Paul Stevenson
@pdstevenson.bsky.social
Nuclear physicist and quantum computerer &c. J'habite le sarf of England
While engaging in the dangerous activity of reliving Facebook memories, I was reminded of the days of the horsemeat scandal
January 17, 2026 at 6:38 PM
While engaging in the dangerous activity of reliving Facebook memories, I was reminded of the days of the horsemeat scandal
The one place on my body you can see my heartbeat is on my foot. Not the case from the quick straw poll of other people in my family. Is it just me?
January 17, 2026 at 6:13 PM
The one place on my body you can see my heartbeat is on my foot. Not the case from the quick straw poll of other people in my family. Is it just me?
Some hope for me here
‘Nobel-prizewinning scientists were less likely to have won academic scholarships than those… who did not win. They also took longer to reach senior academic positions, had less impressive early publication records, and maintained interest in fields beyond that for which they won their prize’
January 17, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Some hope for me here
Reposted by Paul Stevenson
I once applied for £400 from my faculty for an airfare. They insisted on three separate meetings with three senior people including the Dean before approving the funds. Any one of those meetings probably cost £400 in wasted time.
Incredible article which points out that it often collectively costs more to apply for scarce research funding than the funds awarded to the successful proposals.
What an absurd system we've built in the service of efficiency and competition.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What an absurd system we've built in the service of efficiency and competition.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
January 14, 2026 at 8:31 AM
I once applied for £400 from my faculty for an airfare. They insisted on three separate meetings with three senior people including the Dean before approving the funds. Any one of those meetings probably cost £400 in wasted time.
I managed to make my trail to Monday's Wordle a description of the game itself
January 14, 2026 at 8:09 AM
I managed to make my trail to Monday's Wordle a description of the game itself
Well it’s taken me two weeks but I think I’ve now managed to go to every music video on YouTube and comment “anyone listening in 2026?” Tough job, but someone has to do it
January 13, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Well it’s taken me two weeks but I think I’ve now managed to go to every music video on YouTube and comment “anyone listening in 2026?” Tough job, but someone has to do it
I want you to show me The Wey
January 13, 2026 at 7:52 AM
I want you to show me The Wey
In between promoting vile things, facebook reminded me that I posted this 10 years ago and I quickly realised it is 10 years since David Bowie died youtu.be/f4zV4pJ8MwM?...
Flight of the Conchords Ep 6 Bowie's In Space
YouTube video by r8dkid
youtu.be
January 11, 2026 at 9:40 AM
In between promoting vile things, facebook reminded me that I posted this 10 years ago and I quickly realised it is 10 years since David Bowie died youtu.be/f4zV4pJ8MwM?...
I’m at the foot passenger terminal at Portsmouth International Port on my way to Caen. I was not expecting to see a departure to Barbados among today’s departures 1/2
January 8, 2026 at 6:53 AM
I’m at the foot passenger terminal at Portsmouth International Port on my way to Caen. I was not expecting to see a departure to Barbados among today’s departures 1/2
Will be weird when my kids are grown up and I don’t spend most evenings at their activities.
January 7, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Will be weird when my kids are grown up and I don’t spend most evenings at their activities.
If you ever find yourself on the uninhabited subantarctic Antipodes Island, my I recommend Can & Ravi's Berlin Kebab for all your culinary needs?
January 6, 2026 at 11:19 AM
If you ever find yourself on the uninhabited subantarctic Antipodes Island, my I recommend Can & Ravi's Berlin Kebab for all your culinary needs?
Amazing song
January 6, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Amazing song
One of my daughters has set up a league on the musicleague.app website and one of the rounds is songs whose titles are at least three words long and where the words are in alphabetical order. Surprisingly hard to come up with a shortlist
Music League | Login
musicleague.app
January 5, 2026 at 5:57 PM
One of my daughters has set up a league on the musicleague.app website and one of the rounds is songs whose titles are at least three words long and where the words are in alphabetical order. Surprisingly hard to come up with a shortlist
Sure, Springer, maybe I should “expand my horizons”
January 5, 2026 at 9:15 AM
Sure, Springer, maybe I should “expand my horizons”
INSET days coinciding in all my children’s schools tomorrow = one final day of Christmas holidays.
