Ben Nagy
@rantyben.bsky.social
I turn latin poetry into long lists of floating point numbers
"Here was the ancient line of Teucer, a most beautiful race, great-souled heroes, born in better times [...] From far off, Aeneas marvels at the warriors' arms and empty chariots"
(Verg. Aen. 648-51)
not gonna lie, I got a bit of ptsd from the Hades game when I read this passage.
(Verg. Aen. 648-51)
not gonna lie, I got a bit of ptsd from the Hades game when I read this passage.
October 30, 2025 at 8:19 AM
"Here was the ancient line of Teucer, a most beautiful race, great-souled heroes, born in better times [...] From far off, Aeneas marvels at the warriors' arms and empty chariots"
(Verg. Aen. 648-51)
not gonna lie, I got a bit of ptsd from the Hades game when I read this passage.
(Verg. Aen. 648-51)
not gonna lie, I got a bit of ptsd from the Hades game when I read this passage.
that must get your hackles up
October 27, 2025 at 11:06 AM
that must get your hackles up
it surprises me that the idea of a general strike is difficult for Americans, because honestly it's the country where labour has approximately the most leverage? Like... rich fucks won't even take out their own trash...
October 25, 2025 at 3:57 PM
it surprises me that the idea of a general strike is difficult for Americans, because honestly it's the country where labour has approximately the most leverage? Like... rich fucks won't even take out their own trash...
OH MY GOD the most famous Aussie crayfish (staple of the Summer Christmas) is *also* named for Palinurus, except.. spelled wrong because it's from Perth I guess
so touching that his unfair death (murdered by the god of sleep) is memorialised this way 😪
so touching that his unfair death (murdered by the god of sleep) is memorialised this way 😪
October 24, 2025 at 5:41 PM
OH MY GOD the most famous Aussie crayfish (staple of the Summer Christmas) is *also* named for Palinurus, except.. spelled wrong because it's from Perth I guess
so touching that his unfair death (murdered by the god of sleep) is memorialised this way 😪
so touching that his unfair death (murdered by the god of sleep) is memorialised this way 😪
The Promise : The Reality
(Sibyl to Palinurus in Avernus: "quit wingeing, m8. There's going to be a big statue of you and stuff, and a town will be named after you!)
According to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palinur... is "named after ... Palinuro, Italy, where they are found in abundance"
(Sibyl to Palinurus in Avernus: "quit wingeing, m8. There's going to be a big statue of you and stuff, and a town will be named after you!)
According to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palinur... is "named after ... Palinuro, Italy, where they are found in abundance"
October 24, 2025 at 5:22 PM
The Promise : The Reality
(Sibyl to Palinurus in Avernus: "quit wingeing, m8. There's going to be a big statue of you and stuff, and a town will be named after you!)
According to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palinur... is "named after ... Palinuro, Italy, where they are found in abundance"
(Sibyl to Palinurus in Avernus: "quit wingeing, m8. There's going to be a big statue of you and stuff, and a town will be named after you!)
According to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palinur... is "named after ... Palinuro, Italy, where they are found in abundance"
I know zero Old English, for the record, just poetic ear 💅
October 22, 2025 at 5:19 PM
I know zero Old English, for the record, just poetic ear 💅
me: UGH all the interconnected bars and lines in this Gantt chart are annoying and gross
also me: anyway, back to my soothing video game, Factorio...
also me: anyway, back to my soothing video game, Factorio...
October 21, 2025 at 6:35 PM
me: UGH all the interconnected bars and lines in this Gantt chart are annoying and gross
also me: anyway, back to my soothing video game, Factorio...
also me: anyway, back to my soothing video game, Factorio...
I was planning to do 2-3 hours work and then get back to video games but anyway that was 8 hours ago and now I have apparently made a Gantt chart in LaTeX could someone please kill me?
October 21, 2025 at 6:25 PM
I was planning to do 2-3 hours work and then get back to video games but anyway that was 8 hours ago and now I have apparently made a Gantt chart in LaTeX could someone please kill me?
Still not doing the Thing, but I can't stand it - no Erictho has come across my timeline today, unarguably the baddest-ass sorceress in ancient Lit. No art translations today, so English from www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/...
Lucan is the GOAT for over the top hexameter 😍
Lucan is the GOAT for over the top hexameter 😍
October 7, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Still not doing the Thing, but I can't stand it - no Erictho has come across my timeline today, unarguably the baddest-ass sorceress in ancient Lit. No art translations today, so English from www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/...
Lucan is the GOAT for over the top hexameter 😍
Lucan is the GOAT for over the top hexameter 😍
The EvaLatin24 model is now out for UDPipe, and it is .. just *terrifyingly* good compared to the individual models (it was trained on harmonised treebanks, and has all the new tech) but has some small bugs right now which I am hoping are cosmetic (Tonanti is parsed as punct??)
October 5, 2025 at 4:02 PM
The EvaLatin24 model is now out for UDPipe, and it is .. just *terrifyingly* good compared to the individual models (it was trained on harmonised treebanks, and has all the new tech) but has some small bugs right now which I am hoping are cosmetic (Tonanti is parsed as punct??)
Instead of playing video games, like an idiot I spent my weekend trying out some new-ish Latin parsers.
latinCy is pretty impressive, and does a great job for short sentences. It's also easy to integrate into a Python ecosystem and style so it looks great...
latinCy is pretty impressive, and does a great job for short sentences. It's also easy to integrate into a Python ecosystem and style so it looks great...
