Ben Monreal
@benmonreal.bsky.social
Nuclear, particle, and astrophysics experimentalist at Case Western. Posting about physics, climate, urbanism, Cleveland. See also:
https://bmonreal.github.io/personal.html
https://www.project8.org/
https://bmonreal.github.io/personal.html
https://www.project8.org/
In this disposable age, I am stunned/delighted that Hohner sells all the repair/maintenance parts to fix a chromatic harmonica my dad acquired 40+ years ago
February 9, 2026 at 2:54 AM
In this disposable age, I am stunned/delighted that Hohner sells all the repair/maintenance parts to fix a chromatic harmonica my dad acquired 40+ years ago
I presume the backstory here is a decade of embarassingly transparent lobbying from some third-rate dictatorship or exiled royal family. "The web says my grandfather *abdicated* the Ruritanian crown? Lies! Do something!" "Highness, we have edited this Wikipedia but the CWF is run by our old enemy."
February 7, 2026 at 4:28 AM
I presume the backstory here is a decade of embarassingly transparent lobbying from some third-rate dictatorship or exiled royal family. "The web says my grandfather *abdicated* the Ruritanian crown? Lies! Do something!" "Highness, we have edited this Wikipedia but the CWF is run by our old enemy."
In one story in The House at Pooh Corner, Owl is homeless after a storm: he's a public charge, a refugee, an asylum seeker. I love this passage: where Pooh grasps his moral duty towards Piglet after Piglet gives Owl his own house.
Anyway! I spent today imagining what awaits Stephen Miller in hell
Anyway! I spent today imagining what awaits Stephen Miller in hell
February 6, 2026 at 3:50 AM
In one story in The House at Pooh Corner, Owl is homeless after a storm: he's a public charge, a refugee, an asylum seeker. I love this passage: where Pooh grasps his moral duty towards Piglet after Piglet gives Owl his own house.
Anyway! I spent today imagining what awaits Stephen Miller in hell
Anyway! I spent today imagining what awaits Stephen Miller in hell
Reposted by Ben Monreal
We’re excited to welcome Hari Padma to the #CWRU Physics Dept as the Frederick Reines Assistant Professor of Physics! 🎉
He completed a PhD at Penn State & postdoc at Harvard. His research focuses on quantum materials and experimental condensed matter.
ow.ly/kz1j50Y8nfa
He completed a PhD at Penn State & postdoc at Harvard. His research focuses on quantum materials and experimental condensed matter.
ow.ly/kz1j50Y8nfa
February 3, 2026 at 6:50 PM
We’re excited to welcome Hari Padma to the #CWRU Physics Dept as the Frederick Reines Assistant Professor of Physics! 🎉
He completed a PhD at Penn State & postdoc at Harvard. His research focuses on quantum materials and experimental condensed matter.
ow.ly/kz1j50Y8nfa
He completed a PhD at Penn State & postdoc at Harvard. His research focuses on quantum materials and experimental condensed matter.
ow.ly/kz1j50Y8nfa
KINGCOBRA's shark (actual title: very long) is spectacular: look close for the craft details, then stand back, take in the whole thing, and panic a little. Sky Hopinka is doing something VERY INTERESTING with text that I want to understand better someday. Go check it out!
February 3, 2026 at 12:12 AM
KINGCOBRA's shark (actual title: very long) is spectacular: look close for the craft details, then stand back, take in the whole thing, and panic a little. Sky Hopinka is doing something VERY INTERESTING with text that I want to understand better someday. Go check it out!
Hey #cleveland I want to put in a plug for everything on-view at moCa (all new as of 1/30). The group show is "Ohio Now: State of Nature" (highlights for me are John Sabraw's one big canvas; Charmaine Spencer's and Supermrin's earthy wall hangings; Keith Lemley's neon stratigraphy) but also 1/2
February 3, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Hey #cleveland I want to put in a plug for everything on-view at moCa (all new as of 1/30). The group show is "Ohio Now: State of Nature" (highlights for me are John Sabraw's one big canvas; Charmaine Spencer's and Supermrin's earthy wall hangings; Keith Lemley's neon stratigraphy) but also 1/2
ACADEMIC IN CHARGE OF A $500 THESIS PRIZE: please submit a performance video and 1 page personal statement
GOP <sealioning>: no SAT scores? this self-dealing ivory-tower gatekeeping is unfair. you will be forced to run on merit like the private sector does
PRIVATE MERITOCRACY IN CHARGE OF $2B:
GOP <sealioning>: no SAT scores? this self-dealing ivory-tower gatekeeping is unfair. you will be forced to run on merit like the private sector does
PRIVATE MERITOCRACY IN CHARGE OF $2B:
![screenshot of a portion of the linked epstein email
To: Lawrence Krauss
from: jeffrey E
sent: wed 8/13/2014 6:35 pm
subject: re: well, at least one woman can do math
transgender [three spaces] probably](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:6etjguzdsct2je4fkzo6pd4x/bafkreibiqncees4nxe6gnqfakvdw2kjhaknrrgbsznam3a4d4jz5jova7u@jpeg)
February 1, 2026 at 6:22 PM
ACADEMIC IN CHARGE OF A $500 THESIS PRIZE: please submit a performance video and 1 page personal statement
GOP <sealioning>: no SAT scores? this self-dealing ivory-tower gatekeeping is unfair. you will be forced to run on merit like the private sector does
PRIVATE MERITOCRACY IN CHARGE OF $2B:
GOP <sealioning>: no SAT scores? this self-dealing ivory-tower gatekeeping is unfair. you will be forced to run on merit like the private sector does
PRIVATE MERITOCRACY IN CHARGE OF $2B:
Also, cars last long enough to see changes in oil production. If your new car was burning Saudi imports, but 15 years later it's burning gasoline eked out of Canadian tar sands or Venezuelan heavy crude, that's an emissions increase that EV drivers don't see.
