Barry McKernan
@bmckastro.bsky.social
Astronomer, Dad, Husband, Gamer, Occasional runner, hiker, traveller, History, Crosswords, Irish in America
Ooh. Lovely! Arcadia & Copenhagen are still the 2 best plays on Science out there.
"“We shed as we pick up, like travellers who must carry everything in their arms, and what we let fall will be picked up by those behind…"
"“We shed as we pick up, like travellers who must carry everything in their arms, and what we let fall will be picked up by those behind…"
Excited to be heading to the Old Vic for the press night performance of Arcadia - the play on which I've been maths/science consultant.
If you want to know more about the Maths and Science in the play before you go then check out my latest substack:
If you want to know more about the Maths and Science in the play before you go then check out my latest substack:
Et in Arcadia ego
Maths, desire and time’s arrow meet at the Old Vic: as I discover as Arcadia's science consultant
kityates.substack.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:22 PM
Ooh. Lovely! Arcadia & Copenhagen are still the 2 best plays on Science out there.
"“We shed as we pick up, like travellers who must carry everything in their arms, and what we let fall will be picked up by those behind…"
"“We shed as we pick up, like travellers who must carry everything in their arms, and what we let fall will be picked up by those behind…"
Jesus! This one burns!
"I almost tripped over this big plastic brick. It’s a TI-83 graphing calculator. Either he thought he would need it for his career, or he felt an emotional connection to it. He worked in AI Annotation his whole life. Never needed math."
A Daughter Goes Through Her Dead Millennial Father’s Storage Unit
Why the hell did he save so many Funko Pops? “Dr. Ian Malcolm with His Shirt Open.” “Homer Simpson in a Muumuu.” He’s got two Green Power Rangers...
buff.ly
February 5, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Jesus! This one burns!
It's like we've invented the car for your brain & now a bunch of people will be tempted to drive everywhere & never exercise (their brains) again. Brain gym is now Critical thinking/Puzzles/Crosswords/Jigsaws/Art/Writing/Music/Science!
‘Novice workers who rely heavily on AI to complete unfamiliar tasks may compromise their own skill acquisition… We find that AI use impairs conceptual understanding, code reading, and debugging abilities, without delivering significant efficiency gains on average.’
arxiv.org/pdf/2601.20245
arxiv.org/pdf/2601.20245
February 5, 2026 at 2:08 PM
It's like we've invented the car for your brain & now a bunch of people will be tempted to drive everywhere & never exercise (their brains) again. Brain gym is now Critical thinking/Puzzles/Crosswords/Jigsaws/Art/Writing/Music/Science!
Yep, we're terrible at teaching things to non-nerds (not great with nerds too, but self-motivation drives them). It's clear a whole bunch of GOP & their electorate don't understand basic things in the world & are enraged when they discover this.
one of my strongest beliefs is that we're in our situation right now bc some of the most prominent talking heads (e.g. joe rogan, andrew schulz) are learning about politics in their 40s and 50s, instead of their teens and early 20s, and we have to go along for the ride as they learn basic things
February 5, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Yep, we're terrible at teaching things to non-nerds (not great with nerds too, but self-motivation drives them). It's clear a whole bunch of GOP & their electorate don't understand basic things in the world & are enraged when they discover this.
She rocks!!
THAT'S MY PRESIDENT 🫡🫡🫡
It’s not just football tricks that President Catherine Connolly has up her sleeve – she can also score an impressive backwards basketball shot.
jrnl.ie/6946030
jrnl.ie/6946030
February 5, 2026 at 1:58 PM
She rocks!!
Brilliant!
The right way to get into the Epstein files.
February 4, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Brilliant!
Happy Imbolc to all who celebrate! Imbolg (in the belly, in Irish- possibly first pregnant Spring Lambs?) We're halfway between the darkness of the Winter Solstice & the Spring Equinox. The beginning of Spring in old NW Europe.
It's Astronomy all the way down!
It's Astronomy all the way down!
February 1, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Happy Imbolc to all who celebrate! Imbolg (in the belly, in Irish- possibly first pregnant Spring Lambs?) We're halfway between the darkness of the Winter Solstice & the Spring Equinox. The beginning of Spring in old NW Europe.
It's Astronomy all the way down!
It's Astronomy all the way down!
