Benne W. Holwerda
@benneholwerda.bsky.social
Dad, Professor of Astronomy at the University of Louisville. He/Him/hey you. Opinions are my own. As are the typos.
Astronomy, datascience, ethics & occasional US/EU politics.
Astronomy, datascience, ethics & occasional US/EU politics.
Oh right.
January 4, 2026 at 6:59 PM
Oh right.
Reposted by Benne W. Holwerda
If he carries on like this it's going to make the FIFA Peace Prize look ridiculous
January 3, 2026 at 9:42 AM
If he carries on like this it's going to make the FIFA Peace Prize look ridiculous
Reposted by Benne W. Holwerda
Trump’s fun new war is adjacent to 🇳🇱 territory in the Caribbean. In a normal competent world you’d assume the Dutch pm was notified in advance, evacuation plans in place, extra military assets deployed etc.
but we do not have a normal sane government- either in the US or NL
bsky.app/profile/domo...
but we do not have a normal sane government- either in the US or NL
bsky.app/profile/domo...
De bommen vallen op amper 200 km van ons land. De oversteek van Venezuela naar naaste buur 'Koninkrijk der Nederlanden' bedraagt maar 25km. Het wordt eens tijd dat we onze koppen uit het zand gaan halen. Waar is de premier?
January 3, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Trump’s fun new war is adjacent to 🇳🇱 territory in the Caribbean. In a normal competent world you’d assume the Dutch pm was notified in advance, evacuation plans in place, extra military assets deployed etc.
but we do not have a normal sane government- either in the US or NL
bsky.app/profile/domo...
but we do not have a normal sane government- either in the US or NL
bsky.app/profile/domo...
Not to brag but I’ve run a 5k every day of the year.
January 1, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Not to brag but I’ve run a 5k every day of the year.
Smol. Okay then.
January 1, 2026 at 10:16 PM
Smol. Okay then.
Reposted by Benne W. Holwerda
January 1, 2026 at 10:53 AM
Reposted by Benne W. Holwerda
Just making sure that 2025 is definitely over
January 1, 2026 at 4:43 AM
Just making sure that 2025 is definitely over
Sad
January 1, 2026 at 4:52 AM
Sad
Reposted by Benne W. Holwerda
What are those changes? you might be wondering. The article doesn't say because the museum says they don't know yet! They just say they're going to adopt "a new model." But the only two choices are "free" and "not free," and the current model is "free," so I suppose we know what the new one will be.
Speed Art Museum making changes to free admission Sundays in 2026
Speed Art Museum making changes to free admission Sundays in 2026
The Speed Art Museum will be making changes to a popular feature in the new year.
www.wlky.com
December 31, 2025 at 10:21 PM
What are those changes? you might be wondering. The article doesn't say because the museum says they don't know yet! They just say they're going to adopt "a new model." But the only two choices are "free" and "not free," and the current model is "free," so I suppose we know what the new one will be.
Reposted by Benne W. Holwerda
My old pal @eniiler.bsky.social with a killer story. What we save defines us as a culture—the archive is our memory and our future. And we’re throwing it away? Madness.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/c...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/c...
NASA’s Largest Library Is Closing Amid Staff and Lab Cuts
www.nytimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 8:05 PM
My old pal @eniiler.bsky.social with a killer story. What we save defines us as a culture—the archive is our memory and our future. And we’re throwing it away? Madness.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/c...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/c...
Scheduling stuff in October of next year already.
Meanwhile my Yuletide void brain…
Meanwhile my Yuletide void brain…
a man sitting in a chair with the words is this a what day is this written below him
Alt: a man sitting in a chair with the words is this a what day is this written below him
media.tenor.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Scheduling stuff in October of next year already.
Meanwhile my Yuletide void brain…
Meanwhile my Yuletide void brain…
Reposted by Benne W. Holwerda
Hubble image of Arp 282, also known as NGC 169 and NGC 169A.
Interactions between the two galaxies create delicate streams that visibly link the pair.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton, Dark Energy Survey, DOE, FNAL/DECam, CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, SDSS, J. Schmidt
Source
Interactions between the two galaxies create delicate streams that visibly link the pair.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton, Dark Energy Survey, DOE, FNAL/DECam, CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, SDSS, J. Schmidt
Source
December 31, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Hubble image of Arp 282, also known as NGC 169 and NGC 169A.
Interactions between the two galaxies create delicate streams that visibly link the pair.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton, Dark Energy Survey, DOE, FNAL/DECam, CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, SDSS, J. Schmidt
Source
Interactions between the two galaxies create delicate streams that visibly link the pair.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton, Dark Energy Survey, DOE, FNAL/DECam, CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, SDSS, J. Schmidt
Source
Spouse and I had a discussion when I got her to try these while visiting the Netherlands.
“These are donuts!”
“Noooo! Well…no? Maybe okay yes they are donuts.”
“These are donuts!”
“Noooo! Well…no? Maybe okay yes they are donuts.”
I admire the Dutch for many reasons, one of which is that they celebrate the New Year with doughnuts. I’ve taken a leaf out of their book, and so Oliebollen, the doughnuts in question, are #RecipeOfTheDay.
And Happy New Year! www.nigella.com/recipes/new-...
And Happy New Year! www.nigella.com/recipes/new-...
New Year Doughnuts - Oliebollen
You can’t set foot in the Netherlands in the festive period without encountering these Dutch doughnuts, even though it’s on New Year’s Eve that they are most traditionally eaten; indeed, it’s said tha...
www.nigella.com
December 31, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Spouse and I had a discussion when I got her to try these while visiting the Netherlands.
“These are donuts!”
“Noooo! Well…no? Maybe okay yes they are donuts.”
“These are donuts!”
