Gemma Bristow
@konallis.bsky.social
UK. Technical writer with a background in humanities. Posts about the Imagist poets, children's books, history, and green politics. All comments personal, all errors my own.
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Gemma Bristow
@konallis.bsky.social
· Nov 7
Hi! You want to check out my writing and see my sugar shaker collection? My website is www.helical-library.net. Fellow charity shop maven? I post finds and decor pics on Instagram (@konallis_gem).
Reposted by Gemma Bristow
This month's DWM contains my own personal favourite piece I've ever written for our favourite mag, so do please get it.
#DoctorWho #DoctorWhoMagazine
www.panini.co.uk/shp_gbr_en/d...
#DoctorWho #DoctorWhoMagazine
www.panini.co.uk/shp_gbr_en/d...
Doctor Who Magazine 626
THE DALEKS ARE BACK!Join THE FIFTEENTH DOCTOR as he finally confronts his arch-enemies, the Daleks, in our comic strip adventure Corruption of the Daleks!An exclusive look at the content of the f...
www.panini.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 1:40 PM
This month's DWM contains my own personal favourite piece I've ever written for our favourite mag, so do please get it.
#DoctorWho #DoctorWhoMagazine
www.panini.co.uk/shp_gbr_en/d...
#DoctorWho #DoctorWhoMagazine
www.panini.co.uk/shp_gbr_en/d...
Reposted by Gemma Bristow
If you live in the UK and value the BBC, please give your thoughts on its future ahead of charter renewal
dcms.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
dcms.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
BBC Charter Review Public Consultation
The government is consulting the public to aid decision-making on the terms for the BBC Charter’s renewal and any changes needed to help the BBC to continue to serve the public.
dcms.eu.qualtrics.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:14 PM
If you live in the UK and value the BBC, please give your thoughts on its future ahead of charter renewal
dcms.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
dcms.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
It's weird to me that 'writing AI prompts' is considered a skill or that people share lists of 'useful prompts' to do stuff. The development of web search and knowledge management has been about understanding intent, meaning and context, so users don't need to know a specific form of words...
The government’s suggestion that rolling out 20 minute courses on writing “AI“ prompts, sponsored by Google, Microsoft and Amazon, is somehow comparable to the founding of the Open University (the Wilson government‘s, & Jennie Lee’s, proudest achievement), is an insult to our human intelligence.
January 30, 2026 at 9:58 AM
It's weird to me that 'writing AI prompts' is considered a skill or that people share lists of 'useful prompts' to do stuff. The development of web search and knowledge management has been about understanding intent, meaning and context, so users don't need to know a specific form of words...
Reposted by Gemma Bristow
On #HolocaustMemorialDay, we're sharing this list of poignant books that can help young readers understand the events surrounding the Holocaust.
Read the full list here: https://bit.ly/4qVrgAd
Read the full list here: https://bit.ly/4qVrgAd
January 27, 2026 at 11:30 AM
On #HolocaustMemorialDay, we're sharing this list of poignant books that can help young readers understand the events surrounding the Holocaust.
Read the full list here: https://bit.ly/4qVrgAd
Read the full list here: https://bit.ly/4qVrgAd
Reposted by Gemma Bristow
NEW
Thinking about what has happened in Minnesota
What the horrific events of the last few weeks may tell us
A round-up post by me
emptycity.substack.com/p/thinking-a...
(Non-Substack version will be posted later.)
Thinking about what has happened in Minnesota
What the horrific events of the last few weeks may tell us
A round-up post by me
emptycity.substack.com/p/thinking-a...
(Non-Substack version will be posted later.)
Thinking about what has happened in Minnesota
What the horrific events of the last few weeks may tell us
emptycity.substack.com
January 27, 2026 at 10:24 AM
NEW
Thinking about what has happened in Minnesota
What the horrific events of the last few weeks may tell us
A round-up post by me
emptycity.substack.com/p/thinking-a...
(Non-Substack version will be posted later.)
Thinking about what has happened in Minnesota
What the horrific events of the last few weeks may tell us
A round-up post by me
emptycity.substack.com/p/thinking-a...
(Non-Substack version will be posted later.)
Lots of fun stuff in this list, even if the first televised football match (between Arsenal and the Arsenal reserve squad) sounds less than riveting.
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
From Attenborough’s gorilla mayhem to TV’s first gay kiss: the 100 biggest moments from a century of television
The moon landing! Royal weddings! Janet Jackson’s $550,000 nipple! As television turns 100, we charts its journey from terrifyingly dangerous to the thing that unites us
www.theguardian.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:45 PM
Lots of fun stuff in this list, even if the first televised football match (between Arsenal and the Arsenal reserve squad) sounds less than riveting.
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
Reposted by Gemma Bristow
I feel like everyone that this might interest knows this but just in case...
Do you know there's a 1950 adaptation of a Georgette Heyer novel?
It's the Reluctant Widow. It's... something.
You can certainly see why Heyer was so against any of her other books becoming films! It's also on YouTube!
Do you know there's a 1950 adaptation of a Georgette Heyer novel?
It's the Reluctant Widow. It's... something.
