iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Finally got round to contacting a few local contractors about installing the new bathroom I had designed over the summer. Hoping for something less exorbitant (and less AI-generated) than the last guy who quoted... 🚽

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

New drum cases arrived in the post today, so now both of my kits are suitably protected 🥁😀

Two drum kits, one in soft cases and one in hard cases, are stacked up in an attic space - along with other percussion instruments.

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Reposted by Philip Howie

Kathryn Rose @artsyhonker.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Bit of a long shot, but do any of you UK weird Anglican Bluesky folks have a thurible stand that isn't in use and which you would be happy to donate? #CofEPeeps

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Huh, Jeffrey Archer has died. I met him once, in his back garden, while singing an opera. About baboons. He yelled at us to get off his lawn, so his wife invited us in and gave us his leftover birthday cake just to spite him. Interesting man...

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Few things are worse than getting to bed, late and tired, and remembering you washed the bedsheets and didn't put them back on the bed. So anyway, I'm sleeping in the spare room tonight

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Text at 7:30 am: today's recording session is cancelled due to death of the engineer's father. Youch. 😢 Back to bed then

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Now I suppose I'd better pack the car with percussion for tomorrow's recording session... 🙄😅

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I have had a perfectly pleasant evening with a ladder level and hammer drill, the workshop has new wood storage, and the piano room has gained some space where those shelves have been sitting since my last trip to IKEA. Wins all round

The corner of a workshop with newly installed wall-hung shelving above a small sink.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Just got my enhanced DBS certificate in the post. I can't be the only one who's irrationally relieved every time it comes back clean and I haven't unconsciously murdered someone, right? 😅

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

A good friend was discharged this afternoon after nine continuous months in hospital. She lasted less than two hours out before we had to call an ambulance to take her back in 😢

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The car is back in for two MORE tyres, having failed its inspection on Friday. That'll teach me for taking it to a tyre place for its MOT... 🙄

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The car is in for its MOT and I'm trying to get some work done in a nearby café. Morning, all!

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Had two new tyres put onto my car today. Full marks to the garage for leaving the radio tuned to @bbcradio3bot.bsky.social (classical) - even if they did turn the volume down a bit 🎻

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Very tired today. Drove 4 hours home to Cambridge last night and then was up at 7 to visit a friend in hospital before work. Running on diet Coke this afternoon 😩

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

That's about 20 microns, for those playing along in metric

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I wondered why this drum stick suddenly lost all its definition in the middle of a piece. Didn't take me long to work it out

A badly cracked wooden drum stick, being held in front of a drum kit.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Discovered one of my users has been keeping important files on an unencrypted USB stick in her handbag, because she doesn't trust computers. The drive is now corrupt and she's amazed to find out we don't magically back up her handbag. I love working with IT 😤

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

What scene makes you emotional no matter how many times you see it?

Mark Strong as Merlin sings 'Country roads' while standing on a land mine in a jungle clearing.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Ah, the ritual of printing and binding scores for the pieces I'm going to conduct this term. Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Dvorak - can't wait! 🎼

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

First orchestra rehearsal of the new season. Webern, Rachmaninov, and Beach... odd bedfellows, perhaps

An orchestra rehearsing in a large brick church with arches either side and a large and impressive organ at the far end.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I was in school, aged 15, when 9/11 happened. For some reason, on our way home, my friend and I chose that day to go into the corner shop just across from the school to buy ice lollies. It was a pretty common thing for kids at the school to do, but I don’t remember Tom and I did it very often.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Driving home from a church meeting tonight should have taken 18 minutes, but actually took 42 due to a really impressively unfortunate combination of closed roads

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Reposted by Philip Howie

Anna Holmes @annabookwriter.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I am tired, as every disabled person is tired, of being accused of flying off the handle when institutions refuse us access and then act like we’re asking for special treatment. We aren’t. We are asking to be included. And by acting like that’s a huge deal, you’re making it clear we aren’t.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

As a (former) crystallographer, I'm voting for sphalerite (zinc blende) because it gave its name to an important and widely-encountered crystal structure

3D view and 2D projection of the zinc blende fcc crystal structure.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Conversations like this one with my mechanical engineer colleague are how I know I'm doing life right

Screenshot of a Teams conversation.

Colleague: "Hey, are you any good with the angle grinder, and might you have some time to help at all? I need to cut one of the flames off of my sheet metal bits - I have had experience, could do it myself eventually and don't worry, I'm not unsafe - I'm just willing to confess that I don't like it 😆"

Me: "Is tomorrow ok? I'm WFH at the moment, but could come in if required"

Colleague: "Not urgent, any time is fine. Are you comfortable/able to help? Would appreciate it thanks!"

