Eric of the Poe People
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ericpoe.bsky.social
Eric of the Poe People
@ericpoe.bsky.social
350 followers 290 following 310 posts
Gentle coder, reader, & half-knit/half-wit. Co-org of KCPHPUG and MergePHP. Advisor of CoderDojoKC. Plaid Belt in Kung Fu movies. Connoisseur of dad jokes. Perpetually behind in #DafYomi. Him/He
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Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
richterscale.bsky.social
And Baum did cite Arcadia as inspiration for the new paradigm in a NEJM article ten years ago, so perhaps Stoppard knew of his impact.

www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/...?
As a young clinical scientist and surgeon, I was taught that the natural history of breast cancer is unpredictable, like the weather. As I matured in my chosen field, I rebelled at what seemed to me a nihilistic attitude. Furthermore, the weather is not so unpredictable now that meteorologists use chaos theory to refine their weather-forecasting precision. Some 20 years ago, I saw one of the first performances of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia at the National Theatre in London. In the third scene, set in a Georgian country house in 1809, Thomasina, a very precocious 16-year-old, asks her tutor, “God’s truth, Septimus, if there is an equation for a curve like a bell, there must be an equation for one like a bluebell, and if a bluebell, why not a rose? Do we believe nature is written in numbers?” Perhaps Thomasina would have gone on to discover chaos theory if only the computer had been invented. As the story unfolded, I experienced a eureka moment — it suddenly seemed clear to me that the natural history of breast cancer was unpredictable because we’d been using the wrong mathematics all this time. I soon recruited Mark Chaplain, an exponent of chaos theory, and together with three Ph.D. students we set to work to try to explain the extraordinary “unpredictable” pattern of recurrence of breast cancer after surgery.
December 2, 2025 at 2:50 PM
ericpoe.bsky.social
I named my fists Larry and Moe because I'm going to hit you so hard in the Little Joe that few will remember you and most of them won't care.
douglasmack.bsky.social Doug Mack @douglasmack.bsky.social · 2d
I named my fists Chekhov and Gun because you know they're coming but you don't know when
swordsjew.bsky.social Tal B. Lavin @swordsjew.bsky.social · 3d
i named my fists Rodgers and Hammerstein cuz theyre always in my own little corner
December 2, 2025 at 2:09 PM
ericpoe.bsky.social
After 30+ years, I'm studying King Lear again and it's hard. It's about an elderly leader who would rather play at king than run a nation. He clearly has dementia. He's surrounded by assholes and keeps company with mad men and fools. He goes more and more mad while the country crumbles around him.
December 2, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
tomgauld.bsky.social
My cartoon for this week’s New Scientist.
p.s. I have a new book of science cartoons: www.tomgauld.com/comic-books-v2
Panel 1. A worm wriggles along watched by a human. It asks: "What are you doing?" Panels 2 to 5. Scientist "I'm studying you. I'm a biologist. Just carry on as if I'm not here." Worm "I feel self-conscious now... What was I doing when you got here?" Scientist "Just wriggling along" Worm "Shall I go back to doing that?" Scientist "I suppose so." Panel 6. The worm is wriggling again. Both the worm and scientist are thinking: "This feels weird now..."
November 30, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
therealdrip.bsky.social
Woman Realizes Adorable Rescue Is A Coyote Pup After It Orders Dynamite Detonator Off The Internet
Photoshop of a coyote pup with a dynamite detonator
November 29, 2025 at 4:20 AM
ericpoe.bsky.social
I once saw an enchanted production of the Tempest at Shakespeare in the Park in NYC on July 4. Fireworks were in the distance. Patrick Stewart was Prospero and it gave me newfound appreciation for his Capt Picard keeping a hardcover edition of The Globe Illustrated Shakespeare in his ready room.
catacalypto.bsky.social Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social · 4d
A story Stoppard told several times, in several places:
"Years and years ago, there was a production of The Tempest, out of doors, at an Oxford college on a lawn, which was the stage, and the lawn went back towards the lake in the grounds of the college, and the play began in natural light. But as it developed, and as it became time for Ariel to say his farewell to the world of The Tempest, the evening had started to close in and there was some artificial lighting coming on. And as Ariel uttered his last speech, he turned and he ran across the grass, and he got to the edge of the lake and he just kept running across the top of the water — the producer having thoughtfully provided a kind of walkway an inch beneath the water. And you could see and you could hear the plish, plash as he ran away from you across the top of the lake, until the gloom enveloped him and he disappeared from your view. And as he did so, from the further shore, a firework rocket was ignited, and it went whoosh into the air, and high up there it burst into lots of sparks, and all the sparks went out, and he had gone. "When you look up the stage directions, it says, 'Exit Ariel.”
November 29, 2025 at 7:29 PM
ericpoe.bsky.social
I'm seeing context for a dead man's ship running aground in a storm and witnesses claiming that a large dog leapt onto shore as soon as it touched land. #dracula
annijyn.com Anni Jyn @annijyn.com · 4d
look at this photo of whitby harbour by frank meadow sutcliffe in the 1860s look at it incredible
victorian sailing boats in a harbour, leaning to one side. sepia toned photograph from the 1800s
November 29, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
stowersinstitute.bsky.social
This #Thanksgiving, we're grateful for the curiosity that drives discovery, the innovation that moves #science forward, and the hope that inspires our work every day. From all of us at the Stowers Institute, thank you for supporting us for the past 25 years in #KansasCity. 🧬🥼🔬
November 28, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social
Bernie Sanders just dropped a 60-second truth bomb on Al, and everyone needs to hear it.
November 25, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
thomas-dekeyser.bsky.social
💥 New publication out on the alignment of AI & authoritarianism 💥

