Sign in

Ben Nagy

@rantyben.bsky.social
1.3K followers 259 following 1.5K posts

Peripatetic weird nerd. Data Science; Latin Poetry; #ComputationalPoetics; Video Games. FWO Postdoc "The Development of Rhyme in Latin Poetry Until Saec. XIII" at KU Leuven. PhD(s) Linguistics + "Digital Humanities"

PostsRepliesMedia
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
"Your paper handles an interesting question, but there are some small points of methodology I would have handled differently. Recommendation: 0 (borderline paper)" reviewers, these people are giving it their best shot and we have been asked to *take a firm position* what is wrong with you
Bors meme "I am very Intelligent"
110
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Another stylistic component is *which* elisions are made. Literary scholars have a lot of intuition here but again, I don't think it has been operationalized. Here are the top 20 syllable combinations in Ovid vs Vergil - you can instantly see eg that Vergil is way more willing to elide through 'm'
130
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
These positional preferences are stylistic information! For example, here's Ovid's hexameter elisions compared to Vergil. Check out the 'normal' positions and also the use of prodelision... I haven't (yet) started fully mining this sort of style, idk if anyone has computationally...
120
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
...this is from lines like this where 'satumque iterum' would, if joined, eliminate the 3rd foot strong caesura. Instead (just trust me I have a lot of evidence) the /kw/ sound goes forward onto 'iterum' and the word is still considered to break after 'satum'.
[ 17] Metamorphoses 4.12  (Metamorphoses, hexameter)
L   S  S   L   S |  S   L ||     - S  S   L ||  L   L   S |  S  L     L
1   1  1   2   2 |  2   3 ||     3 3  3   4 ||  4   5   5 |  5  6     6
i gni ge nam que | sa tum || q[ue] i te rum || sō lum que | bi mā trem;
110
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
...but this is all old news. Let's look at new stuff. Here are all Ovid's elisions for hexameter and pentameter lines, plotted by where they occur (dashed lines are when no syllable can start in that position because there is a mandatory longum starting the position before)
120
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
In almost my first ever paper, I showed that pure elision count is the best single metrical feature to distinguish authors. Ovid, for example, is well known to have one of the lowest rates of elision. Here are his stats broken down by work. He may not like elision, but he's a fiend for prodelision!
A table, "Elisions by work in Ovid" showing the percentages in hexameter and pentameter lines
110
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
(this was true)
l0pht in 1998 saying they could take down the entire internet in 30 minutes. The nature of the bug was SUPER SECRET but it was DNS. It's always DNS.
053
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
HOME for three weeks (north of Chiang Mai) before heading into European autumn. View from the balcony remains peaceful. Not pictured: *so much* frog and bird noise
A pano of a rice paddy in rural Thailand
070
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I have once again packed everything I own, ready to move countries. 😅
A 20kg checkin suitcase and an under-seat backpack
370
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
solidarity
opening of Terminator 2, Terminator foot crushing a skull
010
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Sometimes I just make "food" where idgaf about recipes or cuisines. This will be a chicken, stock from the chicken, a smoked pork hock, lima beans, leftover tomat, csabai, some olives, leftover pesto, etc, etc...
"food" being prepared
140
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Last cooking-for-guests before I leave for Belgium! Italian was requested, so: antipasti (got eaten too fast), fresh tomato with bocconcini and pesto olive oil, spaghetti alla nero di seppia with charred cherry tomatoes and truffle sauce, scallopini ai funghi. The kitchen this morning OMFG 💀
051
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
...nah 😂
Timberborn splash screen from Steam "You've played for 210 hours: Would you recommend this game to other players?"
020
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I have been trying to win A20+🫀with Ironclad (my worst) for almost a year. Last night I played discussion style with a friend and FINALLY did it with a no gimmick build 😅
Victory screen for Slay the Spire. Main engine was strength scaling and whirlwind.Final completion screen from StS showing Neow saying "Now what? Has it been done?"
110
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
is this English Choriamb?? (probably just amphimacer)
butterfly meme
110
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
braised osso bucco (before stock and passata). Had too many lemons, needed some accompaniments...
osso bucco in a roasting tray with onion celery lemon habaneros and garlic
010
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
shit. overcooked the lamb chops
lamb chop, bloody rare
010
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
chop tails crispy, chop meat rare. this is the way.
130
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
this ia not funny or cute! Australians only BBQ like this (full flame) when they are VERY DISTRESSED
130
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Keep losing posts! In now are the beans, a shot of espresso, some 85% chocolate, and salt adjustment with fish sauce. I have some more toasted chilis simmering in the very last of the stock for late heat (heat cooks out the longer you simme)
130
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Lost a post 😭 spices toasted and ground: cumin, coriander and szechuan pepper. I use it instead of eg cloves or star anise because mala adds to heat, and it's also strongly aromatic. now adding the chili. Three different kinds of dried whole chili, soaked and puréed. Way better than powdered
110
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
slowly bring that to almost caramelized, then meat in with resting juices and the deglaze of the pan. Added garlic and fried shallot.
reduced onions, guancialesliced browned chuck, resting juices
100
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
next up, a kind of base with celery, red and brown onion and a decent chunk of guanciale, because guanciale tastes incredible
100
