Cyrus Mody
@ccmmody.bsky.social
historian of sci/tech/energy/enviro @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social; http://nanobubbles.hypotheses.org; http://managingscarcity.com; The Squares https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262543613/the-squares/. Call me Cyrus or Cy or "hey, mister" but not Cirrus or Moody.
Pinned
Cyrus Mody
@ccmmody.bsky.social
· Nov 1
The oil spillover: prospecting for oil in innovation studies and the history of technology
Innovation studies scholars use the concept of ‘spillovers’ to explain how ideas and people move among firms and industries and how regions form industrial clusters. Historians of technology use di...
www.tandfonline.com
cough it up, Atlantic - America needs your oil and gas!
this guy looks like he should be in the current Department of Labor's ad campaign
this guy looks like he should be in the current Department of Labor's ad campaign
November 14, 2025 at 2:55 PM
cough it up, Atlantic - America needs your oil and gas!
this guy looks like he should be in the current Department of Labor's ad campaign
this guy looks like he should be in the current Department of Labor's ad campaign
colloquium today featuring @timvanderheijden.bsky.social in honor of the retirement of his (now long-ago) PhD supervisor, Jo Wachelder
November 12, 2025 at 9:39 AM
colloquium today featuring @timvanderheijden.bsky.social in honor of the retirement of his (now long-ago) PhD supervisor, Jo Wachelder
for Armistice/Veterans Day: recently, like many UKish & N. Americanish men of a certain age living in Western Europe, I visited the landing beaches & WW2 memorials/museums in Normandy. [We also went to Mont St. Michel & various castles & churches, but that's for another day.] 1/x
November 11, 2025 at 11:57 AM
for Armistice/Veterans Day: recently, like many UKish & N. Americanish men of a certain age living in Western Europe, I visited the landing beaches & WW2 memorials/museums in Normandy. [We also went to Mont St. Michel & various castles & churches, but that's for another day.] 1/x
November 8, 2025 at 8:56 AM
incl. chapter by @inquiline.myatproto.social
*Globalizing Wildlife*, a book edited by @vbateman.bsky.social, Tom Quick, and myself, is now available for pre-order with @uncpress.bsky.social!
Using code 01SOCIAL30 at checkout, you can save 30%
www.uncpress.org/book/9781469...
Using code 01SOCIAL30 at checkout, you can save 30%
www.uncpress.org/book/9781469...
Globalizing Wildlife
Humans have always incorporated wildlife into processes of work, capture, and exchange. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, globalization became t...
www.uncpress.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:48 AM
incl. chapter by @inquiline.myatproto.social
Exxon committing itself to low-emission transportation technology - in 1978.
November 6, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Exxon committing itself to low-emission transportation technology - in 1978.
one for @nanobubbles.bsky.social. do we at least get to keep Imaginary Friends?
November 5, 2025 at 11:17 AM
one for @nanobubbles.bsky.social. do we at least get to keep Imaginary Friends?
i'm fond of Bielefeld but can't really recommend it as a tourist destination - except to @icpetrie.bsky.social. sewing machine manufacturers! bicycle manufacturers! combination sewing machine manufacturers & bicycle manufacturers! great examples of clusters of Mittelstand firms in the same industry.
November 5, 2025 at 11:10 AM
i'm fond of Bielefeld but can't really recommend it as a tourist destination - except to @icpetrie.bsky.social. sewing machine manufacturers! bicycle manufacturers! combination sewing machine manufacturers & bicycle manufacturers! great examples of clusters of Mittelstand firms in the same industry.
sadly, now two Rice physicists who've made similar pleas in big-name newspapers:
www.volkskrant.nl/columns-opin...
www.volkskrant.nl/columns-opin...
November 3, 2025 at 7:13 PM
sadly, now two Rice physicists who've made similar pleas in big-name newspapers:
www.volkskrant.nl/columns-opin...
www.volkskrant.nl/columns-opin...
oil modernism in living color! what a find, @jonagar.bsky.social
And for ICI it is unashamedly about OIL and MODERN BRITAIN
Left: infographic ‘Treasure from oil’, ICI Magazine 1957
Right: ICI educational posters, ‘Terylene a great British discovery’ and ‘Britain turns to Terylene’, 1956
New Elizabethan, “defiant modernism”(©️Science Museum) vibes
Left: infographic ‘Treasure from oil’, ICI Magazine 1957
Right: ICI educational posters, ‘Terylene a great British discovery’ and ‘Britain turns to Terylene’, 1956
New Elizabethan, “defiant modernism”(©️Science Museum) vibes
November 3, 2025 at 10:13 AM
oil modernism in living color! what a find, @jonagar.bsky.social
apparently people on this website think that there are a lot of robots in Doctor Who? I mean, there are a few but not many. not sure how to classify Cybermen, but as name implies they're more like cyborgs. & Daleks 👇 have a living creature, genetically engineered for evil, inside them.
anyway, boo!
anyway, boo!
