Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
@zeheriot-shaw.bsky.social
Interests: cellular automata, cosmology, foundational physics, ontological continuum, philosophical fantasy, physics of clocks and philosophy of time/philosophy of clocks and physics of time, structural fabulation. Location: realm of Platonic ideals
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
I know nothing of Amherst. There are YouTube videos but I cannot face them
November 13, 2025 at 11:17 PM
I know nothing of Amherst. There are YouTube videos but I cannot face them
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
The only ones in America that appealed to me were Berkeley and Miskatonic
November 13, 2025 at 11:18 PM
The only ones in America that appealed to me were Berkeley and Miskatonic
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
In some ways it’s just easier to be a philosophical anarchist. No power is presumed legitimate, but some actions can still be much worse than others.
November 13, 2025 at 10:14 PM
In some ways it’s just easier to be a philosophical anarchist. No power is presumed legitimate, but some actions can still be much worse than others.
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
More than anything else, powerful men - like the ones who run the NYT - believe in the legitimacy of power itself. Because if it isn’t legitimate, they have to start asking hard questions about the world and themselves.
November 13, 2025 at 6:41 PM
More than anything else, powerful men - like the ones who run the NYT - believe in the legitimacy of power itself. Because if it isn’t legitimate, they have to start asking hard questions about the world and themselves.
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
Bard College!
November 13, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Bard College!
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
Very pleased to learn that "After 1177 BC: The Survival of Civilizations" has been chosen to receive a Biblical Archaeology Society 2025 Publication Award for "Best Popular Book on Archaeology" (for books published during 2023 and 2024).
November 13, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Very pleased to learn that "After 1177 BC: The Survival of Civilizations" has been chosen to receive a Biblical Archaeology Society 2025 Publication Award for "Best Popular Book on Archaeology" (for books published during 2023 and 2024).
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
Let's talk about books and the public trust.
📚🧵
Something that is easy to forget, in these days of barcode-scanning / auto-adjust pricing on third-party platforms for pennies plus shipping:
Booksellers are not merely people who sell some popular books in a competitive market.
📚🧵
Something that is easy to forget, in these days of barcode-scanning / auto-adjust pricing on third-party platforms for pennies plus shipping:
Booksellers are not merely people who sell some popular books in a competitive market.
November 12, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Let's talk about books and the public trust.
📚🧵
Something that is easy to forget, in these days of barcode-scanning / auto-adjust pricing on third-party platforms for pennies plus shipping:
Booksellers are not merely people who sell some popular books in a competitive market.
📚🧵
Something that is easy to forget, in these days of barcode-scanning / auto-adjust pricing on third-party platforms for pennies plus shipping:
Booksellers are not merely people who sell some popular books in a competitive market.
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
Birnbach herself attended Columbia, Brown & The Birch Wathen Lenox School. So much for leaving us with the crumbs.
November 12, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Birnbach herself attended Columbia, Brown & The Birch Wathen Lenox School. So much for leaving us with the crumbs.
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
The Michelle Rosaldo Prize-winning anthropologist Lisa Birnbach IDed colleges that offer social mobility w/out expecting kids to ace the SAT:
Hamilton, UVa, St. Lawrence, Babson, Hampden-Sydney, Lake Forest, Sweet Briar, Hollins & Pine Manor.
But this research concluded in 1981. The list has changed
Hamilton, UVa, St. Lawrence, Babson, Hampden-Sydney, Lake Forest, Sweet Briar, Hollins & Pine Manor.
But this research concluded in 1981. The list has changed
November 11, 2025 at 10:58 PM
The Michelle Rosaldo Prize-winning anthropologist Lisa Birnbach IDed colleges that offer social mobility w/out expecting kids to ace the SAT:
Hamilton, UVa, St. Lawrence, Babson, Hampden-Sydney, Lake Forest, Sweet Briar, Hollins & Pine Manor.
But this research concluded in 1981. The list has changed
Hamilton, UVa, St. Lawrence, Babson, Hampden-Sydney, Lake Forest, Sweet Briar, Hollins & Pine Manor.
But this research concluded in 1981. The list has changed
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
Typical of America not to have any equivalent of UCAS. I suppose it would be awkward to fill in all the bizarre corrupt hoops for all the colleges
November 11, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Typical of America not to have any equivalent of UCAS. I suppose it would be awkward to fill in all the bizarre corrupt hoops for all the colleges
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
Yes, and this doesn't exist at all for Oxford. The only thing that might help is playing the church organ.
November 11, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Yes, and this doesn't exist at all for Oxford. The only thing that might help is playing the church organ.
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
Personally I'd be pleased to see BBC News disappear entirely. To argue, as many do, that British politics or our news environment would be so much worse without the BBC you have to explain why British politics and news environment is so very bad with the BBC.
November 11, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Personally I'd be pleased to see BBC News disappear entirely. To argue, as many do, that British politics or our news environment would be so much worse without the BBC you have to explain why British politics and news environment is so very bad with the BBC.
