iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Thought i would have a go at the #My9Albums that shaped my listening. So tricky. These at least were all albums i got into when exploring music in the early-mid 90's... #MusicSky

9 albums: The Velvet Underground & Nico; Automatic for the People (R.E.M); Siamese Dream (Smashing Pumpkins); Troublegum (Therapy?); Giant Steps (The Boo Radleys); Levelling the Land (The Levellers); Closer (Joy Division); The Stone Roses; Surfer Rosa/Come on Pilgrim (Pixies)

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

That's cool. Never thought to look up what was responsible for the interesting taste effects. Love a good sichuan dish....

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

What a fantastic chemistry story!

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Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Luxury retailers want taxpayers to fund a 20% tax break for foreign tourists. They paid consultancy Cebr to claim this will raise £2.6bn for the UK. That convinced Sadiq Khan and Kemi Badenoch. But it's false: a free lunch. Four basic errors mask a £600m loss. Thread:

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Patrick Samphire 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @patricksamphire.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Enid Blyton's books took a darker turn towards the end.

Gloucestershire. Five arrested for alleged terrorism offences after 'major incident' near RAF Fairford.

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

This evening was Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto and 9th Symphony at the Royal Albert Hall. Fab, have always wanted to see the latter live and it didn't disappoint (the concerto was great too but i've seen that performed before!). #MusicSky

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Now we have to take Matty (age 10) there as he will totally want to go on these.... The boy loves a rollercoaster and is seemingly fearless wrt them. He's tall enough to go on anything now so it's fun to take him on them!/2

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

This time last week, Ruth and I had a parents' day off and went to Thorpe Park. Wowsers - have never been before but some spectacular rides. We particularly liked Hyperia, Stealth, and The Swarm. Hyperia in particular has an excellent switch from 'oh my god what i am doing?' to 'This is amazing' /1

The entire 238 ft high Hyperia rollercoaster track against a grey sky showing a steel track twisting and looping around, with a huge ascent hill in the foreground

The Swarm track against a grey sky, showing a seemingly inpossible loop of near vertical track ascending high into the air - i believe it's called a Top Hat.

The track for The Swarm against a bright blue sky showing a twist and a loop.

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Great stuff as always from @julietemckenna.bsky.social - really tried to make this one last but it was impossible. Loved the change of scene to Ireland. I mostly read non-fiction, but i have absolutely loved this series. Fab!

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Brian's Malt Musings 🥃 @maltmusings.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Each September I complete a survey, recording the prices of a distillery's 18yo - a standard bottle which you might buy for a special occasion like a birthday. This year's results are in - let's see how things have changed. malt-musings.blogspot.com/2026/09/whis...

malt-musings.blogspot.com

Whisky Prices 2026 - 18yo

A blog about malt whisky

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T.J. Mitchell @workingstiff.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Just this moment finished the chapter "The Mapmaker's Dilemma" in @jonnelledge.bsky.social's A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders, in which Elledge lays out how Google has been coerced or forced to draw different maps for users in different countries, eg Ukraine v Russia, India v Pakistan 1/8

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I love that cover version - terrifying!

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🇵🇸Martin “Doomsday” Pfeiffer🖖🏳️‍🌈 @nuclearanthro.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Oh, outstanding. Well then. What about Ass Radium? "for rectal use, by men" "For restoring sex power" My research has some odd encounters/we did some in retrospect not great idea stuff (i mean at the time questionable)

A white box with faded gold label for 15 day course Vita Radium Suppositories as labeled and "guaranteed to contain real refined radium to be perfectly harmless"

Ad text for Vita Radium suppositories on gold paper that reads "for restoring sex power vita radium suppositories for rectal use by men, are [tonic?] restorers of sex and energizers for the entire nervous, glandular, and circulatory systems" and continues in that vein.

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

But there are 11,000 to 12,000 cases of fraud every day in the United Kingdom alone, there are loads of fabulist memoirs and there are a decent amount of professors whose own output is hard to reconcile with their position. In an equal society, some frauds are black!

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Good spot. N needs go to h3 instead so it leaves Nxf2# if K goes to h1....

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

The other one works i think if the K goes the other way.... Nf3+ Kf1 Qg1# ?

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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Ok, some thoughts, as an olde tyme academic, on the Arday tragedy. First, allegations about causes. We don't know what was in his mind, but many people are keen to blame him, or woke lefties/academia, or the media. Some people are absolutely certain that the media are faultless. 1/

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Loving tbe fact that in security at Tokyo Haneda airport in the symbols showing things you are not allowed to bring through it has nunchuks and shuriken!

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Oooh, i think i played that game once or twice before....

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Tokyo! Busy day yesterday going up the Skytree, visiting the Kirby shop, the aquarium and then Team LabPlanet in the afternoon. Amazing city, and really nice to spend time here having barely seen Tokyo at all when i first visited Japan.

View over Tokyo from the Tokyo Skytree viewing platform.

A picture of the Tokyo Skytree looking up from close to the base of the tower

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Fight! US Science needs to fight this corruption. Listen to Derek!

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

@dereklowe.bsky.social lets loose again (and I am still here for it). www.science.org/content/blog... 1/2

science.org

The Assault On Science Funding Continues

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Some mad shit on that album....and so far ahead of it's time. Borrowed it from my mum's collection back then (not sure she ever listened to it anymore but was impressed she had it).

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Where is this @shieldaig.bsky.social i don't recognise it from my visits up to W Ross......

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

An album tbat totally blew my mind when i listened to it on my way to school in the 90's! Uncompromising!!!!!

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ArtButMakeItSports @artbutmakeitsports.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Mephisto, by Joaquín Espalter y Rull, 1872, 📸 by Dan Mullan

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Obviously if France and England had both got to the final, the game would have been EXACTLY like last night's match, and nothing will convince me otherwise. #WorldCupFinal

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Absolutely recommend going to see these guys (esp if you live near Cardif or Edinburgh!). Had a fantastic time and spent 7 hours in a moshpit for the first time in >20 Years. V much enjoyed seeing Wavves/Marmozets/Don Broco/Nothing but Thieves too! #MusicSky

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Bellingham has been consistently amazing - did you see his goal against France yesterday? Just perfect! Was a hugely enjoyable game to watch as the players were all more relaxed and having fun....

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

They are *both* amazing records! I wouldn't want to only have one of the two.....

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Bri Barbu @bribarbu.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

DCM has been here the whole time...but will its newfound amide-coupling abilities be a game changer? Yet another new thing from me @cenmag.bsky.social : cen.acs.org/synthesis/re...

cen.acs.org

Dichloromethane was an amide coupling reagent this whole time

Chemists make simple amides using only inexpensive lab chemicals

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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Hard to think of a more deeply damaging start to Burnham’s premiership than giving green light to new oil & gas in N. Sea, if true. It won’t lower bills or lead to greater energy security but will drive an even hotter planet. What a terrible signal to give to rest of the world #ClimateVandalism

x.com

BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) on X

Andy Burnham will announce plans for new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea when he becomes prime minister on Monday, the BBC has been told. The announcement will form part of a flurry of policy m...

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Sonic Youth. Just don't click with them at all.

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Solidarity with Mexico and their fans! These things are always tough to watch. Mexico went for it going forwards last week though - they went out fighting to equalise.

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

They did. Manager also generally has been good, but didn't make the right calls tonight. Needed more bravery!

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

England have at least progressed in my lifetime from typically exiting at the QF to typically exiting in the SF!

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

What they normally do.....stopping going forwards when they go 1 up in a tricky game.

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Tom Sheppard @sheppardtomd.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Double european and world champions has a nice ring about it.....

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