Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · 2d

Here's Gilgamesh being read in Akkadian with some background and other links:
www.openculture.com/2023/03/list...

Listen to The Epic of Gilgamesh Being Read in its Original Ancient Language, Akkadian

Creative Commons image by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin Long ago, in the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia, Akkadian was the dominant language. And, for centuries, it remained the lingua franca in the ...

www.openculture.com

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · 5d

TIL: Watching a YT video on songs in 5/4. The Mission Impossible theme is in 5, with two dotted quarter note beats followed by two regular quarter note beats. slow slow fast fast slow slow fast fast. This is M, I in morse code: - - . . dash dash dot dot

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · 12d

Rick Beato approves:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N7D...

My Thoughts on Rush's NEW Drummer

YouTube video by Rick Beato

www.youtube.com

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · 26d

Apropos of nothing at all having to do with me on this day, happy birthday to Anne of Cleves, Michael Faraday, Fay Weldon, Toni Basil, King Sunny Adé, Johnette Napolitano, Nick Cave, Joan Jett, Billie Piper, and Bilbo and Frodo Baggins.

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Sep 17

I feel seen.

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Sep 16

Fantastic video on the science of dissonance
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCsl...

The Physics Of Dissonance

YouTube video by minutephysics

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Mark Ensley

Sardonicus @sardonicus.eu · Sep 7

Goodnight.

two stills of a man in a suit,wearing glasses and smoking a cigarette
When I choose to see the good side of things, I'm not being naive.

It is strategic and necessary.

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Sep 7

Wait, you mean Korg: 70,000 B.C. *lied* to me?

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Sep 6

Quote post with a dramatic B&W of you

black and white photo of me at night with a laptop screen reflected in my glasses

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Aug 26

The first computer I used was an IBM 350? mini computer with 8" disk drives and a teletype interface by a friend's father who worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We played Star Trek on BASIC. The first computer I owned was a Sinclair ZX-81, and the first I loved were Apple][s in high school.

John Scalzi @scalzi.com · Aug 25

The first computer I ever used was a TRS-80 Model III, at the local library, in 1982 or so. The first computer I ever owned was a Mac Plus from, like, 1989, which I bought off my college newspaper in 1991, when they were upgrading and I was leaving for my first job.

Sasha's Retrobytes 🏳️‍⚧️ @sharkabytes.bsky.social · Aug 25

What was y'all's first computer? I'm curious what the spread might be like.

Bonus points for sharing some anecdotal memories of your experience with it. 💜

Mine was a Commodore C64C, which I managed to semi-fry one day by knocking a pound coin off an overhead shelf down into a vent. 🫠

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Aug 25

Did that as a young child. Stepped into a nest barefoot, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. More recently, stepped onto a fire ant nest wearing sandals, and got them all over my hands when trying to brush them off. Do not advise.

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Aug 25

I love good first lines. "I had just taken poison when the king arrived to inform me that he had murdered his wife." I've just finished the latest by @tkingfisher.com, and it's a delightfully weird murder mystery based upon Snow White, with a narrator that is curiously like my being a librarian.

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Reposted by Mark Ensley

The Fake History Hunter @fakehistoryhunter.net · Aug 25

Another Niels cartoon, not about debunking fake history this time, but too lovely not to share.
We can all use a shieldwall now and then.
www.facebook.com/CouldBeWorse...

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Aug 19

I finally realized that what I'm looking for in role playing gaming is collaborative storytelling. I do realize that folks and friends do enjoy including a more accurate combat simulation, but I'm not that audience.

Ghoulfess0rJam @profess0rjam.bsky.social · Aug 18

This chart was posted to r/dndcirclejerk as a jab at GURPS but it has helped rekindle my interest lmao

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Aug 19

Oh, dear ghod yes. I like GURPS, but I want to roleplay as group story creation, not do combat simulation.

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Aug 14

In my first course in library school we had to create an infographic illustrating the first five parts of this. The last panel really does bring the conceptual model into the present day.

The Fake History Hunter @fakehistoryhunter.net · Aug 14

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Aug 2

Bought a Donut Universe tee from @richardkadrey.bsky.social Sandman Slim novels shop, and thought it went well with my bass.

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Jul 28

I hear that Cheech and Chong are going to reunite and produce new movie adaptations of classic literature. Their first production will be Jane Austen's Sense and Sinsemilla.

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Reposted by Mark Ensley

Opal @opalescentopal.bsky.social · Jul 27

With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Jul 25

I think it's fascinating that a lot of Heavy Metal began because Toni Iommi lost two fingertips in an industrial accident.

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Reposted by Mark Ensley

ButtPoems @buttpoems.bsky.social · Jul 17

embarrassing myself

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Jul 23

Face I'm submitting for my Bluesky verification

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Jul 20

I just checked out The Writer's Map: An Atlas of Imaginary Lands from the library, and it's great fun.
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

The Writer’s Map

It’s one of the first things we discover as children, reading and drawing: Maps have a unique power to transport us to distant lands on wondrous travels. Put a map at the start of a book, and we know ...

press.uchicago.edu

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Reposted by Mark Ensley

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore @sjblakemore.bsky.social · Jul 16

I was explaining to my Ukrainian colleague the phrase ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’. She told me the equivalent in Ukrainian is ‘The only free cheese is in the mousetrap’ - which is so much better

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Mark Ensley @markensley.bsky.social · Jul 13

Finished, and I'll just quote MRK:
“This is one of those books that should absolutely not work. It does. I laughed loudly enough that people turned to look at me. I also cried MORE THAN ONCE over a book about a MOON MADE OF CHEESE. F*ck you, John Scalzi. How dare.”
-Mary Robinette Kowal

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