iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Did you know the first Bond film (Dr No) and first single by The Beatles (Love Me Do) were released on the same day? 5th October 1962 was (in hindsight) a momentous day for British music and film and would have long lasting impact on the global zeitgeist. Discuss using TGT. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Monday 5th October
64 years ago today, two huge British cultural phenomena were launched on the same day. In cinemas audiences watched Sean Connery introduce himself as “Bond, James Bond” in the opening scene of Dr No. Whilst in record shops a new group from Liverpool called the The Beatles released their first single Love Me Do.
Neither were guaranteed to be influential, and neither had instant success. Love Me Do peaked in the charts at No. 17, while Hollywood had shown little interest in adapting Ian Fleming’s spy novels in the ten years since they were first published and Dr No received mixed early reviews.
More than six decades later, both are still part of global culture and hugely influential. 6 different actors have reinvented Bond across 25 films and the glamour, gadgets and villains have influenced many more films and franchises. The Beatles influence too, stretches beyond their 12 albums and 65 singles to songwriters and bands across the world. Yet by coincidence, both were launched to the public on exactly the same day.
Which is your favourite James Bond film and why is it The Living Daylights?
Which is your favourite song by The Beatles and why is it The Ballad of John & Yoko
Which do you think had the bigger cultural impact, James Bond or The Beatles? How could we empirically measure it?
What music and film has been influenced by The Beatles and Bond?

Monday 5th October
64 years ago, two cultural phenomena were launched on the same day. Cinemas audiences saw Sean Connery introduce himself as “Bond, James Bond” in the opening scene of Dr No. Whilst a new group from Liverpool called the ‘The Beatles’ released their first single Love Me Do.
Neither had instant success. Love Me Do peaked at No. 17, while Dr No received mixed early reviews.
Six decades later both are still part of global culture and hugely influential. Yet by coincidence, both were launched to the public on exactly the same day.
Which is your favourite James Bond film and what is your favourite song by The Beatles?
Which do you think had the bigger cultural impact, James Bond or The Beatles? How could we empirically measure it?

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Sailing Steve @sailingsteve.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Good advice!! Make noise. It's long. Read it!

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

What does being the best footballer in the world have in common with being the president of a country? Ask your tutees what they think the answer is, but there's really only one person who'd know - it's George Weah. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Thursday 1st October
Happy 60th Birthday to former footballer George Weah who became President of Liberia in 2018.
Weah was born in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. He grew up in Clara Town, a slum in the city, raised by his grandmother. Football offered a route out of poverty and he made his debut for Young Survivors FC of the Liberian 4th division when he was 16, scoring two goals on his debut. He helped them gain two promotions in three years before moving to the Liberian Premier League, winning a league title and becoming it’s top scorer.
He was recommended to Monaco manager Arsene Wenger who brought him to Europe. He also played for PSG, AC Milan, Chelsea and Man City. He was one of the most feared strikers, scoring 360 goals in Europe’s top divisions. He won the Ballon d’Or in 1995 and is still the only African to have done so. Many consider him the greatest footballer to have never played the World Cup as Liberia never qualified, despite Weah’s contribution.
After retiring he entered politics, and ran for President of Liberia. His opponents attacked his lack of University education, but he won and served as President from 2018 to 2024 before losing his re-election bid.
Does excelling in one field prepare you for success in a different field?
What skills do you think being a leading footballer and President have in common?
Do you know of any other politicians that have had other successful first careers?

Thursday 1st October
Happy 60th Birthday to former footballer George Weah who became President of Liberia in 2018. Weah was born in a Monrovian slum, raised by his grandmother. Football offered a route out of poverty and he climbed through the Liberian leagues.
He moved to Europe in 1988 where he was a feared striker scoring 360 goals in Europe’s top divisions for Monaco, PSG, AC Milan, Chelsea and Man City. He won the Ballon d’Or in 1995.
After retiring he ran for President of Liberia. His opponents attacked his lack of University education, but he won and served as President from 2018 to 2024 before losing his re-election bid.
Does excelling in one field prepare you for success in a different field?
What skills do being a leading footballer and President have in common?

