Dermot O'Halloran
@practicalreason.net
Extrapolating from experience to form generalizations. Dualla, Cashel, Co. Tipperary https://practicalreason.net https://flickr.com/photos/21857244@N00
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
Dust has settled, contracts have been signed. Very pleased to say that Click Clack will be back on the radio, the kind folks at @8radioireland.bsky.social have given me a little patch on which to graze, Thursday nights at 8! Starting tomorrow, do tune in! It's on the DAB radio and all, super fancy.
February 18, 2026 at 9:23 PM
Dust has settled, contracts have been signed. Very pleased to say that Click Clack will be back on the radio, the kind folks at @8radioireland.bsky.social have given me a little patch on which to graze, Thursday nights at 8! Starting tomorrow, do tune in! It's on the DAB radio and all, super fancy.
"I will ruin your career with a bad review" is actually an incredibly funny thing to say to an actual working writer, damn never had one of those before whatever will we do to overcome this major life setback
Book club scams are now threatening authors who don't fall for their BS. In December, I received an email from Herry Sharp, so-called CEO of "Super Book Lover Curator" praising my novella We Who Hunt Alexanders.
Totally AI-generated and a scam so I didn't respond.
Now Herry is threatening me. 1/
Totally AI-generated and a scam so I didn't respond.
Now Herry is threatening me. 1/
February 19, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
Gemini 3.1 Pro produced an excellent pelican riding a bicycle SVG but took over 5 minutes to do it - I'm pretty sure that's just teething problems on launch day though, I got a few error messages about capacity while trying it out. simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/19/...
Gemini 3.1 Pro
The first in the Gemini 3.1 series, priced the same as Gemini 3 Pro ($2/million input, $12/million output under 200,000 tokens, $4/$18 for 200,000 to 1,000,000). They boast about its …
simonwillison.net
February 19, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Gemini 3.1 Pro produced an excellent pelican riding a bicycle SVG but took over 5 minutes to do it - I'm pretty sure that's just teething problems on launch day though, I got a few error messages about capacity while trying it out. simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/19/...
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
WHEN TECHNOLOGY WAS WONDERFUL: a sausage vending machine in Berlin, 1954.
Translation: "Warm sausages with bread rolls"
Translation: "Warm sausages with bread rolls"
February 18, 2026 at 7:38 PM
WHEN TECHNOLOGY WAS WONDERFUL: a sausage vending machine in Berlin, 1954.
Translation: "Warm sausages with bread rolls"
Translation: "Warm sausages with bread rolls"
"A 14kB page can load much faster than a 15kB page — maybe 612ms faster — while the difference between a 15kB and a 16kB page is trivial" endtimes.dev/why-your-web...
Why your website should be under 14kB in size | endtimes.dev
endtimes.dev
February 18, 2026 at 4:05 PM
"A 14kB page can load much faster than a 15kB page — maybe 612ms faster — while the difference between a 15kB and a 16kB page is trivial" endtimes.dev/why-your-web...
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
A vintage ABK sketch to plug my UK tour. KING OF CRUMBS starts this Saturday! Come along for more nonsense like this.
www.mickperrin.com/tours/alasdair-beckett-king-king-of-crumbs
www.mickperrin.com/tours/alasdair-beckett-king-king-of-crumbs
February 18, 2026 at 3:14 PM
A vintage ABK sketch to plug my UK tour. KING OF CRUMBS starts this Saturday! Come along for more nonsense like this.
www.mickperrin.com/tours/alasdair-beckett-king-king-of-crumbs
www.mickperrin.com/tours/alasdair-beckett-king-king-of-crumbs
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
Hedge cutting season ends 28 February
Help protect nesting birds and other wildlife in our gardens. Complete any cutting/pruning of hedges + other vegetation before 01 March.
Find out more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFsX...
@wildlife-wri.bsky.social @hedgerowsireland.bsky.social
Help protect nesting birds and other wildlife in our gardens. Complete any cutting/pruning of hedges + other vegetation before 01 March.
Find out more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFsX...
@wildlife-wri.bsky.social @hedgerowsireland.bsky.social
February 17, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Hedge cutting season ends 28 February
Help protect nesting birds and other wildlife in our gardens. Complete any cutting/pruning of hedges + other vegetation before 01 March.
Find out more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFsX...
@wildlife-wri.bsky.social @hedgerowsireland.bsky.social
Help protect nesting birds and other wildlife in our gardens. Complete any cutting/pruning of hedges + other vegetation before 01 March.
Find out more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFsX...
@wildlife-wri.bsky.social @hedgerowsireland.bsky.social
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
"In 1995, Westwood Studios set out to make a game based on one of the most beloved science fiction films ever made. They took a big risk, applying unproven technology and storytelling methods. Blade Runner would go on to become of the highest-selling action-adventure games of all time."
How Blade Runner Reinvented Adventure Games | War Stories | Ars Technica
YouTube video by Ars Technica
www.youtube.com
February 17, 2026 at 12:42 AM
"In 1995, Westwood Studios set out to make a game based on one of the most beloved science fiction films ever made. They took a big risk, applying unproven technology and storytelling methods. Blade Runner would go on to become of the highest-selling action-adventure games of all time."
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
Just looking through some old comics and found a mail order advert for Small Prophets
February 15, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Just looking through some old comics and found a mail order advert for Small Prophets
A Man Called Horse (1970)
February 14, 2026 at 12:53 AM
A Man Called Horse (1970)
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
My wife had a great mind to choose Valentines against tomorrow, I Mrs. Clerke, or Pierce, she Mr. Hunt or Captain Ferrers, but I would not because of getting charge both to me for mine and to them for her, which did not please her.
