Sam Rankin
@sorankin.bsky.social
Geek and general enthusiast. Keen interest in living in a Fort made of books.
Reposted by Sam Rankin
“Smoke me a kipper, I’ll be back for breakfast.”
November 28, 2025 at 9:12 PM
“Smoke me a kipper, I’ll be back for breakfast.”
Reposted by Sam Rankin
(alt text for previous repost)
"Re: 'There are a lot of people on your side who will be in the Epstein Files too!': No there aren't, my side is the 'People Who Don't Fuck Children' side, anyone not on this side can get all the way into the bin, what side are YOU on, exactly?" — John Scalzi
"Re: 'There are a lot of people on your side who will be in the Epstein Files too!': No there aren't, my side is the 'People Who Don't Fuck Children' side, anyone not on this side can get all the way into the bin, what side are YOU on, exactly?" — John Scalzi
November 15, 2025 at 10:49 PM
(alt text for previous repost)
"Re: 'There are a lot of people on your side who will be in the Epstein Files too!': No there aren't, my side is the 'People Who Don't Fuck Children' side, anyone not on this side can get all the way into the bin, what side are YOU on, exactly?" — John Scalzi
"Re: 'There are a lot of people on your side who will be in the Epstein Files too!': No there aren't, my side is the 'People Who Don't Fuck Children' side, anyone not on this side can get all the way into the bin, what side are YOU on, exactly?" — John Scalzi
Reposted by Sam Rankin
Bonus VGN this weekend! I'm supporting DJ Po's annual drive to purchase Holiday toys for mothers and children escaping Domestic Violence.
In addition to my regular Friday night stream at 8pm UK, I'll be streaming for the event from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday.
In addition to my regular Friday night stream at 8pm UK, I'll be streaming for the event from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday.
November 14, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Bonus VGN this weekend! I'm supporting DJ Po's annual drive to purchase Holiday toys for mothers and children escaping Domestic Violence.
In addition to my regular Friday night stream at 8pm UK, I'll be streaming for the event from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday.
In addition to my regular Friday night stream at 8pm UK, I'll be streaming for the event from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday.
Reposted by Sam Rankin
I lost the framed original of this while I was going through St Pancras on Sunday Nov 2nd around 3pm. Would love if it had been found by anyone?
November 5, 2025 at 11:23 AM
I lost the framed original of this while I was going through St Pancras on Sunday Nov 2nd around 3pm. Would love if it had been found by anyone?
Reposted by Sam Rankin
Nearly 3/4 of Europe's electricity is generated by clean energy sources.
Correction: Europe's electricity mix is 72% clean, not 73%, as of September 2025. powerbarometer.eurelectric.org
Power Barometer 2025: In shape for the future
This year again, Eurelectric’s Power Barometer tracks the evolution of Europe’s electricity system, this time through the lens of one decisive factor: power
powerbarometer.eurelectric.org
November 3, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Nearly 3/4 of Europe's electricity is generated by clean energy sources.
Reposted by Sam Rankin
🚨| @scottishgreens.org are polling at 16.5%! (Find Out Now)
The Greens are second in Scotland. Absolutely sensational. 💚🥳 Happy Friday, all! 🎊
The Greens are second in Scotland. Absolutely sensational. 💚🥳 Happy Friday, all! 🎊
October 24, 2025 at 9:50 PM
🚨| @scottishgreens.org are polling at 16.5%! (Find Out Now)
The Greens are second in Scotland. Absolutely sensational. 💚🥳 Happy Friday, all! 🎊
The Greens are second in Scotland. Absolutely sensational. 💚🥳 Happy Friday, all! 🎊
Reposted by Sam Rankin
"Trump sells US military to unidentified buyer."
New: The Pentagon confirms to CNN it will funnel $130M from an anonymous Trump “friend” toward military pay.
Asked about the donor’s identity and any foreign or domestic entanglements, the WH referred questions to DoD. DoD then referred questions back to the WH
www.cnn.com/2025/10/24/p...
Asked about the donor’s identity and any foreign or domestic entanglements, the WH referred questions to DoD. DoD then referred questions back to the WH
www.cnn.com/2025/10/24/p...
Pentagon to use $130 million donation from anonymous Trump ‘friend’ to pay military members | CNN Politics
The Trump administration plans to funnel a $130 million donation from an anonymous ally of President Donald Trump toward paying military service members during the government shutdown, the Defense Dep...
www.cnn.com
October 24, 2025 at 9:05 PM
"Trump sells US military to unidentified buyer."
