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bows4crows.bsky.social
Alan 🏳️‍⚧️ 🏳️‍🌈
@bows4crows.bsky.social
280 followers 410 following 850 posts
☠️ Future skeleton 🌘 Neurodivergent 🧘‍♂️ Yoga teacher 🧪 Neuroscientist 🌱 Vegetarian 🦤 He/him/they/them 🕹️ FGC 💃 Fashion
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bows4crows.bsky.social
Glad to see we have officially pulled out of Eurovision. I feel that these past few years have really killed the contest. Whatever values it might have stood for are long gone.
December 5, 2025 at 6:02 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
Ball gown, London, 1870s

This is a hell of a dress!
The designer, Madame Elise (Elizabeth Jaeger) did designs for the Princess of Wales, and when she stopped dressmaking she wrote books and articles on fashion/textiles. Her stuff is pure awesome.

#fashionsky #fashionhistory #TheMet #dresshistory
Museum photo of a silk ball gown in black and red. It is highly detailed and the overall impression is of a flamenco style (though it is much too big for that). The bodice is high and narrow waisted. A black underlayer, with a broad red strip of silk coming from each shoulder to the centre of the chest. It is accented with a red fabric rose in the centre, and with white lace trim at the neckline (which is a shallow curve from shoulder to shoulder). The top is sleeveless. The skirt contains many ruffles in the mid section, and multiple frill layers at the hem. It is predominantly black, with a broad red strip sweeping in a curve from the base of each hip to the other, and further strips of red below this. It is accented on the right side with more fabric roses.
December 4, 2025 at 11:39 AM
bows4crows.bsky.social
Another government review with the conclusion built in from the start? Streeting scares me.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Wes Streeting orders review of mental health diagnoses as benefit claims soar
Health secretary has asked experts to investigate whether normal feelings have become ‘over-pathologised’
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:16 AM
bows4crows.bsky.social
Fancy dress costume, House of Worth, France, 1870

This is an authentic Turkish woman's outfit, repurposed by the House of Worth for fancy dress. The trousers are original, but the bodice was completely altered into the current form-fitting style.

#fashionhistory #dresshistory #TheMet #fashionsky
Museum photo of a fancy dress costume. The trousers are extremely wide, loose harem trousers, in a pale blue silk. The bodice is a tight v-shape, typical of the period, tapering to the waist. However, the neckline is fairly low (also v-cut), and it it sleeveless. There is highly detailed gold embroidery over the whole of the cream-coloured bodice.
December 1, 2025 at 4:31 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
A simple guided relaxation here, trying to help the listener be centred in the present moment.

I'd intended it to be shorter (I will do short ones!), but seemed to have more to say when it came to it.

Comments or questions welcome.

#meditation #relaxation #yoga #bodyscan

youtu.be/1b0l5yoC5FU
Meditation, Dec 1st: Centring and releasing
YouTube video by Yoga with Alan
youtu.be
December 1, 2025 at 2:03 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
A lovely version of Tifa's theme from Final Fantasy 7, arranged and performed by Grazia Pizzuto. This tune makes me feel actual human emotions every time (I'm very bad at labelling emotions, but I'm definitely feeling something).

#finalfantasy #tifa #finalfantasyvii

youtu.be/lvMDci8lyQs?...
Tifa's Theme (from Final Fantasy VII, Piano Version)
YouTube video by Grazia Pizzuto
youtu.be
November 28, 2025 at 3:17 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
Wedding dress, Ireland, 1870

I didn't expect to find Irish stuff! And its definitely not what my ancestors were wearing out in Roscommon, but it is seriously beautiful. An incredible, delicate design that also looks completely modern.

#Fashionsky #fashionhistory #dresshistory #TheMet
1/2
Image 1 A museum photo of a wedding dress. It is a floor length gown, or rather, the outer layer of a gown. It is made of fine, mostly transparent gold lace. There are numerous larger floral and leaf details throughout. It has a small trail, elbow length sleeves, and a narrow v-shaped collar. It is a loose fit both on the bodice and skirt.
November 28, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Reposted by Alan 🏳️‍⚧️ 🏳️‍🌈
theplanetaryguy.bsky.social
Holy fucking shit this is a *real* image from a *real* (presumably peer-reviewed) paper in [Nature] Scientific Reports.

How many people had to sign off on this figure?

The editor, one hopes, the reviewer(s)? The copy editor?

What had to happen for THIS to get published?
feralrobots.bsky.social Feral T. Robot, Oil Swamp Utility Bot #7629 @feralrobots.bsky.social · 9d
Hey @nature.com, have you got an explanation for how the hell THIS happened? & especially why you accepted a paper with such a bizarre piece of genAI slop in it?!
& more to the point, why we should take you seriously at all going forward?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Figure 1 from a paper published in Nature (linked in post). The figure purports to be an infographic depiction of the "Overall working of the framework" for 'explainably' diagnosing autism spectrum disorder. The infographic is plainly nonsense, containing many spelling errors, nonsense words, meaningless images and graphs. Clearly created using generative AI and (crucially) NEVER CHECKED AT ANY STEP OF THE WRITING OR PUBLICATION PROCESS.
November 27, 2025 at 8:11 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
New #meditation video: a guided relaxation followed by some pointers towards pure awareness.