February 13, 2026 at 8:20 PM
My wife had a great mind to choose Valentines against tomorrow, I Mrs. Clerke, or Pierce, she Mr. Hunt or Captain Ferrers, but I would not because of getting charge both to me for mine and to them for her, which did not please her.
Quality image
Spafford Campbell @ Whelan’s May 13th. Tickets on sale Friday Feb 13th @ 10am foggynotions.ie/concerts/spa...
“Mingling traditional tunes with influences from minimalism, post-rock and jazz, they shift moods exquisitely.” The Guardian – 10 best folk albums of 2025
“Mingling traditional tunes with influences from minimalism, post-rock and jazz, they shift moods exquisitely.” The Guardian – 10 best folk albums of 2025
February 13, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Quality image
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
Your annual reminder of what a fantastic drummer Karen Carpenter was
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVBt...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVBt...
Karen Carpenter drum solo
YouTube video by Oloaps VL
www.youtube.com
February 12, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Your annual reminder of what a fantastic drummer Karen Carpenter was
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVBt...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVBt...
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
When Gmail was released as a public beta in 2004, it “ran on three hundred old Pentium III computers nobody else at Google wanted”. [en.wikipedia.org]
History of Gmail
The public history of Gmail dates back to 2004. Gmail, a free, advertising-supported webmail service with support for Email clients, is a product from Google. Over its history, the Gmail interface has become integrated with many other products and services from the company, with basic integration as
en.wikipedia.org
February 12, 2026 at 2:58 PM
When Gmail was released as a public beta in 2004, it “ran on three hundred old Pentium III computers nobody else at Google wanted”. [en.wikipedia.org]
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
Emma Haworth, contemporary London-based painter known for her observations of the streets and parks, with a hint of otherworldliness #womensart
February 12, 2026 at 11:12 AM
Emma Haworth, contemporary London-based painter known for her observations of the streets and parks, with a hint of otherworldliness #womensart
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
“The farmer is sowing his corn in the large field that has been ploughed and harrowed”
‘What to Look for in Winter’, 1959
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
Writer: EL Grant Watson
‘What to Look for in Winter’, 1959
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
Writer: EL Grant Watson
February 12, 2026 at 8:24 AM
“The farmer is sowing his corn in the large field that has been ploughed and harrowed”
‘What to Look for in Winter’, 1959
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
Writer: EL Grant Watson
‘What to Look for in Winter’, 1959
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
Writer: EL Grant Watson
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
I wrote a tribute for BYTE Magazine's amazing cover artist, Robert Tinney, who died Feb 1st
Tinney painted 80 vivid and surreal covers illustrating various concepts in early personal computing from 1978-1990, usually airbrushed with gouache. May he RIP ❤️
arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026...
Tinney painted 80 vivid and surreal covers illustrating various concepts in early personal computing from 1978-1990, usually airbrushed with gouache. May he RIP ❤️
arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026...
February 11, 2026 at 10:04 PM
I wrote a tribute for BYTE Magazine's amazing cover artist, Robert Tinney, who died Feb 1st
Tinney painted 80 vivid and surreal covers illustrating various concepts in early personal computing from 1978-1990, usually airbrushed with gouache. May he RIP ❤️
arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026...
Tinney painted 80 vivid and surreal covers illustrating various concepts in early personal computing from 1978-1990, usually airbrushed with gouache. May he RIP ❤️
arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026...
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
RIP Greg Brown. Original “Cake“ guitarist. His work on the band’s cover “I Will Survive“ is a great piece of string work. Posting the album version cause it features more of him: youtu.be/3VFOEa8K-6Q?...
I Will Survive
YouTube video by Cake - Topic
youtu.be
February 7, 2026 at 11:45 PM
RIP Greg Brown. Original “Cake“ guitarist. His work on the band’s cover “I Will Survive“ is a great piece of string work. Posting the album version cause it features more of him: youtu.be/3VFOEa8K-6Q?...
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
19th century thatched cottages and church, Adare, Co. Limerick (1965)
Photo: Edwin Smith / RIBApix
Photo: Edwin Smith / RIBApix
February 10, 2025 at 2:11 PM
19th century thatched cottages and church, Adare, Co. Limerick (1965)
Photo: Edwin Smith / RIBApix
Photo: Edwin Smith / RIBApix
Still solid gold 15 years later.
relational databases are not web scale www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2F-...
Episode 1 - Mongo DB Is Web Scale
YouTube video by gar1t
www.youtube.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Still solid gold 15 years later.
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
I tried to take a photo of a grasshopper on my windshield, but now it looks like a gigantic bug destroying the town.
February 10, 2026 at 6:10 AM
I tried to take a photo of a grasshopper on my windshield, but now it looks like a gigantic bug destroying the town.
Great breakdown of how embeddings and transformers power ChatGPT. "No understanding. No knowledge. No truth-checking. Just really, really good pattern matching. And that is both the beauty and the limitation." matthias-kainer.de/blog/posts/s...
So whats the next word, then?
The maths behind Transformers, explained so that a 12-year-old (or your dad) can follow along
matthias-kainer.de
February 10, 2026 at 10:08 AM
Great breakdown of how embeddings and transformers power ChatGPT. "No understanding. No knowledge. No truth-checking. Just really, really good pattern matching. And that is both the beauty and the limitation." matthias-kainer.de/blog/posts/s...
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
the bushes were people 😂
February 9, 2026 at 2:26 AM
the bushes were people 😂
Reposted by Dermot O'Halloran
Beautiful everyday Ladybird things
Village shop (1964)
Artist: Harry Wingfield
Village shop (1964)
Artist: Harry Wingfield
February 7, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Beautiful everyday Ladybird things
Village shop (1964)
Artist: Harry Wingfield
Village shop (1964)
Artist: Harry Wingfield
