Dave Taylor
@moomindave.bsky.social
Oxford, UK. Physicist by day, musician by night. Many marital cats. Willing to talk about walking.
Work: Plasma/fusion/tokamak physics modelling.
Music: Low brass of many types, piano, composition.
Cats: Yes.
Walking: https://moomindave.wordpress.com
Work: Plasma/fusion/tokamak physics modelling.
Music: Low brass of many types, piano, composition.
Cats: Yes.
Walking: https://moomindave.wordpress.com
Not one, not two, but three(!) level crossings on today's walk. That's a record.
onthegomap.com/s/0mgr3a71
onthegomap.com/s/0mgr3a71
On The Go Map
An app for mapping running routes.
onthegomap.com
November 16, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Not one, not two, but three(!) level crossings on today's walk. That's a record.
onthegomap.com/s/0mgr3a71
onthegomap.com/s/0mgr3a71
"You're looking tired!"
Well, thanks*. I'm tired 100% of the time, but I thought I was more or less successfully not broadcasting it to all and sundry.
*Not actually thanks. Actually sudden annoyance. Why do people say this?
Well, thanks*. I'm tired 100% of the time, but I thought I was more or less successfully not broadcasting it to all and sundry.
*Not actually thanks. Actually sudden annoyance. Why do people say this?
October 28, 2025 at 10:17 AM
"You're looking tired!"
Well, thanks*. I'm tired 100% of the time, but I thought I was more or less successfully not broadcasting it to all and sundry.
*Not actually thanks. Actually sudden annoyance. Why do people say this?
Well, thanks*. I'm tired 100% of the time, but I thought I was more or less successfully not broadcasting it to all and sundry.
*Not actually thanks. Actually sudden annoyance. Why do people say this?
A page for the Thames Path walk
Short one, this - the content is all here at this link on this newly created page. I'll update that page as I go, and make occasional posts to draw people's attention to updates.
Short one, this - the content is all here at this link on this newly created page. I'll update that page as I go, and make occasional posts to draw people's attention to updates.
A page for the Thames Path walk
Short one, this - the content is all here at this link on this newly created page. I'll update that page as I go, and make occasional posts to draw people's attention to updates.
moomindave.wordpress.com
October 25, 2025 at 5:30 PM
A page for the Thames Path walk
Short one, this - the content is all here at this link on this newly created page. I'll update that page as I go, and make occasional posts to draw people's attention to updates.
Short one, this - the content is all here at this link on this newly created page. I'll update that page as I go, and make occasional posts to draw people's attention to updates.
23rd October 2025 – Maximal Oxford is completed
It's been a very long time. I hope you haven't been chafing too badly at my laziness in failing to keep you posted on my walking progress. I do feel bad about it from time to time, if that helps. My previous blog entry, announcing a new type of…
It's been a very long time. I hope you haven't been chafing too badly at my laziness in failing to keep you posted on my walking progress. I do feel bad about it from time to time, if that helps. My previous blog entry, announcing a new type of…
23rd October 2025 – Maximal Oxford is completed
It's been a very long time. I hope you haven't been chafing too badly at my laziness in failing to keep you posted on my walking progress. I do feel bad about it from time to time, if that helps. My previous blog entry, announcing a new type of purple map line (paths walked from home, restarting the project on days when I couldn't be bothered to drive), dates from September last year, and…
moomindave.wordpress.com
October 23, 2025 at 5:37 PM
23rd October 2025 – Maximal Oxford is completed
It's been a very long time. I hope you haven't been chafing too badly at my laziness in failing to keep you posted on my walking progress. I do feel bad about it from time to time, if that helps. My previous blog entry, announcing a new type of…
It's been a very long time. I hope you haven't been chafing too badly at my laziness in failing to keep you posted on my walking progress. I do feel bad about it from time to time, if that helps. My previous blog entry, announcing a new type of…
There are two kinds of people:
1) Fanfrnoch enjoyers; and
2) Those who have yet to hear a fanfrnoch.
Today is your lucky day:
www.warnerchappellpm.com/track/fontan...
1) Fanfrnoch enjoyers; and
2) Those who have yet to hear a fanfrnoch.
Today is your lucky day:
www.warnerchappellpm.com/track/fontan...
Fanfrnoch 1
Fanfrnoch 1
www.warnerchappellpm.com
July 17, 2025 at 9:18 AM
There are two kinds of people:
1) Fanfrnoch enjoyers; and
2) Those who have yet to hear a fanfrnoch.
Today is your lucky day:
www.warnerchappellpm.com/track/fontan...
1) Fanfrnoch enjoyers; and
2) Those who have yet to hear a fanfrnoch.
Today is your lucky day:
www.warnerchappellpm.com/track/fontan...
Chatty little visitor to our garden this morning. José was keen to make friends across the catio netting, but the others weren't so keen.
June 22, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Chatty little visitor to our garden this morning. José was keen to make friends across the catio netting, but the others weren't so keen.
José and Moo were unusually close together (getting close to José is a rather chancy business), and then Mabel got up from the other end of the sofa, and walked along to curl up on top of their intersection.
