Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 11h

I'm a massive Pratchett fan but I hated Monstrous Regiment.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 19h

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 11h

I mean, for "classics", you basically have to if you don't want to know how it ends!

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 13h

My friendly neighbourhood electrician who happily does small jobs agreed to replace my thermostat that's not broken, per se, but also not in full health. And all by email, no phone calls required!

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 14h

Interestingly, the castle and general setting feels quite European to me, like a Gothic German Schloss or something, but the characters (particularly now there is Public School) are very English.

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 15h

Yes. Like, Flay is a manservant whose knees make horrifying clicking noises every time he moves, but also we get to see him wrestling with being exiled from the only life he knew and the death of his master.

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 15h

Like*

Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 15h

I love how unrepentantly WEIRD all of Gormenghast is. The plot (so far) is basically "a woman is planning a society party; the young earl is yearning for a freedom he can't have", but it's constantly sidetracked by things lkme "all the schoolteachers hate each other" and "Barquentine is repulsive".

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Reposted by Kat Steiner🔸

Stephen Gower @sjgower.bsky.social · 1d

I made an infographic map. Oxford's Congestion Charge scheme (from 29th Oct) is not like most congestion charge schemes, because you can get to most streets in the city without being charged. My impression is a lot of people haven't realised this.

A street map of Oxford.

Woodstock Road, Banbury Road and the streets in their immediate vicinity are coloured pink. Botley Road and streets off it are coloured green. Cowley Road, Iffley Road and Abingdon Road and streets off them are coloured blue. Streets in Marston and Headington are coloured orange. The ring road matches the colours at each junction and fades between colours as it goes around. A small area in the middle is coloured yellow, and labelled "Central Permit Area". THe Congestion Charge traffic filters are indicated by black circles circles with white segments, those white segments correspond on a 24 hour clock face with when the filter isn't operational (and the remaining black, when the filters are operational). Crosses mark other filters in the city that are enforced by ANPR but are not part of the Congestion Charge scheme.

Text at the top of the image reads "Temporary Congestion Charge for Cars in Oxford 2025-2026. Any road outside the Central Permit Area can be accessed without passing any traffic filers by using the Ring Road and selecting an approporiate exit junction (matching colours on this map)."

A key at the bottom matches the filter types, with text "Traffic Filters. Hollow Way & Marston Ferry Road 7-9am and 3-6pm. St Cross Road, Hythe Bridge Street, Thames Street and St Clements, 7am-7pm. £5 daily permit covers all Congestion Charge filters. Free Permits available. For example for residents, business use, health and car, SEND and disabilty. Congestion Charge permits do not apply for other filters, such as High Street or in East Oxford/Cowley."

Small print reads "Full details at https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/transport-and-travel" and "©@sjgower Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Locations of highway filters are approximate and for overview purposes only. v1.3"

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 22h

Had an excursion to @bodhumslib.bsky.social and the Schwarzman Centre - very impressive space and nice to see some familiar books I borrowed 15+ years ago in their new environments.

Large open atrium with three floors, light and airy with lots of people sitting at white tables on red seats.

Impressive architectural ceiling of wooden slats in a sunburst or flower shape, over several mezzanine floors.

Bright red carpet of a sunken level with a closed bar.

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks, I'm trying to figure out if it's from somewhere else, because the verbatim quote from Song of Achilles isn't what I remember, and I don't *think* it can have been from there.

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 1d

I think it was quoted in something else I've read recently, although I can't trace what. And pretty much everything I've read recently is older than Song of Achilles, which is why I'm confused.

Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 1d

Can anyone help with a quote? Somewhere recently I came across a quote about Achilles and Patroclus, but I *don't* think it was from the Song of Achilles. It was something like "I would know you in the dark, were I blind and you dumb..." - is that from the Iliad? Or must it be from Song of Achilles?

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 1d

An unexpected platform upgrade.

🏰meg⚔️ @Birthright Audiobook! @impavid.us · 4d

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand

I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 1d

Frustrating! Mine is a combination of that and people wanting to miss out a little bit of the ring road by cutting through Hollow Way and nearby side streets, and then the Slade. Looking forward to seeing what happens!

Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 1d

Wut.

Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, I do sympathise with people who don't have a lot of non-driving options, now potentially spending more time in ring road traffic (which this scheme doesn't care much about as it doesn't affect city congestion). Hopefully overall it will help though.

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Reposted by Kat Steiner🔸

Claire Zagorski, MSc, EMT-P @clairezagorski.bsky.social · 2d

A student on TikTok has been documenting her journey with a professor who “wrote” the anatomy textbook and it’s all a bunch of AI hallucinations.

She’s saying that, understandably, the students are doing super poorly!

Behold what we’re teaching the healthcare professionals of tomorrow:

A diagram of the bones and (some) deep muscles of the hand and forearm. AI says that we only have four digits. It’s also identified a tendon as the median nerve, another tendon as the ulnar nerve, among other issues.

An AI generated diagram of the muscles of the neck. It hallucinated the “ennocleidomasid” muscle, and the “anterior scalpalin muscle”.

An AI generated diagram of the muscles of the lateral thigh. It says that the gluteus Maximus (the big juicy butt muscle) is on the anterior side. It also points to the quadriceps muscle and says “attattment”. It also says that the same structure is the tibia AND the deep fascia of the leg.

An AI generated diagram of the bones of the hand and forearm. This time AI says we have 6 digits. It also says that the radius is the ulnar artery. Among other many issues.

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 2d

Yes, I've heard both interchangeably in the UK. I feel like maybe meegraine feels more old fashioned, like my parents' generation?

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Reposted by Kat Steiner🔸

Jason Hazeley @jasonhazeley.bsky.social · 2d

It’s dispiriting that this is what getting a COVID vaccination now looks like to this chronic asthmatic.

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 3d

Boo! I hope it's not too bad.

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 3d

It is spooky season, which means...I am returning to Gormenghast (I read Titus Groan about a year ago). So much fun.

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 3d

Very chuffed to recognise the family resemblance in Gaia Wise in #AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall - Emma Thompson's daughter.

Sam West, Jonathan Hyde and Gaia Wise in 1940s costumes.

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 3d

Oh my GOD.

Alex MacLaren @alexmaclaren.bsky.social · 3d

I love there is barely a corner of the Wikipedia entry for 'Double Dactyl' that doesn't become part of the pattern

A string of poetic Wikipedia updates, about a poetic structure - just go and see! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_dactyl

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Kat Steiner🔸 @kastrel.bsky.social · 3d

I HATE it.

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Reposted by Kat Steiner🔸

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 3d

After a long pause, I've just done another England Covid & NHS update as we head into the autumn/winter season.

TLDR: we're in a significant Covid wave now, the NHS is stretched, get boosted if you're eligible.

christinapagel.substack.com/p/england-is...

England is now experiencing a significant Covid wave, after 10 months of relative quiet

The latest Covid situation in England and a look at where NHS services are as we head into winter

christinapagel.substack.com

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