It gets better once you follow lots of accounts, because there's no algorithm (in the Xitter sense).

Imagine a place you can comment and post without having "woke" screamed at you.

Lots of subject based follow lists about - can build community quickly.

Oh yes. Haven’t seen a climate denier yet. 🤞🤞🤞

Yes

It is, but needs more humour. Calling all comedians!!

Good to see you here..... all the Cool Kids are coming on board!!!!

Three days in and I can actually see the messages the people I follow post. No swearing yet and no porn bots either. Bliss so far

So far very good. It will seem a bit slower at first, maybe, but you get better engagement. Need to use and even create starter packs to find more people more quickly. Likes are just likes, and you'll need to repost more. Blocks are powerful if needed.

Yes - I've been here a while now and its just been getting better and better. Now that the conversation is moving here its really started to take off. Plus you get to choose your own algorithms, instead of being at the whim of the powerful, which can't be a bad thing!

Dear professor Cox. ABC Australia have been playing your series on the Solar System. Fascinating, informative & mesmerising. Thankyou it's wonderful

It’s fabulous!

If you're not a nob, yes...

Wondering the same! Just arrived. What are your thoughts so far?

Getting better by the minute.

Yey, you're here. I was just searching for you. Might not be the stalker(ish) welcome you were seeking. I'm trying to add one interesting new person a day.

Yep, growing science comms base and much nicer than the other place

Good? Too early to tell. But you’re here, that’s a start.

Yes

So far yes, nice people, no nastiness, bit glitchy every now and then & I particularly like the "starter packs" .

So far, yes. I guess it couldn’t get much worse than Twitter though 😂

It's OK so far. But, Ive only been here a week or so. It seems to be filling up nicely. Now you are here that's another one off the list of reasons to keep going back to Twitter.

So far so good. Nice to be away from the Late Heavy Bombardment of Teemu, crypto and betting ads in the other place. Oh and I'm enjoying that 'new app smell'.

It'll do.

Things can only get better

Bet he's never heard that one before 😂

🤭

😏

I see what you did there

Me too, unfortunately.

Taxi for Craig

Hope it proves to be….have fled X Confidently predict Trump and Musk will fall out by end of 2025!

No ads! ✅

Yes, indeed. Eventually, Alf will appear in your timeline, but that's a rite of passage.

Damn, bout time you showed up ! 😆 Just kidding, we know you’re doing important universe stuff 💁🏼‍♀️ Yep, this place is a breath of fresh air. Great to see you here Prof Brian 👋

Seems to be so far (glad I found the real Brian Cox)

Yes as its too toXic over there.

So far, so calm. Just my first full day.

Yes

It is.

I Like do like Blue Sky, there is something about the it's name to that feels magnetic...Love watching your #universe documentaries! #science #cosmos #bluesky🦋

Hi Brian, I’m new as well so just exploring. Trying to get off Planet X!

It's great! Jump in and get chatting, you won't regret it 😁

Yes!

Yes, yes it is. Information without the crap - so far.

Hope so - can be any worse than the black hole that the odd one is sending the other place too

When decent people populate it, yes.

Hello And yes

What's good is the extreme left wing on here allows you veer very slightly towards the middle ground without a tirade of insults worthy of putsch leaders. ;-)

Yes! Nice to see you here!

You and I are both here!

Actually hopeful and have a little fizz while on here. Been a long time since social media has that ability. Hope the mods can make it stay that way.

Yes, indeed! Welcome!

It’s nice so far🤞

Welcome! Much better than that other place

Yeah, it really is!

It's a place with at least one other Hulme Grammar alumni so we can move from there 😅

Yes and very glad you are here.

Yes, it's great! Good to see you here. Our Bluesky community of scientists, academics, and public intellectuals needs expanding.

Absolutely, and getting better by the minute. Glad to see you around! I missed reading your posts.

Hope so

Hi Brian, good to have you here. 👍

So far so good! Still get the need to brace myself when I open the app, but the fear is slowly waning. It’s such a fun thing to actually be able to read comments now 😂

It's going to be great Professor. Saw you in Halifax earlier this year. Very enjoyable but a bit of a shock to the system when your Saturday nights are usually occupied with concerts or stand up comedians, to be then struggling to understand event horizons and black holes.

Welcome… back?

Just posted some photos you might like. Are you going to trust me?

no

Early days, left Twitter when Mùsk acquired it and went to Threads. Threads and Bluesky are very like pre-Mùsk twitter. However I've gone off Zuckerberg since he bent the knee, I don't like my Threads account being linked to Instagram and thought I'd see what's happening here.

It sounds like as good as we can make it. It is newer, fresher and full of possibilities. And no ads or hatred...yet...that I come across 😍

It’s good!

pizzapizza!

It's brill!

Welcome. Significantly fewer nobbers than the other place.

Yes. Welcome!

It’s splendid! Like Twitter was, back in the day.