June 5, 2025 at 1:13 PM
José and Moo were unusually close together (getting close to José is a rather chancy business), and then Mabel got up from the other end of the sofa, and walked along to curl up on top of their intersection.
Fun little mental workout of a morning!
May 31, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Fun little mental workout of a morning!
A notebook that dates to at the latest 1935 and was written in by a British person is marked thus on its first page. I thought that perhaps one could use this information to find out online when it might have been manufactured. But the company name is hard to internet-search.
Any bright ideas?
Any bright ideas?
May 21, 2025 at 4:47 PM
A notebook that dates to at the latest 1935 and was written in by a British person is marked thus on its first page. I thought that perhaps one could use this information to find out online when it might have been manufactured. But the company name is hard to internet-search.
Any bright ideas?
Any bright ideas?
Well, this turned out surprisingly well
April 15, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Well, this turned out surprisingly well
How many footnotes is too many?
Asking on behalf of someone who's just produced a page that has 22 lines of transcribed text and 23 lines of footnotes..
Asking on behalf of someone who's just produced a page that has 22 lines of transcribed text and 23 lines of footnotes..
March 29, 2025 at 11:39 AM
How many footnotes is too many?
Asking on behalf of someone who's just produced a page that has 22 lines of transcribed text and 23 lines of footnotes..
Asking on behalf of someone who's just produced a page that has 22 lines of transcribed text and 23 lines of footnotes..
Reading someone's account of their time as a pupil at a British public school in the 19th century?
You're going to feel sorry for them. No two ways about it.
For goodness' sake - he tells us that having to leave the school due to catching typhoid fever was a great relief.
You're going to feel sorry for them. No two ways about it.
For goodness' sake - he tells us that having to leave the school due to catching typhoid fever was a great relief.
March 5, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Reading someone's account of their time as a pupil at a British public school in the 19th century?
You're going to feel sorry for them. No two ways about it.
For goodness' sake - he tells us that having to leave the school due to catching typhoid fever was a great relief.
You're going to feel sorry for them. No two ways about it.
For goodness' sake - he tells us that having to leave the school due to catching typhoid fever was a great relief.
Finished cataloguing family history box. Said out loud: "That's done"; wind moved the curtain, knocking a pile down. Tidied, saw paper on radiator - 2011 letter from uncle to Dad (both now dead) - I remember Dad passing me it; somehow it ended in that pile.
Added it to the archive. "Now I'm done".
Added it to the archive. "Now I'm done".
February 25, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Finished cataloguing family history box. Said out loud: "That's done"; wind moved the curtain, knocking a pile down. Tidied, saw paper on radiator - 2011 letter from uncle to Dad (both now dead) - I remember Dad passing me it; somehow it ended in that pile.
Added it to the archive. "Now I'm done".
Added it to the archive. "Now I'm done".
<bites into ham and hummus sandwich>
"Hmm, this tastes quite spicy. I wonder if the hummus has turned?"
<remembers spreading a pile of chilli flakes liberally across it this morning>
"Ah, that makes sense"
"Hmm, this tastes quite spicy. I wonder if the hummus has turned?"
<remembers spreading a pile of chilli flakes liberally across it this morning>
"Ah, that makes sense"
February 17, 2025 at 1:05 PM
<bites into ham and hummus sandwich>
"Hmm, this tastes quite spicy. I wonder if the hummus has turned?"
<remembers spreading a pile of chilli flakes liberally across it this morning>
"Ah, that makes sense"
"Hmm, this tastes quite spicy. I wonder if the hummus has turned?"
<remembers spreading a pile of chilli flakes liberally across it this morning>
"Ah, that makes sense"
If ever anyone deserves a much bigger platform, it is George Monbiot here and now. He thinks and expresses himself so clearly and incisively.
1. A common mistake is to look for ideological consistency on the far right, and to become confused when some of the things it claims to stand for sound positive and even progressive. Here’s a thread on how to understand this. 🧵
February 15, 2025 at 12:45 PM
If ever anyone deserves a much bigger platform, it is George Monbiot here and now. He thinks and expresses himself so clearly and incisively.
Reposted by Dave Taylor
just over here photoshopping muppets onto the cover of elle magazine: thread
February 7, 2025 at 10:10 PM
just over here photoshopping muppets onto the cover of elle magazine: thread
Decided today was the day I would finally learn whether the WhatsApp react shown here means "Thank you" or "High five".
Mythical interested reader, it means *both*. If you search in the react list for "thank you", it is there, and if you search for "high five", it is there.
Mythical interested reader, it means *both*. If you search in the react list for "thank you", it is there, and if you search for "high five", it is there.
January 20, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Decided today was the day I would finally learn whether the WhatsApp react shown here means "Thank you" or "High five".
Mythical interested reader, it means *both*. If you search in the react list for "thank you", it is there, and if you search for "high five", it is there.
Mythical interested reader, it means *both*. If you search in the react list for "thank you", it is there, and if you search for "high five", it is there.
Petrol station forecourt this morning. Thermometer says -1 deg C, and the metal handle of the pump is slowly freezing my palm off.
