Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 30/09/2026“It rescues her from two bad histories at once: the old one in which a beautiful actress could not possibly have invented anything, and the new one in which admiration must be inflated until her patent personally becomes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and every mobile telephone.” 040
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 30/09/2026Many inaccuracies circulate about this, including in some replies here. I recently covered it within my “History of Cybersecurity in 2⁷ Artefacts” if interested in the documented facts. She was amazing enough without requiring exaggeration. sophie.baskerville.net/sophie-baske...sophie.baskerville.netHedy Lamarr and George Antheil: The Frequency Hopping InnovatorsDiscover the innovative collaboration between Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil in developing the groundbreaking frequency-hopping communication system. 160
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 13/09/2026“Orchestral Turnovers In The Dark” I suspect they’re performing Enola Gâteau. 🥐🎻🌑 #insomnia 021
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 24/08/2026Published: Sophie’s Gazetteer of Things That Know Where Your Bits Are; FAT, NTFS, ext, ZFS, Btrfs, Unicode, recovery, security, and decades of ingenious answers to “where did my file go?” Part of the Cabinet of Computing Curiosities. sophie.baskerville.net/eccentric-ex... #Filesystems #DataStoragesophie.baskerville.netSophie’s Gazetteer of Things That Know Where Your Bits AreFilesystems, formats and the improbable business of finding your data again From 8.3 to copy-on-write, via a slash nobody has agreed on since 1983. Part of Sophie’s Cabinet of Computing Curio… 010
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 22/08/2026Someone you know may be struggling with gender. They may not understand it yet. Or they may know exactly what it is, but not know whether they can trust you. I’ve written about that quiet, often invisible space between identity, disclosure, safety, & trust.💜 sophie.baskerville.net/2026/08/21/s...sophie.baskerville.netSomeone You Know Is Struggling With GenderThey may not know it yet. Or they may know, and not know whether they can trust you. 1. Someone you know Consider your social circle; the people you know, current and past. Colleagues you may have … 000
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 17/08/20263/3 𝙂𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖 - 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙇𝙚𝙨𝙨™️! Sophie #ComputerHistory #ComputerArchitecture #RetroComputing #DataStorage #ComputerNetworking #DigitalPreservation #Filesystems #TechnologyHistory #CyberSecurity 000
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 17/08/20262/3 After that will come 𝗦𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗲’𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝘇𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲; filesystems, formats and the improbable business of finding your data again. Together these (and later possibly others) form 𝗦𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗲’𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, at sophie.baskerville.net/eccentric-ex...sophie.baskerville.netSophie’s Cabinet of Computing CuriositiesField guides to the hardware, standards and historical accidents that make computers work Welcome to Sophie’s Cabinet of Computing Curiosities! An accidentally-created collection of field guides to… 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 17/08/20261/3 First there was 𝗦𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗲’𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲; connectors galore. Then came 𝗦𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗲’𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗮𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿; storage sass¹. Now here is 𝗦𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗲’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸; interfaces, buses, and networks: sophie.baskerville.net/eccentric-ex... ¹ See what I did there? 🤭sophie.baskerville.netSophie’s Compendium of Things That TalkFrom Current Loops to PCI Express A taxonomy, history and practical review of buses, interfaces, networks and the increasingly elaborate business of moving bits between things. The Cable Menagerie … 110
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 15/08/2026“Constantly stopping these briefings halfway through is becoming a pain.” m.xkcd.com/261/ 020
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 11/08/2026No explanation. 14 London Rail Termini 14 Body Parts #London #RailwayStations #Anatomy #RailwayAnatomy sophie.baskerville.net/eccentric-ex...sophie.baskerville.netThe 14 Anatomical Termini of London“An Alternate-Reality Gazetteer of the Capital’s Principal Railway Stations” A work of deliberate railway pseudo-history, written with a straight face and no respect whatsoever for causality. A Not… 000
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026And that concludes the series, unless Sir Michael un-retires again. Which, given the available evidence, should not be entirely ruled out. Until then: that’s your bleedin’ lot. #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 000
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026That was the final entry in my entirely serious thesis that every Michael Caine film can be summarised by one image and one line he never actually said, but absolutely ought to have. A fittingly defiant, moving final starring role for one of Britain’s greatest actors. 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 32/32 The Great Escaper, 2023 “The Germans couldn’t stop me reaching Normandy. Could a care home with a clipboard manage it 70 years later? Too old to escape? Ha! I went to Normandy, saluted the dead, and retired on my own bleedin’ terms.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 31/32 Tenet, 2020 “Time’s running backwards, the world’s ending, and Brooks Brothers still won’t bloody cut it.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 30/32 Interstellar, 2014 “We can save humanity, but first I need everyone to accept one small lie and several enormous equations.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 29/32 Inception, 2010 “Three bleedin’ dream levels to plant one idea. In my day, we used a conversation.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 28/32 Harry Brown, 2009 “You only had to call a bleedin’ ambulance. Now I’ve had to shoot half the estate.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 27/32 The Dark Knight, 2008 “Master Wayne, a clown’s blown up the hospital and you’re sulking in a cave. Shall I put the bleedin' kettle on?” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 110