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Adam Boxer @adamboxereducation.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

There are lots of views about how to improve our education system. Not enough of them focus on the classroom. We pursue big structural solutions, when we should be looking at how to create calm, quiet, peaceful classrooms. New post, please share! carouselteachlearnlead.substack.com/p/calm-quiet...

carouselteachlearnlead.substack.com

Calm, quiet, peaceful lessons

In the pursuit of a better education system, rather than large-scale reform, we should start by improving teaching in every classroom.

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Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I could have looked at "say, Tripoli" all day, knowing what I was supposed to do, but still not get it.

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Tuesday's TGT follows on from Friday's look at The Sequoia National Park & General Sherman to look at the fate of the 2nd largest tree in the world, at the time. The Mother of The Forest. Was her fate a genius idea to educate the world, or a waste of a 2500+ year old organism? bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Tuesday 29th September
The ‘Mother of the Forest’ was a giant sequoia tree in California, which was the second largest in the valley when ‘discovered’ in 1852 by Europeans during the California Gold Rush. Looking for ways to make money the European settlers felled some smaller trees (pictured, top) and transported them to Europe and America’s east coast, where they could charge people to see the large trees of the great unexplored lands of the American West.
Transporting such large trees was expensive, so instead in 1854 the Mother of the Forest had its bark completely stripped. Workers made holes in the tree using augers and inserted rods to set up scaffolding, which enabled workers to saw off the bark. Over 90 days 60 tons of bark were removed in 8 feet by 5 sections. A sample of the trees core was studied and found it to be 2520 years old.
The bark was sent to New York and then shipped on to London in 1856, where it was setup in The Crystal Palace exhibition as a hollow Giant Sequoia (pictured, below). It remained at The Crystal Palace until a fire in 1866 which destroyed many of the Palace’s exhibits. In 1908 the remaining core of The Mother of the Forest was also destroyed in a forest fire, without it’s bark to protect it.
How would you feel seeing the tree’s bark in London? Would you admire its beauty and size, or be horrified it had been stripped?
Activities like this can lead to people appreciating nature in its original location. Was it the death of this tree worth it?

Tuesday 29th September
The ‘Mother of the Forest’ was a giant sequoia tree in California, the 2nd largest in the valley in 1852.
The bark was stripped from the 2520 year old tree in 1854 and shipped to London where it was set up as a hollow tree in the Crystal Palace (pictured), showing off the size of Sequoia in the American West. It was destroyed in the 1866 fire that destroyed The Crystal Palace. The remaining core of the tree died in 1908 in a forest fire, without it’s bark to protect it.
How would you feel seeing the tree’s bark in London? Would you admire its beauty and size, or be horrified it had been stripped?

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Monday's TGT looks at 2008 Crashgate scandal. Was it the greatest scandal in sport? If so how come hardly anyone seems to have paid a price? bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Monday 28th September
On 28th September 2008 Formula 1 held its first ever night race through the streets of Singapore. But the race is not remembered for the dramatic image of F1 cars racing through floodlit streets, it’s remembered for ‘Crashgate’.
The Renault team were having a disappointing season and qualifying at Singapore was no better. Their best driver, Fernando Alonso qualified 15th and took an early pit stop which appeared fortuitous when his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr crashed into a wall two laps later. The safety car slowed down the field and as they all needed to pit stop, Alonso was able to overtake the whole field and claim an unexpected victory.
It was over a year later that Piquet admitted he’d crashed deliberately under orders of team principal Flavio Briatore. Briatore was handed a lifetime ban from all FIA motorsport, but he challenged this in French courts and his ban was overturned and he returned to F1 in 2013.
Some have called it the worst case of cheating in sporting history given the potential consequences of a high speed crash, putting drivers, spectators and track crews in danger.
What would you do if you were ordered to deliberately crash in order to help your teammate? Would your answer change if you were threatened to be fired from your dream job?
Who carries more responsibility the team principal or the driver?
When should you refuse to follow an instruction from someone in authority?

