iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Prasad Jallepalli, MD, PhD @prasad.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

5 potatoes cubed is still 5 potatoes because potatoes are root vegetables

Brian Mackenwells @mackenwells.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

If you, like me, have time to kill before a vasectomy, I recommend @themerl.bsky.social ! Although maybe skip the section with the big clamps 😬

Brian in front of the museum of English Rural Life

An old castrating clamp. Best not to think about it

110

Brian Mackenwells @mackenwells.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I had cause to look up the @storycollider.bsky.social talk I did 10 (10!) years ago about the time I flew on the Vomit Comet, and I've enough distance from it to say that it's actually pretty good you guys - my own jokes caught me unawares, it's funny! www.storycollider.org/singles/2020...

storycollider.org

Singles — The Story Collider

Science communicator Brian Mackenwells tries to smuggle an unauthorized piece of whimsy onto a zero-gravity spaceflight.

010

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Herr Spooky Gunther Büergers @calamityjon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Wild thing I learned earlier today -- the phrase "This is a job for Superman" predates Superman. I found citations as early as 1909.

520781

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Sam Logan @samandfuzzy.com · 21/09/2026

Skull Panda Solves a Murder

Skull Panda with a knife stuck in it. But when grabs the handle and pulls it out, he discovers that instead of a blade, it's a long string of handkerchiefs. Behind him, a magician looks nervous.

0931154

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Sarah Elizabeth Cox @oispooky.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

This Saturday, 6pm, Mayflower Studios in Southampton! Part of the British Science Festival! #BSF26 FREE: www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/bri...

mayflower.org.uk

British Science Festival | Mayflower

Free events, exhibitions, performances and installations that celebrate the people, stories and ideas at the heart of science.

083

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

BSHS @bshsnews.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

🎭 Reminder! Don't miss your chance to see The Cambridge First All-Ladies Fire Brigade—supported by a BSHS OEC Grant— at the British Science Festival on 19 Sept in Southampton. bshs.org.uk/cambridge-fi... firebrigademusical.com Free tickets: www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/bri...

Illustration of a woman climbing a ladder, a thick rope slung around her arm

034

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Absolutely incredible that all of this is being done under the narrative of "independent review of studies." The studies find significant benefits and no harms! Children are not being rushed into irreversible procedures! An entire government and media apparatus buying in an urban legend

131776203

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

The Cambridge First All-Ladies Fire Brigade @firebrigademusical.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Don't miss this first outing of The Cambridge First All-Ladies Fire Brigade on Saturday 19th September! Part of the British Science Festival at Mayflower Studios, Southampton 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

033

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Helen Arney @helenarney.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Another day, another @firebrigademusical.bsky.social cast announcement! This time our Solo Concert Crew: singer Noa Shakhar, and pianist Felix Elliott - who went to @girtoncollege.bsky.social just like Hertha Ayrton did 🔥💪 Join us on Sat 12th Sep at @whipplemuseum.bsky.social for Open Cambridge!

012

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Helen Arney @helenarney.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Our phenomenal cast for @firebrigademusical.bsky.social this Autumn! Come see us in Southampton at @mayflower.org.uk Studios on Saturday 19th September, as part of the British Science Festival ⚛️🔭🦠👩‍🔬🔥 Tickets are FREE! www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/bri...

296

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

Such a good question, what could scientists and poets EVER learn from each other???

Scientists and Gravediggers

By Jay Hulme From "The Vanishing Song

This is not my first time digging a grave,
he says, leaning on the spade,
arms bunched up, head slanted,
shovel planted deep into the earth.

In the Arctic there was a cliff,
collapsing into the sea
and below it, the scattered dead.

These centuries-old corpses
in the once-frozen ground
are pried free like oysters, winkles,
fossils from the face of the cliff;
the wind snatching at bones
hanging over the waves.

These scientists with no expectation
carried the bodies inland
and laid them back to their rest,

bursting open the permafrost
with practised strokes; no prayer
on their lips but this: that their
labour may be of service to another.

314825

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Pile Of Garbage @pileofgarbage.net · 17/08/2026

How to win at most all things:

93102923420

Brian Mackenwells @mackenwells.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

I've been thinking about this, and Eternals is The Dead - family members get together for a special occasion and they all hang around having slightly strained conversations

020

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Jen Gupta @jengupta.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I'm barely on social media anymore but thought I should pop up on here to say that my first book is out today! Your Expert Guide: The Universe for Young Scientists is now available anywhere you buy books, illustrated by the wonderful Ola Szpunar and published by Wayland in collaboration with the IOP

A selfie of me smiling at the camera and holding up a copy of my book

093

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Sarah Elizabeth Cox @oispooky.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Day job news: less than five weeks until the British Science Festival in Southampton! We've got a live autopsy (on an actor, sorry), competitive litter picking, a musical about female Victorian firefighters, skateboarding, 80+ panels, talks, arts, activities! www.britishsciencefestival.org/events

a line-up of models styled by Ugandan fashion designers in outfits which promote vaccination

Zion Lights, Tori Stsui, Dominique Palmer

Rachael Kent, Kasim Ahmed, Milly Evans, Cecile Simmons

performers fly from a big sort of crane thing (gyroscopic flying machine) under stormy skies - CastAway by Highly Sprung

21610

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Herr Spooky Gunther Büergers @calamityjon.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

This weekend's Sunday Gordos are both really beautiful examples of what Arriola brought to the funny pages. Dig the music slowly turning to snoring, or Dog and Popo knocked out on the floor together, among a million other things.

