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Mark Hannam

@markdhannam.bsky.social
329 followers 27 following 158 posts

Gravitational-wave astronomer. Author, physicist, philosopher. Revealer of truths, exposer of lies. Exemplar of humanity. Also rather modest. fictionalaether.substack.com

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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I’m definitely on their Literature short-list.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The excitement builds in my tale of a plot to bring down the vice chancellor… fictionalaether.substack.com/p/the-vice-c...
fictionalaether.substack.com
The Vice Chancellor. Part 3.
(3/5) Off to meet the noble guardian of a defenceless community of timid intellectuals.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
After a slacker summer, my stack of subs returns with our Hero-Professor* developing unexpected affection for “the most insufferable academic in existence”… *A term we should see more of. fictionalaether.substack.com/p/the-vice-c...
fictionalaether.substack.com
The Vice Chancellor. Part 1.
(1/5) The most insufferable academic in existence.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
The wonderful John Clarke documentary isn’t available to stream in the UK, but last week i had a VPN revelation, and it prompted me to publish a slightly updated version of a 2017 appreciation of the great man. fictionalaether.substack.com/p/laughter-a...
fictionalaether.substack.com
Laughter, amidst mortality
On the genius of John Clarke
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Laughter, amidst mortality: on the genius of John Clarke. fictionalaether.substack.com/p/laughter-a...
fictionalaether.substack.com
Laughter, amidst mortality
On the genius of John Clarke
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
I have no idea why people claim that academics are elitist. open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
Adventures in empathy
A renowned professor accepts advice from lesser minds.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
At the same time, I’m sure you value his service!
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Latest story, in which we begin to glimpse the grim world of the postdoc… open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
Beware of Pity for Postdocs
Not everyone is brave enough to chronicle the worst mistake of their life.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
What!? For free?
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
My prediction that AI is going to fuel a renaissance in consciousness research. Pity that I am among the worst forecasters in the world. open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
The ghost under seige
A rare hopeful take on the rise of AI, and the problem of consciousness, and the nature of scientific discovery
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Our beloved professor imteracts with an ordinary person. open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
The butcher
An unpleasant encounter with an ordinary person.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Also fascinating how brazenly some physicists will lie to influence the official history of their field, but that’s another story…
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
I was recently at a historians-meet-physicists conference, and the questions the historians were most interested in seemed totally irrelevant and beside the point to the physicists. Seemed like a huge missed opportunity.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Might walk the dog later.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
This head of a group got up at 10am…
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
You’ll tell me that the ending of this story is completely unrealistic. open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
The Dossier
The heartwarming tale of my attempt to destroy my academic nemesis, Dr. Jamie Bumbles.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Never underestimate the professional benefits of having a good nemesis. open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
The nemesis
One of the absolute most important keys to success, which most people are too chicken to include in their self-help books, is, of course: have a nemesis.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Thank you!
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
When a scientific field goes rotten — really rotten! open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
The saviours of science
Desperate times call for extreme measures
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
It’s very long. They might need an AI summary.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
The title says it all, really. open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
Jet-lagged and drinking coffee in Melbourne
The title is entirely descriptive and there is no twist
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Could it be that my stories have reached a new level of emotional maturity and thematic sophistication? No, not really… open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
Touch and go
A dirty story of a dirty man, plus two more Beatles references.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
The best thing about switching off email over Christmas is opening it again in January and doing a great big delete all.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
Everyone I’ve shown this asks, “How did you know what my office was like!?” open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
Three terrifying London episodes
(2/3) In which I disgrace myself before the worst professor I have ever met
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Oh boy! I may have to schedule a return trip to NZ just to see it!
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
Latest thrilling — and in some ways terrifying — instalment of The Fictional Aether. That’s right, we’re going to London! open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
Three disturbing London episodes
(1/3) The approach to the twelfth floor.
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Reposted by Mark Hannam
Harry Wallop @harrywallop.co.uk · 02/12/2025
Great culture can save lives. Literally. Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
A Greek island tragedy averted
(At least for the hero of this story)
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
I just listened to the podcast and thought, “There can’t possibly be two TV science advisors with the same name!” I hope all is well with you, even if you’re not playing with centrifuges!
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Reposted by Mark Hannam
Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
Bluetorial-Jim Watson I met Jim Watson a few times but did not know him well. However, I was greatly influenced by his book “The Double Helix”. He was a complicated human being with some very, very bad features, but some good contributions. What follows is my personal perspective. 1/41
media.tenor.com
a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
ALT: a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
My latest, on reasons to read The Power Broker, and some things that might help you do it. open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
How to read a great book
Robert Caro's Power Broker, and some guides to powering through it.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
I would expect that’s the one book I stubbornly would NOT have read…
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Reposted by Mark Hannam
Margaret Harris @drmlharris.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Ahead of tomorrow’s #NobelPrize announcement, I went on a deep dive in search of the most obscure physics Nobel Prizes in history. That means it's time for a thread on...🧵 PHYSICS NOBEL PRIZES YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF – PART 1 (1/n)
A photo of the Matterhorn rising above an Alpine landscape. The colours are a little washed out, but do not appear artificially tinted
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Reposted by Mark Hannam
Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 04/10/2025
In which I valiantly defend my artistic freedom and, of course, freedom of speech. open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
An encounter with my brilliant and terrifying Head of Department
This is definitely a piece of fiction
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 04/10/2025
In which I valiantly defend my artistic freedom and, of course, freedom of speech. open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
An encounter with my brilliant and terrifying Head of Department
This is definitely a piece of fiction
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
Obviously it’s extreme-mass-ratio inspiral. The words connected by the hyphens are the adjective for “inspiral”. Shocking that anyone would say otherwise.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
* ok, 85%
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Already several comments on this line. All I can say is, “Wow, you made it all the way* through the piece!” open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
My dream postdoc
It's all true and not a single bit is made up.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
How Good Will Hunting helped me to find my dream postdoc… open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
My dream postdoc
It's all true and not a single bit is made up.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
But ok, at least he wasn’t boring…
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
I recently re-read the DFW piece. I remember thinking it was great, but this time around he came across as a bit disturbed. Probably he shouldn’t have gone a cruise alone…
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Poor performance. We really need to up our game.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Gotta keep them honest!
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Me on the radio, taking massive black holes crashing into each other. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...
bbc.co.uk
BBC World Service - Science In Action, Biggest black hole merger observed
Two black holes have collided and combined in the largest merger yet observed.
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Reposted by Mark Hannam
LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 14/07/2025
Our collaboration member Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social shares his insights on working on our latest discover, the particularly tricky gravitational-wave signal #GW231123 fictionalaether.substack.com/p/gw231123-a...
fictionalaether.substack.com
GW231123: an unearthly signal
A report on some actual science
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
That must have made his day!
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
My summary of the latest @ligo.org observation paper. Massive black holes! open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
GW231123: an unearthly signal
A report on some actual science
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
Here we go: the first of three trials of the scientific paper writer! fictionalaether.substack.com/p/a-collisio...
fictionalaether.substack.com
A collision of co-authors
Three trials of a scientific paper writer: the first trial
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
In honour of the second night of Oasis in Cardiff, I’m at home listening to Blur.
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Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
Latest piece: “The 2025 vacation life hack” Including a (fashionably ambivalent) cameo appearance from Bluesky. open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
open.substack.com
The 2025 vacation life hack
Or: how to write an article that mentions Donald Trump yet remains frothy and whimsical. (Hopefully.)
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