October 5, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Instead of playing video games, like an idiot I spent my weekend trying out some new-ish Latin parsers.
latinCy is pretty impressive, and does a great job for short sentences. It's also easy to integrate into a Python ecosystem and style so it looks great...
latinCy is pretty impressive, and does a great job for short sentences. It's also easy to integrate into a Python ecosystem and style so it looks great...
I am *not* doing the Thing, but here's the house of Somnus (=Hypnos) from Ovid Met. 11.608
"Doors, lest strident hinges squeal, in all the house are none; no guard at the threshold, only, in the middle of the hall, an ebony couch raised high - feathery, black, and swathed in dusky sheets...
"Doors, lest strident hinges squeal, in all the house are none; no guard at the threshold, only, in the middle of the hall, an ebony couch raised high - feathery, black, and swathed in dusky sheets...
October 1, 2025 at 10:48 AM
I am *not* doing the Thing, but here's the house of Somnus (=Hypnos) from Ovid Met. 11.608
"Doors, lest strident hinges squeal, in all the house are none; no guard at the threshold, only, in the middle of the hall, an ebony couch raised high - feathery, black, and swathed in dusky sheets...
"Doors, lest strident hinges squeal, in all the house are none; no guard at the threshold, only, in the middle of the hall, an ebony couch raised high - feathery, black, and swathed in dusky sheets...
This is REAL CLASSICS done by REAL CLASSICISTS. Look what they have been demanding your respect for all this time. "Hello I would like 'et plus Cd K Mi Ob Pd Pe Q Vcul] at plus Cdul: hac plus Pdul: ha' poetry, please?"
They have played us for absolute fools.
They have played us for absolute fools.
September 30, 2025 at 2:45 PM
This is REAL CLASSICS done by REAL CLASSICISTS. Look what they have been demanding your respect for all this time. "Hello I would like 'et plus Cd K Mi Ob Pd Pe Q Vcul] at plus Cdul: hac plus Pdul: ha' poetry, please?"
They have played us for absolute fools.
They have played us for absolute fools.
Back in Kraków, back to the local market! This week's stew is duck (carcass for stock and two legs), two kinds of wild mushrooms, hazelnuts, smoked pork cheek, and new potatoes.
Not going to do a full thread, but I am very excited to finally get my duck-and-wild-mushrooms on 🤤
Not going to do a full thread, but I am very excited to finally get my duck-and-wild-mushrooms on 🤤
September 25, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Back in Kraków, back to the local market! This week's stew is duck (carcass for stock and two legs), two kinds of wild mushrooms, hazelnuts, smoked pork cheek, and new potatoes.
Not going to do a full thread, but I am very excited to finally get my duck-and-wild-mushrooms on 🤤
Not going to do a full thread, but I am very excited to finally get my duck-and-wild-mushrooms on 🤤
I have liked the MQDQ project for many years, it's an amazing collection of Latin verse with good tools. I like it even more as of today.
September 22, 2025 at 7:00 AM
I have liked the MQDQ project for many years, it's an amazing collection of Latin verse with good tools. I like it even more as of today.
Chanterelles in late to not murder them. aaand done. Between the buckwheat, beans, and roux there was no problem getting the good texture. I did need to balance salt and brighten with a little vinegar last minute. Now I have food for a week 😅
September 15, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Chanterelles in late to not murder them. aaand done. Between the buckwheat, beans, and roux there was no problem getting the good texture. I did need to balance salt and brighten with a little vinegar last minute. Now I have food for a week 😅
Assemble. Add dried mushrooms (wish I had them all fresh - next month!), cover with cider, little sweet paprika, soy for salt. Now cook for a long time...
September 15, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Assemble. Add dried mushrooms (wish I had them all fresh - next month!), cover with cider, little sweet paprika, soy for salt. Now cook for a long time...
meanwhile, boil the beans hard for 5 minutes then blanch in cold water. I peeled them by making a small slit with a paring knife and squeezing (the skin is super tough)
September 15, 2025 at 5:16 PM
meanwhile, boil the beans hard for 5 minutes then blanch in cold water. I peeled them by making a small slit with a paring knife and squeezing (the skin is super tough)
To start, rendered the jowl very slowly with garlic, and transferred to the stew pot with a slotted spoon. Then get colour on the osso bucco. Use that fat to make a "dirty roux". Arrest the roux with mirepoix.
September 15, 2025 at 5:16 PM
To start, rendered the jowl very slowly with garlic, and transferred to the stew pot with a slotted spoon. Then get colour on the osso bucco. Use that fat to make a "dirty roux". Arrest the roux with mirepoix.
Today I knew there would be fresh Chanterelles at the market, and I was planning on something with duck or rabbit... but that's not what they had.
Instead, I have three kinds of mushrooms, veal osso bucco, fresh broad beans, smoked pork jowl, roast buckwheat, and stew veg...
Instead, I have three kinds of mushrooms, veal osso bucco, fresh broad beans, smoked pork jowl, roast buckwheat, and stew veg...
September 15, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Today I knew there would be fresh Chanterelles at the market, and I was planning on something with duck or rabbit... but that's not what they had.
Instead, I have three kinds of mushrooms, veal osso bucco, fresh broad beans, smoked pork jowl, roast buckwheat, and stew veg...
Instead, I have three kinds of mushrooms, veal osso bucco, fresh broad beans, smoked pork jowl, roast buckwheat, and stew veg...
Home to one of the greatest cooking ingredients in the world!
September 15, 2025 at 6:16 AM
Home to one of the greatest cooking ingredients in the world!