You can certainly see why Heyer was so against any of her other books becoming films! It's also on YouTube!
January 26, 2026 at 2:41 PM
I feel like everyone that this might interest knows this but just in case...
Do you know there's a 1950 adaptation of a Georgette Heyer novel?
It's the Reluctant Widow. It's... something.
You can certainly see why Heyer was so against any of her other books becoming films! It's also on YouTube!
Do you know there's a 1950 adaptation of a Georgette Heyer novel?
It's the Reluctant Widow. It's... something.
You can certainly see why Heyer was so against any of her other books becoming films! It's also on YouTube!
Recent films:
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Part two of the story shifts focus from the 'infected' to human antagonists. The life and soul of Spike, our young hero, are suspended between opposing moral poles: benevolent Dr Kelson and insane, sadistic gang leader Jimmy Crystal.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Part two of the story shifts focus from the 'infected' to human antagonists. The life and soul of Spike, our young hero, are suspended between opposing moral poles: benevolent Dr Kelson and insane, sadistic gang leader Jimmy Crystal.
January 26, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Recent films:
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Part two of the story shifts focus from the 'infected' to human antagonists. The life and soul of Spike, our young hero, are suspended between opposing moral poles: benevolent Dr Kelson and insane, sadistic gang leader Jimmy Crystal.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Part two of the story shifts focus from the 'infected' to human antagonists. The life and soul of Spike, our young hero, are suspended between opposing moral poles: benevolent Dr Kelson and insane, sadistic gang leader Jimmy Crystal.
#FridayReads The Twelve by Justin Cronin, the only slightly less massive sequel to his post-apocalyptic novel The Passage.
January 23, 2026 at 6:54 PM
#FridayReads The Twelve by Justin Cronin, the only slightly less massive sequel to his post-apocalyptic novel The Passage.
New season of Astrid: Murder in Paris (Astrid et Raphaelle) drops on Channel 4 tomorrow night.
Astrid is a cool French show about two women with complementary strengths who solve bizarre crimes and have dinner together once a week. (Remade in English as Patience.) The whole thing is on 4 streaming.
Astrid is a cool French show about two women with complementary strengths who solve bizarre crimes and have dinner together once a week. (Remade in English as Patience.) The whole thing is on 4 streaming.
January 22, 2026 at 6:30 PM
New season of Astrid: Murder in Paris (Astrid et Raphaelle) drops on Channel 4 tomorrow night.
Astrid is a cool French show about two women with complementary strengths who solve bizarre crimes and have dinner together once a week. (Remade in English as Patience.) The whole thing is on 4 streaming.
Astrid is a cool French show about two women with complementary strengths who solve bizarre crimes and have dinner together once a week. (Remade in English as Patience.) The whole thing is on 4 streaming.
Reposted by Gemma Bristow
Top of the props: meet the unsung heroes behind the memorable objects in your favourite films
Top of the props: meet the unsung heroes behind the memorable objects in your favourite films
Does your movie call for a golden, diamond-encrusted Furby or replica nuclear missile? The prop master will find one for you – or even make it from scratch
www.theguardian.com
January 22, 2026 at 8:55 AM
Top of the props: meet the unsung heroes behind the memorable objects in your favourite films
#FridayReads Bliss and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield. The third of Mansfield's short story collections I've read.
January 16, 2026 at 6:26 PM
#FridayReads Bliss and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield. The third of Mansfield's short story collections I've read.
Reposted by Gemma Bristow
The Government is planning to send King Charles to the US to celebrate with Trump. Giving him a royal visit right now sends a terrible message that his behaviour is acceptable. We can stop this if enough of us speak up. Will you add your name to the petition? you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ca...
Call off the King’s visit to the US for the 250th anniversary of America's independence
With the current political chaos in the US and Trump’s failure to adhere to international norms, and given his apparent obsession with the Monarchy, calling off this visit would send a powerful messag...
you.38degrees.org.uk
January 15, 2026 at 6:02 PM
The Government is planning to send King Charles to the US to celebrate with Trump. Giving him a royal visit right now sends a terrible message that his behaviour is acceptable. We can stop this if enough of us speak up. Will you add your name to the petition? you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ca...
Reposted by Gemma Bristow
True underwater photography in the 1916 version of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
January 11, 2026 at 2:35 PM
True underwater photography in the 1916 version of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
Saw the upcoming horror film Primate at an advance screening last night. I don't think it's too spoilerific to say that it's basically Cujo, in a swimming pool, with a chimpanzee. Entertaining and startlingly gory in spots; one of those genre pics that does exactly what it says on the tin.
January 11, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Saw the upcoming horror film Primate at an advance screening last night. I don't think it's too spoilerific to say that it's basically Cujo, in a swimming pool, with a chimpanzee. Entertaining and startlingly gory in spots; one of those genre pics that does exactly what it says on the tin.
#FridayReads The Harsh Voice by Rebecca West, an enjoyable set of four novellas about relationships and gender in the pre-war business world.
January 9, 2026 at 1:35 PM
#FridayReads The Harsh Voice by Rebecca West, an enjoyable set of four novellas about relationships and gender in the pre-war business world.
If you support stronger climate action, make sure your MP knows that you do.