Late to this but:
January 25, 2026 at 8:09 PM
Late to this but:
Absolutely stunning! Some of those clumps would easily hide the entire Solar System out to the Kuiper Belt. Presumably there have been epochs over the last ~4.5b.y. where a dust blob from a nearby dying star has drifted across our path. Spectacular sunsets on an ice planet Earth I'd imagine.
Here's a version of the Helix Nebula image with a scale bar. The "little" globules have a characteristic size around 500-1000 AU, or about 10 times the diameter of Pluto's orbit around the Sun. 🔭🧪
January 22, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Absolutely stunning! Some of those clumps would easily hide the entire Solar System out to the Kuiper Belt. Presumably there have been epochs over the last ~4.5b.y. where a dust blob from a nearby dying star has drifted across our path. Spectacular sunsets on an ice planet Earth I'd imagine.
Exactly this. None of this is normal. The US is not a reliable partner any more. Maybe in 3yrs, but what about 4yrs after that. Do we oscillate back and forth in & out of madness?
And we're back. The moment the danger passes, people rush to pretend everything is alright again. It isn't and will not be.
DAVOS - GERMANY'S MERZ: DESPITE FRUSTRATION, ANGER OF RECENT MONTHS, LET US NOT BE TOO QUICK TO WRITE OFF THE TRANSATLANTIC PARTNERSHIP
January 22, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Exactly this. None of this is normal. The US is not a reliable partner any more. Maybe in 3yrs, but what about 4yrs after that. Do we oscillate back and forth in & out of madness?
Today's winner! I can imagine a whole season of build up for Papal elections. Plus, any "Papal nephews" getting gigs? Wacky series following the "Pope's nephew" running some org.
BREAKING: disney set to announce shocking $65bn deal to acquire the catholic church. "we are so excited to fold the jesus christ extended universe into our diverse and lucrative intellectual property portfolio, and we look forward to giving people even more of the stories they love than ever before"
January 22, 2026 at 4:42 PM
Today's winner! I can imagine a whole season of build up for Papal elections. Plus, any "Papal nephews" getting gigs? Wacky series following the "Pope's nephew" running some org.
Yep. It's the "slipped in shower" of Apartheid South Africa, or "fell from a high floor" in Russia. It's murder. By an arm of the State.
I grew up hearing stories from my father about how folks abducted by Franco’s secret police would routinely “escape” to the roof of police HQ and “commit suicide.” The obviousness of the lie was itself an intimidation tactic.
"agents told hospital staff that Castaneda Mondragon ... 'purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.'”
January 22, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Yep. It's the "slipped in shower" of Apartheid South Africa, or "fell from a high floor" in Russia. It's murder. By an arm of the State.
Great speech. Clear thinking and clear words. We survive & rise together.
January 22, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Great speech. Clear thinking and clear words. We survive & rise together.
Very good!
January 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Very good!
Fantastic! Remarkable that a telescope in the middle of nowhere in a place where clear skies are eh, rare, could change Astronomy.
And if anybody in Chicagoland is interested, my upcoming talk:
"The Great Telescope of Birr Castle: How a 19th-Century Irish Family Changed Astronomy"
The Chicago Astronomical Society has invited me to speak
on 24 Jan at 6 PM, at the Cernan Earth & Space Center, 2000 5th Ave, River Grove IL.
🔭🧪
"The Great Telescope of Birr Castle: How a 19th-Century Irish Family Changed Astronomy"
The Chicago Astronomical Society has invited me to speak
on 24 Jan at 6 PM, at the Cernan Earth & Space Center, 2000 5th Ave, River Grove IL.
🔭🧪
January 12, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Fantastic! Remarkable that a telescope in the middle of nowhere in a place where clear skies are eh, rare, could change Astronomy.
Ooh! Bronze age town c.1000BC in Wicklow. Potentially largest early prehistoric town in the Islands. Multiple ringforts (wealthy clans, with slave labor?) In Wicklow hills, I wonder if it was centered on mining/quarrying/gold?
www.rte.ie/news/leinste...
www.rte.ie/news/leinste...
Wicklow hillfort designated Ireland's earliest proto-town
A hillfort in Co Wicklow has been declared the "largest nucleated settlement in prehistoric Ireland and Britain".
www.rte.ie
January 8, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Ooh! Bronze age town c.1000BC in Wicklow. Potentially largest early prehistoric town in the Islands. Multiple ringforts (wealthy clans, with slave labor?) In Wicklow hills, I wonder if it was centered on mining/quarrying/gold?
www.rte.ie/news/leinste...
www.rte.ie/news/leinste...
