Stuart Johnson

Metaphor, alchemy and lessons from the 17th century Philip Ball has just published a magnificent book on the history of alchemy: Alchemy: An Illustrated History of Elixirs, Experiments, and the Birth of Modern Science. This made me think about metap…

For weekend readers, some musings about #metaphor and #alchemy in the 17th and 21st centuries makingsciencepublic.com/2025/10/03/m...

Howard Rheingold's The Virtual Community was a big influence at the time www.rheingold.com/vc/book/intr...

We need to escape the Gernsback Continuum Outdated science fiction is hobbling our dreams.

We need to escape the Gernsback Continuum. How @greatdismal.bsky.social 1980s short story anticipates the dreams of Silicon Valley today.

DMA statement - Durham Miners Gala and Reform UK Reform UK have chosen to criticise us publicly for not inviting them to the Gala. They obviously don’t understand how this works, so we will explain...

Absolutely vital statement from Durham Miners Association concerning the bigotry and ignorance of (presiding local party) Reform.

More of this across the rest of the country please...

www.durhamminers.org/statement_du...

Am in middle of my 17 hour movie about creativity in documentary.
Have filmed world.
Trying to rethink the genre.
More and more I ask myself "What would #AI not know about this, or see or say?"
The thought excites me.
A bit like how painters reacted to photography? What can I do that it can't?

The contentious genius who made black holes real Roger Penrose, now 93, never shied away from wild ideas and the ensuring debates. The first full-length biography reveals more about the mathematician and the man.

For math and physics nerds, and especially for the visually oriented ones like myself who grew up looking up to Roger Penrose, the publication of the first book-length biography of the man by @PatchenBarss is a big deal. My review for @Nature + a short 🧵
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

YouTube video by BFI Mike Leigh interviewed by Amy Raphael | BFI London Film Festival 2024 Screen Talk

This fascinating 'In Conversation' session with Mike Leigh (recorded at this year's #LFF) is now available to view on YouTube. Very highly recommended! #FilmSky #MikeLeigh

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g6S...

Man buys an acid tab. Goes home and leaves it on the kitchen table. Goes upstairs. Comes back down later and it's disappeared. Says to his Mum "have you seen my tablet?" Mum says "never mind your tablet. There's a dragon on the shed."
The immortal Barry Cryer.

Random late fact of the day - Peter O’Toole followed Sunderland

Fancy your own Powell & Pressburger festival? Currently on/heading to BBC iPlayer are I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING!, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP and P&P doc MADE IN ENGLAND. A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH and THE RED SHOES join from Sat. But see thread for links to other P&P joy available in the UK
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Turns out the zombie apocalypse isn’t as fun as they said it would be – Rebecca Solnit on our dangerously disconnected world A population numbed, dazed, present-but-not-present – had it happened overnight it would be a sci-fi horror movie. And if you looked up from your phone for long enough, you might notice it’s started a...

You'll be shocked to hear I wrote a thing, and doubly shocked that it is not nice about Silicon Valley. www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

Following all Sunderland fans back on this app!

#SAFC