Paul Varley
@paulpower.bsky.social
I like popular maths and science (particularly astronomy), cricket, trains, sometimes I obsess over videogames. I've been working at @techniquest.org for 13 years now. Autistic, non-binary, he/they.
Well, that was a day of Test cricket. Hopefully we can consolidate on this now...
November 21, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Well, that was a day of Test cricket. Hopefully we can consolidate on this now...
October 15, 2025 at 1:17 PM
So you know my spreadsheet showing all of England's Tests and the players who played in them? Anyway, I did one for Sri Lanka too: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8twkr...
September 28, 2025 at 6:08 AM
So you know my spreadsheet showing all of England's Tests and the players who played in them? Anyway, I did one for Sri Lanka too: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8twkr...
I solved the daily Clues by Sam (Sep 7th 2025) in less than 11 minutes
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cluesbysam.com
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cluesbysam.com
Clues by Sam
A daily logic puzzle where you deduce who are criminals and who are innocent!
cluesbysam.com
September 7, 2025 at 8:46 AM
I solved the daily Clues by Sam (Sep 7th 2025) in less than 11 minutes
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cluesbysam.com
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cluesbysam.com
All right, with Brook now having played 50 Test innings, it's time for another round of these! Now with dotty lines dividing the charts up diagonally, and colour coding for particularly high or low conversion rates for 50s into 100s. Further details in alt text. 🏏
August 8, 2025 at 3:26 PM
All right, with Brook now having played 50 Test innings, it's time for another round of these! Now with dotty lines dividing the charts up diagonally, and colour coding for particularly high or low conversion rates for 50s into 100s. Further details in alt text. 🏏
50 innings is of course still a pretty small sample size, but uh Harry Brook everyone:
Among England players who have played 50 innings, only Herbert Sutcliffe has a higher proportion of 50+ scores than Brook currently has. 🏏
Among England players who have played 50 innings, only Herbert Sutcliffe has a higher proportion of 50+ scores than Brook currently has. 🏏
August 3, 2025 at 8:56 PM
50 innings is of course still a pretty small sample size, but uh Harry Brook everyone:
Among England players who have played 50 innings, only Herbert Sutcliffe has a higher proportion of 50+ scores than Brook currently has. 🏏
Among England players who have played 50 innings, only Herbert Sutcliffe has a higher proportion of 50+ scores than Brook currently has. 🏏
I'm a little late on this, but it's worth noting that Root overtook Dravid in the same number of innings as Dravid, and overtook Ponting in one fewer innings than Ponting. Dravid and Ponting have more not outs so their averages are better, but this still feels like an achievement.
July 31, 2025 at 5:00 PM
I'm a little late on this, but it's worth noting that Root overtook Dravid in the same number of innings as Dravid, and overtook Ponting in one fewer innings than Ponting. Dravid and Ponting have more not outs so their averages are better, but this still feels like an achievement.
Good ol' one two three fo(u)r five. More reliable than Nelson...
July 31, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Good ol' one two three fo(u)r five. More reliable than Nelson...
Made a graph of England Test batters (all time) plotting their rate of making single figure scores vs. making 50+ scores, because I dunno it's data that falls right out of my other spreadsheet and I thought it'd be neat. Outliers are labelled, further details in the alt text. 🏏
July 21, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Made a graph of England Test batters (all time) plotting their rate of making single figure scores vs. making 50+ scores, because I dunno it's data that falls right out of my other spreadsheet and I thought it'd be neat. Outliers are labelled, further details in the alt text. 🏏
Seeing a lot of people go "how are India 2-1 down when they've played the better cricket the majority of the time?" and I'm feeling like, "first time touring England?"
This is kinda what we do. And I'm not talking about Bazball here, look at the 09 Ashes or the 18 Pataudi Trophy.
This is kinda what we do. And I'm not talking about Bazball here, look at the 09 Ashes or the 18 Pataudi Trophy.
July 15, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Seeing a lot of people go "how are India 2-1 down when they've played the better cricket the majority of the time?" and I'm feeling like, "first time touring England?"
This is kinda what we do. And I'm not talking about Bazball here, look at the 09 Ashes or the 18 Pataudi Trophy.
This is kinda what we do. And I'm not talking about Bazball here, look at the 09 Ashes or the 18 Pataudi Trophy.
England 51/3 or effectively, 51/3
July 13, 2025 at 11:19 AM
England 51/3 or effectively, 51/3
Joe Root's 103rd 50+ score in Tests pulls him into joint second with Kallis and Ponting. Tendulkar still some way away (though not uncatchably so!) on 119.