Gorgeous carnyx from the Iceni territory. Colchester might have heard this as Boudicca arrived...
'The bronze trumpet or carnyx is only the third ever found in Britain, and the most complete example discovered anywhere in the world. Fashioned in the shape of a snarling wild animal, the object would have been mounted on a long mouthpiece high above the heads of warriors'. 1/3
‘Extraordinary’ iron age war trumpet find in Britain may have Boudicca links
Bronze instrument or carnyx dug up in Norfolk in area inhabited by Celtic tribe led by warrior who fought Romans
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Gorgeous carnyx from the Iceni territory. Colchester might have heard this as Boudicca arrived...
Gravity Falls, The Detectorists Movie.
Given that apparently the Stranger Things finale was meh (idk, didn't watch it, just the scuttlebutt) and we're not that far removed from the disastrous GOT finale that retroactively made everyone have never cared about the show:
What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
January 7, 2026 at 3:07 PM
Gravity Falls, The Detectorists Movie.
Dk should accept the offer of Fr troops & post them in Nuuk.
Greenland is happening. Not a joke, not trolling, not a distraction. He has already made up his mind and nobody who matters in the inner circle will try to talk him out of it. Some of them want it precisely because it will destroy NATO. There are no adults in the room. They really mean to do it.
January 7, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Dk should accept the offer of Fr troops & post them in Nuuk.
As always- the court jester tells us the Truth
January 6, 2026 at 2:37 PM
As always- the court jester tells us the Truth
Ah, FFS!
Shit, Work Thing You Put Off Not Magically Done While You Were Away https://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2026/01/05/shit-work-thing-you-put-off-not-magically-done-while-you-were-away/
Shit, Work Thing You Put Off Not Magically Done While You Were Away
AN OFFICE-WIDE investigation has commenced off the back of the shocking discovery that the task you put off doing before the Christmas holidays has not been completed in your absence while compnay premises were closed, …
waterfordwhispersnews.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Ah, FFS!
When you like your sarcasm with a dose of concentrated, fuming nitric acid:
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/its...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/its...
It’s Not Going Great, but Imagine How Much Worse Things Would Be with a Woman President
A lot has gone wrong under Donald Trump, but at least we narrowly avoided the catastrophe of a female president. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Kamala...
www.mcsweeneys.net
January 4, 2026 at 5:27 PM
When you like your sarcasm with a dose of concentrated, fuming nitric acid:
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/its...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/its...
Jesus, that's a burn!
"You’ve lived through several waves of feminism, and they’ve culminated in two women who were among the most qualified candidates in US presidential history losing to the same misogynistic con artist."
#McSweeneysTop25of2025
#McSweeneysTop25of2025
Signs You Are a Gen-Xer Who’s About to Turn Sixty
Our 5th most-read article of 2025. - - -1. You own music in so many formats that your collection could be housed in an audio museum. 2. Back in yo...
buff.ly
January 4, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Jesus, that's a burn!
We are not living in normal times. We are living in the Age of American Madness. It will pass, but the damage is & will be severe.
Talking with people at a holiday gathering here in Toronto last night, and when it came up, most of us nodded that we likely won’t ever visit the United States again.
It’s a weird feeling, and weird to acknowledge in a group.
It’s a weird feeling, and weird to acknowledge in a group.
January 4, 2026 at 5:17 PM
We are not living in normal times. We are living in the Age of American Madness. It will pass, but the damage is & will be severe.
Tag-line for 2028 & for humanity in general:
"Wanna see real-life miracles? Fund scientific research!"
"Wanna see real-life miracles? Fund scientific research!"
Wanna see real-life miracles? Fund scientific research.
A team of US scientists just cured Alzheimer’s in mice — and there is now hope that the disease can be reversed in humans.
futurism.com/health-medic...
A team of US scientists just cured Alzheimer’s in mice — and there is now hope that the disease can be reversed in humans.
futurism.com/health-medic...
Alzheimer's Fully Reversed in Mice, Scientists Say
A new compound has been shown to reverse late stage Alzheimer's disease in lab mice, which gives millions of sufferers new cause for hope.
futurism.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Tag-line for 2028 & for humanity in general:
"Wanna see real-life miracles? Fund scientific research!"
"Wanna see real-life miracles? Fund scientific research!"