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stephensimms.bsky.social
Simms
@stephensimms.bsky.social
220 followers 460 following 12 posts
Film and physical media enthusiast
Electric bassist and recovering music theorist
Immersive audio convert
I work with filesystems for supercomputers

Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Simms
opalescentopal.bsky.social
With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.
July 27, 2025 at 9:01 PM
stephensimms.bsky.social
www.nersc.gov/news-and-eve...
Doudna Supercomputer to Feature Innovative Storage Solutions for Simulation, Data, AI - NERSC: National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center
The upcoming Doudna supercomputer at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) will partner next-generation high performance computing (HPC) capabilities with cutting-edge data ...
www.nersc.gov
July 4, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Reposted by Simms
tomgauld.bsky.social
My latest @newscientist.com cartoon
A cartoon titled ‘The Life of a Scientist’. (The life is depicted as a set of steps, three up then three down with a character on each) Baby: Such a mysterious world! Child: I must search for answers Young adult: Each answer leads me to more questions Middle age: ... At least I've got lots of questions Old age: Ok, I guess questions are my thing now From grave: Such a mysterious world!
June 14, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Reposted by Simms
tomgauld.bsky.social
A cartoon from my next book.
Physics for Cats will be out in the autumn from @dandq.bsky.social and @canongate.co.uk with other languages coming soon.
A three panel comic strip. Panel one: A scientist stands before a black oval nothingness and says "I stared into the abyss." Panel Two. She continues: "The abyss stared back." Panel three "One thing led to another, and now I meet the abyss for regular chats in the coffee shop near my lab." Abyss and scientist contentedly drinking coffee together.
June 10, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Reposted by Simms
tomgauld.bsky.social
My cartoon for this week’s @newscientist.com
A six panel cartoon. Panel one: Title: Learn to read with Physics Lesson One: two and three-letter words (image of a smiling book and particle) Panel two: A friendly scientist enters a colourful lab carryinh a coiffee and papers. Text: The Doc is in the lab. Panel three: She has put on eye protectors and started a machine Text: She put on the ion ray. Panel four: The machine has caused a small fire. She looks aghast. Text: Pop! The ray lit the gas. Panel five: She runs from the burning lab Text: The lab is too hot! Panel six: She sits on the grass. In the background the ruins of the lab smoulder. Text: The Doc is sad.
June 8, 2025 at 8:17 AM
Reposted by Simms
tomgauld.bsky.social
My next book of science cartoons Physics for Cats is available to preorder now! Links here: www.tomgauld.com
An image of the book 'Physics for Cats' by Tom Gauld. On the cover is an impossible shape against a starry sky. Gravity-defying cats wander around it.
May 22, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Reposted by Simms
neorsd.org
#MayThe4th
a P trap installation under a sink Star Wars Admiral Ackbar. he has a famous line in this scene where if i spell it out it ruins the joke. but if you know Admiral Ackbar, you know the line.
May 4, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Reposted by Simms
tomgauld.bsky.social
A cartoon for the @theguardian.com from a few years ago.
Title: Samuel Beckett's sitcom pitches Panel One. Waiting for Kramer: Two men, named Jerry and George, await the arrival of a man named Kramer. They talk. Time passes. He doesn't come. They wait a bit longer. Panel Two. No Sex and No City: Four female friends gossip, laugh and find ways to deal with being a modern woman. They are all buried up to their necks in soil, on an otherwise empty set. Panel Three. Frasier's Last Tape: A psychiatrist and talkshow host sits alone, listening to recordings from his past. A narrative emerges, concerning his father, brother and housekeeper.
April 30, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Simms
tomgauld.bsky.social
My latest @newscientist.com cartoon
Title: SOME GRAMMATICAL VOICES FOR USE IN SCIENTIFIC WRITING ACTIVE VOICE e.g. Our team collected samples and then we tested them. CLICKBAIT VOICE e.g. We collected some samples... You won't believe what happened next! PASSIVE VOICE e.g. Samples were collected and tested. HAIKU VOICE e.g. Quiet science lab. Workers arrive with samples. The testing begins. PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE VOICE e.g. We did all the collecting and testing. No need to thank us. Just doing our job. CONSPIRACY VOICE e.g. Mysterious "Samples" were harvested and covertly "tested" by so-called scientists.
April 28, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Reposted by Simms
tomgauld.bsky.social
my HORRIFYING cartoon for this week’s @theguardian.com books
Title: Modern Folk horrors of the British Isles Five images of various characters: A coven of murderous witches... Who play loud youtube videos on public transport. An ancient malevolent demon... With a three-hour podcast interviewing entrepreneurs. A flock of bloodthirsty ravens... Who think absolutely everything is "Woke". A primordial shambling beast... Wearing a "Make albion great again" baseball cap. A mob of satanic villagers... Who give bad reviews to books they haven't read.
April 5, 2025 at 11:03 AM
stephensimms.bsky.social
Gauld, Gorey, Godot - three of my favorites, not counting alliteration, so as one does, I’ve been shopping for a suitably doubtful frame for our doubtful guest.
tomgauld.bsky.social Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · Mar 28
My Edward Gorey (with a little Samuel Beckett) print "Waiting for Gorey" is in my shop now:
www.tomgauld.com/shop/waiting-for-gorey-print
March 28, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Reposted by Simms
willmckinley.bsky.social
The Warner Archive 16th anniversary sale ends Mar 31.

$22 Blu-rays are $12.25 if you buy 4 or more — far less than Amazon.

