John Bull
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garius.bsky.social
John Bull
@garius.bsky.social
27K followers 1.1K following 22K posts
He/Him. Author. Historian (inc of obscure Military Holy Orders). Strategy streamer. Tech/Transport Strategist. Editor of @lonrec. Orient fan. Business/Writing: business@longformist.co.uk. Agent: @pastpreservers.bsky.social
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garius.bsky.social
John Bull @garius.bsky.social · Mar 10
The latest in my history of home computers is live. Covers the era of Commodore, Atari and Jack Tramiel.

He was a brutal manager. But also an Auschwitz survivor, and that shaped him, and his legit drive to build a better world.

This warning from him hit home, right now.

every.to/the-crazy-on...
One day in 1982, Michael Tomczyk, who had led the project to develop the Commodore 64, found himself sitting in Jack Tramiel’s office. Tomcyzk had just returned from a trade show in Hanover, Germany. During the course of their conversation, Tomczyk mentioned how impressed he’d been with the Autobahn highway network on the way there. "I built that road," Tramiel told him matter-of-factly. “Jack went on to explain that during World War II as a teenager he had been selected to work on the road gangs,” Tomczyk remembered. “He said that it was one way to survive, because they had to feed the people that did that kind of hard labor, or they wouldn't work. ‘We built good roads,’ he said.” Tramiel had never hidden the horrors in his past. He was proud that he had helped build a better future through Commodore and Atari. However, the longer he lived, the more concerned he became that people would forget what that future had cost. And that which is forgotten can be repeated. "You know," Tramiel said once, "it's hard to believe it really happened. But it can happen again. In America. Americans like to make rules, and that scares me. If you have too many rules you get locked in a system. It's the system that says this one dies and that one doesn't, not the people. That's why I don't hate the German people. Individuals, yes. Rules, yes. But not all Germans.
Reposted by John Bull
ironcow2103.bsky.social
Winter Wonder Lard VI (I’m Too Sixy For My Lard), Bristol’s premier Lardy day, will be held on Saturday 7th February 2026 at Bristol Independent Gaming.

So far we have had thirteen Lardy games offered to be put on at the event... #SpreadTheLard
November 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by John Bull
garius.bsky.social
I remember particularly liking this bit of the Thames Estuary Airport feasibility study at the time.

Mostly because I would have liked to have been the person who got to write it, not the one who had to underline it for Boris Johnson in fucking crayon.
6.6 RISK POSED TO THE AIRPORT The SS Richard Montgomery, if left in its current state, poses three main risks to an inner Thames Estuary airport: - Unplanned mass explosion - Munitions washing up on shore - Disruption during planned disposal
November 11, 2025 at 4:02 PM
garius.bsky.social
Have I sailed as close as you are legally allowed to do to have a nose at the SS Montgomery?

Of course.

Moment I knew she existed, I was out there faster than Jay Hulme when he spots a rickety ladder in a church.

Here she is:
view out over the thames estuary. A DANGER boy stands in the foreground. A little bit behind are visible a few masts above water. The last remains of the SS Montgomery who, if she explodes, will take out half the windows in Canvey Island.
November 11, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by John Bull
chadbourn.bsky.social
More of this. It’s time the world took a stand.
Exclusive: UK suspends some intelligence sharing with US over boat strike concerns in major break — CNN
The United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes ...
apple.news
November 11, 2025 at 3:16 PM
garius.bsky.social
Just once, i'd like a grand strategy game to include a different research category as a gameplay pillar. something totally leftfield.

"Greetings sire! Which category do you wish to prioritize for research next? Civils, Culture, Military or Cake?"
November 11, 2025 at 10:42 AM
garius.bsky.social
Can't pet the kitties in the new Anno game.

dealbreaker. not buying it.
November 11, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Reposted by John Bull
drangelabuckley.bsky.social
I recreated the scene (of my great-grandmother at Blackpool) a century later.
November 11, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by John Bull
artemisapphire.bsky.social
This current trend for companies to only make shareholder profits by endless mergers and cost stripping is a stark, stark red warning klaxon that their underlying business models are shot. Shareholder return merger cuts show an org is prioritising dividends over output quality.
carlquintanilla.bsky.social Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 17h
Paramount “said in a letter to shareholders it plans an additional 1,600 job cuts as part of a goal to achieve at least $3 billion in cost savings.”

@bloomberg.com $PSKY
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
November 11, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Reposted by John Bull
lawriephipps.co.uk
just experienced "MacSpreading" - where someone just asked for more room on the train table because their MacBook Pro and Mouse needs more than their half of the table...
November 11, 2025 at 9:38 AM
garius.bsky.social
My TLDR review of EU5 is this image. Remember it's not been out a week yet.
steam screenshot showing 43.4 hours of play time.
November 11, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Reposted by John Bull
oldenoughtosay.com
This is a delightful read about a really fun, not uniquely British phenomenon but definitely not a worldwide one, on Hollow Ways, which I personally consider to be deeply sacred spaces
November 10, 2025 at 6:41 PM
garius.bsky.social
I blame woke
dreadships.bsky.social Dreadnought Holiday @dreadships.bsky.social · 1d
Does anybody else find it odd that you don't hear much about pyramids keeping razor blades sharp any more?

