Nicola Black
@nicolablack.bsky.social
Design, history, knitting, genealogy, gardening, hiking, self-employment, cooking, baking, outdoors.
👩🏻💻Ethical Creative Director & Design Strategist: https://nicolablack.com
🚀Community: https://joinwip.com
👩🏻💻Ethical Creative Director & Design Strategist: https://nicolablack.com
🚀Community: https://joinwip.com
Reposted by Nicola Black
“oh, i wish there were some kind of punctuation to chain these two sentences together”
the humble semicolon:
the humble semicolon:
January 2, 2026 at 1:42 PM
“oh, i wish there were some kind of punctuation to chain these two sentences together”
the humble semicolon:
the humble semicolon:
Reposted by Nicola Black
She's got a hand on a wheel of pain
She can talk to the mangling strangers
She can sleep in a fiery bog
Throwing troubles to the dying embers
.
(this album turns 30 this year)
She can talk to the mangling strangers
She can sleep in a fiery bog
Throwing troubles to the dying embers
.
(this album turns 30 this year)
Beck - The New Pollution (Official Music Video)
YouTube video by BeckVEVO
www.youtube.com
January 2, 2026 at 8:29 PM
She's got a hand on a wheel of pain
She can talk to the mangling strangers
She can sleep in a fiery bog
Throwing troubles to the dying embers
.
(this album turns 30 this year)
She can talk to the mangling strangers
She can sleep in a fiery bog
Throwing troubles to the dying embers
.
(this album turns 30 this year)
Philosophical questions before bed last night:
Me: how did we come to accept "2" is greater than "1?"
Maki: what do you mean?
Me: establishment of number systems? How did that happen?
Maki: I think there's a Radiolab episode on this.
It's SO good. Listen here: radiolab.org/podcast/numb...
Me: how did we come to accept "2" is greater than "1?"
Maki: what do you mean?
Me: establishment of number systems? How did that happen?
Maki: I think there's a Radiolab episode on this.
It's SO good. Listen here: radiolab.org/podcast/numb...
Numbers
Love 'em or hate 'em, you rely on numbers every day. We ask how they confuse us, connect us, and even reveal secrets about us.
radiolab.org
January 2, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Philosophical questions before bed last night:
Me: how did we come to accept "2" is greater than "1?"
Maki: what do you mean?
Me: establishment of number systems? How did that happen?
Maki: I think there's a Radiolab episode on this.
It's SO good. Listen here: radiolab.org/podcast/numb...
Me: how did we come to accept "2" is greater than "1?"
Maki: what do you mean?
Me: establishment of number systems? How did that happen?
Maki: I think there's a Radiolab episode on this.
It's SO good. Listen here: radiolab.org/podcast/numb...
Reposted by Nicola Black
“What if you held a tree long enough for it to grow around your hand?” For a piece called It Will Continue to Grow Except at That Point, Giuseppe Penone fitted a cast of his hand to a growing tree and the tree grew around it for more than a decade. [kottke.org]
It Will Continue to Grow Except at That Point
“What if you held a tree long enough for it to grow around your hand?” For a piece called It Will Continue to Grow Except at That Point, Giuseppe Penone fitted a cast of his hand to a growing tree and the tree grew aro
kottke.org
January 2, 2026 at 4:54 PM
“What if you held a tree long enough for it to grow around your hand?” For a piece called It Will Continue to Grow Except at That Point, Giuseppe Penone fitted a cast of his hand to a growing tree and the tree grew around it for more than a decade. [kottke.org]
My husband is bringing ALL the good luck first footing this year. ❤️🎊 Happy New Year, everyone!
As many of you know, I have RESPONSIBILITIES on new years. I’m the first foot of this household. The entire year’s good fortune rests heavy on my brow. I had a wee dram and a hot toddy and I have to get up for work tomorrow
January 1, 2026 at 5:37 AM
My husband is bringing ALL the good luck first footing this year. ❤️🎊 Happy New Year, everyone!
Tons of snow + lotsa shoveling = time for a hot toddy!
December 30, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Tons of snow + lotsa shoveling = time for a hot toddy!
Cool tool/resource alert! I've been thinking about trying to make recipes from historical cookbooks. This is a good place to start! 🥳 thesifter.org
The Sifter - A Food History Research Tool
thesifter.org
December 30, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Cool tool/resource alert! I've been thinking about trying to make recipes from historical cookbooks. This is a good place to start! 🥳 thesifter.org
Kinda want to make one.
Example of a 'commonplace' cylinder seal from Bronze Age Mesopotamia, engraved with motifs and rolled across clay tablets to imprint a design. Whilst elite seals have received much attention, those used in everyday life are often neglected 🏺 #Archaeology
🔗 from 2024 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
🔗 from 2024 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
December 30, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Kinda want to make one.