Monday 28th September
On 28th September 2008 Formula 1 held its first ever night race through the streets of Singapore.
The race is not remembered for this milestone. Instead it is known as the ‘Crashgate’ race when Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr was ordered to deliberately crash his car at high speed so that his team mate Fernando Alonso could win as all other cars slowed down behind the safety car.
Team principal Flavio Briatore was handed a lifetime ban from all FIA motorsport, but he challenged this in court and his ban was overturned and he returned to F1 in 2013.
Given the dangers, some have called it the worst cheating in sports history.
Who carries more responsibility, the team principal or the driver?
When should you refuse to follow an instruction from someone in authority?

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Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Johnson continues to lie, lie and lie again. I think we get the pattern.

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Friday's TGT discusses massive trees. The Sequoia National Park was founded 136 years ago to protect the Giant Redwoods, including the largest tree in the world and 4 others of the top 10. But you can find them in the UK too. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Thursday's TGT is that awesome story last week about the individual found in a Bolivian sanctuary that turns out to be the only known member of a unique species of Tiger Cat. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Thursday 24th September
In 2016 a man in Bolivia’s Nor Yungas region found a tiny kitten by the side of the road and took it home thinking it was a domestic cat. About a year later he handed the clearly wild animal named ‘Tigrino’ to the Senda Verde wildlife sanctuary, as it was clearly not a domestic cat but a tiger cat.
Bolivian scientist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz was volunteering at the sanctuary when she noticed that Tigrino’s markings did not match those of other tiger cat species. Dr Nogales-Ascarrunz investigated Tigrino’s DNA and working with other tiger cat researchers all over South America she has discovered that Tigrino is the only known member of a distinct species of tiger cat now named Leopardus tilcayo (Current Biology article / BBC News summary).
Their work also showed that there are at least five distinct species of tiger cats, not the previously thought three, and brings the number of known cat species worldwide to 44. Locals in Yungas have known about the tilcayo cats for years, though the dense forests that they live in are threatened with deforestation.
If you found a kitten by the side of the road what would you do with it?
Does a career being a research scientist studying new wild animal species appeal to you?
Does a unique species of tiger cat living in the Yungas forests make this habitat more important to protect or does it make no difference?

Thursday 24th September
A ten-year-old tiger cat living in a sanctuary in Bolivia named ‘Tigrino’ has been identified by scientist Dr Paola Nogales- Ascarrunz as the only known member of a unique species known locally as tilcayo and given the species name Leopardus tilcayo (BBC News).
Using the cat’s DNA, Paola and other South American scientists found there are five species of tiger cat, not the previously thought three. Though the dense Bolivian forest habitat of the tilcayo are at threat from deforestation.
If you found a kitten by the side of the road what would you do with it?
Does a career being a research scientist studying new wild animal species appeal to you?

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Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

3. Particles can be considered to move randomly in all directions, but without a concentration difference there would be no effect in terms of diffusion.

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Physics @physics.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

There are about 8 x 10⁶⁷ ways to arrange a 52-card deck. Even if every person on Earth shuffled one every second for billions of years, we wouldn't come close to exhausting the possibilities. Thoroughly shuffle a deck and that exact order has almost certainly never existed before.

A graphic showing five hand-drawn heart playing cards (8, Ace, Jack, King, and Queen) fanned out. To the right, the mathematical expression '52!' is written in large bold text, followed by ' 8.0658 x 1067'.

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Steven (with a PH) @sjksalisbury.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Christening a baby is nothing like christening a ship. I know that now. Once again I can only apologise.

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Monday's TGT continues Friday's space probe theme. This time looking at why the Galileo probe was deliberately crashed into Jupiter in 2003? I can imagine the mixed emotions of the scientists on the project. Ask your students if they can too? bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Monday 21st September
On this day 2003, NASA Scientists deliberately used the last of fuel in the Galileo probe to deliberately accelerate it into the atmosphere of Jupiter at nearly 50,000 m/s so that it was destroyed.
It was an unusual end to a space mission, especially one that had been a huge success, but its success was part of the problem.
Galileo, named after the Italian astronomer who first identified four of Jupiter’s moons in 1610, was launched in 1989 to study Jupiter and its moons. Reaching Jupiter in 1995, it had been in orbit of Jupiter for 8 years and amongst other discoveries had found that Europa had a salty liquid ocean beneath its icy surface and thus had the potential for supporting life.
The Galileo probe had not been sterilised before launch and so, although remote, there was a small chance that it contained Earth microbes that may have survived the journey. Rather than risk contaminating Europa as Galileo’s orbit would gradually decay it was decided to eliminate the risk entirely crashing Galileo into the Jovian atmosphere.
If you had been working on Galileo for more than 14 years how would you feel about its destruction?
Would it matter if there is life in the ocean under the ice of Europa?
Are there any environments on Earth that we shouldn’t contaminate?