052

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

BSHS @bshsnews.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

The Cambridge First All-Ladies Fire Brigade, a new musical about Hertha Ayrton and pioneering women in science, supported by the BSHS OEC project grant, @ the britishsciencefestival.org on 19 Sept in Southampton. bshs.org.uk/cambridge-fi... Free tickets: www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/bri...

Illustration of a woman climbing a ladder with a rope over her shoulder

187

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Kieron Gillen @kierongillen.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

You'll likely know @tomhumberstone.com from various things (his comic on the Luddites went large), but he's got a new one on the Gig Economy, couriers, the history of all that, specifics of exploitations and the fight against that. Read it, and spread it around. Strong. tomhumberstone.com/just-work

tomhumberstone.com

Just Work | Tom Humberstone

Just Work

07243

Brian Mackenwells @mackenwells.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Sidebar: I attempted this one time, sort of. There's a GREAT comedy night in London called "An Evening of Unnecessary Detail" that I've performed in a few times, and once I did an 11-minute speed-run through the Summer Family Tree. I still have my slides, which gives an idea.

An almost impossible to parse family tree, with numerous lines in different colours between all sorts of X-Men characters

230

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Louise @selkies.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Is this a good time to mention that in college my History of Translation lecturer (Michael Cronin) told us that one of the first vernacular translations of The Illiad was into Irish, and the translator had to give the main characters dogs because in Gaelic society a free man had a dog

252252546

Brian Mackenwells @mackenwells.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

As @xplainthexmen.bsky.social draws to a close, it's probably a good moment to say how much I've loved listening to it (I think episode 6? was my first one?). It inspired the largest and maddest bit of poetry I've ever attempted - The Cyclops Cycle bmackenwells.wordpress.com/writing/the-...

bmackenwells.wordpress.com

The Cyclops Cycle

If you’ve ever wanted to read sonnets about comic book characters, then you are in luck. Brian wrote a Heroic Crown of Sonnets about the family tree of Cyclops (from the X-Men). It took a while, bu…

191

Brian Mackenwells @mackenwells.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

@unchcrosswords.com Hello! I've just found out about your lovely magazine, it seems right up my street. Is it safe to say that back issues are no longer available?

110

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Gerard Cunningham @faduda.eurosky.social · 21/07/2026

Bí gé, do crimes.

Two geese in the back seat of a police car

14820

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 19/07/2026

Could Excel be conscious? We surveyed more than Jan 1 1900 people to find out.

114137702879

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Jamie Smart @jamiesmart.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

🎸Here’s one of my favourite Looshkin comics. All three Looshkin books are available now! (Hoping to work on a fourth sooooon)

5469

Brian Mackenwells @mackenwells.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Folk in Ireland - can I give my 100% rec to go see the unbeatable Shauna Carrick's new musical - it's in Irish, with English subtitles, and it's all about the Gaeltacht. You'll love it It's in Galway atm, and will be going to the Dublin Fringe too. Go see it! www.giaf.ie/festival/eve...

giaf.ie

SAOIRSE | Galway International Arts Festival

Tá samhradh na saoirse buailte linn. Tá scéitimíní san aer.

2135

Brian Mackenwells @mackenwells.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Incredibly cool comics, for free? It's true! Sci-fi noir business! Get it!

020

Brian Mackenwells @mackenwells.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

I made a bunch of stuff from this great sandwich cookbook, but these two I still think about.

010

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

David Cooper @davidbcooper.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

A short comic about Lenny #TheSimpsons #comics

3938871385

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Jonas Goonface @jonasgoonface.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Howdy I'm the sheriff of #makeaterriblecomicday

comic of a rascal picking a book out of the library and wanting to make one of their own. The other books yell to also be read, and the rascal is panicked by this mass of unread stories, saying "this library is a graveyard! How will my comic avoid this fate!" The sheriff of makeaterriblecomicday enters and points his gun at the rascal, saying "An unread book is no tragedy! An unwritten book is! create for your own soul, or don't create at all!" the rascal, is still worried about their place in infinity, but the sheriff assures them that inifinity is a scam, the only truth is in the moment, and being forgotten is a blessing. waves saying "read me!" crash on a beach, apreciated for a moment, and forgotten. These comic panels create a sheriff body.

171842549

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Meg Syv @megsyv.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

Mutant Crisis: Part 2 (1/3)

18589175

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Death & Milk @deathandmilk.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Dithered, limited colour version of my most recent piece 🩸

71008223

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Alom Shaha @alomshaha.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Science types, while you’re all wetting yourself with excitement about the anniversary of the publication of “The Selfish Gene”, here is what your esteemed colleague is getting up to. Enjoy your fancy celebratory events with him though.