October 31, 2025 at 9:05 AM
apparently people on this website think that there are a lot of robots in Doctor Who? I mean, there are a few but not many. not sure how to classify Cybermen, but as name implies they're more like cyborgs. & Daleks 👇 have a living creature, genetically engineered for evil, inside them.
anyway, boo!
anyway, boo!
this is such a great program & a really useful resource.
@nanoscaleviews.bsky.social & @debrakolah.bsky.social - would be great if photos of Rice physicists were well-represented in the collection.
@nanoscaleviews.bsky.social & @debrakolah.bsky.social - would be great if photos of Rice physicists were well-represented in the collection.
Do you take snapshots of your everyday life as a physical scientist? @aip.bsky.social is soliciting photos from scientists at all career stages and disciplines from around the world to broaden its 30 000+ photo collection, which is used frequently by historians. #physics #astronomy #histSTM
Archivists seek photos of today's physical scientists
The goal of a new crowdsourcing effort is to build a more contemporary and inclusive visual record of the physical sciences community.
physicstoday.aip.org
October 31, 2025 at 8:38 AM
this is such a great program & a really useful resource.
@nanoscaleviews.bsky.social & @debrakolah.bsky.social - would be great if photos of Rice physicists were well-represented in the collection.
@nanoscaleviews.bsky.social & @debrakolah.bsky.social - would be great if photos of Rice physicists were well-represented in the collection.
genuine question: which of these would be the more stable coalition?
October 30, 2025 at 8:12 AM
genuine question: which of these would be the more stable coalition?
is Dick Schoof laughing or crying tonight? anyway, very much looking forward to a looooong stretch of caretaker government.
October 29, 2025 at 9:43 PM
is Dick Schoof laughing or crying tonight? anyway, very much looking forward to a looooong stretch of caretaker government.
in this house we believe:
1. aunt/uncle + NAME = (esp. US) parent's sibling(-in-law) or parent's aunt/uncle
2. NAME + auntie/uncle = possibly same as 1 but for Indian relatives; could also be (not just Indian) family friend or distant relative
3. aunt rhymes w/ rant, auntie rhymes w/ jaunty
YMMV
1. aunt/uncle + NAME = (esp. US) parent's sibling(-in-law) or parent's aunt/uncle
2. NAME + auntie/uncle = possibly same as 1 but for Indian relatives; could also be (not just Indian) family friend or distant relative
3. aunt rhymes w/ rant, auntie rhymes w/ jaunty
YMMV
October 29, 2025 at 12:32 PM
in this house we believe:
1. aunt/uncle + NAME = (esp. US) parent's sibling(-in-law) or parent's aunt/uncle
2. NAME + auntie/uncle = possibly same as 1 but for Indian relatives; could also be (not just Indian) family friend or distant relative
3. aunt rhymes w/ rant, auntie rhymes w/ jaunty
YMMV
1. aunt/uncle + NAME = (esp. US) parent's sibling(-in-law) or parent's aunt/uncle
2. NAME + auntie/uncle = possibly same as 1 but for Indian relatives; could also be (not just Indian) family friend or distant relative
3. aunt rhymes w/ rant, auntie rhymes w/ jaunty
YMMV
important figure in the oil industry's adoption of digital tools, with influential side interests in nuclear and solar energy
October 28, 1965, geophysicist Edward Bullard, using the first "tectonic" computer simulations, publishes a paper with the title "The Fit of the Continents around the Atlantic."
earthguide.ucsd.edu/eoc/eoc_teac...
earthguide.ucsd.edu/eoc/eoc_teac...
October 28, 2025 at 8:11 PM
important figure in the oil industry's adoption of digital tools, with influential side interests in nuclear and solar energy
what if - no, hear me out - what if we treated solid waste with oil to turn it into a "hard mass" with which to construct toboggan runs on the flat prairies of the Midwest?
it's the evolution of high modernism into postmodernism distilled into a single memo.
it's the evolution of high modernism into postmodernism distilled into a single memo.
October 28, 2025 at 11:29 AM
what if - no, hear me out - what if we treated solid waste with oil to turn it into a "hard mass" with which to construct toboggan runs on the flat prairies of the Midwest?
it's the evolution of high modernism into postmodernism distilled into a single memo.
it's the evolution of high modernism into postmodernism distilled into a single memo.
Francis Bacon Sandwich
I'm not impressed with articles that cite both Homi Bhabhas anymore. To get my respect some enterprising fuel cell historian is going to have serve up the full Francis Bacon Sandwich.
I'm not impressed with articles that cite both Homi Bhabhas anymore. To get my respect some enterprising fuel cell historian is going to have serve up the full Francis Bacon Sandwich.
October 27, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Francis Bacon Sandwich
I'm not impressed with articles that cite both Homi Bhabhas anymore. To get my respect some enterprising fuel cell historian is going to have serve up the full Francis Bacon Sandwich.