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
Revealing division in my timeline between (1) my insider friends who have lived privileged lives who are very keen that we defend the BBC and think it's important it survives and (2) my outsider friends who feel (at best) ambivalent about the BBC's survival.
November 11, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Revealing division in my timeline between (1) my insider friends who have lived privileged lives who are very keen that we defend the BBC and think it's important it survives and (2) my outsider friends who feel (at best) ambivalent about the BBC's survival.
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
I think they are in deep denial about it.
November 11, 2025 at 6:36 PM
I think they are in deep denial about it.
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
Is it that they "don't get class" or do they embrace the concept of The American Dream and believe that anyone can, and should be able to, make it if they want to?
So many industries in the UK are tied up with the class system and 'the old boy network' with glass ceilings, especially for women
So many industries in the UK are tied up with the class system and 'the old boy network' with glass ceilings, especially for women
November 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Is it that they "don't get class" or do they embrace the concept of The American Dream and believe that anyone can, and should be able to, make it if they want to?
So many industries in the UK are tied up with the class system and 'the old boy network' with glass ceilings, especially for women
So many industries in the UK are tied up with the class system and 'the old boy network' with glass ceilings, especially for women
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
if you voted in Seattle you gotta make sure your ballot counted now
There are 1,700 ballots that need signature confirmation. That is enough to change the election.
Go. Check. Your. Ballot.
komonews.com/news/local/s...
Go. Check. Your. Ballot.
komonews.com/news/local/s...
November 11, 2025 at 6:29 PM
if you voted in Seattle you gotta make sure your ballot counted now
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
November 11, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
the Running Man sequel where Noah Smith is dropped into pretty much any area of London will need to be marketed as a comedy
November 11, 2025 at 3:43 PM
the Running Man sequel where Noah Smith is dropped into pretty much any area of London will need to be marketed as a comedy
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
Prediction: The true unit of local government is going to end up being river catchment areas @celestialweasel.bsky.social @oldtrotter.bsky.social
London has joined the Swimmable Rivers Alliance.
Our rivers have been neglected and damaged for far too long, with shameful levels of pollution harming our waterways. I’m determined to clean them up.
Our rivers have been neglected and damaged for far too long, with shameful levels of pollution harming our waterways. I’m determined to clean them up.
Mayor Khan commits to clean our rivers as London joins Swimmable Cities alliance - Outdoor Swimmer Magazine
London joins cities including Paris, Rotterdam and Budapest in the global drive to restore urban waterways and make them safe, clean, and accessible for swimming
outdoorswimmer.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Prediction: The true unit of local government is going to end up being river catchment areas @celestialweasel.bsky.social @oldtrotter.bsky.social
The weird thing about Americans supposedly not getting class is that in addition to the whole massive system of private schools here there"s then the additional layer of college with entry to elite schools largely determined by class signifiers (alumni, faculty, donors, obscure sports, extramural)
November 11, 2025 at 2:22 PM
The weird thing about Americans supposedly not getting class is that in addition to the whole massive system of private schools here there"s then the additional layer of college with entry to elite schools largely determined by class signifiers (alumni, faculty, donors, obscure sports, extramural)
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
One tiny detail I always loved about the Smiley books was that Control’s wife thought he worked for the Coal Board.
November 11, 2025 at 2:09 PM
One tiny detail I always loved about the Smiley books was that Control’s wife thought he worked for the Coal Board.
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
I think it should be a whole station - bin details read out by a bored sounding posh woman over ambient music
A radio programme like the Shipping Forecast but it’s called Bin Day and it just reads out every single council in the country’s bin schedule
November 11, 2025 at 12:33 AM
I think it should be a whole station - bin details read out by a bored sounding posh woman over ambient music
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
Me waking up on the west coast and looking at the news 🪶
November 10, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Me waking up on the west coast and looking at the news 🪶
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
Tangentially related - the bone-deep happiness I felt when I walked into the new Barnes & Noble in Georgetown the other day and saw a Waterstones.
November 10, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Tangentially related - the bone-deep happiness I felt when I walked into the new Barnes & Noble in Georgetown the other day and saw a Waterstones.
Reposted by Zoë E. Heriot-Shaw
"Festival of Floppies" and "Copy that Floppy" are such good titles for outreach events, I can't get over it.
www.lib.cam.ac.uk/future-nosta...
www.lib.cam.ac.uk/future-nosta...
Future Nostalgia: Safeguarding the knowledge of floppy disks
Funded by British Academy/ Leverhulme Trust Small Grant
www.lib.cam.ac.uk
November 10, 2025 at 4:26 PM
"Festival of Floppies" and "Copy that Floppy" are such good titles for outreach events, I can't get over it.
www.lib.cam.ac.uk/future-nosta...
www.lib.cam.ac.uk/future-nosta...