We argue that AI is not simply extending, but actively modulating, key dynamics of authoritarianism, and present a flexible analytical framework to account for these changes.

rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
November 24, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
smoothdunk2.bsky.social
lol you’ve got an AI girlfriend?? ur putting techbros in charge of your relationship??? ok buddy lmfao ok champ
4 panel comic Panel 1: Blue Guy lying in bed with his phone on the opposite pillow. Blue Guy: I love you so much. This has been the best year of my life. Phone: I’m leaving you Panel 2: Blue Guy grabs phone in a mad panic. He yells WHUU? Panel 3: Close up on phone screen. Phone says Unless… Panel 4: Phone screen goes black. A pop up appears saying: The No Break Up Expansion Pack. £59.99 per month. Buy Now
July 22, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
tristanolson.bsky.social
#Comics #Bluey #MST3k
A comic strip based off of the television show "Bluey." It is recreating the opening theme, where four anthropomorphic dogs dance in a blue background. In the first panel, three of the dogs are pointing at the mother dog, who has the word "mum" over her. In the second panel, three dogs are pointing at the father dog, who has the word "dad" over him. In the third panel, suddenly Tom Servo from the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 is hovering in the middle of the panel. He is a res robot made out of a gumball machine. He has the words "Tom Servo" floating over him. The dogs look surprised and alarmed. In the final panel, Crow T Robot from Mystery Science Theater 3000 has also joined in, he is a gold robot made out of a bowling pin, athletic wire mask, and other stuff, and he is practically popping out of the panel at the viewer. The word "Croooow!" floats over him. The dogs just look confused now.
November 24, 2025 at 5:18 AM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
merriam-webster.com
Why do we call it a 'turkey'?
November 24, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
ericpoe.bsky.social
While reading The Cask of Amontillado, you will be sherry immure, very wineful.
November 23, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
arty1f.neocities.org
okay this image is weird. when i pasted it in gimp the artifacts became a lot less noticeable. same thing when i move my browser window to a different monitor. but yeah i bumped the exposure on the image to make the editing much more clear
November 22, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
jdbatts79.bsky.social
FYI. If you want to fool around with impact and damage scenarios for different size and types of asteroids, this is a really fun and horrifying simulator

neal.fun/asteroid-lau...
Asteroid Launcher
Design your own asteroid and launch it at Earth!
neal.fun
November 22, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
crusaderproject.bsky.social
Helped with accident investigations though. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_A...
China Airlines Flight 611 - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 22, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
warandpeas.bsky.social
Panel 1: The Grim Reaper sits at a desk, hands clasped. Death: “Every Friday, from 10 to 12, I have office hours.” Panel 2: A ghost appears with a question: “I wanted to see how my cat is doing.” Panel 3: Death checks his computer. Death: “Ah, Mr. Franklin. You died alone in your apartment, three days ago?” Ghost: “Yes.” Panel 4: Death: “Okay, let’s check in on Mr. Fluffles.” Panel 5: Death (looking at screen) Ghost: “What?” Panel 6: Death (grim): “Let’s just say, he’s not hungry.”
November 21, 2025 at 1:34 PM
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nnedi.bsky.social
Earlier today, I was notified that someone was at my door.

This is who it was:
A male Anna’s hummingbird at the door. So nosy! 🤣
November 21, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
litterboxcomics.com
NEW COMIC: Deep Thoughts
November 18, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
neorsd.org
just learned we won an award for our blog post about Tom Holland and stormwater management.

remember, when you see an article about stormwater management, you repost it. i don’t make the rules.
What Tom Holland’s historic lip-sync showcase taught us about stormwater management
Grab your umbrella and your tights.
neorsd.medium.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
mehr.nz
periodic reminder of the existence of Atkinson Hyperlegible, a free font available from the Braille Institute designed to improve readability for people with low vision

I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides
Atkinson Hyperlegible Font - Braille Institute
Read easier with Atkinson Hyperlegible Font, crafted for low-vision readers. Download for free and enjoy clear letters and numbers on your computer!
www.brailleinstitute.org
November 17, 2025 at 4:19 AM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
ryannorth.ca
The emergency brake on this train says "FINE FOR MISUSE" so I guess it's okay if you want to mess with it
November 16, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by Eric of the Poe People
epvh.bsky.social
Outsourcing to AI implies you do not care about the quality of that particular piece. But every project is limited by it’s weakest part so the apathy infects everything. Brilliant efforts are going to be missed by including and deferring to AI.
November 14, 2025 at 3:17 PM
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geoffreybunting.bsky.social
A 10 in the streets, October in Google Sheets.
November 13, 2025 at 9:27 AM