I'm not impressed with articles that cite both Homi Bhabhas anymore. To get my respect some enterprising fuel cell historian is going to have serve up the full Francis Bacon Sandwich.
Maastrichtenaars who will be ex(o/e)rcising their little ghosts & goblins Friday night: there will be candy galore at the sign of the Dalek & Gengar!
October 27, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Maastrichtenaars who will be ex(o/e)rcising their little ghosts & goblins Friday night: there will be candy galore at the sign of the Dalek & Gengar!
Reposted by Cyrus Mody
BOOK LAUNCH: ENERGY’S HISTORY
𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺’𝘴 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺: 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯?
🗓️ 3. Nov 2025
⏰ 16.00 – 17.30
📍 Berlin, Germany
👉 Join us at 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 to celebrate this book launch, followed by a talk by the historian 𝗝𝗲𝗮𝗻-𝗕𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝘇.
🔗 Please register: spore-initiative.org/en/programmi...
𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺’𝘴 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺: 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯?
🗓️ 3. Nov 2025
⏰ 16.00 – 17.30
📍 Berlin, Germany
👉 Join us at 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 to celebrate this book launch, followed by a talk by the historian 𝗝𝗲𝗮𝗻-𝗕𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝘇.
🔗 Please register: spore-initiative.org/en/programmi...
Energy’s History: From colonialism, to anti-colonialism, and back again?
spore-initiative.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:04 PM
BOOK LAUNCH: ENERGY’S HISTORY
𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺’𝘴 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺: 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯?
🗓️ 3. Nov 2025
⏰ 16.00 – 17.30
📍 Berlin, Germany
👉 Join us at 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 to celebrate this book launch, followed by a talk by the historian 𝗝𝗲𝗮𝗻-𝗕𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝘇.
🔗 Please register: spore-initiative.org/en/programmi...
𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺’𝘴 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺: 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯?
🗓️ 3. Nov 2025
⏰ 16.00 – 17.30
📍 Berlin, Germany
👉 Join us at 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 to celebrate this book launch, followed by a talk by the historian 𝗝𝗲𝗮𝗻-𝗕𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝘇.
🔗 Please register: spore-initiative.org/en/programmi...
Reposted by Cyrus Mody
Thanks to @patrickmccray.bsky.social and Michael Gordin for the chance to review this one. rdcu.be/eMsRb
Adjectival science
rdcu.be
October 24, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Thanks to @patrickmccray.bsky.social and Michael Gordin for the chance to review this one. rdcu.be/eMsRb
it was a pleasure to share info on Robert O. Anderson that I & especially @odinnmelsted.bsky.social have collected w/ @roycerk2.bsky.social & glad that info proved useful in deflating one of the conspiracy theories in this apparently "mid" & misleading book:
October 15, 2025 at 6:12 AM
it was a pleasure to share info on Robert O. Anderson that I & especially @odinnmelsted.bsky.social have collected w/ @roycerk2.bsky.social & glad that info proved useful in deflating one of the conspiracy theories in this apparently "mid" & misleading book:
not the point of this worthwhile article, but - is KLA Tencor's signage at Levi's Stadium really that much bigger than, well, Levi's? that field better be smooth and divot-free.
too few opportunities for surface profilometry jokes on this platform.
contrarian.substack.com/p/conservati...
too few opportunities for surface profilometry jokes on this platform.
contrarian.substack.com/p/conservati...
Conservatives are going to hate Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show — and that’s a good thing
The world’s biggest annual sporting event will feature one of the world’s biggest musical acts. That’s how it should be.
contrarian.substack.com
October 3, 2025 at 12:43 PM
not the point of this worthwhile article, but - is KLA Tencor's signage at Levi's Stadium really that much bigger than, well, Levi's? that field better be smooth and divot-free.
too few opportunities for surface profilometry jokes on this platform.
contrarian.substack.com/p/conservati...
too few opportunities for surface profilometry jokes on this platform.
contrarian.substack.com/p/conservati...
my fave Ike Library anecdote: they get lots of visits from people trying to prove Ike met w/ aliens. at some point, one such visitor secretly inserted a memo ab/ such a meeting into a box, which the archivists now can't remove b/c, well, archivists...
www.archives.gov/research/mil...
www.archives.gov/research/mil...
October 3, 2025 at 10:45 AM
my fave Ike Library anecdote: they get lots of visits from people trying to prove Ike met w/ aliens. at some point, one such visitor secretly inserted a memo ab/ such a meeting into a box, which the archivists now can't remove b/c, well, archivists...
www.archives.gov/research/mil...
www.archives.gov/research/mil...
Jane Goodall, whose impressive qualities were evident even to the not-easy-to-impress (here Julian Huxley) right from the very first:
October 2, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Jane Goodall, whose impressive qualities were evident even to the not-easy-to-impress (here Julian Huxley) right from the very first: