@tawmas.bsky.social
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Bach, you have to stop. Your clavier is too well-tempered. Your concertos too Brandenburg. They’ll kill you
November 14, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Bach, you have to stop. Your clavier is too well-tempered. Your concertos too Brandenburg. They’ll kill you
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If you had to imagine one of the most beautiful coins of antiquity, you might be dreaming of this beauty - a silver decadrachm from Syracuse, Sicily. On the reverse, the nymph Arethusa, patron of the city, is surrounded by (nice) dolphins; on the obverse, a victorious quadriga. 🏺 1/
📸 me
📸 me
![The reverse of this silver decadrachm depicts the profile of Arethusa, a nymph (or nereid) who was transformed into a freshwater spring on the tiny island of Ortygia adjacent to Syracuse, Sicily.
As the patron figure of Syracuse, Arethusa is shown with her hair in a beautiful net (golden hairnets were a luxury of the elite) and surrounded by swimming dolphins. An inscription above and to the side of her head reads: ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩ[Ν], or Syrakosion - Syracuse.
Greek, minted in Syracuse, Sicily, Italy (part of Magna Graecia, Great Greece - the Greek colonies in Italy), ca. 405-400 BCE. Silver.
Diameter: 37.8 mm (1.488 in.)
Weight: 43.11 g
Getty Villa Museum, on loan from the American Numismatic Society (1964.79.21)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4gvknr7shvnikz4ymbtf7wye/bafkreiaddvmlwotvbol7rgbdm4qcp2ggbvxlw2xvmg47kfkuvnzmqghkka@jpeg)
August 25, 2025 at 3:33 AM
If you had to imagine one of the most beautiful coins of antiquity, you might be dreaming of this beauty - a silver decadrachm from Syracuse, Sicily. On the reverse, the nymph Arethusa, patron of the city, is surrounded by (nice) dolphins; on the obverse, a victorious quadriga. 🏺 1/
📸 me
📸 me
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Indeed, though there's a worthwhile question here for the kind of fantasy world: assuming magic can help solve these problems, can the common peasantry afford it?
In a lot of cases farming productivity was limited by access to capital (like plow teams), because these folks are very poor.
In a lot of cases farming productivity was limited by access to capital (like plow teams), because these folks are very poor.
On the plus side, it reinforces the idea that fantasy world builders often focus over much on the exciting (often male coded) stuff of violence and kingship when they should really be thinking about, idk, the role of alchemists and mages in manufacturing baby formula and boosting crop fertility.
August 9, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Indeed, though there's a worthwhile question here for the kind of fantasy world: assuming magic can help solve these problems, can the common peasantry afford it?
In a lot of cases farming productivity was limited by access to capital (like plow teams), because these folks are very poor.
In a lot of cases farming productivity was limited by access to capital (like plow teams), because these folks are very poor.
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![Comic. A snake slithers around a hypercube. No two non-consecutive parts of its coils can be on adjacent corners. [Three small 4-dimensional hypercubes showing disallowed options with one large cube with snake wrapped around it. Dimensions = 4. Max Length - 7.] Snake(N) = Longest snake that can fit in an n-dimensional hypercube. Snake(N=1, 2, 3…8) = 1, 2, 4, 7, 13, 26, 50, 98. Snake(N>8) = UNSOLVED. [caption] It turns out every scientific field has a key thought experiment that involves putting a cute animal in a weird box for no reason. So far, quantum mechanics and graph theory have found theirs, but most other fields are still working on it.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreicjbjwxfe3ef6styvrvsjtt63znh24tfuqxlceewi3b6t7zfu756i@jpeg)
August 8, 2025 at 4:22 AM
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Delighted to make the acquaintance of Buddo in the delightful Stromness Museum. Buddo is a whalebone figurine from about 2900BC, dug up at Skara Brae in the 1860s, given to the museum in a random box of unknown provenance in the 1930s, rediscovered in the stores in 2016 and now has pride of place…
July 31, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Delighted to make the acquaintance of Buddo in the delightful Stromness Museum. Buddo is a whalebone figurine from about 2900BC, dug up at Skara Brae in the 1860s, given to the museum in a random box of unknown provenance in the 1930s, rediscovered in the stores in 2016 and now has pride of place…
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Let me counter by suggesting that every one of these should in fact say "you are a nerd and also wrong" except for Carolingian, which should say "you are a nerd and also correct."
July 27, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Let me counter by suggesting that every one of these should in fact say "you are a nerd and also wrong" except for Carolingian, which should say "you are a nerd and also correct."
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“I asked Chat GPT” “I asked Grok”
Ok well I asked Sappho and she said
…….
…….
..[b]osom
Ok well I asked Sappho and she said
…….
…….
..[b]osom
July 10, 2025 at 1:51 PM
“I asked Chat GPT” “I asked Grok”
Ok well I asked Sappho and she said
…….
…….
..[b]osom
Ok well I asked Sappho and she said
…….
…….
..[b]osom
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Oh, this is a good topic!
There is an element of 'consent' to pitched battles, but it's not the old myth of generals agreeing to have a battle before tea time.
And to the question - a better Roman general would presumably have refused battle at a place like Cannae.
But let's talk about it. 1/
There is an element of 'consent' to pitched battles, but it's not the old myth of generals agreeing to have a battle before tea time.
And to the question - a better Roman general would presumably have refused battle at a place like Cannae.
But let's talk about it. 1/
I don't think I really understand "pitched battle." It was once common that opposing armies agreed upon, or knowingly converged upon, a specified battleground?
Polybius says the Romans engaged at Cannae because of inexperience. Would experienced leaders ever agree to the same battle conditions?
Polybius says the Romans engaged at Cannae because of inexperience. Would experienced leaders ever agree to the same battle conditions?
July 8, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Oh, this is a good topic!
There is an element of 'consent' to pitched battles, but it's not the old myth of generals agreeing to have a battle before tea time.
And to the question - a better Roman general would presumably have refused battle at a place like Cannae.
But let's talk about it. 1/
There is an element of 'consent' to pitched battles, but it's not the old myth of generals agreeing to have a battle before tea time.
And to the question - a better Roman general would presumably have refused battle at a place like Cannae.
But let's talk about it. 1/
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#Roman relief showing two female gladiators in the middle of combat; the Greek inscription names them as Achilia & Amazon. They are shown fighting in the same kind of kit as male gladiators, apart from helmets which neither is wearing 🏺AncientBlueSky #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology
July 2, 2025 at 8:34 PM
#Roman relief showing two female gladiators in the middle of combat; the Greek inscription names them as Achilia & Amazon. They are shown fighting in the same kind of kit as male gladiators, apart from helmets which neither is wearing 🏺AncientBlueSky #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology
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Shadowverse tournaments have an actual lobby. Very extra, but also amusing.
I always roll my eyes when games force things like emotes on players calling it "social", but this level of virtualization really makes it feel more real.
I always roll my eyes when games force things like emotes on players calling it "social", but this level of virtualization really makes it feel more real.
June 29, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Shadowverse tournaments have an actual lobby. Very extra, but also amusing.
I always roll my eyes when games force things like emotes on players calling it "social", but this level of virtualization really makes it feel more real.
I always roll my eyes when games force things like emotes on players calling it "social", but this level of virtualization really makes it feel more real.
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It is fine to say, "this is stupid and not at all very historical, but I like it anyway, it's fun."
I have that view of many movies, including, ironically enough, Gladiator (2000) (but not the sequel, it was awful).
I have that view of many movies, including, ironically enough, Gladiator (2000) (but not the sequel, it was awful).
June 17, 2025 at 8:05 PM
It is fine to say, "this is stupid and not at all very historical, but I like it anyway, it's fun."
I have that view of many movies, including, ironically enough, Gladiator (2000) (but not the sequel, it was awful).
I have that view of many movies, including, ironically enough, Gladiator (2000) (but not the sequel, it was awful).
