Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 10hPoor Zelensky. He had to play nice, but he must have known this would happen, especially after the Iranian fiasco. I hope Europe can step up support for Ukraine to in some way negate the boost for Russia. 020
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 16hThe Catholic Church was fairly happy to execute people centuries back. He can tie himself in knots trying to make burning at the stake sound perfectly reasonable in the 21st century. It's cheap! And much better TV than a firing squad! 000
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 16hSounds like quite the viewing experience! He must have been very good in it, as he had quite the meteoric promotion from sergeant to captain. :) 010
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 19hAwesome! I would have sliced the bottle in half and used a spoon. I now feel shamefully dull. 100
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 09/10/2026True. But if this were a real news story, it would be Kid Rock, in which case the firing squad would be trying to get shot as well. 110
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 09/10/2026Thought that was an old school Doctor Who monster for a moment. Possibly an Ice Warrior. :) 010
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 09/10/2026He said he didn't see it as a leadership issue before he stood, and I'm sure there were conversations before he put his name forward. But we'll see. There's no question that he's responsible for a big part of the membership increase. They need to find somebody with that pull before losing him. 110
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 09/10/2026Okay, Today I Learned than Epomis exists, and may be the most terrifying creature on the planet. 😀 Larvae and imago! Also baby alligators are adorable. I knew that anyway, really. I just felt it needed mentioning. 010
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Turns out he more or less gave up acting years ago, and started a drama company with two other actors. Seems very successful, which is nice! His daughter is a gardener, and if you have Instagram, you can see him here: www.instagram.com/reel/DKUR7t4...instagram.comInstagramCreate an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you. 110
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 08/10/2026😁 Maybe. I know some theories suggest that they both might have originated in sensory fibres (eg whiskers). 010
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Captain Pettifer! Last seen, if memory serves, in an episode of Newsround Extra, where Helen Rollason found him filming an advert somewhere in South America. They bonded as CBBC aliens abroad. I suspect he's having a lovely time in the theatre somewhere. I hope so. 110
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 08/10/2026It's all theory, since we don't know when they originated. But at heart they're a keratin structure, same as your hair. So likely originated for insulation and waterproofing, and took on more uses. Incubating eggs, display, balance in running, all select for larger sizes. 100
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Feathers/proto-feathers = warmth, display, and assistance in running/gliding. Jaw bones turning into ear bones is an awesome step. 100
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 08/10/2026It was inevitable, I think. They've seen what they can get away with, and they've had electoral success. Trump is helping, albeit indirectly. The only real push back comes from the Greens and the Lib Dems, who don't have their media clout. 010
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Yes. Weirdly it's also the Creationists' favourite example as to why they're right though! Because "how could something so brilliant happen by chance?"! 100
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Of course they're not part of a plan. 😁 Try Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin. Great book that shows how things became other things, and how inter-related everything is really. Did you watch Chris Packham's recent show Evolution? Should still be on the iPlayer. Less detailed, but still a good primer. 100
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 08/10/2026No, you've read part three. I suppose it should be part two, but you'll have to take that up with him! 😀 Seriously though, you should look up some of the feathered dinosaurs that have been found in China. Unbelievably beautiful. Sciurumimus and Sinosauropteryx especially. 100
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Slowcoach. 😀 It's a great book though, and I recommend his other two in the trilogy, The Rise & Fall of the Dinosaurs, and The Rise & Reign of the Mammals. 100
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026He wrote First of the Summer Wine at around about the time that the Last had descended into bath-downhill tedium though. So the ability was still there. (Although has anybody seen the First since 1989? It's fondly remembered by many, but vanished immediately into obscurity. Memories can deceive!) 010
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Fantastic! Also, bonus attempt at recreating the Apocalypse Now poster. :) 030
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Slightly baffled at the implication that other people are not like this. :) 100
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Back in the 90s, Dermot Murnaghan interviewed an Israeli minister on Channel 4 News. DM said Israel's response to something was like if the British had carpet bombed Ireland in response to the IRA, and the minister said "They should have done." I wish I could remember who it was. Frighteningly cold. 000
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026The Unlikely Escape Of Uriah Heep, by HG Parry. *Anything* by HG Parry, but that is a particularly good place to start. 100
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Yes, that's true. Although regarding Omega, Sylv's Doctor seems to remember stuff earlier ones don't. (And "fans" do love to discount anything from the 80s.) Clearly the trip up the TARDIS step that caused Colin to regenerate was so traumatic that it reawakened ancient buried memories. 😁 010
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026He's a grandfather. That suggests a few important events in his life prior to the show! 100
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026S'okay really. It's got Tip Tipping in it, so it's all good. 😎 110
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Oh, I'm just grumbly, as I just watched it a couple of days ago, and have been having Thoughts. Like, when it is set, really? It's 1963, but the Doctor isn't worried about meeting Susan in the school, (and famously DW seemingly premieres), so why isn't it winter?! 110
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Yes... but the Daleks aren't great. That end of part one cliffhanger, when one goes up the stairs. Gasp! Great moment! But it goes on forever. Stop shouting exterminate, and bloody *do* it! Also, we should have found out Mike was a traitor when Ace did. Also also, it looks like 1988, not 1963. 100
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Have you ever had any mishaps?! My father used to brew his own beer in the cupboard under the stairs. One summer (it might have been 1976, as I don't remember it), the whole lot blew up. I suspect the event has grown rather in the re-telling, but the smell lingered for years. :) 110
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026One of the few good things about late era Twitter was the John Atkinson Grimshaw account. Lovely stuff. 010
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026I love the Smurfs. I used to collect them. But yes, it is very good (and alarmingly catchy!) 130
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026I thought Israel banned the Green leadership several weeks ago, for something else?! There's surely a limit to how many times you can meaningfully ban somebody. 011
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026This one?! 😀 Oh gods, 1978?! www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRkp...youtube.comSandford and Saker Stamp On A Skurff Today 1978YouTube video by BillsOldiesUK 220
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Oh yuck. I mean, I knew he was a twat, but I thought being trans supportive was actually one good thing about him. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised! But still. 210
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 04/10/2026No, the Greens wouldn't have been able to do anything about that either. Still speaks volumes about certain people's priorities though. Greens are supposed to stand up for everybody, not just the currently fashionable ones. 000
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Yes, I had rather assumed they would be outnumbered at the conference by wiser heads. It's a bit worrying that they rejected an amendment put forward by Zack P. We're not anti-semitic, we've got a Jewish leader! We just don't listen to him. 110
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Pretty tiny minority of members who voted on it though. It's one of the disadvantages of how the party is run. That huge membership boost was always going to become a problem at some point. 100
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 04/10/2026On the plus side, at least they don't eat each other during mating!* * Usually. 0101
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 04/10/2026I can't figure that out! Bat? Dragon? Could be a pterodactyl with its beak in its claw. 010
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 04/10/2026I didn't! Not helped by typing "hawk", hitting enter, and the program deciding that I'd chosen tarantula hawk moth. 😁 010
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 03/10/2026I don't want to jinx anything, but I get the impression ZiR is backed mostly by idealistic youngsters who haven't thought it through properly - and they probably aren't conference goers. 041
Max @swordznsorcery.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Spoiler: No, the anthropomorphic triangle did not win over the sceptics. (Or the skeptics, depending on what country they were from.) 080