John Bull
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garius.bsky.social
John Bull
@garius.bsky.social
29K followers 1.1K following 24K posts
He/Him. Author. Historian (inc of obscure Military Holy Orders). Strategy streamer. Tech/Transport Strategist. Editor of @lonrec. Orient fan. Business/Writing: [email protected]. Agent: @pastpreservers.bsky.social
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garius.bsky.social
John Bull @garius.bsky.social · Mar 10
The latest in my history of home computers is live. Covers the era of Commodore, Atari and Jack Tramiel.

He was a brutal manager. But also an Auschwitz survivor, and that shaped him, and his legit drive to build a better world.

This warning from him hit home, right now.

every.to/the-crazy-on...
One day in 1982, Michael Tomczyk, who had led the project to develop the Commodore 64, found himself sitting in Jack Tramiel’s office. Tomcyzk had just returned from a trade show in Hanover, Germany. During the course of their conversation, Tomczyk mentioned how impressed he’d been with the Autobahn highway network on the way there. "I built that road," Tramiel told him matter-of-factly. “Jack went on to explain that during World War II as a teenager he had been selected to work on the road gangs,” Tomczyk remembered. “He said that it was one way to survive, because they had to feed the people that did that kind of hard labor, or they wouldn't work. ‘We built good roads,’ he said.” Tramiel had never hidden the horrors in his past. He was proud that he had helped build a better future through Commodore and Atari. However, the longer he lived, the more concerned he became that people would forget what that future had cost. And that which is forgotten can be repeated. "You know," Tramiel said once, "it's hard to believe it really happened. But it can happen again. In America. Americans like to make rules, and that scares me. If you have too many rules you get locked in a system. It's the system that says this one dies and that one doesn't, not the people. That's why I don't hate the German people. Individuals, yes. Rules, yes. But not all Germans.
Reposted by John Bull
heldutson.bsky.social
Something compelled me to make this
A screenshot of a mocked-up Guardian headline, which reads: "Ignore the smears: I was never the one who ate a full tub of Lurpack off the kitchen counter." The byline is: "My dog." And there's a picture of my dog, posing with a serious expression, like a journalist. She is a black labrador type dog with brown eyes, grey muzzle and shiny, silky fur on her face, wearing a pink collar. Underneath the headline continues: "Listen, I'm a good girl. I don't know how butter stealers thrive in our political culture, but it's clear there was a failure of moral seriousness." There's then a link to another article, headlined: "Footage of Lola eating the butter, which cost her owners £300, was captured on a dog cam." It's a parody of this article from Wes Streeting in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/09/peter-mandelson-wes-streeting-vetting-moral-seriousness
February 10, 2026 at 10:57 AM
Reposted by John Bull
garius.bsky.social
People are always scared of the unknown or unfamiliar. Bad faith actors like to abuse that fear.

"But what's going on in a trans person's brain/home?!" stops being a usable threat by TERFs etc, once people know the answer is nearly always just "Warhammer."
February 10, 2026 at 10:36 AM
garius.bsky.social
BTW creating all-women kill teams in Warhammer is both fun AND a non-obvious/preachy way to get teen boys to stop automatically gendering based on role.

The first time you hear them self-correct:

"Shooting at him... her... with my heavy bolter" is 👌

(The heavy bolter damage is less fun)
garius.bsky.social John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 14h
The final outcome of my quest for an easy blonde hair combo with citadel paints.

I now have a very Swedish-looking, all-women Navy Breachers Kill Team.

"För kejsaren!"
small warhammer mini of a blond-haired, armoured naval officer standing over an orc skull and checking a wrist computer.
February 10, 2026 at 10:27 AM
Reposted by John Bull
garius.bsky.social
The final outcome of my quest for an easy blonde hair combo with citadel paints.

I now have a very Swedish-looking, all-women Navy Breachers Kill Team.

"För kejsaren!"
small warhammer mini of a blond-haired, armoured naval officer standing over an orc skull and checking a wrist computer.
February 9, 2026 at 9:43 PM
Reposted by John Bull
garius.bsky.social
Castellax Bronze, very slightly thinned as a base.