This is so awesome! Do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to look through this wonderfully imagined journey of Bridget, the cat.
THREAD.
My parents' cat Bridget vanished. As the weeks dragged on they became ever more worried, so to distract himself my dad began to paint Bridget's adventures, imagining her travelling through time and popping up at some of art & music's most important moments.
I've collected his work here...
My parents' cat Bridget vanished. As the weeks dragged on they became ever more worried, so to distract himself my dad began to paint Bridget's adventures, imagining her travelling through time and popping up at some of art & music's most important moments.
I've collected his work here...
December 30, 2025 at 3:42 PM
This is so awesome! Do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to look through this wonderfully imagined journey of Bridget, the cat.
Took some time away from my machine for a holiday break. It's been good. Reflected and explored a bit of what I want to work on in 2026 and it's A LOT of analog stuff. Designing experiences and places where people can make real connections through writing, art, nature, and more. 🌲✉️🎨✍️
December 30, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Took some time away from my machine for a holiday break. It's been good. Reflected and explored a bit of what I want to work on in 2026 and it's A LOT of analog stuff. Designing experiences and places where people can make real connections through writing, art, nature, and more. 🌲✉️🎨✍️
1. Creepy.
2. Absolutely not.
3. Deleted the account permanently after this email.
2. Absolutely not.
3. Deleted the account permanently after this email.
December 30, 2025 at 2:53 PM
1. Creepy.
2. Absolutely not.
3. Deleted the account permanently after this email.
2. Absolutely not.
3. Deleted the account permanently after this email.
This shortbread was good, BUT even after baking it longer than the recipe said, I felt it needed more. This morning, I popped them back into the oven for 20 minutes. Seems long, but now they're PERFECT. I just feel bad about the batch I left w/family. They're fine. Just not as crumbly as I like. 🤷🏻♀️
December 26, 2025 at 4:39 PM
This shortbread was good, BUT even after baking it longer than the recipe said, I felt it needed more. This morning, I popped them back into the oven for 20 minutes. Seems long, but now they're PERFECT. I just feel bad about the batch I left w/family. They're fine. Just not as crumbly as I like. 🤷🏻♀️
Reposted by Nicola Black
I'd argue it's worse than a blank page, in the same way that garment pieces cut slightly off the grain are worse than not having cut yet.
When a thing is wrong, it will suck your energy into making it Less Wrong, which is often not the same as making it right.
When a thing is wrong, it will suck your energy into making it Less Wrong, which is often not the same as making it right.
Just a thing about this: a common statement in writing is that you can fix crap, but you can't fix a blank page.
I have heard AI apologists claim that this is why it's fine to generate a first draft.
Now, to be clear, fuck this.
But also: an AI draft is a fucking blank page.
I have heard AI apologists claim that this is why it's fine to generate a first draft.
Now, to be clear, fuck this.
But also: an AI draft is a fucking blank page.
I know I don’t talk about writing much. It is because I am writing so slowly.
But I want you to know that I am taking a part of this story that absolutely sucked and took me months to produce four of the worst chapters I have ever written and in the edit I figured out how to fix it.
But I want you to know that I am taking a part of this story that absolutely sucked and took me months to produce four of the worst chapters I have ever written and in the edit I figured out how to fix it.
December 24, 2025 at 2:59 PM
I'd argue it's worse than a blank page, in the same way that garment pieces cut slightly off the grain are worse than not having cut yet.
When a thing is wrong, it will suck your energy into making it Less Wrong, which is often not the same as making it right.
When a thing is wrong, it will suck your energy into making it Less Wrong, which is often not the same as making it right.
As artists, we know this feeling well. The value of which we fight for, on many levels, daily: "when you’re engaged, you enter something that’s almost a flow state. It’s something meaningful with a process of absorption. It’s a very active form of engagement." www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-bo...
Looking at certain kinds of art may boost your heart health, doctors say | BBC Science Focus Magazine
Practising art – or just looking at it – can improve your health. Here’s why we shouldn’t brush off the benefits
www.sciencefocus.com
December 24, 2025 at 3:35 PM
As artists, we know this feeling well. The value of which we fight for, on many levels, daily: "when you’re engaged, you enter something that’s almost a flow state. It’s something meaningful with a process of absorption. It’s a very active form of engagement." www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-bo...