“Noooo! Well…no? Maybe okay yes they are donuts.”
Reposted by Benne W. Holwerda
If we lived in a just media landscape, this would now be a trilogy.
December 30, 2025 at 9:25 PM
If we lived in a just media landscape, this would now be a trilogy.
Anyone else notice that Vecna’s stronghold looks like the FIFA Peace prize? #strangerthings
December 31, 2025 at 1:21 AM
Anyone else notice that Vecna’s stronghold looks like the FIFA Peace prize? #strangerthings
Reading this now. So much better. Must tell @saavikford.bsky.social about it too!
Palette cleanser after that last one.
Palette cleanser after that last one.
Another excellent book by Dr. SkySkull, aka Professor Gbur.
Invisibility: The History and Science of How Not to be Seen
Professor Gbur's doctoral dissertation was on invisibility.
Invisibility: The History and Science of How Not to be Seen
Professor Gbur's doctoral dissertation was on invisibility.
Invisibility: The History and Science of How Not to Be Seen, Gbur, Gregory J., eBook - Amazon.com
Invisibility: The History and Science of How Not to Be Seen - Kindle edition by Gbur, Gregory J.. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Invisibility: The History and Science of How Not to Be Seen.
www.amazon.com
December 31, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Reading this now. So much better. Must tell @saavikford.bsky.social about it too!
Palette cleanser after that last one.
Palette cleanser after that last one.
I’m trying to read “Against the machine” by Paul Kingsnorth because of a Cal Newport podcast about it but I may have to do that rare thing and stop reading a book.
It’s the worst book I’ve read this year (and I’ve read some AI related ones that are close).
apple.news/A1T1nUErGTYG...
It’s the worst book I’ve read this year (and I’ve read some AI related ones that are close).
apple.news/A1T1nUErGTYG...
A Dark Ecologist Warns Against Hope — The New Yorker
For years, Paul Kingsnorth was one of the most visible members of the green movement. Then he walked away from it. Now he wants us to walk away from everything else.
apple.news
December 30, 2025 at 7:06 PM
I’m trying to read “Against the machine” by Paul Kingsnorth because of a Cal Newport podcast about it but I may have to do that rare thing and stop reading a book.
It’s the worst book I’ve read this year (and I’ve read some AI related ones that are close).
apple.news/A1T1nUErGTYG...
It’s the worst book I’ve read this year (and I’ve read some AI related ones that are close).
apple.news/A1T1nUErGTYG...
I hope I can score a new AAS publishing notebook in Phoenix.
That’ll fix 2026 for sure.
That’ll fix 2026 for sure.
I don’t know who needs to hear this but posting “new year, new me” on social media isn’t gonna fix you. That’s what pretty new notebooks are for obviously
December 30, 2025 at 4:39 PM
I hope I can score a new AAS publishing notebook in Phoenix.
That’ll fix 2026 for sure.
That’ll fix 2026 for sure.
Reposted by Benne W. Holwerda
This is literally shit Douglas Adams and Red Dwarf both predicted and mocked without mercy.
Also, this just in -> the latest bizarre AI fever dream is AI-controlled trivets, staplers, and coffee cups on wheels. So we'll be chased around by inanimate wheeled objects clamoring for our attention.
![Real news story headline: "Robot Coffee Cups? Self-Driving Trivets? AI Researchers Made It Happen. [sub-title] Scientists found a way to animate everyday objects and predict your next move, so your stapler is always nearby when you need it."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:wstpte2vzb4ra2iqtnw2d2ef/bafkreibbhk46utcdzm3qb2u2muehbhrndu6x47k5a4v64ef44xdpbgh42u@jpeg)
December 30, 2025 at 3:50 PM
This is literally shit Douglas Adams and Red Dwarf both predicted and mocked without mercy.
Funny thread about dealing with Rich[tm] folks. My personal pet theory is that there those who inherit are more likely to act like this and those who made their own fortune less so.
And now another story about interacting with a rich dude at the faculty club. So, at the time, the chancellor already lived in St Louis, so the chancellor's residence was pretty much only used for fancy parties, which the faculty club would cater.
December 30, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Funny thread about dealing with Rich[tm] folks. My personal pet theory is that there those who inherit are more likely to act like this and those who made their own fortune less so.
Reposted by Benne W. Holwerda
This is an important point. Putting solar on your roof has no impact on the amount of energy you consume. It does however make you more conscious of your energy consumption and could lead you to take conservation measures. And from the *grid’s perspective* your demand goes down dramatically.
The Times can’t even write a headline- solar doesn’t cut energy use.
December 30, 2025 at 2:26 PM
This is an important point. Putting solar on your roof has no impact on the amount of energy you consume. It does however make you more conscious of your energy consumption and could lead you to take conservation measures. And from the *grid’s perspective* your demand goes down dramatically.
I just read “Here comes the Sun”. It is excellent. A tonic for these days.
Solutions described as “obvious,” “straightforward,” or “commonsense” are insulated from scrutiny and attempts to discuss land, minerals, biodiversity, or scale is treated as obstruction: The ecomodernist bully pulpit.
apple.news/A7VWOEI7EQGW...
apple.news/A7VWOEI7EQGW...
‘This is the Costco of energy, man!’: author Bill McKibben on the promise of renewables — Guardian US
The activist and author of Here Comes the Sun discusses rapid advances in solar and wind power and how the US ceded leadership in the sector to its main rival
apple.news
December 30, 2025 at 2:35 AM
I just read “Here comes the Sun”. It is excellent. A tonic for these days.
Apparently this is a famous ex-footballer and not a bad guy in an ‘80 action movie.
Touchdown Tom dressing like this with one glove makes him look like a hitman
December 29, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Apparently this is a famous ex-footballer and not a bad guy in an ‘80 action movie.