Monday 21st September
On this day 2003, NASA Scientists deliberately crashed the Galileo probe into Jupiter so that it was destroyed.
Galileo had spent 8 years orbited Jupiter studying its moons. It had found that Europa had a salty liquid ocean beneath its icy surface with the potential for supporting life.
Galileo had not been sterilised before launch, so rather than risk it crashing into Europa and contaminating it with Earth microbes, it was destroyed in the Jovian atmosphere
If you had been working on Galileo for more than 14 years how would you feel about its destruction?

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Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

unless you like your risotto rock hard

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Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @nothoodlum.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Mark Carney: “I would now like to inform you that the teleprompter has ceased to function. Unlike a certain world leader, I do not view this as a conspiracy.”

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Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Seating plans are a superpower :-)

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Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Kicking myself because I am struggling to learn student names this term. Just reminded myself that I am teaching almost 300 students that I've ever met before. It will take time!

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Emo Philips @emophilips.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

If you live in Bozeman, Osage Beach, St Louis, Peoria, Champaign, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Eau Claire, Detroit, Cleveland, Youngstown, Massillon, Providence, Portsmouth, Boston, Uncasville, Baker City, Boise, Savannah, Charleston, and/or Myrtle Beach, please gently click www.emophilips.com/events

Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Exactly the same, since they can't be observed? :-)

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Eddie Burfi @eddieburfi.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Just look at the glee on Nigel Farage’s face as he watches a Piddington resident cry about the overt racism she, her Caribbean heritage husband, and their two children have felt in the village during the referendum. Time and again he’s showing us exactly who he is.

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AladdinNoons @aladdinnoons.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Farage thinks it’s hilarious bsky.app/profile/eddi...

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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Absolutely horrendous for this woman and her family.

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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I'm not surprised but I'm truly disgusted that this narrative of "dangerous fighting age men posing a threat to women and children" is genuinely doing the rounds on the media with almost no push back at all. This is 1930s level stuff.

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

TGT ends the week with the first picture ever taken of the whole of the Earth and moon in a single frame, by Voyager 1 on its way to Jupiter & Saturn in 1977. It gives me the feels. Ask your students how it makes them feel. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Friday 18th September
Voyager 1 is a space probe launched on 5th September 1977. 13 days after launch on 18th September it was 11.66 million km away as it turned its camera back to look home and took this picture. It was the first time that the whole of the Earth and Moon were photographed together in a single frame.
From this vantage point the Earth and Moon look like close neighbours, but they are 384,000 km apart on average. A distance so large that you could just about line up all seven of the other planets of the Solar System between them, including all the gas giants.
This photo wasn’t Voyager 1’s mission objective, merely a happy bonus on its way to study Jupiter in 1979 and Saturn in 1980, sending back thousands of images of the gas giants and their moons. There would be more bonus photos too as its cameras looked back again in 1990 from a distance of 6bn km from Earth for a ‘Family Portrait’ mosaic picture of all the planets including the Pale Blue Dot as Voyager left our solar system.
Why do you think NASA scientists turned the cameras around to look back home?
How does this photo make you feel?

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Front-loading the means of participation is probably the easiest quick win for helping ADHD students in the classroom. That student who cant seem to help enthusiastically shout out answers… FLMOP stops it almost immediately.

