Gary Franklin
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aleatorus.bsky.social
Gary Franklin
@aleatorus.bsky.social
340 followers 120 following 180 posts
Techie, atheist, music lover, amateur photographer
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Reposted by Gary Franklin
tautology.uk
My usual experiment to find out how bad LLMs are at technical instructions (wiring a UK plug) as applied to grok. It's just as bad as any other LLM out there:
November 26, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Reposted by Gary Franklin
vocalfry.bsky.social
Reminder: Compliance brings joy.
Sign reading: "Notice is hereby given that all citizens MUST everywhere everyday constantly fiddle with their cell phones at no time Is it permissible to sit idle and observe the poetry of life or look into the eyes of another person THE ARRIVAL OF A SNIPPET OF TRIVIAL TEXT HOLDS THE PROMISE OF UNIMAGINED PLEASURE Honor Thy Ringtone and Jiggling Hand-held Device Above All Other Gods REMEMBER ALWAYS: Practice Continuous Devotion to the PRECIOUS OBJECT Give Full Attention to the GLORIOUS TECHNOLOGY Maintain Selfless Love for the FLIMSY HARDWARE"
November 22, 2025 at 10:20 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
The perfect gift for the musical mouse in your life. I'll let you calculate the resonant frequency...
A macro photo of a, er, tiny 'tuning fork' placed on a UK five pence piece for scale.
November 21, 2025 at 2:08 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
@newsounds.bsky.social Not sure if you're aware, but your stream meta text isn't being updated, it's just showing "The Days are Nouns - Paula Matthausen" for a long while now
November 15, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Reposted by Gary Franklin
simonread.bsky.social
London's latest Blue Plaque is a brilliant one. (It was put up at the Tesla dealership in Tottenham by campaigners)
November 7, 2025 at 6:54 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
Replaced my old Slate 21 Android tablet with a new 21" touch screen, running on Win11 on a Beelink Mini S. The screen viewing angles aren't great, not as good as the tablet, but, being a capacitive touch screen, it's better than the Slate's, which used optical imaging.
#touchscreen #mobilesheets
November 4, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Reposted by Gary Franklin
alisoneales.com
me when I forget I had beetroot for dinner
A photo of two buttons on my keyboard that are labelled 'dump' and panic'
November 1, 2025 at 7:07 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
Just had a couple of religious canvassers knock at the door, "How do you view the future?" the guy said, pamphlet in hand.
"Bleak", I retorted, which made them turn on their heels. Beats lengthy metaphysical discussions.
November 1, 2025 at 11:16 AM
aleatorus.bsky.social
Great to be back at The Shacklewell Arms for the excellent German trio Painting on Friday night.
Lighting was a bit tricky with no front spotlights in use, relying on luminescent outfits/masks & background filler lights instead.
#photography #SonyA6500 #CanonFD #50mm #livemusic #London
October 26, 2025 at 12:12 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
A few of my photos from last night's excellent gig by Rosie Frater-Taylor at The Fickle Pickle Club, as part of this year's Southend Jazz Festival
#SonyA6500 #CanonFD #100mm #jazz
October 11, 2025 at 1:24 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
Testing an old Kenwood PAL Color Pattern Generator CG-932. Works fine, still useful for aligning analogue TV monitors.
#video #testcards #tech
October 2, 2025 at 8:02 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
Testing a 5GHz analogue microwave video link, comparing a homemade double biquad antenna with a commercially made omnidirectional slot antenna.
#ATV
A view from the top of Vicarage Hill in Benfleet, Essex. The 5GHz transmitter is placed on the bicycle seat, while the slot antenna lies on the rear.
September 25, 2025 at 11:31 AM
aleatorus.bsky.social
Suggested videos for me to watch on my Inner Marshland covers YouTube account. See if you can spot the odd one out😳🤔
September 24, 2025 at 12:23 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
A few of my photos from a great night at the Waiting Room in London with Beautify Junkyards, currently touring the UK, recommended.
#psych #kosmische #CanonFD #100mm #Sonya6500
September 21, 2025 at 12:41 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
A simple TV test card generator using a Pi Zero. I'm using the PAL video output here, but the HDMI out is also an option.
#testcardf #PM5544
August 31, 2025 at 6:01 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
Anyone fancy finishing off this bottle of vodka? 😳
At the bottom of a bottle of vodka is a dead insect. Or maybe just drunk... Close up view of the insect
August 26, 2025 at 12:09 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
Fixing a Cry Baby Wah pedal, which had lost its wah... Original inductor measures fine here, but it was badly intermittent; despite my best efforts, it couldn't be fixed. Inside is a potted core, thwarting rewinding. New one required, expensive for what it is, but necessary.
#crybaby #pedal #fasel
August 20, 2025 at 5:03 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
The term "stomp-box" should not be taken this literally... 😉
#mxr #pedal
An MXR Micro Amp guitar pedal circuit board, with the potentiometer smashed into pieces.
August 17, 2025 at 4:35 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
"Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." 🤨🙄
#Basildon #crematorium
August 7, 2025 at 9:33 AM
aleatorus.bsky.social
Thought I'd try and flesh out my sheet music sales by adding a few covers, starting with Hatfield and the North:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWNS...

