@singemonkey.bsky.social
I love to torture myself seeking fine-grained understanding of events over which I have no control.
The sounds of explosions and thudding and crashing of falling beams. The smell of smoke and burning plastic. Smoke alarms will hopefully give you the chance to grab loved ones and get out. It happens mad quick.
November 29, 2025 at 7:04 AM
The sounds of explosions and thudding and crashing of falling beams. The smell of smoke and burning plastic. Smoke alarms will hopefully give you the chance to grab loved ones and get out. It happens mad quick.
Hiromi Kawakami’s Strange Weather In Tokyo feels unclassifiable. I’ve never read anything like it. Read the last few pages when I woke in the middle of the night which seems apropos. About an unusual woman in an unusual relationship. Deeply enjoyable and curious. Recommended. #books #booksky
November 27, 2025 at 7:37 AM
I really enjoy reading the odd YA novel. And in the case of Lonely Castle In The Mirror I was really reconnected to a terrible time in school at 11 years old where I was trying to avoid going due to a psychologically abusive teacher. It opens up a door on teen mental health. #books
November 23, 2025 at 10:12 AM
I really enjoy reading the odd YA novel. And in the case of Lonely Castle In The Mirror I was really reconnected to a terrible time in school at 11 years old where I was trying to avoid going due to a psychologically abusive teacher. It opens up a door on teen mental health. #books
A Cape Sugarbird on the yellow pincushion proteas in Kirstenbosch Gardens a couple weeks ago. The good weather is arriving. But so is the tooth-rattling wind. Makes me want to hole up indoors.
I've been realising just how sharp this Nikon 200-500 lens is. Better autofocus is showing it off. #birds
I've been realising just how sharp this Nikon 200-500 lens is. Better autofocus is showing it off. #birds
November 15, 2025 at 3:31 PM
A Cape Sugarbird on the yellow pincushion proteas in Kirstenbosch Gardens a couple weeks ago. The good weather is arriving. But so is the tooth-rattling wind. Makes me want to hole up indoors.
I've been realising just how sharp this Nikon 200-500 lens is. Better autofocus is showing it off. #birds
I've been realising just how sharp this Nikon 200-500 lens is. Better autofocus is showing it off. #birds
I've been working on this '96 Japanese-made sunburst Jazzmaster since I got it in 2017, I think. It came with '60s reissue pickups and a USA trem. I've replaced the tune-o-matic with a JM bridge, put on the mint guard, gotoh vintage tuners, red and blue MXR knobs. Got a vintage white strap. #guitar
November 12, 2025 at 9:46 AM
I've been working on this '96 Japanese-made sunburst Jazzmaster since I got it in 2017, I think. It came with '60s reissue pickups and a USA trem. I've replaced the tune-o-matic with a JM bridge, put on the mint guard, gotoh vintage tuners, red and blue MXR knobs. Got a vintage white strap. #guitar
October 24, 2025 at 9:37 PM
You still hear the old lie all the time that iron working, so-called Bantu people settled in South Africa at the same time Europeans did. But it’s not even controversial in academic history that these peoples arrived vastly earlier. The archaeological evidence is indisputable. From 300AD.
October 9, 2025 at 2:01 PM
You still hear the old lie all the time that iron working, so-called Bantu people settled in South Africa at the same time Europeans did. But it’s not even controversial in academic history that these peoples arrived vastly earlier. The archaeological evidence is indisputable. From 300AD.
Some friends in Jozi gave us a Hubbard squash from their garden. Being the season, I asked my mate Ivan if he’d help us turn it into a Jack-o-lantern. He surpassed my expectations.
October 5, 2025 at 6:42 AM
Some friends in Jozi gave us a Hubbard squash from their garden. Being the season, I asked my mate Ivan if he’d help us turn it into a Jack-o-lantern. He surpassed my expectations.
It’s tricky and obvs a very fast lens can throw out a closer background. But once you start looking for the opportunities, this not only gives you a clean background but actually gives you sharper subjects since you can use smaller apertures. Part of it is being level with the bird. #photography
September 28, 2025 at 3:10 PM
It’s tricky and obvs a very fast lens can throw out a closer background. But once you start looking for the opportunities, this not only gives you a clean background but actually gives you sharper subjects since you can use smaller apertures. Part of it is being level with the bird. #photography
It took me a long time to learn what I think of as the “other rule of thirds” for bird photography. So I’m therefore assuming others are unaware. If you want a less distracting background, you don’t need a super fast lens. Get the background twice as far or further than from the bird vs the lens.
September 28, 2025 at 3:01 PM
It took me a long time to learn what I think of as the “other rule of thirds” for bird photography. So I’m therefore assuming others are unaware. If you want a less distracting background, you don’t need a super fast lens. Get the background twice as far or further than from the bird vs the lens.
Reminder that boycotting Disney is a priority BDS target. Don’t give any of these brands your money. You don’t have to miss your favourite shows. Just don’t pay for them (I read synopses and then dream highly accurate versions picked up from the collective unconscious. But I’ve heard of alt methods)
September 19, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Reminder that boycotting Disney is a priority BDS target. Don’t give any of these brands your money. You don’t have to miss your favourite shows. Just don’t pay for them (I read synopses and then dream highly accurate versions picked up from the collective unconscious. But I’ve heard of alt methods)
The AI companies’ calculations to get from weighted probability models to AGI:
August 7, 2025 at 8:14 AM
The AI companies’ calculations to get from weighted probability models to AGI:
Our Little Grebe yesterday at Rondevlei. A perfect still winter’s morning in Cape Town. About 21C.
