Michael Cruickshank
@cruickshank.bsky.social
Geospatial analyst, OSINT investigator, and journalist. Investigating the intersection of climate resilience and human systems, and sometimes writing fiction. From 🇦🇺, now in 🇪🇺.
📍Berlin, Germany
https://www.michaelcruickshank.me/
📍Berlin, Germany
https://www.michaelcruickshank.me/
With the ceasefire in Gaza fraying, I did a quick and dirty land cover classification of the area, showing the areas of complete devastation and refugee tent camps.
November 23, 2025 at 6:59 PM
With the ceasefire in Gaza fraying, I did a quick and dirty land cover classification of the area, showing the areas of complete devastation and refugee tent camps.
Yep, basically, they are the ideological descendants of Deep Ecologists.
November 19, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Yep, basically, they are the ideological descendants of Deep Ecologists.
I intentionally didn’t make nuclear winter (much) of a thing in the background setting of my novel as I still needed climate change to turn Central Europe into a subtropical rainforest and raise the sea levels by 50-odd metres over 5 centuries. I did make UV a huge problem though.
November 18, 2025 at 6:37 AM
I intentionally didn’t make nuclear winter (much) of a thing in the background setting of my novel as I still needed climate change to turn Central Europe into a subtropical rainforest and raise the sea levels by 50-odd metres over 5 centuries. I did make UV a huge problem though.
I'm getting better with the frost effects
November 17, 2025 at 6:55 PM
I'm getting better with the frost effects
Geolocation Challenge (Nightmare Difficulty): Where on Earth is this dam?
If you can find it, I will be legit impressed.
If you can find it, I will be legit impressed.
November 17, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Geolocation Challenge (Nightmare Difficulty): Where on Earth is this dam?
If you can find it, I will be legit impressed.
If you can find it, I will be legit impressed.
One of my favourite dinner party stories is the fact that there is a random temple in Southern India with at least $22bn in gold and precious gems chilling in its vaults. It's technically owned by the state, but no one will touch it because of local superstitions.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/201...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/201...
November 11, 2025 at 7:16 AM
One of my favourite dinner party stories is the fact that there is a random temple in Southern India with at least $22bn in gold and precious gems chilling in its vaults. It's technically owned by the state, but no one will touch it because of local superstitions.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/201...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/201...
This is really cool - someone made a historically accurate interactive 3D map of pre-conquest Tenochtitlan.
retratodetenochtitlan.mx
retratodetenochtitlan.mx
November 9, 2025 at 7:01 PM
This is really cool - someone made a historically accurate interactive 3D map of pre-conquest Tenochtitlan.
retratodetenochtitlan.mx
retratodetenochtitlan.mx
Had a lot of feedback that it was hard to keep track of all the characters and groups in my novel, so I finally got around to adding a glossary. Also, formalised the grammar of the devolved pseudo-Slavic spoken in the setting.
November 7, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Had a lot of feedback that it was hard to keep track of all the characters and groups in my novel, so I finally got around to adding a glossary. Also, formalised the grammar of the devolved pseudo-Slavic spoken in the setting.
If you know, you know.
November 4, 2025 at 7:07 PM
If you know, you know.
Honestly can't think of a more confusingly named feature on Earth aside from Lake Vostok. Vostok (восток) just means 'east' in Russian.
East of what, tovarish? East of what???
East of what, tovarish? East of what???
November 4, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Honestly can't think of a more confusingly named feature on Earth aside from Lake Vostok. Vostok (восток) just means 'east' in Russian.
East of what, tovarish? East of what???
East of what, tovarish? East of what???
I try to parody this a bit in the novel I'm working on:
October 29, 2025 at 2:20 PM
I try to parody this a bit in the novel I'm working on:
The Sentinel-2C satellite managed to capture an amazing image looking right down the eye of Hurricane Melissa just before it made landfall earlier today:
October 28, 2025 at 10:16 PM
The Sentinel-2C satellite managed to capture an amazing image looking right down the eye of Hurricane Melissa just before it made landfall earlier today:
Hurricane Melissa could now easily come to be the strongest landfalling Atlantic Hurricane in history. A potent reminder that the climate crisis doesn't care about our feckless politicians' attempts to pretend it doesn't exist.
October 28, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Hurricane Melissa could now easily come to be the strongest landfalling Atlantic Hurricane in history. A potent reminder that the climate crisis doesn't care about our feckless politicians' attempts to pretend it doesn't exist.
Hurricane Melissa has now reached Cat 5, and rainfall exceeding 1000mm is expected in some areas of Jamaica. This will be truly catastrophic. I hope the US military assets in the region are prepared to render assistance - they'll absolutely need it.
October 27, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Hurricane Melissa has now reached Cat 5, and rainfall exceeding 1000mm is expected in some areas of Jamaica. This will be truly catastrophic. I hope the US military assets in the region are prepared to render assistance - they'll absolutely need it.
Would dressing as the 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 on Ash Tree Lane be too niche a costume for Halloween?
October 27, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Would dressing as the 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 on Ash Tree Lane be too niche a costume for Halloween?
Kingston itself is low-lying and vulnerable to the hurricane's storm surge. Worse still, it sits in a geographic bowl, which will funnel the extreme rainfall into the city and amplify the risk of flash flooding and landslides.
October 26, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Kingston itself is low-lying and vulnerable to the hurricane's storm surge. Worse still, it sits in a geographic bowl, which will funnel the extreme rainfall into the city and amplify the risk of flash flooding and landslides.
Looks to be a pretty dire situation that will unfold in Jamaica and around its capital, Kingston, over the next 48 hours. In a near-worst-case scenario, the area will take a direct hit from a Category 5 hurricane and experience over half a metre of rainfall.
October 26, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Looks to be a pretty dire situation that will unfold in Jamaica and around its capital, Kingston, over the next 48 hours. In a near-worst-case scenario, the area will take a direct hit from a Category 5 hurricane and experience over half a metre of rainfall.
If any of my followers know more about how Dead Hand/«Периметр» works, can you let me know if this excerpt from my novel describes it correctly?
October 25, 2025 at 8:40 AM
If any of my followers know more about how Dead Hand/«Периметр» works, can you let me know if this excerpt from my novel describes it correctly?
This hurricane is probably one of the few things stopping the US from attempting to topple Maduro right now.
October 23, 2025 at 5:55 PM
This hurricane is probably one of the few things stopping the US from attempting to topple Maduro right now.
The way they spell 'Ai' with a lower case 'i' makes me immediately assume this Saab Gripen jet is powered by love (爱/Ài)
October 22, 2025 at 5:02 PM
The way they spell 'Ai' with a lower case 'i' makes me immediately assume this Saab Gripen jet is powered by love (爱/Ài)
Gotta get that sweet sweet Science multiplier!
October 21, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Gotta get that sweet sweet Science multiplier!
Made some logos for some of the fictional government departments as well, because, why not?
October 18, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Made some logos for some of the fictional government departments as well, because, why not?
If you are interested, I can send you the text :) - Always looking for critical feedback.
October 14, 2025 at 10:10 AM
If you are interested, I can send you the text :) - Always looking for critical feedback.
I really should spend less time creating in-universe maps for the sci-fi novel I'm working on and more time finishing writing it, but I digress...
October 14, 2025 at 8:18 AM
I really should spend less time creating in-universe maps for the sci-fi novel I'm working on and more time finishing writing it, but I digress...