Bill Higgins-- Retired Beam Jockey

@beamjockey.bsky.social

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Followers

128

Following

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Posts

Physicist. Speaker. Writer. Mono-instrumentalist.

My posts are my opinions, and I do not speak for anybody else.

Avatar: Bill Heterodyne, smiling & tipping his boater, by Phil Foglio.
Banner: Me, infinitely reflected in mirrors.

Posts Replies Media

Reply to

Funranium (AKA Phil Broughton)

Now I am curious.

So Trinity exploded, Apollo 11 launched, and the first Shoemaker-Levy 9 fragment hit, all on the same date of the calendar. Happy 16 July, everyone, and may you enjoy many more.

Reply to

Charlie Stross

Game of Thrones long? Dumarest long?

Reply to

Sarah Tuttle

As you wrote, "Like, it's the job. When you agree to walk up there, it's the job."

Reply to

Sarah Tuttle

The Huygens probe had parachuted to the surface of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Its cameras had revealed, at last, the landscape beneath its clouded atmosphere. I was to give a talk. The projector had failed, without hope of replacement. I described the landscape of Titan orally. For 59 minutes.

Reply to

Popehat

Naive question: If Judge Cannon's dismissal holds up, will everyone who's ever been on the wrong end of a Special Prosecutor flock to the courts to get their convictions canceled?

Reply to

Patrick Nielsen Hayden

There is a sturdy I-beam running across the basement, suitable for cowering beneath; a flashlight; and a very large supply of books. I'll be okay. (Is the Oxford Semicolon a thing?)

Judge Cannon dismissed the case. Does that mean the Feds have to return the boxes of classified documents to Trump's Mar-A-Lago bathroom?

Reports now that a tornado is going to da Loop.

There appear to be more tornados on the ground in the Chicago area, in this one storm, than we get most years.

TV: "Tornado warnings in Chicago have been allowed to expire." Up next: Indiana. Though a lot of the circulation has moved over Lake Michigan.

Reply to

Robert McNees

Joliet. Two near Sugar Grove. Be careful. Seems to have passed the Nuclear Arms Hotel here in Aurora by now.

Another night in Illinois, another tornado warning, another trip to the basement. Aurora seems to have been spared, but tornadoes confirmed in some nearby towns. Wishing safety to the people east of here, now under warnings.

Reply to

Patrick Nielsen Hayden

I guess, despite the beverage's best efforts, Schlitz did not make Milwaukee famous *enough*.

Also geographically germane, in this instance: Sheet music for this 1903 song--a song of which I have not previously heard--informs us that "The beer that made Milwaukee famous Made all New York drunk."

098.022 - The Beer that made Milwaukee Famous. | Levy Music Collectionlevysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu

Reply to

W. L. Bolm

Reminds me to mention to @adapalmer.bsky.social, one of those who seek beauty in the world, that @spacejammie.bsky.social and her husband have purchased a carousel. They are remaking it, painting & decorating each animal with its own astronomical theme. Follow her to see progress. #SkyhorseCarousel

Reply to

Dr. Jessie Christiansen

Making progress. The tornado warning did not help, but I brought the laptop down to the basement with me...

Reply to

Josh Turner

I myself ALREADY don't remember this.

Reply to

Phil Foglio

"Page not found! If you were expecting to see a crossword here, perhaps the puzzle is marked as private inside your account? (You should switch it to Public)."

Reply to

angelj6n.bsky.social

You must have climbed quite a tree to get this photo.

Reply to

Dr. Jessie Christiansen

NO. I somehow WILL get this health insurance stuff done.

Reply to

MAJeff, God of Cookies

The truly well-equipped kitchen also has a rice potatoer.

Reply to

Lynne Ann Morse

Yes, I was. For a while. I'm retaining the option of an afternoon nap later. Upon arising, there are a few more facts in the Big Story, and some more video clips and photos, but nothing much has changed the picture.

Reply to

Erin Biba

I stayed up, doomscrolling and playing cable news channels. You made a sound decision.

Reply to

Ben Gross

A pal recently purchased part of a former USAF radar station from the SAGE era. Now he owns a sturdy building and an orchard of tall radio masts. I'm somewhat curious about what gear was installed in that building...

If you haven't been following Brother Bob's model project, I hope this tweet gives just enough context to understand the photo. #PlasticJesuit

I've painted all the furniture in Angelo Secchi's offices in the observatory atop my HO scale model of the Church of St. Ignatius, Rome.

Reply to

Kip Williams sort of

Such a great name. As good as "Ormer Locklear," maybe better.

Reply to

Derek Lyons

You were always a trendsetter...

Alex Wellerstein, author of RESTRICTED DATA and probably best known as the historian-hacker who created NUKEMAP, is starting a new blog. He always writes interestingly, so I will be following DOOMSDAY MACHINES. Consider taking a look yourself.

OK, I am officially kicking off DOOMSDAY MACHINES, my new blog dedicated to the post-apocalyptic imagination: doomsdaymachines.net/p/welcome-to...

Welcome to DOOMSDAY MACHINESdoomsdaymachines.net Post-apocalyptic Road Trips, End of the World-building, and Interesting Times.

So Dunkin' Donuts decided to rename itself simply "Dunkin'." They've been removing the portion of their signs that spell out "DONUTS." Are these for sale cheaply? Great opportunity to get signs for another business! Such as a dry-cleaner named NOT SUD. Or facial tissue brand called DU SNOT.

Reply to

Ben Gross

Enjoying your thread, thanks!