#birds
#photography
#birds
#photography
August 3, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Our Little Grebe yesterday at Rondevlei. A perfect still winter’s morning in Cape Town. About 21C.
#birds
#photography
#birds
#photography
Isn’t it wild to think that both Homo sapiens and Felis catus both evolved here in Africa? The current most popular animal pairing arose in the same place.
July 25, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Isn’t it wild to think that both Homo sapiens and Felis catus both evolved here in Africa? The current most popular animal pairing arose in the same place.
Our little Forest Canary in Kirstenbosch yesterday. Not the greatest pic but for me it really illustrated that the Nikon 200-500mm f5.6 is the best value bird and wildlife lens ever. So sharp. Constant f5.6. Works perfectly like this on a Z-mount camera with the adapter.
#birds #photography
#birds #photography
July 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Our little Forest Canary in Kirstenbosch yesterday. Not the greatest pic but for me it really illustrated that the Nikon 200-500mm f5.6 is the best value bird and wildlife lens ever. So sharp. Constant f5.6. Works perfectly like this on a Z-mount camera with the adapter.
#birds #photography
#birds #photography
My “new” bike. A 1980s Peugeot “Super Competition”. I was looking for a road bike with a light steel frame in my size. It’s a real spitfire after riding a heavy mountain bike for a few years.
Looking forward to modding it and learning all kinds of new stuff. #bike #vintagebike #bikesky
Looking forward to modding it and learning all kinds of new stuff. #bike #vintagebike #bikesky
July 6, 2025 at 10:26 AM
My “new” bike. A 1980s Peugeot “Super Competition”. I was looking for a road bike with a light steel frame in my size. It’s a real spitfire after riding a heavy mountain bike for a few years.
Looking forward to modding it and learning all kinds of new stuff. #bike #vintagebike #bikesky
Looking forward to modding it and learning all kinds of new stuff. #bike #vintagebike #bikesky
Look at this title. It is so fucking gross how these algorithms encourage people to prey on people's insecurities. That's a seriously shitty line to take. Almost every musician at almost every level feels like an imposter some of the time - and usually for no good reason.
#guitar #youtube
#guitar #youtube
June 8, 2025 at 10:08 AM
From Private Eye. Sorry for lack of alt text. In essence the UK's Labour government has *massively* ramped up support for Israel's military even as it wept crocodile tears recently about the genocide. These leaders must be jailed for actively and knowingly abetting pure genocide.
May 29, 2025 at 10:22 AM
From Private Eye. Sorry for lack of alt text. In essence the UK's Labour government has *massively* ramped up support for Israel's military even as it wept crocodile tears recently about the genocide. These leaders must be jailed for actively and knowingly abetting pure genocide.
Me right after watching Teshigahara’s Woman In The Dunes
May 25, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Me right after watching Teshigahara’s Woman In The Dunes
What hero could beat Captain America?
April 30, 2025 at 9:40 AM
What hero could beat Captain America?
I’m still playing with close up flash photography. This time I had the flash off the camera. A little running cactus on our stoop.
#photography
#garden
#d600
#photography
#garden
#d600
April 28, 2025 at 1:59 PM
I’m still playing with close up flash photography. This time I had the flash off the camera. A little running cactus on our stoop.
#photography
#garden
#d600
#photography
#garden
#d600
That episode of the office again in which Dwight was tricked into quoting Mussolini in his acceptance speech and the crowd *loves* it. Those writers knew back in 2006.
I don't think it's mad to think that we're generally taught to recognise only the most superficial signs of fascism on purpose.
I don't think it's mad to think that we're generally taught to recognise only the most superficial signs of fascism on purpose.
April 24, 2025 at 2:24 PM
That episode of the office again in which Dwight was tricked into quoting Mussolini in his acceptance speech and the crowd *loves* it. Those writers knew back in 2006.
I don't think it's mad to think that we're generally taught to recognise only the most superficial signs of fascism on purpose.
I don't think it's mad to think that we're generally taught to recognise only the most superficial signs of fascism on purpose.
Autumn has arrived in Cape Town but there are still a lot of flowers. I was experimenting for probably the first time with close-up #photography using a flash. This is our African Honey Bee - known in the USA as the “African Killer Bee” (she’s quite a bit more venomous).
#d600
#bee
#insect
#d600
#bee
#insect
April 23, 2025 at 6:20 AM
Autumn has arrived in Cape Town but there are still a lot of flowers. I was experimenting for probably the first time with close-up #photography using a flash. This is our African Honey Bee - known in the USA as the “African Killer Bee” (she’s quite a bit more venomous).
#d600
#bee
#insect
#d600
#bee
#insect
Over the years I’ve got the strong impression that most Americans are totally unaware of the first woman who went to space in 1963 - for 3 days, not 11 minutes. She was a factory worker sent up by a state space program in 1963. She is Valentina Tereshkova.
April 16, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Over the years I’ve got the strong impression that most Americans are totally unaware of the first woman who went to space in 1963 - for 3 days, not 11 minutes. She was a factory worker sent up by a state space program in 1963. She is Valentina Tereshkova.