February 1, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Also, cars last long enough to see changes in oil production. If your new car was burning Saudi imports, but 15 years later it's burning gasoline eked out of Canadian tar sands or Venezuelan heavy crude, that's an emissions increase that EV drivers don't see.
the CGI secretarybird from Flow
January 31, 2026 at 1:33 AM
the CGI secretarybird from Flow
The Avengers probably didn't intend their post-credit-scene meal as a pro-immigrant statement, but if we do win 1 big flashy fight I'm getting schawarma
January 27, 2026 at 2:42 PM
The Avengers probably didn't intend their post-credit-scene meal as a pro-immigrant statement, but if we do win 1 big flashy fight I'm getting schawarma
It's like if the IRS took everyone who filed Form 4868 (request for extension to file) instead of an on-time 1040 and arrested them for felony tax evasion. "You didn't file taxes on time! It's illegal!" "but I requested an extension" "We didn't grant your so-called request, did we?"
January 24, 2026 at 2:19 PM
It's like if the IRS took everyone who filed Form 4868 (request for extension to file) instead of an on-time 1040 and arrested them for felony tax evasion. "You didn't file taxes on time! It's illegal!" "but I requested an extension" "We didn't grant your so-called request, did we?"
But what I was going to say was: one of the things I like about direct collapse black holes is that they're a reminder of the old Avi Loeb, the pre-aliens Avi Loeb, the Avi Loeb who had a really enviable string of productive papers about that sort of non-alien astrophysics
I wondered if astrosky was skeeting about Paccuci et. al's paper arxiv.org/abs/2601.14368. I typed "little red dots" into the search field; up popped twenty pictures of a cute dog named Cupcake because, the alt text explains, he has little red dots for eyebrows. 12/10 would search again 🧪🔭
The Little Red Dots Are Direct Collapse Black Holes
The discovery by JWST of a substantial population of compact "Little Red Dots" (LRDs) presents a major puzzle: their observed spectra defy standard astrophysical interpretations. Here, we show that LR...
arxiv.org
January 23, 2026 at 9:10 PM
But what I was going to say was: one of the things I like about direct collapse black holes is that they're a reminder of the old Avi Loeb, the pre-aliens Avi Loeb, the Avi Loeb who had a really enviable string of productive papers about that sort of non-alien astrophysics
I wondered if astrosky was skeeting about Paccuci et. al's paper arxiv.org/abs/2601.14368. I typed "little red dots" into the search field; up popped twenty pictures of a cute dog named Cupcake because, the alt text explains, he has little red dots for eyebrows. 12/10 would search again 🧪🔭
The Little Red Dots Are Direct Collapse Black Holes
The discovery by JWST of a substantial population of compact "Little Red Dots" (LRDs) presents a major puzzle: their observed spectra defy standard astrophysical interpretations. Here, we show that LR...
arxiv.org
January 23, 2026 at 9:07 PM
I wondered if astrosky was skeeting about Paccuci et. al's paper arxiv.org/abs/2601.14368. I typed "little red dots" into the search field; up popped twenty pictures of a cute dog named Cupcake because, the alt text explains, he has little red dots for eyebrows. 12/10 would search again 🧪🔭
There's an update on their webpage relevant to the plate archive (attn @brittlundgren.bsky.social)
January 22, 2026 at 10:48 PM
There's an update on their webpage relevant to the plate archive (attn @brittlundgren.bsky.social)
I can get close to your top-brand number if I'm buying no-name/Amazon Basics crap in a 24-pack.
January 19, 2026 at 9:13 PM
I can get close to your top-brand number if I'm buying no-name/Amazon Basics crap in a 24-pack.
Why is it that the car industry's battery technology revolution hasn't touched small consumer batteries? As far as I can tell the basic drugstore AAA battery purchase is still NiMH, still costs $12 a four-pack, and still lasts for about three cycles, same as 20 years ago.