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Handel's Hallelujah Chorus is one of those pieces of music that every young person recognises, but they have no idea why. On the anniversary of Handel's rapid completion of Messiah, explain why they know this spine-tingling choral classic. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Monday 14th September
On this date in 1741 composer George Frideric Handel finished his Messiah after 24 days of swift composition. It is an oratorio (a musical composition with dramatic text for choir, soloists and orchestra. Similar to an opera, but with minimal staging).
It was first performed in Dublin in April 1742, then London a year later, and initially wasn’t very successful, but it become one of the best known and most frequently performed choral works.
Messiah tells the story of Jesus as the Messiah from the King James Bible. Part 1 tells of his life, Part 2 the Passion of Jesus and the famous Hallelujah Chorus, Part 3 covers resurrection and Christ’s glorification in heaven.
The original manuscript is preserved in the British Library. The Royal Choral Society have performed Handel’s Messiah on Good Friday at the Royal Albert Hall every year since 1876. (4 min video of Hallelujah Chorus).
Handel was born in Germany and moved to England in 1712, becoming a British citizen in 1727. When he died in 1759 he was given a state funeral at Westminster Abbey, where he is buried in Poet’s Corner (pictured).
How does Hallelujah Chorus make you feel? Do you want to hear more of Messiah?
Why do you think Handel was give a state funeral?

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Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

If you had a few million quid kicking around, you could say " I'll give £36 million to help child poverty" Or you could say, "I'll give it to support the NHS." But if you say I'm giving it to a party, then it's very clear what you want that cash to achieve .. it's all about you.

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Ed Finch @edfinch.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Yes, it's happening! Save the date and look out for the ticket link coming soon. #BrewEdBrum - Cherry Red Café, central Birmingham, November 28th.

Flyer for #BrewEdBrum - at Cherry Red Cafe near Birmingham New Street on November 28th. Tickets on sale soon.

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Barnsley Museums @barnsleymuseums.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

We're getting close to 2,000 followers. If you share this post we will share something from our collections. We'll do the same for any new followers too.

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Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

No one gets them all first time .... three, three.

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Felt 25th anniversary of 9/11 was too big a legacy to ignore on TGT. But I wanted to find something positive. We did Steve Buscemi a couple of years ago, so instead discuss the boatlift of nearly half a million people to safety. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Friday 11th September
A lesser known aspect of the 9/11 attacks on New York which happened 25 years ago today was the boatlift which evacuated 1000s to safety.
As thousands of people ran from smoke and dust covered Manhattan Island that morning their geographical reality became clear as they reached the waterfront.
Bridges, tunnels and trains were being shut as officials feared they may also be targets of attack so a signal went out on marine radio channels “All Available Boats”.
Within 20 minutes 100s of boats of all sizes; ferries, tugboats and private vessels headed towards the danger. There was no plan, Captains and crews simply loaded people onto their boats and took them across the Hudson or New York Harbour, then they went back for more. One ferry captain did 20 round trips in 9 hours. Between 400,000 and 500,000 were taken to safety. The largest water-evacuation in history. At Dunkirk in WWII 338,000 were evacuated over 9 days. During 9/11 it was over a single day.
If you had owned a boat nearby that morning would you have sailed towards the danger?
Can you think of other examples of people heading towards danger rather than running away from it?
Does emergency always bring the best out of people?

Friday 11th September
A lesser known aspect of the 9/11 attacks on New York which happened 25 years ago today was the boatlift which evacuated thousands to safety.
As people ran from smoke and dust covered Manhattan Island that morning their geographical reality became clear as they reached the waterfront.
As other transport options shut a radio message went out for “All Available Boats”. Within 20 minutes 100s of boats headed towards the danger. There was no plan; crews simply loaded people onto their boats and took them across the Hudson or New York Harbour and went back for more.
Around 450,000 were taken to safety in one day. More than Dunkirk, in a single day.
If you had owned a boat nearby that morning would you have sailed towards the danger?

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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Truly disgusting social media post from one of Brexit's most influential backers.

Arron Banks

Going through Heathrow today, there wasn't one
white face in security or airport services. The
Home office is staffed by the type of people we
are trying to keep out! What hope?

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Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

and when I asked the student, he knew it from the same place.

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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

If you would like to add your voice to tens of thousands of people thanking RNLI volunteers for their work, 38 Degrees have organised this open letter to express public support (at a time when a hateful fringe have been intimidating & abusing RNLI volunteers) act.38degrees.org.uk/act/rnli-tha...

act.38degrees.org.uk

An open letter in support of the volunteers and staff at the RNLI

This is a disgrace. Brave RNLI volunteers being called scum for risking their lives to save others at sea is just plain wrong. So I've signed an open letter of thanks for the RNLI letting them know th...

