A chance to get out on ski's today. A rare thing over the last couple of years. Great to be out in the #snow, not too cold unfortunately but ......just a lovely #winter landscape ❄️😊 #ski #skiing #scotland #forest

In only a few weeks time the Irish government will face the difficult decision of what to do about the traditional St Patrick’s day trip to the White House. It is impossible to pretend that things are normal with Trump and his backers openly attempting to break up the EU, sanctioning the ICC […]

#FindsFriday: `A unique discovery at the #Celtic hillfort has been a hoard of 70 silver coins found buried in a small clay pot in the middle-bailey courtyard of Devin Castle. The coins imitate the design of the denarii and quinarii of the Roman Republic […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

Quoting so I can pin this for visitors, thank you for this incredible essay

#BookologyThursday #Celtic: ‘Some translations hold that the name of the blackthorn fruit, sloe, and the word ‘slay’ are connected. These all give excellent clues to the magical and spiritual significance of straif, the blackthorn. The blackthorn features in […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

Newer AI Coding Assistants Are Failing in Insidious Ways

A few days ago, a client’s data center "vanished" overnight. My monitoring showed that all devices were unreachable. Not even the ISP routers responded, so I assumed a sudden connectivity drop. The strange part? Not even via 4G. I then suspected a power failure, but the UPS should have sent an […]

People living in UK - especially GB - should not be thinking 'at least we're not as bad as America,' when Northern Ireland exists and civilians were being shot by state forces there for decades, and recent governments have given those forces amnesty. @grantsana.bsky.social leading bsky voice here.

The US might soon get access to Europeans’ biometric data – like fingerprints and facial scans – which it wants to keep allowing visa-free travel to the country. EU governments have already given their OK to start talks. Read my article at @euractiv […]

Neoliberal governments aren't interested in doing anything other than channel taxpayers' money into the private sector. That's all they exist to do.

Follow + Hide Boosts is seriously one of the best low-key features of Mastodon. I use it all the time. It's wonderful. So if you follow me or want to follow me but really don't want to see my boosts because I boost a lot? PLEASE USE IT I WILL NOT BE OFFENDED IT IS A GOOD FEATURE. IT IS SO GOOD […]

Not sure where to start with Mastodon? Here's some new year coverage from @TechCrunch that provides a great overview. 🫶🏻 Want to learn even more? There's a fantastic community ready to help you level up your Fediverse skills. 🎉 https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/01/what-is-mastodon/

RIP Loren Carpenter (1947-2025), who I just learned passed away on December 21 at the age of 78. He worked for the Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Division (where he helped create the Genesis effect for Star Trek 2, and Rescue on Fractalus!). He co-created RenderMan and was chief scientist of Pixar. 🤯

#FairyTaleTuesday #Celtic: `The traditional Manx Christmas period lasted for two weeks - the Kegeesh Ommidjagh (Foolish Fortnight) - and it was rounded off on Twelfth Night with an appearance of the Laair Vane. This white horse would enter festive gatherings […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

#MythologyMonday #Celtic: `#Manannan, son of Lir, took notice of a split and withered tree, and he bade his men to dig it up. And when they began to dig, a mist of poison rose up from the roots, and nine of the men got their death from it, and another nine […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

A watched backup never completes, but it does crash the moment you look away

Punk’s Not Dead! Funny Snow Sculptures (10 Photos): https://streetartutopia.com/2026/01/02/funny-snow-sculptures-10-photos/

Embedded systems engineer Sergey Antonovich merges his passion for music with expertise in autonomous vehicle technology.

#bookologythursday #bookchatweekly #celtic: `Cormac mac Art was a special favourite of the gods. Manannán son of Lér was so anxious for his friendship that he decoyed him into the #otherworld... Here's the whole story: https://hear-me.social/@NeuKelte/115543957856566601

New York City has a new mayor

Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh go léir ó Bhaile Átha Cliath!

In China bats are used to represent the Wufu, the "Five Blessings": long life, wealth, good health, virtuous nature, and a peaceful death in the end. This often contrasts with their dark reception in other cultures around the world. #WyrdWednesday

Happy New Year's Eve! 2025 was rough. May 2026 grant us resilience, an end to fascism, joy, and prosperity. May we continue to build communities of support, find joy in learning, and find grace for those deserving of it. I've loved Bluesky this year, and I look forward to another year with you all!

