The Other David Harper
@theotherdavidh
No, not that one. The other one. I'm mostly here for the cats.
So this popped up in my Facebook feed just now. I don't know. @telescoper.bsky.social what do you think?
We observed Wednesday evening's partial eclipse using several advanced instruments, including a Jacob's cream cracker acting as a (multiple) pinhole camera. This was much more effective than the colander, due to the cracker's smaller holes.
This is my patio. This is not my cat. His name is Finlay. He is a tiny cat with a magnificently floofy tail. He has decided that I am his friend. He visits every day for pettings and games with dry grass stalks. He is a fierce hunter of dried grass stalks. I ❤️ Finlay.
Spotted on a bus heading out of Cambridge. Evidently, Stagecoach is buying military-grade GPS receivers from the US Navy, because one millionth of a degree in latitude is about 10 centimetres on the surface of the Earth.
Today is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. I visited the site in 2003, just after the unveiling of this memorial to the Native Americans who fought to defend their lands and their way of life against the treachery of the U.S. government.
Louise Lear: "Storm Dave will bring strong winds on Sunday." Cue fart joke from my wife.
Princess Paola graced us with her presence this morning. After receiving pettings from her adoring subjects, she sampled the catnip which we grow in the Cat Pot. She proceeded to drool copiously, stopping now and then for a little wash. Her little cat brain may have been partially fried.
Fun fact: Idaho spans two time zones, but the split is north/south, not east/west. If you're travelling from north Idaho to the state capital Boise on Hwy 95, you have to set your watch back an hour as you cross the Snake River just north of Riggins (pop. 372). There's a roadside sign to remind you.
Here's a recent ad from my village FB group. I'm hoping Nurse Gemma also does vitamin shots for horses, because that is a terrifyingly large syringe.
Apparently, Kelloggs has hired Picasso do do their package labelling.
Weirdly, Google Maps appears to think that the Wigmore Hall is in Texas (see screenshot).
Over on the Other Place, the HIGNFY account nails this rather well.
Happy Newtonmas! Sir Isaac Newton was born on 25 December 1642 (Old Style). He's the reason for the season.
Christmas 1973. The budding young scientist gets his first microscope. It was a good microscope, too. Solid metal construction, good optics. I had a lot of fun with that microscope over the years.
You could get your revenge by spelling all the words wrong.
Every December, I have a good-natured argument with a work colleague about when winter begins. He follows the meteorologists, who say it's the 1st of the month. I'm an astronomer, so for me it's the solstice (the 21st, this year). Another colleague created this for our team Slack channel.
CloudFlare was down again this morning, taking Zoom with it.
I can beat that. My 2023-era smartphone has a voicemail icon that is clearly magnetic tape running between two circular spools. Very retro.
Posted a letter to San Francisco on the 7th. It arrived in Los Angeles on the 11th. It then took 6 days to reach San Francisco. That's an average speed of 2.9 mph. I guess USPS can't afford trucks in California, and some poor postal worker is walking it there.
One for @georgetakei.bsky.social Artist's web site: www.thecartoonist.co.uk
Happy Lancashire Day, from a proud son of that ancient county.