July 10, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Joe Root's 103rd 50+ score in Tests pulls him into joint second with Kallis and Ponting. Tendulkar still some way away (though not uncatchably so!) on 119.
Been catching up with the Renegade Scum series on @6featsunder.bsky.social and since they mentioned that they liked shoutouts, I thought I'd give a shoutout to my favourite roleplaying podcast group, who've been doing actual play podcasts since before the term "actual play podcast" was a thing!
July 3, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Been catching up with the Renegade Scum series on @6featsunder.bsky.social and since they mentioned that they liked shoutouts, I thought I'd give a shoutout to my favourite roleplaying podcast group, who've been doing actual play podcasts since before the term "actual play podcast" was a thing!
Crazy win for England, it's still sinking in. The coincidence of needing to chase 370-odd against India again definitely made me believe it could be done, but still wild. India the first side to score five centuries in a Test and lose.
Amazing effort from Duckett and everyone else! #engvsind 🏏
Amazing effort from Duckett and everyone else! #engvsind 🏏
June 24, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Crazy win for England, it's still sinking in. The coincidence of needing to chase 370-odd against India again definitely made me believe it could be done, but still wild. India the first side to score five centuries in a Test and lose.
Amazing effort from Duckett and everyone else! #engvsind 🏏
Amazing effort from Duckett and everyone else! #engvsind 🏏
Daily Duotrigordle #1208
Guesses: 36/37
2️⃣7️⃣ 3️⃣5️⃣ 0️⃣5️⃣ 0️⃣6️⃣
2️⃣8️⃣ 0️⃣8️⃣ 1️⃣7️⃣ 2️⃣3️⃣
3️⃣6️⃣ 1️⃣8️⃣ 1️⃣3️⃣ 1️⃣2️⃣
2️⃣6️⃣ 2️⃣9️⃣ 3️⃣4️⃣ 1️⃣9️⃣
2️⃣0️⃣ 1️⃣5️⃣ 0️⃣4️⃣ 0️⃣9️⃣
2️⃣1️⃣ 1️⃣4️⃣ 2️⃣2️⃣ 3️⃣0️⃣
3️⃣2️⃣ 3️⃣3️⃣ 3️⃣1️⃣ 1️⃣0️⃣
2️⃣5️⃣ 2️⃣4️⃣ 0️⃣7️⃣ 0️⃣3️⃣
duotrigordle.com
Guesses: 36/37
2️⃣7️⃣ 3️⃣5️⃣ 0️⃣5️⃣ 0️⃣6️⃣
2️⃣8️⃣ 0️⃣8️⃣ 1️⃣7️⃣ 2️⃣3️⃣
3️⃣6️⃣ 1️⃣8️⃣ 1️⃣3️⃣ 1️⃣2️⃣
2️⃣6️⃣ 2️⃣9️⃣ 3️⃣4️⃣ 1️⃣9️⃣
2️⃣0️⃣ 1️⃣5️⃣ 0️⃣4️⃣ 0️⃣9️⃣
2️⃣1️⃣ 1️⃣4️⃣ 2️⃣2️⃣ 3️⃣0️⃣
3️⃣2️⃣ 3️⃣3️⃣ 3️⃣1️⃣ 1️⃣0️⃣
2️⃣5️⃣ 2️⃣4️⃣ 0️⃣7️⃣ 0️⃣3️⃣
duotrigordle.com
Duotrigordle
Put your skills to the test and solve thirty-two Wordles at once! You have 37 guesses to solve all 32 words. A new Duotrigordle available each day to solve.