January 4, 2026 at 6:13 PM
INSET days coinciding in all my children’s schools tomorrow = one final day of Christmas holidays.
Picked up a few boxes of reduced mince pies to see me through To mid-January
January 2, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Picked up a few boxes of reduced mince pies to see me through To mid-January
Reposted by Paul Stevenson
"Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen is far too full of uncritical reference to the advantages of various forms of tremendously hot fossil fuel-dependent engine for it to be at all suitable for the leader of the Green party to karaoke
Farage, Polanski and Corbyn's choices are all good, Davey's is a typical boring dad choice, and Badenoch's response is characteristically unhinged
January 1, 2026 at 5:26 PM
"Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen is far too full of uncritical reference to the advantages of various forms of tremendously hot fossil fuel-dependent engine for it to be at all suitable for the leader of the Green party to karaoke
Last Wordle of the year ...
Wordle 1,656 1/6
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Wordle 1,656 1/6
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
December 31, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Last Wordle of the year ...
Wordle 1,656 1/6
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Wordle 1,656 1/6
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Reposted by Paul Stevenson
Almost certainly our last paper of 2025: Dipole Polarizability of Finite Nuclei as Probes of Neutron Stars ft Esra Yüksel iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
December 30, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Almost certainly our last paper of 2025: Dipole Polarizability of Finite Nuclei as Probes of Neutron Stars ft Esra Yüksel iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
Reposted by Paul Stevenson
Reposted this yesterday but I’m doing it again because I feel so strongly. Video is much harder on women, who are expected to conform to much higher grooming standards, and also really on anyone who doesn’t look like a conventional white man, who can expect more nastiness bsky.app/profile/youn...
will also add - yes, this is my personal crusade - that turning podcasts into videos implicitly asks women to once again make more effort than men, as the bar for "camera-ready" for one gender is obviously higher than for the other
‘Painful to hear!’ How podcasts’ rush to video is turning them into dreadful listens
December 28, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Reposted this yesterday but I’m doing it again because I feel so strongly. Video is much harder on women, who are expected to conform to much higher grooming standards, and also really on anyone who doesn’t look like a conventional white man, who can expect more nastiness bsky.app/profile/youn...
Not an expert but looks more like a horse to me
December 26, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Not an expert but looks more like a horse to me
Reposted by Paul Stevenson
Don't miss Jim Al-Khalili in the BBC documentary - The Secrets of the Brain
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7nY...
#Science #brain #physics #BBC
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7nY...
#Science #brain #physics #BBC
BBC Secrets of the Brain - Jim Al-Khalili - Series 1 Episode 2 (2025) Full Episode / Documentary HD
Aired: 6th October 2025 no tv license required
"From playing computer games with chimpanzees to studying modern relationships, Jim Al-Khalili investigates how the brain evolved and how it differs…
www.youtube.com
December 20, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Don't miss Jim Al-Khalili in the BBC documentary - The Secrets of the Brain
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7nY...
#Science #brain #physics #BBC
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7nY...
#Science #brain #physics #BBC
31 of the top 50 albums in the charts are previous number 1s
December 19, 2025 at 6:12 PM
31 of the top 50 albums in the charts are previous number 1s
Hah, l am so smart that I will not succumb to this optical illusion ... oh damn!
Ok, this is nuts. Once you see it you cannot unsee it. Do you see it?
(OP @drgbuckingham.bsky.social )
(OP @drgbuckingham.bsky.social )
December 17, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Hah, l am so smart that I will not succumb to this optical illusion ... oh damn!
Great to hear the rector of @htsmguildford.bsky.social on Radio 4's PM show today. Proud to stand with him.
December 16, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Great to hear the rector of @htsmguildford.bsky.social on Radio 4's PM show today. Proud to stand with him.