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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

🔥 WATCH: “Trump lies and lies. None of what he said is true. For 25 years Trump has lied about 9/11 to put himself in the story and make himself the hero.” Best-selling author @jeffpearlman recounts Trump’s sick, narcissistic lies about 9/11 and other tragedies.

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Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I had no idea about his early death :-(

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Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I was talking to Y8 today about scientific hypotheses needing to be testable and mentioned an undetectable, orbiting tiny teapot as a bad example. Y8 students says: "Is that Russell's teapot?". Yes it was en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell... though where I remember it from I have no idea.

en.wikipedia.org

Russell's teapot - Wikipedia

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Essential Cultural Capital on Wednesday's TGT. Introduce your students to one of the greatest voices of all time, taken from us tragically young - Otis Redding. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Wednesday 9th September
Otis Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia on this day 1941. He is nicknamed ‘The King of Soul’ and many regard him as the greatest male vocalist of all time. He began singing in the church choir and began singing lessons when he was 10. He left school at 15 to work to support his family as his father was too ill to work.
His big break came when he was 16 and he entered a local weekly talent contest organised by a radio station. He won the $5 prize for 15-weeks in a row before organisers finally banned him from entering.
After fronting Little Richard’s former band ‘The Upsetters’ during the early 60s he began writing and recording his own songs. Songs such as These Arms of Mine, Mr Pitiful and Respect (which would later be a huge hit for Aretha Franklin) were minor hits, though he was noticed more in the UK where Melody Maker named him ‘International Male Vocalist of the Year’ in 1966 - a title they had bestowed on Elvis for each of the previous ten years.
His biggest hit and first world-wide number 1 came posthumously with (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay which he recorded four days before he died on 10th December 1967 along with most of his band, when the small plane they were in crashed into a lake in Wisconsin. He was just 26 years old.
How does Redding’s music make you feel?
Have you ever sung in public, in church in a choir or at a talent contest?
Was it unfair that organisers said Otis couldn’t enter their talent contest any more?

Wednesday 9th September
The ‘King of Soul’, Otis Redding was born in Georgia on this day 1941. He started singing in the church choir and once won a talent contest 15-weeks in a row, before being banned from entering.
From 1963 he began writing and recording his own songs such as These Arms of Mine, Mr Pitiful and Respect. They were minor hits and Melody Maker in UK named him ‘International Male Vocalist of the Year’ in 1966.
His biggest hit came posthumously with (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay which he recorded four days before he died on 10th December 1967 along with most of his band, when the plane they were in crashed into a lake in Wisconsin. He was just 26.
How does Redding’s music make you feel?
Have you ever sung in public, in church in a choir or at a talent contest?
Was it unfair to ban him from entering the talent contest?

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Tuesday's TGT celebrates Star Trek's 60th birthday and looks at the better version of humanity that Gene Roddenberry imagined in the future. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Tuesday 8th September
When Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek he wasn’t just imagining a future with better space ships and technology he also imagined better human relationships.
The first episode of Star Trek was broadcast on this day 60 years ago. The Cold War was at its height and American civil rights campaigners had not yet achieved their goals. So Roddenberry wrote a bridge with a black female officer (Uhura), a Japanese-American (Sulu) and later a Russian (Chekov) working together as equals, not enemies. Not to mention an alien from another planet. Nichelle Nichols as Uhura and William Shatner as Kirk portrayed the first interracial kiss ever seen on TV during Season 3 in 1968.
Roddenberry had wanted to include an openly gay character but feared the network wouldn’t accept it. George Takei, playing Sulu would later come out publicly and become a prominent LGBT campaigner.
Some technology imagined by Roddenberry such as tablet computers, wireless earpieces, voice controlled computers have all come to exist in the real world in part inspired by Roddenberry’s franchise which has expanded for 60 years and now includes over 900 TV episodes across 13 shows and 14 films.
Have you ever seen any Star Trek? What’s your favourite part of the franchise?
Do you think we’ve made more progress towards Roddenberry’s vision of technology in the future or humanity in the future?
What would your Sci-fi set 300 years in the future have?

