Three disturbing London episodes
(1/3) The approach to the twelfth floor.
Latest thrilling — and in some ways terrifying — instalment of The Fictional Aether.
That’s right, we’re going to London!
open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
06.12.2025 12:49 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Great culture can save lives. Literally.
Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard
02.12.2025 08:48 — 👍 11795 🔁 4061 💬 146 📌 452
I just listened to the podcast and thought, “There can’t possibly be two TV science advisors with the same name!”
I hope all is well with you, even if you’re not playing with centrifuges!
22.11.2025 11:16 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
ALT: a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
Bluetorial-Jim Watson
I met Jim Watson a few times but did not know him well. However, I was greatly influenced by his book “The Double Helix”. He was a complicated human being with some very, very bad features, but some good contributions.
What follows is my personal perspective.
1/41
08.11.2025 13:58 — 👍 194 🔁 76 💬 6 📌 28
How to read a great book
Robert Caro's Power Broker, and some guides to powering through it.
My latest, on reasons to read The Power Broker, and some things that might help you do it.
open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
02.11.2025 10:29 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
I would expect that’s the one book I stubbornly would NOT have read…
10.10.2025 13:01 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A photo of the Matterhorn rising above an Alpine landscape. The colours are a little washed out, but do not appear artificially tinted
Ahead of tomorrow’s #NobelPrize announcement, I went on a deep dive in search of the most obscure physics Nobel Prizes in history. That means it's time for a thread on...🧵
PHYSICS NOBEL PRIZES YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF – PART 1
(1/n)
06.10.2025 15:22 — 👍 95 🔁 34 💬 2 📌 4
Obviously it’s extreme-mass-ratio inspiral. The words connected by the hyphens are the adjective for “inspiral”.
Shocking that anyone would say otherwise.
16.09.2025 20:26 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
* ok, 85%
14.09.2025 17:27 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
My dream postdoc
It's all true and not a single bit is made up.
Already several comments on this line.
All I can say is, “Wow, you made it all the way* through the piece!”
open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
14.09.2025 17:26 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
But ok, at least he wasn’t boring…
29.08.2025 20:59 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
I recently re-read the DFW piece. I remember thinking it was great, but this time around he came across as a bit disturbed. Probably he shouldn’t have gone a cruise alone…
29.08.2025 20:52 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Poor performance. We really need to up our game.
01.08.2025 09:09 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Gotta keep them honest!
18.07.2025 09:07 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
GW231123: an unearthly signal
A report on some actual science
Our collaboration member Mark Hannam @markdhannam.bsky.social shares his insights on working on our latest discover, the particularly tricky gravitational-wave signal #GW231123
fictionalaether.substack.com/p/gw231123-a...
14.07.2025 22:24 — 👍 10 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 1
That must have made his day!
14.07.2025 14:13 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
GW231123: an unearthly signal
A report on some actual science
My summary of the latest @ligo.org observation paper.
Massive black holes!
open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
14.07.2025 13:12 — 👍 5 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
In honour of the second night of Oasis in Cardiff, I’m at home listening to Blur.
05.07.2025 17:28 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The Trump Administration vs Springer? Please don’t ask me to pick a side.
01.07.2025 08:21 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Is Lolita the only case where the song is better than the book?
28.06.2025 16:32 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Latest post!
open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
28.06.2025 13:49 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
An artist in peril
It’s been so quiet here lately that you might be wondering whether this ‘Stack continues to exist.
Finally, a new post! (And it’s not *just* about the lack of posts…)
“It’s been so quiet here lately that you might be wondering whether this ‘Stack continues to exist. Do not fear! The Fictional Aether exists just as certainly as the real aether does not.”
open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
28.06.2025 08:42 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
How to get your name on a paper
I am in a panic.
A cautionary tale of duplicity and wickedness disguised as a piece of advice. Or, let’s face it: just a piece of advice.
“How to get your name on a paper”:
open.substack.com/pub/fictiona...
07.06.2025 10:00 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
On a break. Message via website (link below)
Writer | Science Advisor (Star Trek franchise) | Producer | PhD, Astrophysics | she/her
just an ancient tattooed 🏴 N7 Starfleet rebel pagan soul trapped in modern times
https://linktr.ee/drerinmac
Official account of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. We detect gravitational waves!
Email: questions@ligo.org
Assistant Professor at UNLV+NevadaCfA looking for gravitational waves and the best music. Previously at LIGO, MITKavli, CITA_ICAT and UoBIGWaves.
Blogger.
Mainly law and policy; Aston Villa supporter; sometimes ironic.
Birmingham/London.
Professor of Strategic Studies, Author, Lover of Sicily
Journalist. Author. Podcaster. Liberal extremist.
Science journalist at Physics World magazine (@physicsworld.bsky.social). Also available as @DrMLHarris@mastodon.social. All views on science, politics, history, nonsense, etc. my own. DM for Signal contact info.
I write about medicinal and computational chemistry and drug discovery with a sprinkling of history. Blog at medchemash.substack.com.
Writer, editor, cat person, person person. Dubliner in Maryland.
PhD in neuroscience, MA in philosophy. Writing about science and philosophy of mind: https://cognitivewonderland.substack.com/
Disappointed but not surprised. Now ruling a brand new universe: https://theskeetofgod.com.
Filmmaker, writer, misanthrope
Cosmologist, physicist, dirtbag mountain biker, expat Montanan, Copernican extremist. Part of the problem.
Ex NY Times, now author of Substack Paul Krugman. Nobel laureate and, according to Donald Trump, "Deranged BUM"
Author. Latest book: 'John & Paul: A Love Story In Songs'. Available now: https://www.ian-leslie.com/p/introducing-john-and-paul-a-love
Physicist, professor, author of books about science for non-scientists. Longer-form stuff at https://chadorzel.substack.com/
So far I’m not using this platform much more than that other one. But I’ve got a novel to sell, so maybe that will change. https://books2read.com/adaschildren
Father, husband, scientist, Kiwi diaspora returnee, prof @aucklanduni.bsky.social - opinions mine. He/Him
Science: https://cosmology.auckland.ac.nz
Blog: https://excursionset.com
Newsletter: https://buttondown.com/excursionset
Scientist working on waves, black holes, hyperbolic geometry, and optimization. Chasing light to infinity. Seeking resonance.
Professor of Theoretical Physics at King’s College London doing cosmology, gravity, astrophysics and string theory. GRTL Collaboration and UK Numerical Relativity. Views my own. Penang-lang.
https://nms.kcl.ac.uk/eugene.lim