Reposted by Nicola Black
No, I don't want to "quickly hop on a call with you". I want to bump into you at random on a rain-lashed heath, nod at you in silent mutual admiration as we watch a buzzard gliding smoothly over a dramatic chicane in the river, then get the fuck on with my day
December 23, 2025 at 3:01 PM
No, I don't want to "quickly hop on a call with you". I want to bump into you at random on a rain-lashed heath, nod at you in silent mutual admiration as we watch a buzzard gliding smoothly over a dramatic chicane in the river, then get the fuck on with my day
Weird post, but here's a look into my brain. I'm a noticer. I love to take time to see. I was making my morning oats and decided to add some of the strawberries we picked up. The way these are packed is kinda beautiful. They're usually just tossed in. These are so snugly aligned! I know. Weird. 🤷♀️
December 23, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Weird post, but here's a look into my brain. I'm a noticer. I love to take time to see. I was making my morning oats and decided to add some of the strawberries we picked up. The way these are packed is kinda beautiful. They're usually just tossed in. These are so snugly aligned! I know. Weird. 🤷♀️
My usual TV watching is a lot of documentaries: archaeology, history, travel, etc. I lose interest quickly in a lot of fictional series, BUT I recently started watching Witches of East End. It's a fun (and cheesy, but good cheesy!) watch if you're into that sort of thing. 🧙
December 22, 2025 at 9:42 PM
My usual TV watching is a lot of documentaries: archaeology, history, travel, etc. I lose interest quickly in a lot of fictional series, BUT I recently started watching Witches of East End. It's a fun (and cheesy, but good cheesy!) watch if you're into that sort of thing. 🧙
This week at Work in Progress! 🥳 www.joinwip.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:39 PM
This week at Work in Progress! 🥳 www.joinwip.com
Navigating healthcare in this timeline is ridiculous. Going for my mammogram soon and was notified that the normally included (and automatic) ultrasound for dense breast tissue isn't included for some patients as of 2025. The very nice person I spoke to let me know I'm covered, but many aren't.
December 22, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Navigating healthcare in this timeline is ridiculous. Going for my mammogram soon and was notified that the normally included (and automatic) ultrasound for dense breast tissue isn't included for some patients as of 2025. The very nice person I spoke to let me know I'm covered, but many aren't.
Tree is up in time for winter solstice! We took our time, this year, but it’s up! 🎄
December 21, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Tree is up in time for winter solstice! We took our time, this year, but it’s up! 🎄
Reposted by Nicola Black
It is the winter solstice tomorrow (in the northern hemisphere) this is your reminder that English Heritage live stream the sun rising over Stonehenge on their YouTube channel from 7.30am tomorrow morning.
www.youtube.com/live/FEnQmoc...
www.youtube.com/live/FEnQmoc...
December 20, 2025 at 10:27 AM
It is the winter solstice tomorrow (in the northern hemisphere) this is your reminder that English Heritage live stream the sun rising over Stonehenge on their YouTube channel from 7.30am tomorrow morning.
www.youtube.com/live/FEnQmoc...
www.youtube.com/live/FEnQmoc...
It's two years, today, since we had to say goodbye to the most majestic of floofs. Cody, my Sir Didymus, I think of you all the time. The absolute joy you brought to my life was immeasurable. ❤️ He was the best boy. I miss him so much.
December 19, 2025 at 3:21 PM
It's two years, today, since we had to say goodbye to the most majestic of floofs. Cody, my Sir Didymus, I think of you all the time. The absolute joy you brought to my life was immeasurable. ❤️ He was the best boy. I miss him so much.
I'm working on a personal project covering the documented expression of the human form through time. The research has been SO MUCH FUN. Spent part of this morning exploring the Lascaux Cave via virtual tour. 😍 Very cool if you're into that sort of thing. archeologie.culture.gouv.fr/lascaux/en/v...
Visit the cave | Lascaux cave
The discovery of the monumental Lascaux cave in 1940 brought with it a new era in our knowledge of both prehistoric art and human origins. Today, the cave continues to feed our collective imagination ...
archeologie.culture.gouv.fr
December 18, 2025 at 6:34 PM
I'm working on a personal project covering the documented expression of the human form through time. The research has been SO MUCH FUN. Spent part of this morning exploring the Lascaux Cave via virtual tour. 😍 Very cool if you're into that sort of thing. archeologie.culture.gouv.fr/lascaux/en/v...
Just spent an hour and a half playing this. There’s something really nice about playing a video game that’s… not connected to the internet. And I love how compact the DS is. A fun way to end the night. 🙂
Weird. I went into my office to get started and this was on the floor by my chair.
1. I haven’t played with my DS for YEARS.
2. All of my games are together, packed away. Or so I thought. How did this get here?!
3. Is someone telling me something? Do I need play time?
1. I haven’t played with my DS for YEARS.
2. All of my games are together, packed away. Or so I thought. How did this get here?!
3. Is someone telling me something? Do I need play time?
December 18, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Just spent an hour and a half playing this. There’s something really nice about playing a video game that’s… not connected to the internet. And I love how compact the DS is. A fun way to end the night. 🙂