Xander Flatt
@xanderflatt.bsky.social
Working in local government policy, data (analysis and visualisation), and making information accessible.
Interested in film, music, art, culture, politics, sport, news and the weather.
East Lothian/Edinburgh
Nae Paseran
He/him
Interested in film, music, art, culture, politics, sport, news and the weather.
East Lothian/Edinburgh
Nae Paseran
He/him
Pinned
Xander Flatt
@xanderflatt.bsky.social
· Apr 20
"The distribution of knowledge is the key contemporary task. Knowledge empowers people. If people know the rules and are sensitised by art, humour and creativity, they are much more likely to accept change."
- Antanas Mockus
- Antanas Mockus
Almost forgot to wish everyone a happy There's a Circulatory System Walking Through the Kitchen Day.
I hope you all remembered to leave a wee dram out for the circulatory system walking through the kitchen.
I hope you all remembered to leave a wee dram out for the circulatory system walking through the kitchen.
November 10, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Almost forgot to wish everyone a happy There's a Circulatory System Walking Through the Kitchen Day.
I hope you all remembered to leave a wee dram out for the circulatory system walking through the kitchen.
I hope you all remembered to leave a wee dram out for the circulatory system walking through the kitchen.
New Girl > Friends.
I said what I said.
I said what I said.
November 3, 2025 at 5:12 PM
New Girl > Friends.
I said what I said.
I said what I said.
Reposted by Xander Flatt
In the United States a scientist is blinded
By the resumption of nuclear testing and he is reminded
That Dr Robert Oppenheimer's optimism fell
At the first hurdle
@billybragg.bsky.social
By the resumption of nuclear testing and he is reminded
That Dr Robert Oppenheimer's optimism fell
At the first hurdle
@billybragg.bsky.social
President Trump’s announcement that he has ordered the U.S. to resume nuclear testing “immediately” has drawn confusion and alarm from some experts, who argue that physical testing is outdated and would add momentum to an arms race it aims to counter.
Trump push to restart nuclear tests could take years, cost millions, experts say
The Nevada Test Site — where the U.S. last tested a nuclear explosive more than 30 years ago — now relies on computer modeling, not physical explosions.
wapo.st
October 31, 2025 at 2:19 PM
In the United States a scientist is blinded
By the resumption of nuclear testing and he is reminded
That Dr Robert Oppenheimer's optimism fell
At the first hurdle
@billybragg.bsky.social
By the resumption of nuclear testing and he is reminded
That Dr Robert Oppenheimer's optimism fell
At the first hurdle
@billybragg.bsky.social
One note. Stop using AI.
October 19, 2025 at 5:22 PM
One note. Stop using AI.
For my money, the best viewing order is IV, V, I, II, III, VI.
Now, if you'll excuse me, after hearing them referred to as the "original 6", I'm going to walk to the nearest museum and lie down with the other fossils.
Now, if you'll excuse me, after hearing them referred to as the "original 6", I'm going to walk to the nearest museum and lie down with the other fossils.
People really need to watch the original 6 Star Wars films in number order, not release order. George Lucas has said this a million times and people just don't listen to him.
People who actually follow his advice get a much richer and more suspenseful story.
People who actually follow his advice get a much richer and more suspenseful story.
October 19, 2025 at 8:47 AM
For my money, the best viewing order is IV, V, I, II, III, VI.
Now, if you'll excuse me, after hearing them referred to as the "original 6", I'm going to walk to the nearest museum and lie down with the other fossils.
Now, if you'll excuse me, after hearing them referred to as the "original 6", I'm going to walk to the nearest museum and lie down with the other fossils.
... "and died." Presumably dying of starvation.
Good morning. This headline made us laugh/cry.
"The Worm 'Ate Just a Little Bit' of RFK Jr's Brain."
What is this timeline we are living in?😂😭
www.vulture.com/article/cher...
"The Worm 'Ate Just a Little Bit' of RFK Jr's Brain."
What is this timeline we are living in?😂😭
www.vulture.com/article/cher...
The Worm ‘Ate Just a Little Bit’ of RFK Jr.’s Brain
“And died,” Cheryl Hines assured The View.
www.vulture.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:41 PM
... "and died." Presumably dying of starvation.
