Ian Halstead イアン・ハルステッド
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ianhalst.bsky.social
Ian Halstead イアン・ハルステッド
@ianhalst.bsky.social
820 followers 520 following 2.7K posts
Retired graphic artist and web designer. History, music – bass guitarist – silversmithing, book gorger with a pile of as yet unread books taller than I am.
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ianhalst.bsky.social
Ian Halstead イアン・ハルステッド @ianhalst.bsky.social · Aug 5
Apologies to all the Gazans requesting help. I’m doing what I can in helping five families when I can, but I cannot possibly help everyone. Having to choose who to support after checking the legitimacy as genuine Gazans in real need, is torture. It’s nothing compared with their lot however. 🇵🇸🍉🇵🇸🍉
ianhalst.bsky.social
Mid 80s photoshoot for a band I was in – originally ‘Agent Orange’ until we found the name already taken. Became ‘Beat the Clock’. Photographed around St. Andrew’s Dock in Hull with a large format Rollei as I remember. I may have posted these before but what the hell!
Photographed at the quayside next to the bow of a trawler with its mooring rope and anchor visible. Foremost is Grant Ardis the drummer, perched on a mooring stanchion, right leg raised with a foot on the rope. Behind anto the left is the author, Ian Halstead, bass guitar. Behind Grant to the right are Maggie Foottit, vocalist and Pete Cox, guitar. Another trawler can be seen adjacent to the far dockside, and part of the bow of one berthed further to the right on this side. A bright sunny day, accentuating the monochrome tones of the image. Grant, Maggie, myself and Pete, left to right, standing facing the camera with backs to the quay. A small section of trawler now is on the extreme left, with a side view of a trawler on the far dockside with another berthed alongside this. Maggie, myself, Grant and Pete on the superstructure of a caterpillar tracked mobile crane, used in a major raid-building programme near the docks. Maggie is perched on the large striped counterweight at the rear, with the rest behind the rail alongside the cab. Right to left, flowing diagonally from lower right to top left of the frame, are Grant, Maggie, Pete and myself. We are all sitting facing left in a raised low wall at a quayside – the camera is looking down from a standing head height. Deep shadows of us are cast on the ground in front of us as bright sunlight comes from the right onto our backs.
November 2, 2025 at 9:01 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
A request to help a family in Gaza, if you can. Repost or donate if you feel able.
I have chatted to Rania, a graphic designer, and her sister Muhanna, I’ve been sent contemporary photographs and I’m certain everything is genuine. The link to her fund:

gofund.me/29d6d485
Donate to Help Rania and her family evacuating from Gaza, organized by Savino Farbotti
My name is Rania Muhanna, I'm 36 years old, a graphic designer and digi… Savino Farbotti needs your support for Help Rania and her family evacuating from Gaza
gofund.me
October 26, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Ian Halstead イアン・ハルステッド
gailmyerscough.co.uk
I know it’s early but my #Christmas card and gift wrap collection is now available in my online shop
www.gailmyerscough.co.uk/christmas-ca...
Christmas cards and gift wrap collection.
October 21, 2025 at 6:44 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
リヤル・アルバート・ホールで開催されたグランド・スモ・トーナメント・ロンドン2025を主催し、参加してくださったすべての方々に心から感謝します。テレビで見て楽しんだ日本文化の壮大な展示。歴史的な出来事。
#GrandSumoTournamentLondon2025 #Sumo #London
October 20, 2025 at 7:49 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Some folks I know have made this rather good song and video. 😊
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkqY...
#RedGuitars #UndeadGuitars
Blazing Zombies (Official Video)
YouTube video by Undead Guitars (formerly Red Guitars)
www.youtube.com
October 11, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by Ian Halstead イアン・ハルステッド
zoedrayson.bsky.social
When a typo in your Google search leads to new and exciting philosophical positions
AI Overview: "Dental realism"refers to the philosophical debate about whether teeth exist independently of human perception, a concept rooted in metaphysical realism. While realism asserts an objective reality for teeth, idealist philosophies contend that teeth's existence is tied to our consciousness and perception. Philosophers use this idea, for example, to discuss the ethics of tooth extraction, examining whether a procedure impacts a real entity or merely a subjective experience.
September 22, 2025 at 9:25 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
1/2 I’ve been chatting to Yasmein today. She is stuck in northern Gaza with her family and cannot afford the exorbitant fees necessary to move further south as demanded by the IDF. Meanwhile, the city is being flattened around her. Please help out of you can. Fight evil with hope.
September 13, 2025 at 1:08 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
A day of sunshine and rain showers. Polly is happy to just laze on the sofa.
#Sighthound #Podenco #HairyPodenco
Polly the hairy Podenco, outstretched on a sofa, her head partly resting on cushions and partly on an arm rest. Her front paws protruded over the arm rest. Polly has eyes almost closed, a white nose along with most of her face, and brown and tan shades on the rear of her head and to her body.
September 12, 2025 at 9:52 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
The empty chair. 🪑
A room at Gargunnock House near Stirling.