I'm thinking about a more structured approach to these meditations, that might help beginners. But if there's anything you'd like me to focus on, please just ask.

#yoga #EldenRing

youtu.be/3BOqW2UDLHE?...
Meditation, Nov 26th: Breathing into awareness
YouTube video by Yoga with Alan
youtu.be
November 26, 2025 at 3:57 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
Ball gown, Emile Pingat, Paris, 1864

Another #Pingat, and this one is something else.
Would you be able to sit down, go to the loo or do handstands? No.
Would you look better than everyone else in the room? Yes.
Love it.

#fashionsky #fashionhistory #dresshistory #TheMet
Image 1. Silk ball gown in a pale yellow. The neckline is broad and low, sweeping shoulder to shoulder in a shallow curve. The gown is sleeveless. The bodice is v-shaped, with a narrow waist. There is a pleated section of fabric over the bust, fringed with dark gold trim and pale yellow feathery details. The skirt is enormous - extending very wide to the sides and rear. It is also fringed with dark gold at the hem. An interesting detail is two pennants (I have no other word for it), that hang from each hip down the front left and right of the skirt. They extend from a point at the hip to finish in a foot-wide curve, fringed with dark gold tassels. Image 2. View from the right rear of the same dress in image 1. Shows the scale of the skirt - extending about 4 foot to the rear. The rear of the skirt has three of the pennant details, in the middle, left and right.
November 26, 2025 at 10:48 AM
bows4crows.bsky.social
This world is pretty beautiful
November 26, 2025 at 9:48 AM
bows4crows.bsky.social
Coat, 1860-96, Emile Pingat, Paris

I'm not a fan of this style, but my kid loves it and its very impressive, so here we are.
Pingat was a really big deal - but I don't think he had a successor and so he's seems to have been forgotten.

#fashionsky #dresshistory #fashionhistory #TheMet #MaisonPingat
Image 1. A museum photo of a black silk coat. It has a very gothic look. The neckline is high, with a higher flat collar around the back and sides of the neck. There is a black bow at the throat, and black lace hanging from this point down the front. The shoulders are slightly puffed, and the sleeves are full fabric for about two thirds of the length, before transitioning into a lace layer. The hem at the bottom of the coat is complex. The solid fabric layer ends at mid-hip level, and below this there are two alternating strips of lace and solid fabric, to about the upper thigh. Further lace hangs below this point, to about mid-calf height. Image 2. Side view of the coat from image 1. This shows that the back of the coat has structural support to allow it to expand out from the lower back to the hips - presumably to accommodate the large skirts of the day.
November 22, 2025 at 3:47 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
I'm keenly feeling how long its been since I last played Final Fantasy 8.

If you weren't aware, everyone* agrees that its the best FF game, and also one of the best games ever.

*me
a man and a woman are standing in a room with the words weeeee written in white
Alt: An animated gif from Final fantasy 8. Rinoa leaps into Squall's arms and they spin through 180 degrees. The word "weeee!" is written in large letters on screen.
media.tenor.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:55 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
Another guided meditation, this time focusing on connecting more closely with the breath.

I really need to get my audio sorted, and I guess someday I'll have to stop using footage from #EldenRing as background. But that is not today.

#meditation #relaxation #breathwork

youtu.be/PbN-Nv5tkyU
Guided meditation, Nov 21st: Breathing into stillness
YouTube video by Yoga with Alan
youtu.be
November 21, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Reposted by Alan 🏳️‍⚧️ 🏳️‍🌈
wornonthisday.bsky.social
Worn #onthisday in 1984 by Glenda Jackson in the title role of Jean Racine's play "Phaedra" when it premiered at the Old Vic in London. Director Philip Prowse designed the costumes; one critic complained that the actresses looked "as if they were trapped in ornate gas balloons." #OTD 📷 V&A Museum
November 21, 2025 at 12:03 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
If you ignore expert advice and cause tens of thousands of deaths, I really think you should be tried for murder.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
‘Too little, too late’: damning report condemns UK’s Covid response
Report on handling of pandemic contains stinging criticism of ‘toxic and chaotic’ culture inside Boris Johnson’s No 10
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:19 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
Peignoir, American, 1860

I had to look up what a peignoir is to be honest. But this is gorgeous. Imagine being so fancy that this is your dressing gown? I wonder what the rest of her wardrobe looked like...