54617

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Dorothy @catandgirl.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

A Brief History of Reviewing Things on the Internet, Vol. II

'I was here when the Googles and Facebooks met gods from distant lands,' Girl continues, 'and relied on their self-imposed codes of honor to claim a higher moral ground. And I was here when the power in reviewing returned - when a strangers livelihood rested on how many stars I gave a driver or delivery - when anything less than perfect marks meant - not imperfect service - but wishing harm upon others - being made complicit in blackmail. And the only power you hold - any of us hold - is the power to PUNISH - not the gods - but each other. And I'll be here for the final battle, when the gods' failure to live by their own ideals leads their internet to collapse in a miasma of fire and serpent. And after all of those gods have perished, and the world begins anew. Want to get pizza?' 'Where?' Cat asks.

18219

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Surprised to find out that "world war 2" to refer to the sequel of the first world war predates numbered sequels for media by 18 years "world war II" was coined by Time in 1939 but not until 1957 do we get "Quatermass 2" (and numbering sequels wouldn't become popular until the 70s)

7476

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Brian Phillips @brianphillips.lol · 28/05/2026

Here's the serious bit for anyone who'd rather skip the 4000 words of jokes

Because the truth is, tech doesn't have an image problem. It doesn't have a message problem. It has an intention problem. What's wrong with the axe murderer who broke into my house is not that he hasn't successfully persuaded me to buy into his narrative. What's wrong is that he's trying to kill me with an axe. Similarly, when you launch a product that's designed to put millions of people out of work, block access to sources of verifiable truth, replace human creativity with slop, and lower the barriers to every sort of atrocity, the problem isn't that you haven't told the public a good story about those things. The problem is that you are trying to do them. (
There are things in the world that are more important than money. The fact that you seem not to believe this, that you seem to think any motive beyond ruthless acquisitiveness is fake, dishonest, or childish, is the heart of your problem. Your attitude is not by any means unique to tech, but the

5793053868

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Dave Andress @davidandress.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

The important point to remember is NO SHE DOESN'T. What was published yesterday were guidelines for service providers. They impose NO obligations on individuals and are NOT the law. People want you to believe otherwise, to intimidate trans people. But they haven't yet criminalised their existence.

101551375

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Dr Panti Bliss-Cabrera @pantibliss.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Trans people have been around your whole life. You’ve been sharing bathrooms with them your whole life. They’ve been in your communities your whole life. They’ve even been playing sport your whole life. And you didn’t care *at all* till a few years ago when every right wing org decided you should

76118164114

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Helen Arney @helenarney.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

OXFORDSHIRE PEOPLE! Come to our FREE family physics singalong workshops! Or get £5 tickets for our concert of @firebrigademusical.bsky.social at an ACTUAL FIRE STATION (bring picnics!) All at GAP Festival in Goring & Streatley on Saturday 20th June... pls share share share! thegapfestival.org

157

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Mike Barthel @mikebarthelauthor.com · 14/05/2026

Incredible

Post from r/audioengineering
Why there's a resonance at 15.5kHz in Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer?
It's around -70dB, so not audible I think.
As far as I know its a great mix and master, so I'm curious about why is it there, and why they leave it in there. Also if my eyes aren't deceiving me, it goes throughout the song. I know, its not a big deal at all, I'm just asking for if anyone has an idea about it
Answer:
95
EvilPowerMaster • 1d
There was likely a CRT TV on in the studio. It was recorded in England, so PAL, which means a flyback transformer operating at 15.625kHz.

4948761078

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Rallen @rallen78.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

I think this maybe the most niché bit of trivia I’ve ever heard.

732914773

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Jenni Pinnock @jennipinnock.com · 12/05/2026

Sunday saw the first two workshop performances of @firebrigademusical.bsky.social performed by the brilliant University of Lincoln MT second year students, and a creative dream team. Thank you for bringing our story to life! And thank you for the fabulous photos @briansayle.bsky.social !

055

Brian Mackenwells @mackenwells.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

I need you to understand that I'm not being ironic when I say that this is exactly what brilliant local journalism looks like

191

Brian Mackenwells @mackenwells.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Would you like to hear a song from the musical I'm writing with @helenarney.bsky.social and @jennipinnock.com , sung by the amazing LVL musical theatre choir? You for sure do: www.youtube.com/watch?v=myY-...

youtube.com

"Put Out The Fire" from The Cambridge First All-Ladies Fire Brigade, performed by Leading Voices Ldn

YouTube video by Helen Arney

121

Reposted by Brian Mackenwells

Anthony Clark @nedroid.com · 27/04/2026

Save Us, Tornado Man

TOWNSPERSON: Oh no! A tornado is going to destroy the town! Help us, Tornado Man!

TORNADO MAN: Never fear! I'll simply use my Mastery of the Winds to create an ANTI-TORNADO, spinning the opposite direction, to completely negate the original tornado!

TOWNSPERSON (obscured): Won't the anti-tornado destroy the town too?
TORNADO MAN: What?

TOWNSPERSON (obscured): Won't the anti-tornado destroy the town too?!?
TORNADO MAN (obscured): I can't hear you!!!

10735153