January 19, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Why is it that the car industry's battery technology revolution hasn't touched small consumer batteries? As far as I can tell the basic drugstore AAA battery purchase is still NiMH, still costs $12 a four-pack, and still lasts for about three cycles, same as 20 years ago.
I have seen applicants whose "who I aspire to work with" paragraphs are hallucinated by ChatGPT, fluently referring to nonexistent people.
January 18, 2026 at 12:16 AM
I have seen applicants whose "who I aspire to work with" paragraphs are hallucinated by ChatGPT, fluently referring to nonexistent people.
Reposted by Ben Monreal
an undercovered thing is that internal combustion vehicles require a _really_ elaborate fuel production and distribution network which we don't think about here because it is already so pervasive. not in the US but globally there is a tipping point where that's unsupportable
great job, American auto industry. Your capacity for long term strategy remains unmatched.
Edward White:
"Forecasts now suggest China's auto exports are set to nearly double from 2024 levels by 2030 while legacy ICE demand will collapse to levels not seen since 2005."
#alwaysbecharging
www.ft.com/content/5b13...
"Forecasts now suggest China's auto exports are set to nearly double from 2024 levels by 2030 while legacy ICE demand will collapse to levels not seen since 2005."
#alwaysbecharging
www.ft.com/content/5b13...
January 15, 2026 at 1:53 PM
an undercovered thing is that internal combustion vehicles require a _really_ elaborate fuel production and distribution network which we don't think about here because it is already so pervasive. not in the US but globally there is a tipping point where that's unsupportable
"In practice it's not 100% alkanes. Benzene, toluene ..."
"Benzene?!"
"Some. It'd need regulation, leak inspections. Standard Oil has a technical report on ..."
"Yes, on industrial sites. Your proposal has this sited between an elementary school and a Piggly Wiggly and operated by a teenager."
"Benzene?!"
"Some. It'd need regulation, leak inspections. Standard Oil has a technical report on ..."
"Yes, on industrial sites. Your proposal has this sited between an elementary school and a Piggly Wiggly and operated by a teenager."
January 15, 2026 at 2:28 PM
"In practice it's not 100% alkanes. Benzene, toluene ..."
"Benzene?!"
"Some. It'd need regulation, leak inspections. Standard Oil has a technical report on ..."
"Yes, on industrial sites. Your proposal has this sited between an elementary school and a Piggly Wiggly and operated by a teenager."
"Benzene?!"
"Some. It'd need regulation, leak inspections. Standard Oil has a technical report on ..."
"Yes, on industrial sites. Your proposal has this sited between an elementary school and a Piggly Wiggly and operated by a teenager."
Imagine if idea of gas stations was newly proposed today. "We bury a 30,000 gallon tank of, I dunno, whatever cheap alkanes are available. 60 kPa vapor, super flammable. The consumer grabs a rubber hose with a hand-valve ..."
"ahem, sorry, are there some engineering safeguards on this hose?"
"ahem, sorry, are there some engineering safeguards on this hose?"
January 15, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Imagine if idea of gas stations was newly proposed today. "We bury a 30,000 gallon tank of, I dunno, whatever cheap alkanes are available. 60 kPa vapor, super flammable. The consumer grabs a rubber hose with a hand-valve ..."
"ahem, sorry, are there some engineering safeguards on this hose?"
"ahem, sorry, are there some engineering safeguards on this hose?"
On the upside, I'm looking forward to building a methyl mercaptan factory just upwind of Mar-a-Lago
January 12, 2026 at 7:24 PM
On the upside, I'm looking forward to building a methyl mercaptan factory just upwind of Mar-a-Lago
It is not surprising to me that Erich von Daniken (RIP, 1935–2026) found credulous readers for his crackpot astro/archaeology books. What is more surprising is that he also built a crackpot theme park in Switzerand and attracted >200k visitors a year (2003–2006)🧪 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungfra...
Jungfrau Park - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 12, 2026 at 3:36 AM
It is not surprising to me that Erich von Daniken (RIP, 1935–2026) found credulous readers for his crackpot astro/archaeology books. What is more surprising is that he also built a crackpot theme park in Switzerand and attracted >200k visitors a year (2003–2006)🧪 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungfra...
I have demoted my old Twitter account from "mothballed" to "deleted"
January 10, 2026 at 5:01 PM
I have demoted my old Twitter account from "mothballed" to "deleted"
"Throwing a snowball at a redcoat --- that's what justifies being shot. The reason Crispus Attucks is dead is because he threw a snowball at the 29th Regiment of Foot and they acted in self defense."
January 8, 2026 at 9:19 PM
"Throwing a snowball at a redcoat --- that's what justifies being shot. The reason Crispus Attucks is dead is because he threw a snowball at the 29th Regiment of Foot and they acted in self defense."