2w agoSIGNED BOOK NEWS. "The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City" by Susanna Clarke is published next month. Delighted to say, we'll be getting some SIGNED copies. Order one HERE! www.biggreenbookshop.com/signed-copie...
Edinburgh University created the first ever Chair in Celtic in Scotland in 1882 (Donald Mackinnon of Colonsay). This is a cultural retreat happening before our eyes where there was once leadership.
Margot Finn@eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 2w agoCeltic (UG), Chinese & Russian (UG), Contemporary History, Economics & Statistics (joint degree), Inclusive Education (MSc), Intellectual History, Italian & Classics (joint), Law & Social Policy (joint), Medieval History, Persian Studies (UG), Portuguese (UG), Psychology & Economics (joint)....
Every year on 19 December, the famous Christmas lights at Mousehole in Cornwall are dimmed between 8 and 9pm, leaving just the Cross and Angels shining down across the village and out to sea.
god i love videogames. have you heard about "places"? they are called locations