Me: "I haven't used my angle grinder since... ooh, last Tuesday? I'm sure I'll be fine 😉"

Colleague: "Ha, I knew you were the man to ask"

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Got a call at 11 pm last night that my friends were going to be stranded at Stansted Airport because their flight was delayed and they'd miss the last train. Drove down to pick them up. Waited two hours for them to clear security and catch the shuttle bus. Got home at 3. So tired today 😩

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

No it's not enough, but * It's a lot more than they have now, and * The very existence of this advert shows they're aware that this is something people want. I don't mind celebrating those, even in the midst of other massive problems with Amazon

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

This makes me sad. Not just because of the peeling paint, but that someone saw such beautiful wood and decided to paint it white

A grand piano, once painted white but now with much of the paint peeled off. Two violins and a couple of mobile phones are laid on top of it.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Well this is more fun than an afternoon in the office

View from the percussion section at the back of an extremely large orchestra, rehearsing in a traditional stone church.

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Reposted by Philip Howie

Kate Watson @loreandordure.com · 27/08/2026

Ah, well, that explains the weather?

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

The whole country is in drought, my garden is brown and crispy, and we've had about one short rain shower since June So please tell me how one of my users chose *that exact time* to leave his laptop on the windowsill, leaving it water damaged 🤦‍♂️

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I've just been followed by an account which seems to be dedicated to spreading anti-Christian and anti-religious hate. I wonder whether he realises how many church committees I'm on...? 🤔

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Reposted by Philip Howie

Robert Komaniecki @komaniecki.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Percussion players: capable of playing highly complex rhythms Orchestral percussion parts:

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

On Saturday, I walked along a sea front with a non-binary friend. They stopped to pet a beautiful dog and had a lovely conversation with its owner As we parted, we saw the transphobic slogan on the back of his shirt This culture that has made it ok to openly display hate has a lot to answer for 😔

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I've spent all day waiting at home for a critical delivery, 'guaranteed' between 8 am and 5 pm. I've just called to find out its status (no online tracking) and it's expected between 7:30 and 9:30 pm. I have a 2.5 hour drive to do this evening, which will now be delayed There has to be a better way

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Just pushed start on a high-cycle fatigue experiment that will run until at least November. Let's hope my specimens fail before my experimental rig does...

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

This is so telling. AI might be an efficient way to complete some tasks but it's a terrible way to learn

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

This is because we have a political system that rewards only short-term success and penalises long-term thinking. The few politicians willing to stand up against short-term political pressure for longer-term gain should be celebrated

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Debussy and Ravel. I'm almost ashamed to admit which piece I actually wanted to listen to... 🥁

CD cover. Debussy La Mer and Ravel Boléro and Pavane, by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted Jevgenij Mravinskij.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

In case there was any doubt, the kitchen version is running just fine - despite being poorly tack welded together out of pure chinesium And the lab supplier has emailed to say they're very sorry but they've lost the (month overdue) 'real' one and cannot provide a delivery timeline update

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I've been waiting a month and a half for a very specific piece of lab equipment to be delivered. This afternoon, I thought to check the kitchen section of Amazon instead. It's 20% of the price and I can have it delivered on Monday 🙄

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Ooh, a genuine alert text from the government - and unlike the tests, this one actually came through to my phone! 🚨

A phone home screen with an alert saying,

"Issued by the UK Government

There is a very high risk of wildfires nationally. Residents, landowners and visitors should not undertake any activity that could start a fire, including disposable barbecues, firepits, garden incinerators or fireworks. Even a small flame can rapidly develop into a major wildfire placing lives, homes, businesses and emergency responders at risk.

Follow official updates and report signs of fire immediately by calling 999. Search gov.uk/alerts for more information."

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Sometimes, when recording, you have to get creative to avoid page turns! 🎹

A stage piano sits against a colourfully striped wall. Three sheets of music are spread across the music stand, while another three are propped against the wall behind.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

A 92% solar eclipse and Perseid meteors in the same evening; the universe is spoiling us tonight! 🌠

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

In other news, two dear friends are about to see Elephant Sessions live in concert, and I am INSANELY JEALOUS 🐘🎻

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

I got a decent projection of the eclipse by almost shutting a window blind, taping aluminium foil over the remaining gap, and poking a pinhole in it. Didn't photograph well on my phone, but the effect was quite striking in person

A blurry projection of the sun during a partial solar eclipse.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Road trip this evening, to pick up this painting - which turned out to be bigger than I thought, and only just fit in the car (Don't worry; the face of the painting was protected for transport)

A large abstract oil painting of an orchestra performing, lying across the folded down seats of a car.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Ceilidh dancing with wheelchairs: alarming, surprisingly physics-heavy, and a whole lot of fun

Two wheelchair users swing each other round fast enough to blur, in the middle of a crowd of dancers.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Not a bad day to make my debut with City of Cambridge Brass Band - behind the drum kit, obviously ☀️ 🥁

View from behind a drum kit, looking out over a brass band to a crowd of people gathered in a leafy park.

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Philip Howie @musicianbynight.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Today's gig: Gypskazz. Because where else can you hear a gypsy ska jazz cover of Saint-Saens, with a guitar solo that quotes Vivaldi??

A small and atmospheric pub, packed with people, with a band playing.

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