What it is like inside my head
October 24, 2025 at 12:14 AM
What it is like inside my head
Reposted by Sam Rankin
Fascinated by the philosophical and theological implications of this
October 23, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Fascinated by the philosophical and theological implications of this
Reposted by Sam Rankin
The transformation in the last five years has been especially impressive. An unprecedented shift away from imported fossil fuels to cheap, secure, clean European energy. We don't celebrate this colossal feat nearly enough.
Electricity mix chart courtesy of @ember-energy.org
Electricity mix chart courtesy of @ember-energy.org
October 23, 2025 at 3:55 PM
The transformation in the last five years has been especially impressive. An unprecedented shift away from imported fossil fuels to cheap, secure, clean European energy. We don't celebrate this colossal feat nearly enough.
Electricity mix chart courtesy of @ember-energy.org
Electricity mix chart courtesy of @ember-energy.org
Reposted by Sam Rankin
This remains the funniest way to hear about an internet outage, though.
October 20, 2025 at 8:41 AM
This remains the funniest way to hear about an internet outage, though.
Reposted by Sam Rankin
I'd sooner trust a stoned monkey with a bag of hand grenades than this lot with the economy.
Amazing story in The Times. Reform UK failed to pay VAT to HMRC on its sales (tickets, merchandise). About £400k in all.
Not tax avoidance. Not tax evasion. They just didn't realise when you sell stuff you have to charge VAT.
Not tax avoidance. Not tax evasion. They just didn't realise when you sell stuff you have to charge VAT.
October 20, 2025 at 9:30 AM
I'd sooner trust a stoned monkey with a bag of hand grenades than this lot with the economy.
Reposted by Sam Rankin
"Could that box remain thither but also sit hither, why the greater should perforce become lesser, the large contained within the small, and nature confounded."
#DoctorWho
#DoctorWho
“Doth thine box rolleth on wheels?”
“It doth not, good sir!”
( Original screengrab by @stevewriteswords.bsky.social )
“It doth not, good sir!”
( Original screengrab by @stevewriteswords.bsky.social )
October 16, 2025 at 11:07 AM
"Could that box remain thither but also sit hither, why the greater should perforce become lesser, the large contained within the small, and nature confounded."
#DoctorWho
#DoctorWho
Reposted by Sam Rankin
Glasgow always outnumbers racists and I’ve never been prouder of my city 🥹
September 20, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Glasgow always outnumbers racists and I’ve never been prouder of my city 🥹
So far, the year without buying new (to me) books has gone okay. Some sneaky mentions of books I would like to my husband. The TBR pile is getting slightly smaller too!
September 21, 2025 at 2:42 PM
So far, the year without buying new (to me) books has gone okay. Some sneaky mentions of books I would like to my husband. The TBR pile is getting slightly smaller too!
Reposted by Sam Rankin
Holy shit.
We're expecting a huge police operation similar in size to project branchform them (the SNP case that was about the same value). Digging up McSweeney's garden. Tents on Starmer's lawn. Arrests. Wall to wall media coverage.
Right?
We're expecting a huge police operation similar in size to project branchform them (the SNP case that was about the same value). Digging up McSweeney's garden. Tents on Starmer's lawn. Arrests. Wall to wall media coverage.
Right?
"Labour Together failed to report donations of more than £700,000 made by venture capitalists and businessmen [including] £147,500 when McSweeney was running Starmer’s campaign to become Labour leader in 2020, while remaining company secretary of Labour Together."
September 21, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Holy shit.
We're expecting a huge police operation similar in size to project branchform them (the SNP case that was about the same value). Digging up McSweeney's garden. Tents on Starmer's lawn. Arrests. Wall to wall media coverage.
Right?
We're expecting a huge police operation similar in size to project branchform them (the SNP case that was about the same value). Digging up McSweeney's garden. Tents on Starmer's lawn. Arrests. Wall to wall media coverage.
Right?
Reposted by Sam Rankin
Where the hell is my 'runner's high'?
theneuroscienceofeve...
A quite-frankly justified rant about the absence of much-touted rewards of regular exercise. Sure, the whole 'being healthier' thing is all well and good, but where are the endorphins at?
#Exercise #Running #Health #High
theneuroscienceofeve...
A quite-frankly justified rant about the absence of much-touted rewards of regular exercise. Sure, the whole 'being healthier' thing is all well and good, but where are the endorphins at?
#Exercise #Running #Health #High
Where the hell is my 'runner's high'?