duotrigordle.com
June 22, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Daily Duotrigordle #1208
Guesses: 36/37
2️⃣7️⃣ 3️⃣5️⃣ 0️⃣5️⃣ 0️⃣6️⃣
2️⃣8️⃣ 0️⃣8️⃣ 1️⃣7️⃣ 2️⃣3️⃣
3️⃣6️⃣ 1️⃣8️⃣ 1️⃣3️⃣ 1️⃣2️⃣
2️⃣6️⃣ 2️⃣9️⃣ 3️⃣4️⃣ 1️⃣9️⃣
2️⃣0️⃣ 1️⃣5️⃣ 0️⃣4️⃣ 0️⃣9️⃣
2️⃣1️⃣ 1️⃣4️⃣ 2️⃣2️⃣ 3️⃣0️⃣
3️⃣2️⃣ 3️⃣3️⃣ 3️⃣1️⃣ 1️⃣0️⃣
2️⃣5️⃣ 2️⃣4️⃣ 0️⃣7️⃣ 0️⃣3️⃣
duotrigordle.com
Guesses: 36/37
2️⃣7️⃣ 3️⃣5️⃣ 0️⃣5️⃣ 0️⃣6️⃣
2️⃣8️⃣ 0️⃣8️⃣ 1️⃣7️⃣ 2️⃣3️⃣
3️⃣6️⃣ 1️⃣8️⃣ 1️⃣3️⃣ 1️⃣2️⃣
2️⃣6️⃣ 2️⃣9️⃣ 3️⃣4️⃣ 1️⃣9️⃣
2️⃣0️⃣ 1️⃣5️⃣ 0️⃣4️⃣ 0️⃣9️⃣
2️⃣1️⃣ 1️⃣4️⃣ 2️⃣2️⃣ 3️⃣0️⃣
3️⃣2️⃣ 3️⃣3️⃣ 3️⃣1️⃣ 1️⃣0️⃣
2️⃣5️⃣ 2️⃣4️⃣ 0️⃣7️⃣ 0️⃣3️⃣
duotrigordle.com
On Tuesday I went to "Waterfall Country", a part of the Brecon Beacons that I honestly didn't even know existed until a few weeks ago. There's some amazing stuff there!
June 20, 2025 at 7:19 AM
On Tuesday I went to "Waterfall Country", a part of the Brecon Beacons that I honestly didn't even know existed until a few weeks ago. There's some amazing stuff there!
Congrats to South Africa on winning the World Test Championship!
I'll be honest, I don't really understand the point of the WTC. I didn't think that Test cricket needed context. Test cricket *is* context.
Still, I appreciate that all three finals have been won by the underdog. So again, congrats!
I'll be honest, I don't really understand the point of the WTC. I didn't think that Test cricket needed context. Test cricket *is* context.
Still, I appreciate that all three finals have been won by the underdog. So again, congrats!
June 15, 2025 at 5:05 AM
Congrats to South Africa on winning the World Test Championship!
I'll be honest, I don't really understand the point of the WTC. I didn't think that Test cricket needed context. Test cricket *is* context.
Still, I appreciate that all three finals have been won by the underdog. So again, congrats!
I'll be honest, I don't really understand the point of the WTC. I didn't think that Test cricket needed context. Test cricket *is* context.
Still, I appreciate that all three finals have been won by the underdog. So again, congrats!
If you see this, post a vehicle.
June 3, 2025 at 5:07 AM
If you see this, post a vehicle.
Went to the cricket at Sophia Gardens today! Got treated to an absolute masterclass of a run chase by Joe Root, dragging England from 2-2 and 133-5 to overhaul WI's 308 with three wickets left. Here he is bringing up his 150: #ENGvsWI 🏏
June 1, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Went to the cricket at Sophia Gardens today! Got treated to an absolute masterclass of a run chase by Joe Root, dragging England from 2-2 and 133-5 to overhaul WI's 308 with three wickets left. Here he is bringing up his 150: #ENGvsWI 🏏
Managed to animate some Lemmings walking along on the Animate It! machine at @techniquest.org . Surprised how well it loops, wasn't aiming for that! 🧪🎮
May 31, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Managed to animate some Lemmings walking along on the Animate It! machine at @techniquest.org . Surprised how well it loops, wasn't aiming for that! 🧪🎮
Oh right, forgot to mention at the time - back on the 20th, I went up Pen Y Fan (yes, I know, everyone and their mum had climbed Pen Y Fan) and Corn Du with friends from work! 🏞⛰️
May 29, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Oh right, forgot to mention at the time - back on the 20th, I went up Pen Y Fan (yes, I know, everyone and their mum had climbed Pen Y Fan) and Corn Du with friends from work! 🏞⛰️
Made some acrylic pieces for Fit the Fractions! Given how much more expensive it is than MDF and the amount of microplastics I probably just released into the world, I probably won't be making any more in acrylic for the foreseeable future. But nonetheless, pretty colours... #mathsky 🧮
May 29, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Made some acrylic pieces for Fit the Fractions! Given how much more expensive it is than MDF and the amount of microplastics I probably just released into the world, I probably won't be making any more in acrylic for the foreseeable future. But nonetheless, pretty colours... #mathsky 🧮