www.landmarktrust.org.uk/properties/g...
Standing in a corridor, an internal panelled door is partially open, revealing an empty chair positioned next to a sunlit window behind it. The ceiling of the revealed room slopes down to the right above the chair. A light coloured patterned rug is in front of the chair, and one leg and a corner of a side table can be seen behind the right side of the open doorway.
September 5, 2025 at 7:28 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Going through some old printed literature and found this tour guide for the Myoryuji Temple in Kanazawa – we visited in May 2017. A fascinating structure in that it looks like a temple but was a defensive fortress. Hidden rooms, trapdoors and secret tunnels etc.
The cover of the tourist guide book to Myoryuji Temple. It shows the entrance gateway with a stone column outside. Three postcards acquired with the guide. One shows an escape tunnel entrance/exit disguised as a well, the second is of a room containing staircases to the main sanctuary and the third shows the cylindrical well in a courtyard. The guidebook opened out with an explanation in the left and a photo of the subject on the right – in this case showing floor boards which can be removed to reveal hidden spaces.
September 1, 2025 at 1:37 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Interesting… completely embarrassed myself in trying to pick out the best sounding extracts of six tracks, each presented in three different resolution formats.
www.npr.org/sections/the...
How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
A hi-def test for your ears (and your audio equipment): Listen to these songs and see if you can tell the difference between an MP3 and an uncompressed audio file.
www.npr.org
August 27, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Ian Halstead イアン・ハルステッド
rfhaviland.bsky.social
If slavery were invented today, Labour would call it "impractical".

If torture were invented today, Labour would call it "ineffective".

If child labour were invented today, Labour would call it "poor value for money".

Moral cowardice. There's a lot of it about these days.
jessicaelgot.bsky.social Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot.bsky.social · Aug 26
No10 spokesman not prepared to criticise anything about Farage speech today.

Not his description of "invasion", not his prediction that the UK on brink of civil war, not plans to pay the Taliban or Iran to take back migrants, or indeed to rule out doing so themselves.
August 26, 2025 at 10:21 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Been watching the Adam Curtis series Shifty and it neatly illustrates what an utter shit-show the late 70s, the 80s and most of the 90s were for the non-privileged. Is it perfect? No. It does however convey most of what went horribly wrong and shows in part, why. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
Shifty
When power begins to shift in society, everything becomes unstable, exciting and frightening. Living in Britain at the end of the 20th century. From acclaimed film maker Adam Curtis.
www.bbc.co.uk
August 26, 2025 at 1:35 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Been watching the Adam Curtis series Shifty and it neatly illustrates what an utter shit-show the late 70s, the 80s and most of the 90s were for the non-privileged. Is it perfect? No. It does however convey most of what went horribly wrong and shows in part, why. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
Shifty
When power begins to shift in society, everything becomes unstable, exciting and frightening. Living in Britain at the end of the 20th century. From acclaimed film maker Adam Curtis.
www.bbc.co.uk
August 26, 2025 at 1:34 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
I’m struggling to think how much lower the Israeli forces can go. I’m certain they will find a way however. They now stand alongside the Khmer Rouge, the Einsatzgruppen and the instigators of the Cultural Revolution in the vehemence and determination of their actions.
August 25, 2025 at 4:45 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Instantly transported back to my student days. Gong: Expresso II.
The cover for the LP Expresso II by Gong, laid next to a Linn LP12 turntable, set next to each other on a treated and sealed marine plywood media furniture unit.
August 24, 2025 at 11:02 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
A visit to the Japanese Gardens at Cowden, near Dollar in Scotland.

cowdengarden.com
A large artificial pond, created by a dam constructed in the valley is the central focus of the garden. An arched bridge connects one side of the garden to an island. Both the bridge and surrounding trees are reflected in the pond. A dry garden with moss and stone islands is a part of the garden. A freshly raked circular ripple pattern has been created in an open area of gravel, with the circumference of the islands also raked. A series of conjoined stones projects into the pond, with a capped stone lantern at the end. A coveted gateway leads to a path taking you further into the garden. Delicate bamboo dancing and hedges flanked by the gateway. The gateway cover is a pitched roof constructed in wood and bamboo. Japanese characters on the gateway roughly translate as ‘dew water healing’ – I think!
August 24, 2025 at 7:08 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Yasmein has to battle yet again against her account on Bluesky being deleted. Her original GoFundMe account still stands however – I can vouch for it being the genuine and original one. Help her if you can – even a repost like this has value.
August 14, 2025 at 10:15 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Not that I actually need any new strings for the double bass, but someone asked me how much they cost. The low B string alone is £160. The rest as a set are £271. Just as well I don’t need any. 😬😳🤯
A double bass on a stand facing the viewer is on the right, with two bass guitars also on a stand are to the left. The double bass and the natural wood finish bass guitar face on, are five string instruments, with the black Shergold Marathon bass facing away is a four string bass. All are situated in a basement room near a n external doorway.
August 12, 2025 at 1:33 PM