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![[Person with ponytail wearing lab coat hands balloon to another person in front of a springboard, a magnet hanging from above, and then a target] PERSON WITH PONYTAIL to Person 2: Rub this balloon against your head, then go jump past that magnet toward the target on the wall. [caption] Before the bathroom scale was invented, the only way to weigh people was mass spectrometry.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreid7lnvd7afmasx3nxi6anxmyhbatpaw54za3kiw3eaoclrf722faq@jpeg)
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A little art forgery treat for y'all. I present: the artifact (for which a collector paid $80k in 2008) and the scientific report (the most politely worded way of saying "you paid how much for limestone with a little concrete slapped on it?" I've ever seen).
May 23, 2025 at 11:38 PM
A little art forgery treat for y'all. I present: the artifact (for which a collector paid $80k in 2008) and the scientific report (the most politely worded way of saying "you paid how much for limestone with a little concrete slapped on it?" I've ever seen).
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This video has been cooking for awhile now.
Let's talk about the Pokémon Pocket economy, why everyone loved it at launch, and why there have been so many complaints about it as the game has matured.
youtu.be/BLzeh1tkyMA
Let's talk about the Pokémon Pocket economy, why everyone loved it at launch, and why there have been so many complaints about it as the game has matured.
youtu.be/BLzeh1tkyMA
Another Economy in Shambles: Pokémon TCG Pocket
YouTube video by Hooglandia Pokemon Pocket
youtu.be
April 28, 2025 at 12:12 PM
This video has been cooking for awhile now.
Let's talk about the Pokémon Pocket economy, why everyone loved it at launch, and why there have been so many complaints about it as the game has matured.
youtu.be/BLzeh1tkyMA
Let's talk about the Pokémon Pocket economy, why everyone loved it at launch, and why there have been so many complaints about it as the game has matured.
youtu.be/BLzeh1tkyMA
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So, reading the article, I am also struck - in addition to the OPSEC catastrophe - by how shallow the strategic thinking here is.
Maybe that's just always the way it is, but all the concerns are domestic politics and messaging. No one asks, "will these strikes accomplish anything and if so, what?"
Maybe that's just always the way it is, but all the concerns are domestic politics and messaging. No one asks, "will these strikes accomplish anything and if so, what?"
Signal chat “Houthi PC [Principals Committee] small group” to which Mike Waltz mistakenly added Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg “included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing” ahead of strikes that began March 15 www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.
www.theatlantic.com
March 24, 2025 at 6:06 PM
So, reading the article, I am also struck - in addition to the OPSEC catastrophe - by how shallow the strategic thinking here is.
Maybe that's just always the way it is, but all the concerns are domestic politics and messaging. No one asks, "will these strikes accomplish anything and if so, what?"
Maybe that's just always the way it is, but all the concerns are domestic politics and messaging. No one asks, "will these strikes accomplish anything and if so, what?"
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No more need to debate who is and is not a chosen one. We've solved it.
March 10, 2025 at 5:50 PM
No more need to debate who is and is not a chosen one. We've solved it.
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GIVE THAT HOUR BACK YOU BASTARDS
March 9, 2025 at 11:50 AM
GIVE THAT HOUR BACK YOU BASTARDS
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I'd forgotten about this article, it's sooooo good.
February 3, 2025 at 2:19 AM
I'd forgotten about this article, it's sooooo good.
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Sorry, but it’s too good that OpenAI is complaining about having its data used without permission. You don’t get this kind of on the nose poetic justice very often in real life.
January 30, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Sorry, but it’s too good that OpenAI is complaining about having its data used without permission. You don’t get this kind of on the nose poetic justice very often in real life.
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Trading has landed in Pokemon Pocket and some of the details feel rough... Let's breakdown what they are and why that is.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8_E...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8_E...
Trading is HERE and kind of SAD - Full Trading Details for Pokémon Pocket
YouTube video by Hooglandia Pokemon Pocket
www.youtube.com
January 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
Trading has landed in Pokemon Pocket and some of the details feel rough... Let's breakdown what they are and why that is.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8_E...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8_E...