Then a green wash with Poxwalker. That will feel wrong, but it's reflective of how bronze actually ages. Just stop it pooling too much (or retouch after).

Then wash with nuln oil to get green/black recesses on your bronze armour.

Looks natural.
February 10, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Reposted by John Bull
helenmccarthy51.bsky.social
Packing our pilgrim scrips to travel to Taunton with the word on Studio Ghibli. See you this evening, Taunton Ghibli fans, at the Somerset County Cricket Club - surely one of the most unusual #Ghibli venues ever!
February 10, 2026 at 9:29 AM
Reposted by John Bull
wargaymers.bsky.social
Wardens of Vengeance Space Marine Captain Buthus.

Used the Imperium part work magazine painting guide which is why his face is literally white with Reikland Fleshsade wash.

Huge thank you to all that suggested colours for the cloak!

#PaintingWarhammer #Nerdlings #Warhammer40k #SpaceMarines
A Space Marine Captain model from Games Workshop. His armour is bright orange, he wears a clock that is white on the inside and a rich green on the outside. He has a plasma pistol in his right hand and holds a sword above his head with his left hand.
February 9, 2026 at 8:14 PM
Reposted by John Bull
blissfit.bsky.social
You know when you see these two, the match is gonna be a banger
yurika oka and mio momono, the wrestling tag team bob bob momo banana
February 9, 2026 at 8:44 PM
Reposted by John Bull
simonscatofficial.bsky.social
Simon's Cat is in the mood for some lovin...
February 9, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by John Bull
guel-sen.bsky.social
Although in the 16th c. the corsairs were (to a certain extent) acting as agents of the state, in the 17th c. their wanton actions became a serious problem. Molly Greene's remarkable study (2010) is still a must-read.

#maritimehistory
The cover of the book: Catholic Pirates and Greek Merchants: A Maritime History of the Early Modern Mediterranean by Molly Greene. 2010, Series: Princeton Modern Greek Studies
February 9, 2026 at 5:24 PM
garius.bsky.social
The final outcome of my quest for an easy blonde hair combo with citadel paints.

I now have a very Swedish-looking, all-women Navy Breachers Kill Team.

"För kejsaren!"
small warhammer mini of a blond-haired, armoured naval officer standing over an orc skull and checking a wrist computer.
February 9, 2026 at 9:43 PM
garius.bsky.social
Love these so much
tabletoptinkering.bsky.social Tabletop Tinkering @tabletoptinkering.bsky.social · 1d
A new batch of Gelly Cube soaps is now on the shop and ready to ship!

You can grab one of these here tabletoptinkering.com/products/gel... or visit the site in general to browse our ttrpg accessories and earring selection

#smallbusiness #ttrpg #dicegoblin #dice #dnd #giftidea #dungeonsanddragons
A top down photo of several green translucent cubes with dice inside them
February 9, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Reposted by John Bull
tabletoptinkering.bsky.social
These soaps contain a random set of polyhedral dice, are SLS free, and contain dried lavender from my own garden. I designed the formula with sensitive skin in mind as its something very important to me.

We do free UK shipping over £30 so grab yourself some goodies at www.tabletoptinkering.com 🟩💚
tabletoptinkering.bsky.social Tabletop Tinkering @tabletoptinkering.bsky.social · 1d
A new batch of Gelly Cube soaps is now on the shop and ready to ship!

You can grab one of these here tabletoptinkering.com/products/gel... or visit the site in general to browse our ttrpg accessories and earring selection

#smallbusiness #ttrpg #dicegoblin #dice #dnd #giftidea #dungeonsanddragons
A top down photo of several green translucent cubes with dice inside them
February 9, 2026 at 12:15 PM
Reposted by John Bull
rhyskamjones.bsky.social
My desperate article in the Guardian raising a lot of questions already answered by my...
February 9, 2026 at 9:21 PM
garius.bsky.social
I WILL FUCKING CUT YOU DAMNIT
nytimes.com The New York Times @nytimes.com · Dec 10
Cafes across the U.S. are embracing the low- and no-caffeine lifestyle, with options that are a far cry from dusty tea bags and rewarmed decaf. nyti.ms/3XKlqoj
A photo shows someone pouring a drink. Headline: There’s Never Been a Better Time to Quit Caffeine
February 9, 2026 at 9:22 PM
Reposted by John Bull
animeherald.com
The Everlasting Appeal of Music Anime: A Love Song and Pitch: Jack Andow, explores the growing field of music anime. He examines the genre's hallmarks and breaks down several of the biggest titles to debut in recent years.