When did they stop working?
Diagram of a safety razor inside a pyramid. The diagram notes that the razor blade itself should align north/south to allow the magnetic flow to work to its full advantage. Its full advantage, of course, being absolutely bugger all, but send your dollars NOW!
November 11, 2025 at 8:25 AM
garius.bsky.social
Some very deliberate tail placement going on this morning.
Black kitty tucked into my eide on the bed tail draped over my arm
November 11, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Reposted by John Bull
friendlesschurches.bsky.social
Inside the Roman Catholic chapel at Biddlestone in Northumberland is an intriguing remnant from life on the home front during the Second World War.

1/6
November 11, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Reposted by John Bull
historytoday.com
Postwar state support for agriculture in the UK has been hailed as a great success, but it had unexpected consequences.

🔓 John Martin’s new History Matters is free for 7 days

www.historytoday.com/archive/hist...
Ploughing Up Postwar Britain
www.historytoday.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Reposted by John Bull
theaircurrent.com
Boeing gets FAA nod to begin next major phase of 777X certification trials theaircurrent.com/aircraft-dev... (via @jonostrower.com) #staycurrent
Boeing gets FAA nod to begin next major phase of 777X certification trials
Closely-watched TIA Phase 3 flight test milestone signals fresh progress for delayed super-twin, still a year to go
theaircurrent.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:50 PM
garius.bsky.social
Worth backing
glennf.com Glenn Fleishman @glennf.com · 1d
Last few days for funding “Go Computer Now!”, a book about the nearly forgotten, pioneering Utah computer firm Sphere (1975–1977) that you likely *never heard about*. (I edited the book.) Help us get over the last hump at www.kickstarter.com/projects/bzo... @bzotto.bsky.social
Go Computer Now! – The Story of Sphere Computers
A book telling the extraordinary story of Sphere, a 1970s Utah personal computer maker far ahead of its time—until its sudden collapse.
www.kickstarter.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Reposted by John Bull
axe99.bsky.social
A little-known (I think) Coastal Command aircraft (the full thread's worth a read, even for the transport side of things).

#NavalHistory
jamiemctrusty.bsky.social Jamie McTrusty @jamiemctrusty.bsky.social · 1d
The GR Mk.V carried ASV radar and had a retractable Leigh Light under the rear fuselage to illuminate U-Boats at night. Many of these aircraft went straight into storage, but some were used operationally from late 1944. This aircraft was also under test at Boscombe Down.
📷 IWM HU 81251
Left profile view of an unarmed Warwick in flight, lit by sunshine in clear skies above a layer of overcast. It carries the white/camouflage paint scheme of Coastal Command. There’s no mid upper turret. Below beam windows in the rear fuselage is the mounting for the retracted Leigh Light.
November 10, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Reposted by John Bull
journalmaritime.bsky.social
Check out our most recent research article 'Hospital ships of the Royal Navy in World War One: From pre-war planning to the aftermath of Jutland' by Edward J. Wawrzynczak and Jane V.S. Wickenden

This article describes the principal naval hospital ships

doi.org/10.1177/0843...

#maritimehistory
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
doi.org
November 10, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Reposted by John Bull
ryanfrommyspace.bsky.social
Damn, lost another.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/m...
Tatsuya Nakadai, Japanese Star Known for ‘Ran’ and Other Classics, Dies at 92
www.nytimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Reposted by John Bull
danlansdowne.mow.haus
This derailment is also the reason GO Transit's Milton Line exists. CP was told "Give us GO trains or pay the bill for the emergency response. They wisely chose to be good neighbours.
cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social Canadian History Ehx @cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social · 1d
On Nov. 10, 1979, a 106-car freight train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed and caught fire in Mississauga.
The incident led to the largest evacuation in North American history to that point.
Not a single life was lost.
This is the story of the Mississauga Miracle.

🧵 1/12
A nighttime scene of massive orange and yellow flames and thick black smoke billowing into the dark sky from an industrial fire. Silhouetted people stand watching in the foreground, with car headlights illuminating the wet street and emergency lights visible amid the blaze.
November 11, 2025 at 12:36 AM
garius.bsky.social
The best thread on the Edmund Fitzgerald you'll read.
weatherfox64.bsky.social Elsie the Fall WeatherFox @weatherfox64.bsky.social · Nov 11
#OTD in Weather History, 48 years ago, on November 10, 1975, the ore freighter SS EDMUND FITZGERALD was lost with all hands in a severe storm on Lake Superior.

She is perhaps the best known shipwreck on the Great Lakes, and today we remember her loss. 1/
A bow on view of the SS EDMUND FITZGERALD afloat on the Great Lakes in calm seas under a partly cloudy sky. Image source is Wikipedia
November 11, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Reposted by John Bull
steamgamefan.bsky.social
Formula 2.5 が、2026年配信と発表されました。
store.steampowered.com/app/41...
Steam：Formula 2.5
A retro-style 2.5D arcade racing game inspired by the golden era of Formula 1. Drive through four decades of racing history, master cockpit-view controls, and battle changing weather conditions across iconic circuits like Monaco.
store.steampowered.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Reposted by John Bull
mikeyashworth.bsky.social
Oh wow! A London Underground station being officially Listed is always great news - this one especially so. Southwark station, 1999 by MacCormac Jamieson Prichard, has just been Listed at Grade 2. Now for the other JLE stations. @c20society.bsky.social

historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-...
Image of lower concourse at Southwark tube station, London, showing the 'ships prow' illuminated central feature in the staircases looking up from platform level towards the lower escalator landing. Pic by Luke Agbaimoni (Tubemapper)
November 11, 2025 at 6:08 AM
Reposted by John Bull
kamuirobotics.bsky.social
Tatsuya Nakadai (1932-2025), grand parmi les grands. RIP
November 11, 2025 at 6:31 AM