Support #PhysicalMedia while we still have it.

www.moviezyng.com/sale-items?m... #FilmSky #MovieSky #TCMParty
March 28, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Reposted by Simms
roberthenschel.bsky.social
Following up on my post a few days ago, I have released the Simple Usage Monitor for HPC Desktops. I built the app using Cursor and Claude Sonnet. If you happen to have an HPC Desktop setup, give it a try and let me know what you think! github.com/RobertHensch...
#hpc #hpcdesktop
GitHub - RobertHenschel/hpc-simple-usage-monitor: Usage monitor for HPC desktops
Usage monitor for HPC desktops. Contribute to RobertHenschel/hpc-simple-usage-monitor development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
March 12, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Reposted by Simms
tomgauld.bsky.social
My cartoon for this week’s @theguardian.com books
Ten small comic panels: 1. The writer, anxiously hunched over his laptop, unhappily struggling to create. 2. "I've finished my book" he says. Arms aloft in celebration. 3. The agent says "It's great! I have a few notes." 4. And so... The writer is back at his laptop, unhappily struggling to create. 5. "I've finished my book" he says. Arms aloft in celebration. 6. The editor says "It's great! I have a few suggestions." 7. And so... The writer is back at his laptop, unhappily struggling to create. 8. "I've finished my book" he says. Arms aloft in celebration 9. The readers says "It's great! We need a sequel." 10. And so... The writer is back at his laptop, unhappily struggling to create.
March 8, 2025 at 10:13 AM
stephensimms.bsky.social
Thanks to Michael Brooke for sharing his trip to Orava Castle!

Seeing the photos brought back fond memories of my long relationship with Nosferatu (1922).

Check out his thread.
marbleicehook.bsky.social Michael Brooke @marbleicehook.bsky.social · Mar 7
Today’s trip is to the primary location of the first half of the 1922 Nosferatu. We’ve successfully negotiated a train changeover and are now on a slow stopping train wending its way through some impressively vertiginous Tatra mountain scenery.
www.oravskemuzeum.sk
March 7, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Simms
oldfilmsflicker.bsky.social
I’m signing copies of CINEMA HER WAY tonight for @mzspress.bsky.social

Get your copy here: mzs.press/PRE-ORDER-SI...
32 large books written by Marya E. Gates
March 5, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Reposted by Simms
tomgauld.bsky.social
Happy World Book Day!
Title: Possible Early Precursors to World Book Day 1. Boktide, 1000ad A grand tournament of literature, culminating with the king choosing one 800k For 'Ethelred's Book Club' and writing a blurb for the cover. 2. Night of Sacrifice, 800ad By the light of the full moon, offerings of overdue books and tiny sums of money were made at shrines to the savage librarian-god Schussh. 3. Day of Banishment, 600ad The weakest member of the tribe was given writing materials, sent into the wilderness and only allowed to return if they wrote a bestselling book.
March 6, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Reposted by Simms
theregister.com
Oxford researchers pull off quantum first with distributed gate teleportation
Oxford researchers pull off quantum first with distributed gate teleportation
Einstein’s spooky action at a distance just got an upgrade Oxford University researchers have taken a significant step toward large-scale distributed quantum computing by demonstrating the first successful quantum teleportation of a controlled quantum…
dlvr.it
February 12, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Reposted by Simms
beatgrrrl.bsky.social
Take a flight through millions of galaxies mapped using coordinate data from DESI.

Credit: Fiske Planetarium, CU Boulder and DESI collaboration
February 8, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Reposted by Simms
hpcguru.bsky.social
BSC_CNS (@bsc-cns.bsky.social) has the first quantum computer in Spain developed with 100% European technology

The new quantum infrastructure will be integrated into MareNostrum 5

www.bsc.es/news/bsc-new...

#QuantumComputing #HPC
BSC presents the first quantum computer in Spain developed with 100% European technology
The construction and implementation of this infrastructure is part of the Quantum Spain initiative, promoted by the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Civil Service through SEDIA. The pres
www.bsc.es
February 7, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Reposted by Simms
tomgauld.bsky.social
My cartoon for this week’s @theguardian.com books.
Jack Torrance (as played by Jack Nicholson Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’) is working at his typewriter. He looks at the viewer with his characteristic unhinged leer. Unusually though, he is also consulting a thesaurus. He has typed the phrase “All industry and no frolics renders Jack a listless infant.”
February 1, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Reposted by Simms
sthiell.bsky.social
We started it! blocksandfiles.com/2025/01/28/s...

Check out my LAD'24 presentation:
www.eofs.eu/wp-content/u...
Dual Astek SAS switches on top of TFinity tape library.
January 29, 2025 at 4:34 AM
Reposted by Simms
princecharlescinema.com
#SaveThePCC

Some of you may have read about the situation regarding our new landlord wishing to add a new redevelopment break clause, with only 6 months notice to our lease.

For now, we're simply asking you all to share & sign the petition below;

you.38degrees.org.uk/p/princechar...
Save The Prince Charles Cinema
The iconic Prince Charles Cinema in London’s West End future is under serious threat! We are beyond disappointed that our landlords Zedwell LSQ Ltd and their ultimate parent company Criterion Capital...
you.38degrees.org.uk
January 28, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Reposted by Simms
tomgauld.bsky.social
‘The Writer’s Dog’ - My cartoon for this week’s @theguardian.com books
Title: The Writer's Dog A writer commands his obedient dog to undertake some tricks: Sit! Shake hands! Play dead! Give feedback on my latest draft, and be brutally, honest, unless you hate it, in which case, be diplomatic!
January 25, 2025 at 10:13 AM