FWIW, you can see my best sellers here: www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/category/...

#InnerMarshland #sheetmusic
Fitter Stoke Has A Bath - Inner Marshland (Hatfield and the North cover)
YouTube video by Inner Marshland
www.youtube.com
July 12, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Reposted by Gary Franklin
bowiesongs.bsky.social
as far away in time from us now as it was from the premiere of "The Rite of Spring"
davidbowienews.bsky.social David Bowie News @davidbowienews.bsky.social · Jul 11
David Bowie released ‘Space Oddity’ on this day in 1969.
July 11, 2025 at 5:38 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
Why yes, lots of crackling, and it kept skipping. Had to blu tack a coin onto the tone arm...
A record shop in Leigh-on-Sea, with the words "But have you heard it on vinyl?" on the window. An old record player with a penny coin blu tacked to the end of the tone arm, playing an LP. I took this photo upstairs at the Railway Hotel in Southend, back in 2014
July 5, 2025 at 1:13 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
Some views from Sunday, atop the St. Clement's Church's 80-foot west tower, in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.
#SonyA6500 #CanonFD #100mm #photography
Leigh-onSea Railway Station, with The Shard and Dockland's buildings in London visible on the horizon Southend pier, the longest pleasure pier in the world, stretching out 1.33 miles into the Thames Estuary. The Kent coast is visible on the horizon. Southend pier again, with the Maunsell Forts and Kentish Flats wind farm on the horizon. Bell Wharf, in Old Leigh
July 2, 2025 at 12:42 PM
aleatorus.bsky.social
A few of my photos from another ridiculously hot day, at Sunday's Leigh-on-Sea Folk Festival. With Weaving in Purgatory, Wendy Solomon, Dawnette Fessey and Ozlem Simsek.
#SonyA6500 #100mm #CanonFD #photography #LFF2025 #Essex
Weaving in Purgatory, playing a violin Wendy Solomon of Dave Woodcock and The Fixtures, playing bass guitar Dawnette Fessey singing with A No Good Woman & The Kingsnakes. The crowd is reflected in her sunglasses Ozlem Simsek playing a mini harp in St. Clement's Church, as part of Emma Reed's "Leigh In C" ensemble performance of Terry Riley's "In C"
July 1, 2025 at 11:22 AM
aleatorus.bsky.social
FWIW, a few of my photos from a ridiculously hot day at Saturday's Leigh Folk Festival, with Drift, Isabel Inkcap, The Ondines and Veryan Weston.

#SonyA6500 #100mm #CanonFD #photography #LFF2025
Drift at the Fishermen's Chapel Isabel Inkcap in Leigh Library Gardens The Ondines at Café Bar Hogar Del Mar Veryan Weston, playing the chapel organ at the Fishermen's Chapel
June 30, 2025 at 3:35 PM