#fashionsky #fashionhistory #dresshistory #TheMet
Museum photo of a peignoir - a type of dressing gown. It has the form of a full length, long sleeved dress (in pale yellow, with red/brown detailing). The neckline is high with a patterned alice collar. The form of the dress is loose, cinched in by a belt at the waist, and flaring out into a conical shaped skirt. There are fabric covered red buttons the whole way down the dress, from collar to hem. Key visual feature is two broad strips of patterned red and yellow fabric (about four inches wide) that go from each shoulder to the centre of hte waist, then out again from that point to a mid-point on the right and left side of the skirt.
November 19, 2025 at 7:01 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
Cotton dress, European, 1860

I'm London-bound today, so perhaps I should wear something nice like this for the occasion. Not quite sure I'd fit through the door of the train carriage though.

Main takeaway from this dress - extremely cute buttons.

#fashionsky #dresshistory #fashionhistory #TheMet
Museum photo of a full-length cotton dress in a pale green. The fabric has a subtle, repeating, irregular line pattern in black. The neckline is circular and tight on the base of the neck, with a double frilly collar. The bodice has fabric covered buttons down the front, and full length sleeves with very broad openings (and a double layer of frill like the collar). The skirt is quite expansive - more conical than bell shaped. It has four layers, and four separate hems, the cascade over each other from about knee height to the floor.
November 18, 2025 at 11:16 AM
bows4crows.bsky.social
I've been in the NHS for less than ten years, and am now entering my third major government-mandated reorganisation.

Do you know which health service has not changed at all in that time? The playmobil hospital. They know what they're doing, and they're not even real.
A photo of a playmobil hospital set. The hospital is open on the near side so you can see various activities within - a small baby unit, a toilet, an operating theatre, and reception area.
November 18, 2025 at 10:30 AM
bows4crows.bsky.social
Really enjoyed this video from the Victoria & Albert museum in London. A brief history of #Tarot cards.

youtu.be/bd6GRXPD0Fw?...
Unboxing Tarot Decks Through the Ages 🔮💀🌙 | Ancient Rare Historical & Modern Tarot Cards
YouTube video by Victoria and Albert Museum
youtu.be
November 17, 2025 at 2:59 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
A fifth character in Master rank - pleased with that.
I wanted to learn the Modern control scheme, which I've mostly avoided, and Zangief is a good fit for it. Really fun character in this scheme. One button level 3 is funny every time 😁

#streetfighter #sf6 #cviper

youtu.be/gq1Obk2W6Ws
Street Fighter 6 - Zangief v C Viper - Master rank up
YouTube video by Votes4cows
youtu.be
November 14, 2025 at 8:26 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
New meditation up today - a simple body scan followed by a silent meditation.

There are better meditation teachers out there, but I think I'm the only one who also posts about fighting games and historic fashion. So, you know, support the weirdos please.

#meditation #yoga

youtu.be/6UIVWssFVNU?...
Guided meditation, Nov 14th: Body scan and stillness
YouTube video by Yoga with Alan
youtu.be
November 14, 2025 at 1:48 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
Ball gown, 1860, 'probably American'

I really love how museums stage historic fashion. This one is great - the bows at her wrists; the matching headpiece; the casually held fan.
Its a lovely effect and really draws out the character of the dress.

#fashionsky #fashionhistory #dresshistory #TheMet
Museum photo of a mannequin wearing a full length ball gown. It is in a paisley blue, made of silk and cotton. The view is slightly to the left side. The gown has a narrow bodice, with a broad rounded neckline exposing both shoulders. Two layers of fabric and lace hang from the neckline, following its curve, occluding the top half of the bodice. The skirts expand out in a typical bell shape, to the floor. Sleeves are ver short, with blue silk frills.
November 13, 2025 at 4:39 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
Continuing my no-levelling run at Dark Souls 3, and I hit a major roadblock. Here is my 99th attempt at the Dancer of the Boreal Valley 😭

#darksouls #darksouls3 #sl1 #soullevel1 #onebros
youtu.be/AxjxPoxQYD4?...
Dark Souls 3 - Soul level 1 - Dancer of the Boreal Valley - 99th attempt
YouTube video by Votes4cows
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 9:39 PM
bows4crows.bsky.social
Wedding dress, American, 1859

Time for something nice. Another wedding dress today, in beautiful golden silk. The style is typical of the time, but I really love the detail of lace and fringing on the sleeves & bodice - gives a wonderful delicacy.

#fashionsky #fashionhistory #dresshistory #TheMet
Museum photo of a golden silk wedding dress. The skirt is very full and bell-shaped, flowing out from the top of the hips to the floor, with quite satisfying large folds. The bodice is narrow at the waist, creating a v-shaped impression. There are several softly v-shaped layers of fabric on top of this, creating a rippled effect of fabric down the bodice. The lower two are hemmed with lace, as are the short sleeves.
November 12, 2025 at 10:02 AM