Given the history and culture of live music in both Birmingham and Liverpool, it's wild that neither city has ever produced a Mercury Prize winner.
Artists outside London ‘underrepresented on Mercury prize shortlist’
Artists outside London ‘underrepresented on Mercury prize shortlist’
Since 2010, only three winners have not been from London. Previous winners say broader representation is needed
Former Mercury prize nominees have said acts outside London are underrepresented in the awards, with 130 more nominees coming from the capital than the next most-shortlisted region over the prize’s 34-year history.
The awards ceremony will take place in Newcastle on Thursday night, the first time it has been held outside London. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
October 16, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Given the history and culture of live music in both Birmingham and Liverpool, it's wild that neither city has ever produced a Mercury Prize winner.
Ignore what every recipe says. You measure garlic with your heart.
I don't understand why it's taken me this long to realise that when a recipe says two cloves of garlic, it actually means eight.
October 15, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Ignore what every recipe says. You measure garlic with your heart.
Reposted by Xander Flatt
Check out my new article: vitalstatistics.kareemcarr.com/p/a-simple-e...
October 15, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Check out my new article: vitalstatistics.kareemcarr.com/p/a-simple-e...
Baseball, Ray. Baseball...
Baseball isn’t all heartbreak!
Sometimes it’s beautiful and reminds us that a game can instantly tie us back to the past.
Sometimes it’s beautiful and reminds us that a game can instantly tie us back to the past.
Baseball is Always Old and Always New
Fifteen innings. A million butterflies. One night reminds us again that Baseball is the Best.
www.joeposnanski.com
October 11, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Baseball, Ray. Baseball...
Fun fact: "Boycott" was the name of an English land agent tasked with collecting increased rent in Ireland. The local population refused him every service until he gave up.
He was so thoroughly ostracised that his name became a verb.
He was so thoroughly ostracised that his name became a verb.
🚨 Do ICE have MRE provisions? Oh, no. That’s a damn shame. All that income and no place to buy a meal. Hey, I know what they can eat… 1/2
October 11, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Fun fact: "Boycott" was the name of an English land agent tasked with collecting increased rent in Ireland. The local population refused him every service until he gave up.
He was so thoroughly ostracised that his name became a verb.
He was so thoroughly ostracised that his name became a verb.
Reposted by Xander Flatt
Douglas Barrowman and Michelle Mone's company, PPE Medpro, has just been ordered to refund the Government £122m from a PPE contract.
There are two very odd things about PPE Medpro that may affect the odds of the Government ever getting that £122m...
Thread:
There are two very odd things about PPE Medpro that may affect the odds of the Government ever getting that £122m...
Thread:
October 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Douglas Barrowman and Michelle Mone's company, PPE Medpro, has just been ordered to refund the Government £122m from a PPE contract.
There are two very odd things about PPE Medpro that may affect the odds of the Government ever getting that £122m...
Thread:
There are two very odd things about PPE Medpro that may affect the odds of the Government ever getting that £122m...
Thread:
Reposted by Xander Flatt
I enjoy a well-thought-out, rule-based magic system in fiction as much as anyone, BUT I also think that we should give more props to what Terry Pratchett did in the Discworld books, where it was less about rules and more about vibes and, more importantly, what fit a given story the best.
🧵
🧵
October 1, 2025 at 3:02 AM
I enjoy a well-thought-out, rule-based magic system in fiction as much as anyone, BUT I also think that we should give more props to what Terry Pratchett did in the Discworld books, where it was less about rules and more about vibes and, more importantly, what fit a given story the best.
🧵
🧵
Announcing war crimes like Steve Jobs announcing a new iphone
Hegseth: "We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also don't fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement."
October 1, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Announcing war crimes like Steve Jobs announcing a new iphone
Generative AI is, at its most basic, a way to give wealth access to talent without giving talent access to wealth.
www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-st...
www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-st...