Even at the End, in Ragnarok, when not just one but the Nine Worlds will be destroyed in fire, there is hope: two humans will survive, and with them a small group of gods. Leading them will be Baldr and Hodr, twins of light and dark, into a new era. #WyrdWednesday 🖼 Doepler

When someone asks why I keep working on the open social web when normal users don't care about protocols

#ThickTrunkTuesday: `A bíle, which is said to be between 700-800 years old. Probably the oldest yew in #Ireland. The yew was revered by our ancient #Celtic ancestors for its longevity, and because it remained green and vibrant, thriving in the harshness of […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

Tesla’s 4680 battery supply chain collapses‼️ “A major link in Tesla’s 4680 battery supply chain has just snapped. South Korean battery material supplier L&F Co. announced today that the value of its massive supply deal with Tesla has been slashed by over 99%, signaling a catastrophic drop in […]

#MythologyMonday #Celtic: `The #Cailleach is also known as the Hag of Storms. She lays claim to the creatures of the wild and cold places, the red deer and the wolf, the leaping salmon and the springing goat, warding them and watching over them. She it was who […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

Every beat of the Thunderbird's wings is a storm, a thunderclap heard over hundreds of miles. Flying across the whole of North America, this legendary bird of indigenous lore survives in urban legend and folktale. #MythologyMonday

#MythologyMonday #Celtic: `Beinn na Caillich on the #IsleOfSkye is one of the #Cailleach haunts, as are other mountains prominent in the landscape, and from which fierce storms of sleet and rain descend, wreaking havoc and destruction upon the lands below.` […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

#MythologyMonday #Celtic: `During the reign of Beira, Queen of Winter, the spirit of Spring, they thought, was always trying to visit Scotland, and they imagined that Beira raised the storms of January and February to prolong her reign by keeping the grass […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

#MythologyMonday #Celtic: `On a bitterly cold winter day, #Fionn and his men, weary from travel, sought shelter from the harsh weather. Amidst heavy hailstorms and falling snow, they pursued a fawn until it vanished near Slieve-na-man. In the growing darkness […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

Winter personified in Norse myth is Vetr. His father is Vindsvalr, the Winter-wind, ever-cool in going, and Vetr keeps the world with his opposite, Sumarr, and are among the first of beings: and they shall last until Ragnarok brings the gods to destruction. #MythologyMonday

Democracy shouldn’t end at the login screen. Mastodon is the only major social network that answers to you. As a nonprofit, we’re building a digital commons where transparency, trust, and your participation shape the future. Help us keep the Fediverse […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

#MythologyMonday #Celtic: The #Cailleach aka Hag of Storms „lived (and rumour has it, lives still!) in the Beara just in the south of Ireland, and a wandering friar came to her house, for he had heard tell of a woman of great age, so old that even she herself […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

The Wild Hunt approaches like a storm wind. #mythologymonday https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Wild_Hunt_of_the_Untersberg

...wind and the sound of someone calling 'ikuzo' which is like the English 'timber' to indicate a tree is about to fall. It is believed to be the tengu playing tricks as they are known to conjure fierce winds. 🎨1. Matthew Meyer @yokai.com 2. Tengu statue on Mount Takao 3. Utagawa Hiroshige 2/2

Tengu daoshi is a supernatural phenomenon in #JapaneseFolklore believed to be caused by #yokai known as tengu. It occurs when the sound of a large tree falling can be heard in the forest, yet no sign of a fallen tree can be found. It is often accompanied by a strong gust of... #MythologyMonday 1/2

In Japanese mythology Fujin is a Shinto wind kami (god) usually portrayed as a fearsome-looking deity sitting on or walking over the clouds and carrying a sack containing the winds. This print depicts Fujin blowing the gust of wind from the huge sack on his back. #MythologyMonday #JapaneseFolklore

Otakemaru is a powerful Japanese oni (demon). For years he terrorised the emperor's army by creating a violent storm to prevent them from capturing him. Eventually he was killed but his spirit continued to haunt Japan until it reformed his body & started again. 🎨M. Meyer @yokai.com #MythologyMonday

I was recently reminded of this. A couple decades ago, I wrote a short paper that described how the basic approaches of cryptography and computer security lead to an efficient and practical privilege escalation attack against master-keyed mechanical lock, which I published in IEEE Security and […]

My latest cartoon for @theguardian.com books.

Has anyone had laser eye surgery? How did it go? #pleaseboost

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

You will be visited by three spirits

Alright lads, he has arrived Dublin so you know that means, off to bed with you lot, Nollaig Shona everyone https://youtu.be/8DbVuccB7K8

Cuairt San Nioclás (A Visit from Saint Nicholas) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y0q8d59BBA