If you're after some holiday reading suggestions, I've been slowly compiling this meandering thread of stuff I've read and (for the most part) enjoyed for about 18 months now. Mix of fiction and non. Some good ones in here.

tomjwebb@tomjwebb.bsky.social · 2y ago

Decent Xmas haul

Been asked to complete a feedback form by ticking boxes on a pdf and then uploading this via a google form, neatly avoiding accidentally benefitting from any advantages of either system on its own.

Enjoyed watching England play brilliantly to go ahead against Argentina this evening then cling on for a thrilling win

Oh no - Sobers gone. Before my time, but he was mum’s favourite, and she got me into the stupid game. By all accounts nobody ever played it better than him.

Half way to #BESMacro2026, hoping I can sneak in around coffee time without anyone noticing I’m a day late…

Just doing a bit of admin on my research group slack and I notice that there are now 83 current or past members or guests, nice to be reminded how active the group's been since I set this up in 2015!

📢 #WeAreRecruiting Senior Fisheries Advisor Help shape sustainable fisheries management, advise on offshore MPAs, support Fisheries Management Plans & provide advice on impacts to #MarineBiodiversity 📍Hybrid (Peterborough/Aberdeen base) 📅FTA Aug 2027 🔗 jncc.gov.uk/about-jncc/c... ⏰Closes 2 Aug

Just sorting through some videos from the Anglesey trip and I forgot that I spent ages trying to film myself skimming stones (which remains my backup career option).

Postdoc position at SAMS (lovely location in W Scotland!) - integrate acoustic and oceanographic datasets to help maximise the benefits of future offshore wind, while minimising potential for detrimental ecosystem impacts www.sams.ac.uk/vacancies/pd...

FAB video made by @sheffielduni.bsky.social MSc Sci Comm student Amelia Devine-Tournier as part of her final project. Students can take a practice-based approach to their dissertations, and start making a real-world difference even before they graduate. CONGRATULATIONS Eva, and well done Amelia!

British Society for Cell Biology@bscb-official.bsky.social · 3w ago

Meet the BSCB’s 2026 Raff PhD Medal winner, Dr Eva Simpson. Watch our video about Eva’s award-winning research and career on our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEiF...

Just got a holiday autoreply from a friend that's so well crafted I'm tempted to tell you who it is so you can all spam him. Suffice to say 'If it's a deadline, it has already been missed by the time you read this, and there is nothing either of us can do about it now' is not even the best bit.

Love local news

Briefly thought the aspect ratio was messed up on my telly before realising that’s just what shape the Fiji players are.

Interesting take from the man who made it unlistenable

Getting perilously close to Dave Syndrome territory in my office again

Not all problems in life are fixed by judicious use of sf::st_make_valid. But it's surprising how many are.

Fantastic opportunity to contribute to Scottish biodiversity in a role with @naturescot.bsky.social ejki.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

1002-399 Trends and Indicators Analysis Officer - D Grade - July 2026

Job Title: 1002-399 Trends and Indicators Analysis Officer | Grade: D | Hours: 35 Vacancy type: Permanent |Salary £41,567 | Location: NatureScot offices, home or hybrid | Closing date: Midnight 23 Jul...

ejki.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com

Big milestone for biodiversity data! 🌿 The Darwin Core Conceptual Model + Data Package Guide are now officially ratified ✅ → bringing clearer relationships & more flexible data publishing Massive effort over the past years 👏 👉 Learn more: tdwg.link/dwc-additions #DarwinCore #OpenData #DwC-DP

Completing some university training that includes a bit on warning students of the dangers of essay mills which, in 2026, just feels terribly quaint.

New paper in @bdj.pensoft.net led by @andremenegotto.bsky.social - A big analysis of @marinespecies.bsky.social asking, How similar are species names, and why does this matter? Potentially important implications for biodiversity data science. bdj.pensoft.net/article/1969...

How similar are species names and why does this matter for biodiversity data

Standardising taxonomic names is an essential step in biodiversity studies to ensure robust data aggregation under the most recent accepted species nomenclature. Fuzzy (inexact) matching is widely use...

bdj.pensoft.net

The train company has wisely decided not to add an exclamation mark, for once

Nice to see the papers taking such an interest in England’s challenging match in South Africa tomorrow

Saw a curlew mobbing a red kite from Bradfield Edge this morning. First kite I’ve seen there I think - they’re still only ‘2-3 times a year’ frequent here, not yet at the ‘20-30 a mile’ levels down the M40 way.

The #GLLVMs in R with @vdveenb.bsky.social is almost full - last chance to join us next week! Thanks for spreading the word! www.physalia-courses.org/courses-work...

Physalia-courses@ONLINE@physaliacourses.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Boost your multivariate data analysis skills! Join us for the GLLVMs in R (7–10 July) online course with @vdveenb.bsky.social Learn model-based multivariate analysis of ecological communities using GLMs, GLMMs, JSDMs & model-based ordination in R with gllvm www.physalia-courses.org/courses-work...

Can you deliver an accessible, inclusive and engaging logo design for a new citizen science project? With a prize of £1,500 for the winning design and deadline of midnight on Sunday 9 August 2026. Find out more bit.ly/birdatlaslogo

Went to see these guys last night and man they put on a good show. Silly, funny, touching, absolutely sincere, phenomenal musicality and exquisite harmonies spookymen.com?v=7885444af42e

Listened to an interview with Liam Young recently and was intrigued by his Planet City project - 10bn people relocate to a single megalopolis leaving the rest of the planet to wilderness. Could be a really fun topic for an MSc workshop… www.liamyoung.org/projects/pla...

Join the EMODnet Biology workshop on the mornings of 5 & 6 October to learn how biodiversity project outputs can be made available through @emodnet.bsky.social #Biology, exchange experiences, and discuss best practices with the community. More info 👉 emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/workshop-... @obis.org

🎉 We've just moved @ropensci.org on Bluesky to a fully independent account! We were previously bridged from our Mastodon account via Bridgy Fed. Same community, same content, fresh start. Give us a follow if you haven't already! 🦋 #RStats

It's quite fun being AE on a new (legit!) journal, but man it's hard to find reviewers. Anyone here interested in extinction…?