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
today's cooking project is a luxe version of chili con carné. Starting out by browning 1kg of chuck. In the stockpot is left frame from a roast chicken and bones from pork ribs 🥰
170
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
literally me right now
zha cai meme "an easy weeknight dinner"
000
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
"this is the weapon of the enemy! we do not need it! we do not use it!"
batman erectile dysfunction meme
000
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
My own suggested rule of thumb: if the authors cannot convincingly demonstrate that
they are able to give a clear, expert-level talk on their results, one that is correct and properly
attributed, then the result should not be published. A proof that no human can properly
explain should be viewed as incomplete, even if it has been formally verified.
021
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
(feeling super organised this year, submitted 7+ hours early 💅)
screenshot showing the Anywhere on Earth time 4:23 pm
160
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Happy CHR deadline day to all those who celebrate!
The submission has been saved!
1100
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
to be fair, I can read the inscription and I knew who Theoderic was. I genuinely have no idea if they are water pipes, but they're not american pipe stems ;)
Gemini saying they are late western empire water pipes
200
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
sadly, FLAVOUR is not visible like Goku aura 🤷 but I swear it is over 10,000
stir fried noodles
010
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
it all comes down to this
A very heavily reduced stock
210
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
LRT: thought I would have a quick peek, and something about the giant, fully spelled out, 'autem' in a sea of miniscule abbreviations made me scream into a cushion
really bad Latin manuscript. If you actually need this alt text you should be thankful to be spared it.
141
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
today I am angry at the poetry of *checks notes* Walter de la Mare come // gloom ?? It's basically trochaic dimeter with lots of catalexis / anacrusis, but "her hundreds of passengers" is a BRIDGE TOO FAR I am sorry 😡
that's illegal people can't do that meme
110
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
I was today years old when I suddenly realised that this problem exists and I needed a typographical policy about it
'Aen' (abbreviation for Aeneid) in italics, followed by a Roman and Italic period
450
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Making laksa tonight, which is often garnished with cha siu. So, I've got as far as making the garnish
cha siu made from pork neck just out of the oven
010
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
me rn irl
Senshi cooking in the anime Dungeon Meshi
020
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
More outdoor cooking! This time it's beef nabe with a cast iron cauldron my mate found on the side of the road (we cleaned it)
A cauldron over charcoal with delicious stock and starter ingredients
140
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
SA taking a tern for the worse this is a terrible birdflu joke
Late Show "Champagne Comedy" meme
000
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
This is the fourth time I have made roast pork following www.recipetineats.com/pork-shoulde... and she is right, it really never misses. TL;DR prop up on cut onions, wine in pan, 2.5 hours at 140 fan, 30 mins at 250, rotating the pan. The gravy is the stuff of song and story.
Roast pork with perfect crackling
070
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I never really thought about Mr Snuffleupagus etymologically until today, but OE has 'snofl' = 'phlegm, mucus' and pagus is obviously from A.Gk φάγος = 'eater' Anyway I still have a sniffle and it is annoying me is what I'm saying
Mr Snuffleupagus iykyk
130
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
"basic" daal with red lentils (masoor dal) is possibly a thing more white ppl should know about? You just throw in whatever veg you have, it's tasty, and it's 20mins if you have a pressure cooker. This plus rice will sustain life, they eat it every day in Nepal.
some almost cooked daal
120
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
lamb continues, daal begins
curried lamb and a pot containing the start of tadka daal
020
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
lamb forequarter chops reduced for quick sale. sometimes this is an excellent country! Curry night!
lamb in the process of being curried
000
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
These different kind of elision are critical, but super nerdy. Basic scansion will teach people that the vowel is lost and the two words are kind of joined or slurred together. HOWEVER, elision of 'que' in particular does not work that way in Vergil's head!
A line featuring elision that happens over the central caesura
130
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I spent the day (with a cold, I hate winter, but also) experimenting with a new way to serially encode the metrical things I care about in Latin meter. I express syllable length and a couple of crucial metrical things (elision, prodelision) as a product of primes...
The processed output of a few lines of Ausonius Cento Nuptialis showing how words are turned into numbers.
210
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
All of my rsvps this month are now: 😭 sorry 😅 attending 🤤 attending with wog soup
"wog" (european) style soup in a huge pot
030
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
I would just like to say that this took ALL DAMN MORNING but once I started... There are 276 abbreviations used by hypotactic.com, many of which apply to only one line in the corpus 😭 These are just the ones with >100 lines #killme
A detailed chart describing only some of the huge mnumber of 'common' abbreviations for Latin meters
020
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
You REDEFINE midrule? You redefine midrule like the serial killer? Oh Jail! JAIL for journal for one thousand years!!
A section of the cls file for an unnamed journal that redefined the midrule command which is a breach of human rights law
181
Ben Nagy @rantyben.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
WWII guilt poster edited to say "Daddy, what color card did YOU get vs Mexico?"
010