#anime #manga #music
The Everlasting Appeal of Music Anime: A Love Song and Pitch
Community perspective towards music anime may be shifting thanks to fantastic additions like Bocchi the Rock! and Oshi no Ko, which appealed to general fandom by shedding a light on the greater entertainment industry.
hera.fyi
February 9, 2026 at 9:00 PM
garius.bsky.social
"There is no path in front of me. Only in my wake."

Mild-mannered Grass Wonder suddenly showing her steel in our Umamusume run tonight.
February 9, 2026 at 8:43 PM
garius.bsky.social
STREAM TIME!

Uma! Uma! Uma!

Join me as we chat history and train anime horse girls. You know. Totally normal things. twitch.tv/gariusthebrit #umamusume #gaming
game screenshot of horse girls racing
February 9, 2026 at 4:28 PM
garius.bsky.social
I have delayed my plans to set up a base on Mars within the next decade. Instead I will now be focusing my efforts on the moon.
February 9, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by John Bull
historytoday.com
Runes: A Concise History by Tom Birkett looks beyond the mythical baggage to find a writing system no less remarkable and mysterious.

✍️ Danny Bate reviews the recent #history book

www.historytoday.com/archive/revi...
‘Runes’ by Tom Birkett review
www.historytoday.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:51 PM
garius.bsky.social
Today's background viewing.

"End of the Road" is just starting!
🔴 CLASSIC Thunderbirds 24/7 Livestream
YouTube video by ITV Retro
www.youtube.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by John Bull
lmbd1418.bsky.social
Interesting. I often wonder what impact this has on the output of women vs men in the military history world. I reckon it’s often easier for men to smash out a book a year or do youtube live streams 6-9pm (children bedtime, dinner time etc) for example.
February 9, 2026 at 10:35 AM
garius.bsky.social
Big fan of Crook's work. This is a great read. Really captures his writing style with Detectorists (which is magnificent) and beyond

“After The Office, I wanted to write something that wasn’t cruel humour, that didn’t have a cringe factor. And in doing so, I stumbled upon my genre – gentle comedy.”
‘Watching The Office recently, my heart just sank’ – Mackenzie Crook on comedy, cruelty and being TV royalty
After a very hard landing into fame in the 00s, he decided to take a softer approach – and hit on a winning formula for classic comedy. The star talks about his fantastical new show Small Prophets, hi...
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:31 AM
Reposted by John Bull
davidheniguk.bsky.social
Non-political read of the day - The Miracle of Castel di Sangro is the best book about football I've ever read, and it is now 30 years since the unlikely coming together of a small town club in the Italian second tier and an American journalist.

www.theguardian.com/football/202...
‘We lived a miraculous thing’: Castel di Sangro, 30 years on from their epic rise
The smalltown club’s Serie B adventure captivated football and inspired a famous book. That team’s spirit remains and is being passed to their successors
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:57 AM
Reposted by John Bull
superchartisland.com
By 1986 there wasn't much room for complex simulations at the top of the UK games chart. Then along came MicroProse, and a submarine combat game by a designer who Commodore User referred to as 'Sid Mayer'...

New post on Silent Service: www.superchartisland.com/silent-service
Silent Service – “Sonar reports distant explosions”
Back in the earlier days of the British microcomputer boom, when we were still figuring out what computer games could be, Psion’s Flight Simulation was a huge hit on the ZX81 and the ZX Spectrum. A…
www.superchartisland.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:01 AM