Many people talk of the rush of pleasure, the euphoric hit, that you experience when you do enough running. But I'll believe it when I see (feel) it.
theneuroscienceofeverydaylife.substack.com
September 18, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Where the hell is my 'runner's high'?
theneuroscienceofeve...
A quite-frankly justified rant about the absence of much-touted rewards of regular exercise. Sure, the whole 'being healthier' thing is all well and good, but where are the endorphins at?
#Exercise #Running #Health #High
theneuroscienceofeve...
A quite-frankly justified rant about the absence of much-touted rewards of regular exercise. Sure, the whole 'being healthier' thing is all well and good, but where are the endorphins at?
#Exercise #Running #Health #High
Reposted by Sam Rankin
Hell yeah. Spain boycotting is huge since they're a big 5. Really hope more countries follow suit.
Eurovision Crisis Looms as the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, Iceland and Slovenia Threaten Boycott if Israel Participates
Eurovision is facing its biggest political storm in decades as several national broadcasters threaten to withdraw if Israel is allowed to compete.
variety.com
September 15, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Hell yeah. Spain boycotting is huge since they're a big 5. Really hope more countries follow suit.
Reposted by Sam Rankin
Anyway, what prompted me to post about this today was Kristie's absolutely masterful response to a review in the Scotsman, highlighting the way marginalised writers are talked over and their experiences dismissed in literary criticism.
Don't think yer man was expecting a 2500 word rebuttal 😆
Don't think yer man was expecting a 2500 word rebuttal 😆
September 14, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Anyway, what prompted me to post about this today was Kristie's absolutely masterful response to a review in the Scotsman, highlighting the way marginalised writers are talked over and their experiences dismissed in literary criticism.
Don't think yer man was expecting a 2500 word rebuttal 😆
Don't think yer man was expecting a 2500 word rebuttal 😆
Reposted by Sam Rankin
"Healthy debate" = when I criticize you
"Cancel culture" = when you criticize me
"Cancel culture" = when you criticize me
September 13, 2025 at 1:41 PM
"Healthy debate" = when I criticize you
"Cancel culture" = when you criticize me
"Cancel culture" = when you criticize me
Reposted by Sam Rankin
👇
This thread omg
This thread omg
my friend was like "what a great title, I hope the author gets tenure" and I was like, "bud, this is an open access book called Sex Dolls at Sea by a video game scholar. this is QUINTESSENTIALLY the book of a professor who already has tenure."
September 11, 2025 at 6:26 PM
👇
This thread omg
This thread omg
Reposted by Sam Rankin
Author friends, if AI developers have stolen your work as they have mine, this thread details what you can do about it - regardless of where you live. ✒️📖
Just a reminder to check for your name in this list of books that OpenAI trained from. If your name is there, they probably owe you several thousand dollars.
OpenAI cried that if everyone eligible author files, the company will go bankrupt, so I'm alerting every author I have ever spoken to.
OpenAI cried that if everyone eligible author files, the company will go bankrupt, so I'm alerting every author I have ever spoken to.
Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI
Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.
www.theatlantic.com
September 6, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Author friends, if AI developers have stolen your work as they have mine, this thread details what you can do about it - regardless of where you live. ✒️📖
Reposted by Sam Rankin
Disabled, chronically ill people and carers of Scotland! I've created a Discord server that's Scotland specific (but open to folk outwith the motherland) and would love for you to join. It's intended to be a safe space for everyone, so as long as you don't act like a bam you will be welcome.
Join the Spoonie Sanctuary Scotland Discord Server!
Spoonie Sanctuary Scotland is for people living with a disability and/or chronic illness. Carers are also welcome as are people from outside Scotland, though content will be primarily for people livin...
discord.gg
August 27, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Disabled, chronically ill people and carers of Scotland! I've created a Discord server that's Scotland specific (but open to folk outwith the motherland) and would love for you to join. It's intended to be a safe space for everyone, so as long as you don't act like a bam you will be welcome.
Reposted by Sam Rankin
I want to explain a few things and then it might be clearer why UK trans people are upset.
In 2001 I married my wife, Sylvia.
In 2005 I started medical transition. (1/13)
In 2001 I married my wife, Sylvia.
In 2005 I started medical transition. (1/13)
August 29, 2025 at 11:56 AM
I want to explain a few things and then it might be clearer why UK trans people are upset.
In 2001 I married my wife, Sylvia.
In 2005 I started medical transition. (1/13)
In 2001 I married my wife, Sylvia.
In 2005 I started medical transition. (1/13)