Men behind me and in front both in shorts. Now there have always been shorts-all-year-round people, but is it my imagination, or are there more of them now?
Men behind me and in front both in shorts. Now there have always been shorts-all-year-round people, but is it my imagination, or are there more of them now?
January 6, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Petrol station forecourt this morning. Thermometer says -1 deg C, and the metal handle of the pump is slowly freezing my palm off.
Men behind me and in front both in shorts. Now there have always been shorts-all-year-round people, but is it my imagination, or are there more of them now?
Men behind me and in front both in shorts. Now there have always been shorts-all-year-round people, but is it my imagination, or are there more of them now?
In 2017, I wrote "Hilltop Dawn", a depiction of a cold grey sunrise looking out from the ancient and lonely Segsbury Camp.
Rob Marsh premiered it recently, accompanied by Gareth Green. Thanks chaps!
It lasts from 2'35" to 9'25". Please enjoy Rob's artistry.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=scyx...
Rob Marsh premiered it recently, accompanied by Gareth Green. Thanks chaps!
It lasts from 2'35" to 9'25". Please enjoy Rob's artistry.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=scyx...
Short Trombone recital by Robert Marsh, featuring the premiere of Hilltop Dawn by Dave Taylor.
YouTube video by Robert Marsh
www.youtube.com
January 5, 2025 at 12:35 PM
In 2017, I wrote "Hilltop Dawn", a depiction of a cold grey sunrise looking out from the ancient and lonely Segsbury Camp.
Rob Marsh premiered it recently, accompanied by Gareth Green. Thanks chaps!
It lasts from 2'35" to 9'25". Please enjoy Rob's artistry.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=scyx...
Rob Marsh premiered it recently, accompanied by Gareth Green. Thanks chaps!
It lasts from 2'35" to 9'25". Please enjoy Rob's artistry.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=scyx...
A rare full cat formation on display. Mostly looking at the camera too, but Moo exercising her right to opt out of that component.
December 6, 2024 at 1:11 PM
A rare full cat formation on display. Mostly looking at the camera too, but Moo exercising her right to opt out of that component.
Caught this piano trio on BBC Radio 3 the other day - great music! A composer, Luise Le Beau, completely new to me. Reminds me of Schumann.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luise_A...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH3s...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luise_A...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH3s...
Louise Adolpha Le Beau - Piano Trio Op.15
YouTube video by fyrexianoff
www.youtube.com
December 5, 2024 at 10:46 AM
Caught this piano trio on BBC Radio 3 the other day - great music! A composer, Luise Le Beau, completely new to me. Reminds me of Schumann.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luise_A...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH3s...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luise_A...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH3s...
Reposted by Dave Taylor
I know it’s a parliamentary petition, but apparently they get press coverage if they go viral 😅
And this one is very meta, it’s about the coordinated disinformation poisoning our politics!
Let’s get it to 100k at a rate that’s hard to ignore?
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
And this one is very meta, it’s about the coordinated disinformation poisoning our politics!
Let’s get it to 100k at a rate that’s hard to ignore?
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
Petition: Create a public consultation on freedom of speech and disinformation
We believe that lies, fraud, and media toxicity threaten our way of life. We think new mechanisms are needed to preserve confidence. How else can people know what to trust?
petition.parliament.uk
November 29, 2024 at 11:46 AM
I know it’s a parliamentary petition, but apparently they get press coverage if they go viral 😅
And this one is very meta, it’s about the coordinated disinformation poisoning our politics!
Let’s get it to 100k at a rate that’s hard to ignore?
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
And this one is very meta, it’s about the coordinated disinformation poisoning our politics!
Let’s get it to 100k at a rate that’s hard to ignore?
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
My (well-heated) office is next to the entrance to an unheated and uninsulated bridge between two buildings. All afternoon I've been hearing people go through the doors onto the bridge, and then exclaiming loudly. I may have to go try it out for myself soon. It sounds an invigorating experience.
November 19, 2024 at 3:56 PM
My (well-heated) office is next to the entrance to an unheated and uninsulated bridge between two buildings. All afternoon I've been hearing people go through the doors onto the bridge, and then exclaiming loudly. I may have to go try it out for myself soon. It sounds an invigorating experience.
Many have been pointing out for decades the exploitative nonsense of UK utility privatisation. It is now clear to everyone how the scam works, put admirably clearly here by George Monbiot. And still we seem to have no power to alter things so that they work for the people.
How privatisation works (and Thames Water is just the latest example).
1. A government takes a national asset built up with taxpayers' money and the work of public servants over many years, and hands it, for a fraction of its value, to a private company.
2. In doing so, it creates a monopoly.
🧵
1. A government takes a national asset built up with taxpayers' money and the work of public servants over many years, and hands it, for a fraction of its value, to a private company.
2. In doing so, it creates a monopoly.
🧵
November 18, 2024 at 12:18 PM
Many have been pointing out for decades the exploitative nonsense of UK utility privatisation. It is now clear to everyone how the scam works, put admirably clearly here by George Monbiot. And still we seem to have no power to alter things so that they work for the people.