‘A silent majority’: Politicians strongly underestimate support for green policies, study reveals
- From solar subsidies to meat taxes, minority rightwing voices appear to drown out the consensus
Research by Lisa-Maria Tanase et al
Story by me
#climatecrisis
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- From solar subsidies to meat taxes, minority rightwing voices appear to drown out the consensus
Research by Lisa-Maria Tanase et al
Story by me
#climatecrisis
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘A silent majority’: MPs underestimate support for green policies, study reveals
Exclusive: From solar subsidies to meat taxes, minority rightwing voices appear to drown out the consensus
www.theguardian.com
January 5, 2026 at 1:08 PM
If you support stronger climate action, make sure your MP knows that you do.
#AmReading Long Overdue, ed. Alan Taylor, an anthology of writing about libraries. It includes an amusing and not very scientific survey about what members of subscription libraries were reading in 1838. The biggest single category was 'Novels of the lowest character,'
January 1, 2026 at 3:57 PM
#AmReading Long Overdue, ed. Alan Taylor, an anthology of writing about libraries. It includes an amusing and not very scientific survey about what members of subscription libraries were reading in 1838. The biggest single category was 'Novels of the lowest character,'
Happy new year! 2025 has been trying for many people. If that's true for you, I hope 2026 is better. If 2025 has been a good year for you, I hope 2026 is still better.
December 31, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Happy new year! 2025 has been trying for many people. If that's true for you, I hope 2026 is better. If 2025 has been a good year for you, I hope 2026 is still better.
Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating (or just enjoying a day off). Hope you're warm, safe, and doing something fun.
December 25, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating (or just enjoying a day off). Hope you're warm, safe, and doing something fun.
With eight days to spare, I've completed the annual challenge of reading a book beginning with every letter of the alphabet. Special thanks to Nella Larsen for the Q, Jasbinder Bilan for the X, Catherine Fisher for the Y, and Scott Westerfeld for the Z. www.librarything.com/catalog/kona...
konallis's books | LibraryThing
LibraryThing catalogs yours books online, easily, quickly and for free.
www.librarything.com
December 23, 2025 at 9:32 PM
With eight days to spare, I've completed the annual challenge of reading a book beginning with every letter of the alphabet. Special thanks to Nella Larsen for the Q, Jasbinder Bilan for the X, Catherine Fisher for the Y, and Scott Westerfeld for the Z. www.librarything.com/catalog/kona...
Reposted by Gemma Bristow
So, happy 127th anniversary of the time a 78-year-old man called Faroppo Lorenzo was buried alive on purpose for science. Obviously
December 17, 2025 at 9:17 AM
So, happy 127th anniversary of the time a 78-year-old man called Faroppo Lorenzo was buried alive on purpose for science. Obviously
Reposted by Gemma Bristow
Because the issue of population change is so widely misunderstood, here's a short thread which seeks to lay it out simply.
It explains why there is almost nothing anyone can do to change the global population trajectory, both as numbers rise, then as they fall.
🧵1/13
It explains why there is almost nothing anyone can do to change the global population trajectory, both as numbers rise, then as they fall.
🧵1/13
December 15, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Because the issue of population change is so widely misunderstood, here's a short thread which seeks to lay it out simply.
It explains why there is almost nothing anyone can do to change the global population trajectory, both as numbers rise, then as they fall.
🧵1/13
It explains why there is almost nothing anyone can do to change the global population trajectory, both as numbers rise, then as they fall.
🧵1/13
Reposted by Gemma Bristow
In honour of Rob Reiner, have David Moore's thread on the best sword fight in movie history and exactly how nerdy it is.
As you may know, I have stopped using Twitter, and have decided to reproduce some of my more memorable threads here for posterity. Here’s one I hold wrote after a particularly engaging swordfighting lesson.
Buckle up, swordfighting fans, because I *have* studied my Agrippa!
[BIG ASS THREAD]
Buckle up, swordfighting fans, because I *have* studied my Agrippa!
[BIG ASS THREAD]
a man reading a book to a young boy
Alt: a man reading a book to a young boy
media.tenor.com
December 15, 2025 at 8:46 AM
In honour of Rob Reiner, have David Moore's thread on the best sword fight in movie history and exactly how nerdy it is.
RIP Rob Reiner. What an awful waste of a great life.
A terrible weekend, news-wise.
I don't know about you, but when awful things happen I try to do something positive, like donate... we need to keep flexing what power we have, however small.
'Your brains. His strength. My steel.'
A terrible weekend, news-wise.
I don't know about you, but when awful things happen I try to do something positive, like donate... we need to keep flexing what power we have, however small.
'Your brains. His strength. My steel.'
December 15, 2025 at 10:09 AM
RIP Rob Reiner. What an awful waste of a great life.
A terrible weekend, news-wise.
I don't know about you, but when awful things happen I try to do something positive, like donate... we need to keep flexing what power we have, however small.
'Your brains. His strength. My steel.'
A terrible weekend, news-wise.
I don't know about you, but when awful things happen I try to do something positive, like donate... we need to keep flexing what power we have, however small.
'Your brains. His strength. My steel.'