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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

There are certain words that I wish we didn't need. One is 'endling'. The name given to the last individual of a species. This sad picture of the emaciated Thylacine endling was taken 59 days before its extinction. Discuss the extinction of Tasmanian Tigers tomorrow. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Monday 7th September
Pictured is the last known living Thylacine, otherwise known as the Tasmanian Tiger, taken in May 1936 in a zoo in Hobart, Tasmania.
Thylacine were dog-like striped marsupials (animals that carry their premature young in a pouch) that were actually more closely related to Kangaroos than dogs. Their dog-like features are a good example of ‘convergent evolution’ where their dog-like features were useful for hunting in the same way as dogs and wolves.
European colonists to Tasmania blamed thylacine for loss of sheep, so in 1888 the Tasmanian government offered £1 for each adult killed. By 1926 the Tasmanian Tiger was so rare London Zoo paid £150 for a live animal. But it was not until July 1936 that the Thylacine became protected. But by then this emaciated individual was the last of its species, an endling. It died 59 days later on this day 1936. The species was extinct and lost forever due to human hunters.
Australia now marks 7th September as National Threatened Species Day, using the date to focus attention on animals and plants that can still be saved. 5 years ago, a short section of film taken in 1935 of the last Thylacine was colourised and released.
How does this picture and video make you feel?
Do you know of any other endlings?
What should we do when conservation conflicts with human activity such as energy or agriculture?

Pictured is the last known living Thylacine, otherwise known as the Tasmanian Tiger, taken in May 1936 in a zoo in Hobart, Tasmania.
Thylacine were dog-like marsupials more closely related to Kangaroos than dogs. European colonists to Tasmania blamed thylacine for loss of sheep, so hunted them.
Thylacine became protected in July 1936, but by then this emaciated individual was the last of its species, an endling. It died 59 days later on this day 1936.
The species was extinct and lost forever due to human hunters.

How does this picture or this later coloured film make you feel?
What should we do when conservation conflicts with human activity such as energy or agriculture?

164

Reposted by Brett Handley

Glennyrodge @glennyrodge.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

two good boys bsky.app/profile/ofp1...

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Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

#totp and then so much quality. The Cure.

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Reposted by Brett Handley

Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Friday's TGT is the first of an occasional series looking at famous pictures. Lunch atop a Skyscraper was taken in September 1932 as a promotional shot for the new 30 Rock building under construction. Ask your students how it makes them feel about New York. And heights! bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Friday 4th September
This famous picture, often referred to as ‘Lunch atop a Skyscraper’ was taken in September 1932. The picture looks spontaneous, but was staged by the owners of the ‘30 Rock’ skyscraper in New York as a promotional campaign for the new building.
Whilst this was not an ordinary lunch break for the 11 steelworkers in the photograph, the danger was real and they really were 260 m above the ground, on the partially constructed 69th floor. However, the men were used to working at this height without harnesses.
1932 was during the Great Depression and the campaign aimed to show New York as thriving, growing city, and it worked. The building opened in 1933 and had new tenants immediately and was 85% full by 1937 and the 70th floor observation deck had nearly 500,000 annual visitors.
There were several photographers present at this promo shoot and the exact photographer who took this picture remains unknown. The identities of most of the men in the picture are unknown too, though a few have been identified as Irish, Swedish and Slovak immigrants, not surprising as most construction workers at this time were migrants.
How does this picture make you feel? How does it make you feel about the city of New York?
Does knowing the photograph was staged make it less powerful? Have you seen similar in any modern promo campaigns?
Would you have sat on the beam?

Friday 4th September
This picture, often referred to as ‘Lunch atop a Skyscraper’ was taken in September 1932. It was a staged promotional campaign for the new ‘30 Rock’ building in New York.
The danger was real and the 11 immigrant steelworkers really were 260 m above the ground, on the partially constructed 69th floor.
1932 was during the Great Depression and the campaign aimed to show New York as thriving, growing city, and it worked. The building opened in 1933 and by 1937 had nearly 500,000 annual visitors.
How does this picture make you feel?
Does knowing it was a staged promo picture change your view of the picture?

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