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 26/32 Children of Men, 2006 “The world’s gone sterile, Britain’s gone fascist, and somehow I’m still supplying the jokes and marijuana.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 25/32 The Prestige, 2006 “Every trick has a secret. This one’s got physics, David Bowie, cats, and a cellar full of suspiciously identical corpses.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 120
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 24/32 Batman Begins, 2005 “Master Wayne, your parents left you billions. You bought a tank, dressed as a bat, and called it healing.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 110
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 23/32 The Quiet American, 2002 “The American said he’d come to save Vietnam. Pity nobody saved Vietnam from the American.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 22/32 Miss Congeniality, 2000 “She is armed, furious and wearing lipstick. My work here is done.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 21/32 The Cider House Rules, 1999 “I trained the boy to save lives. He chose apples and adultery. I chose to anaesthetise the disappointment.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 20/32 Little Voice, 1998 “She’s got the voice of every dead star in show business. I’ve got the morals of a living agent.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 The Muppet Christmas Carol, 1992 “I hate Christmas, children, and singing vegetables. Then the ghosts started.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, 1988 “We agreed to con one woman. Then she turned out to be better at it than both of us.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 Jaws: The Revenge, 1987 “The shark followed us to the Bahamas. Even cartilaginous fish understand the value of a foreign location.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 Hannah and Her Sisters, 1986 “I married Hannah, slept with Lee, and spent two Thanksgivings pretending it was a family misunderstanding.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 Educating Rita, 1983 “She wanted to become educated. I wanted to remain comfortably pissed. Only one of us succeeded, and I got sent to bleedin' Australia.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 110
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 Deathtrap, 1982 “The play is worth killing for. Unfortunately, everyone in the room has read it.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 Escape to Victory, 1981 “The Nazis have challenged us to a football match. Apparently the war wasn't complicated enough.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 A Bridge Too Far, 1977 “It's a magnificent plan. The only problems are the bridge, the Germans and nearly everything else.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 The Eagle Has Landed, 1976 “Oh my god, I'm bleedin' German” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 The Man Who Would Be King, 1975 “Oh my god, we're bleedin' gods Danny” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 Sleuth, 1972 “He invited me round for a game. I should've asked why the wardrobe was full of disguises.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 Get Carter, 1971 “I came up north for a funeral. Now everybody seems determined to need one.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 Battle of Britain, 1969 “There are rather a lot of Germans up there, and we've only got one bleeding summer.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 The Italian Job, 1969 “You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 Funeral in Berlin, 1966 “The Russians want him out, the Germans want him dead, and I'd quite like my expenses.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 Gambit, 1966 “The plan was flawless. Then the woman I'd hired started having ideas of her own.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 02/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 Alfie, 1966 “She asked where the relationship was going. I said, preferably somewhere with a back door.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Reposted by Sophie Ada Mathison Violet BaskervilleUna McCormack @unamccormack.bsky.social · 01/08/2026A piece by me about #StarTrek and space utopianism: foreignpolicy.com/2026/07/31/s...foreignpolicy.comThe Dreams of ‘Star Trek’ Aren’t DeadSpace utopianism belongs to everyone, not billionaires. 06422
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 01/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 The Ipcress File, 1965 “I asked for a proper breakfast. They gave me a file, a gun and a bleeding conspiracy.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 01/08/2026𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝘊𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 (𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦-𝘶𝘱) 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦... Zulu, 1964 “Oh my God, they're coming over the bleeding hill.” #CaineInOneFrame #Film #MichaelCaine 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 01/08/2026Nerds, Geeks, and indeed the rest: What are you waiting for? Get out 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 this Sunday and have a read 🤓🌞 sophie.baskerville.net/2026/08/01/s...sophie.baskerville.netSophie’s Great Cable Menagerie™️Inspiration comes from unexpected directions. Newton got a pomaceous prompt leading him to some startling insights into gravity. Archimedes’ bath overflowed just prior to (and indeed leading … 000
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 01/08/2026Cables. As Marvin, the Paranoid Android, might have said, “Cables. Loathe them or ignore them. You can't 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 them” 96 Connector Families 5 Scored attributes 40% weighting for tangles -25 maximum snag penalty #Design #Cables #GordianKnot #Tangle #Connectors 100
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 31/07/2026“Yeah if you're so clever then tell us what COLOUR the absent ethernet cable should be..??” (After HHGTTG and the Golgafrinchans' “Difficulty Inventing The Wheel”. Douglas Adams spot on as usual) 000
Sophie Ada Mathison Violet Baskerville @sophie.baskerville.net · 31/07/2026sophie.baskerville.net/sophie-baske... #WomenInSTEM #WomenInCyber #WomenInTech #Cybersecurity #Cryptography #IntelligenceHistory #TechHistory #GenderEquality #HiddenFigures #BletchleyParksophie.baskerville.netOctet II | Cryptography becomes machinery, intelligence and profession“The machines entered history. Too many of the people were written out of it.” Previous OctetOctet I Full 128 artefact index First artefact in Octet II Next Octet Octet III 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 I thoug… 000