SAG-AFTRA Statement on Synthetic Performer
SAG-AFTRA has released the following statement on the announcement of “Tilly Norwood,” an A.I.-generated “actor” that is reportedly seeking representation:
www.sagaftra.org
September 30, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Generative AI is, at its most basic, a way to give wealth access to talent without giving talent access to wealth.
www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-st...
www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-st...
The modern Great Pagliacci.
I woke up this morning and said, "Internet, I'm sad. Can you help me find some happy?"
The internet said, "Good. You should be sad. Frankly, we're all doomed and I didn't know how to tell you."
The internet said, "Good. You should be sad. Frankly, we're all doomed and I didn't know how to tell you."
September 27, 2025 at 1:54 PM
The modern Great Pagliacci.
If a unified ID is necessary for all UK citizens, surely providing passports free of charge would be magnitudes cheaper than outsourcing a new digital ID system from scratch.
But it's not about what's actually necessary is it?
But it's not about what's actually necessary is it?
September 27, 2025 at 1:27 PM
If a unified ID is necessary for all UK citizens, surely providing passports free of charge would be magnitudes cheaper than outsourcing a new digital ID system from scratch.
But it's not about what's actually necessary is it?
But it's not about what's actually necessary is it?
Does anyone else remember that time that Donald Trump didn't commit an impeachable offence and/or violate the constitution for two days in a row so everyone naturally assumed he was dead?
This is another major scandal that in any normal country would result in the immediate impeachment and removal of the president.
September 18, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Does anyone else remember that time that Donald Trump didn't commit an impeachable offence and/or violate the constitution for two days in a row so everyone naturally assumed he was dead?
So "Starmerism" has gone international then.
trump’s numbers are tanking and there is a palpable desire in the electorate for a real alternative and yet the only money in democratic politics is for doing starmerism
September 17, 2025 at 6:55 PM
So "Starmerism" has gone international then.
A common source of frustration while parenting is finding that a lot of cool stuff doesn't come in adult sizes.
I just saw a child wearing silver glitter Birkenstocks and I need to figure out if they make them in my size
September 14, 2025 at 11:35 AM
A common source of frustration while parenting is finding that a lot of cool stuff doesn't come in adult sizes.
Adding to the debate around recent film adaptations...
Snyder's Superman? No.
Gunn's Superman? Yes.
Snyder's Superman? No.
Gunn's Superman? Yes.
I was once at a comic book store and the topic of the day was whether Superman could lift Thor’s hammer
September 13, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Adding to the debate around recent film adaptations...
Snyder's Superman? No.
Gunn's Superman? Yes.
Snyder's Superman? No.
Gunn's Superman? Yes.
A friend of mine was a graphic designer and he once designed autographs for a boyband. They became pretty popular, so he was able to top up his income by autographing merch. The label would send him 1,000s of posters, etc and pay him to sign them.
Something I've always wondered about people signing autographs is did, you have to practiced it? Like, if I were to suddenly wake up "autograph famous" tomorrow, my autograph would be my signature, which is essentially just a squiggly line. Did you have to work to make yours it legible?
September 12, 2025 at 5:49 AM
A friend of mine was a graphic designer and he once designed autographs for a boyband. They became pretty popular, so he was able to top up his income by autographing merch. The label would send him 1,000s of posters, etc and pay him to sign them.
To be honest, I've been in pubs where this would be a believable list of guest IPAs from small-batch, indie breweries.
A palindrome walks into a pub and orders:
Murk.
Cans.
A regal ale.
Enigma.
Ham.
Gin.
Eel.
A lager.
A snack.
Rum.
#palindrome
Murk.
Cans.
A regal ale.
Enigma.
Ham.
Gin.
Eel.
A lager.
A snack.
Rum.
#palindrome
September 11, 2025 at 6:34 PM
To be honest, I've been in pubs where this would be a believable list of guest IPAs from small-batch, indie breweries.
A wee reminder that "Luddite" is a classist term. It refers to a worker's movement, protesting about wages and product quality, that was violently put down by the military and the law acting in the interests of factory owners.
September 10, 2025 at 4:09 PM
A wee reminder that "Luddite" is a classist term. It refers to a worker's movement, protesting about wages and product quality, that was violently put down by the military and the law acting in the interests of factory owners.