Yes - no musky smell.

Definitely much more collegiate and friendly... 😊😊

The air certainly seems clearer with much less pollution, a blast of ozone to brighten the morning. New on here too, still finding my feet. All the best.

Getting better! It needs well known scientists like you to add to the page's credibility.

Yes it's lovely

And about bloody time you turned up!!

There's definitely fewer flat earthers!

So far? Yeah. It feels a lot more polite than the Bad Place. Certainly more transparent, and pretty easy to curate.

It doesn't yet have an infinite amount of monkey-bots...so yes! Welcome!

Yep...is much less anxty...💙sky

Not sure yet. It’s like a new apartment. Still testing the light switches, and faucets. Seeing what works

Well....I remember a scene from Doctor Who when they observe the 'End of the Universe' from the safety of the TARDIS. This here is the TARDIS.... Buy popcorn 🍿 🍿 🍿 🍿 😁

Well you’re on here, so it must be at least a little bit good 🙂

It seems to be so far

I love it so far.

It's OK but it needs more cowbell.

Welcome

Deffo

Now you are here!

We hope so

Yep. #ParticlePhysics bsky.app/profile/brid...

My pinned post! ❤️

Until the idiots arrive.

Yes! And welcome! It's superb to see you're here!! 😀🥳

So much better 😃

Better if people such as yourself join and start conversations. Musk free!

I’m new to it too. Welcome & glad you are here too. Fellow cat owner & photo of my mad Maine Coon for attention

Yes, Prof Cox, so far this place is gentle, relaxed and well mannered. I like it here...

It’s been a daunting jump but let’s have positive vibes only

Just joined, but so glad to see you here. It’s growing fast !

We’ll have billions of people on this app in no time 😉

So good to see you here! x

Nah. I much prefer being constantly demoralised and insulted by people I would ordinarily shun in the real world. Back to X for me!!

Yes.

Welcome Brian.

It's not bad 👍 though infinitely small in comparison to our Solar System 😉

Getting better all the time 👍

Well, yes 🫠We're all here now.. the relatively normal

A lot less stressful and the numpties still haven’t found us 😁

My smile right now...

This is proof of catfish, not #proofofcat

Not yet but it will be. And it’s already better than a place before but seems a little unbalanced still. Confirmation bias in the short term is a novelty!

It's pretty decent, yeah.

If you help build it it will be.

Dunno, just got here myself!

Good morning, great to see you on here 😄

Happy to see you here!

Very civilised. Like the other place used to aspire to...

Bring us #proofofcat, Brian.

Omg you've finally found us!!! We've really missed you 🥺

You missed an opportunity..." Is this space any good?"

👋🏼

Look at you, coyly sauntering in... grab a cuppa, pull up a chair and dive in. Test the water yourself... temperature is pleasant in here.

Good to see you Prof

I'll let you be the judge of that. That said, welcome to…

Absolutely and all the better for having you here. Welcome. Loving your new series btw 💕

Time will tell, but it seems like it's off to a good start

Absolutely Brian. Way better than the other place.

It's fair champion 👍

Seems ok so far, but I'm new too.

👋 so nice here …

The best, Professor! Like old sweet Twitter where people were actually nice ro each other. 💙

Lol better now 🦋💪

It seems to be so much gentler!

Until the luvvies piled in.

Yarp!! That reminds me, need Cosmic beer for the selection at Christmas. 🍺🍺

Not subject to the entropy of civetsmell place yet

👍👏👏👏

It is now!

Y E S !

Seems to be a lot more civilised than the toXic place so far

Yay, added! bsky.app/profile/did:...

Incremental improvements every time a good person joins x

Best social media site to date

It's not bad at all. Welcome 😁

I suspect you know how good it is Brian! Welcome to BlueSky 😊

Yes - Will the Solar System OST be available to listen anywhere?

Yes… like the other place used to be!

Welcome

A great place to 'collide' chum!

Better now all the profs are coming on board!!

It is out of this world....if pushed ...one may even say it is Cosmic :)

Oh, it's better than good.

I hope so! Just getting started too...

It is.

Yes!! And more so now you’re here 😃😃😃😃

Seems to be!

Yep

It’s alright but no one has asked anyone about marmite yet.

Yey I’ve refound both of my favourite Profs. You and Prof. Alice Roberts , my reroofing is almost complete.

No.

Hello Brian, you’ll find it will do very nicely!

Yes! But you need to actually follow people and curate a feed to see what’s going on - you are the algorithm!

I’m just getting started - give me a minute!

You could also use @apolloschildren.com or @brian.apolloschildren.com as your handle if you wanted to. It's a way of verifying your identity (reducing chances of impersonation) and allows you to switch servers in the future without having to change your handle.

Haha. Sorry Prof. It was in jest! Glad you’re here even if you are from the wrong side of the Pennines… 😉 This place finally feels busy and quite a lot like the good old day of twitter.

My family are from Saddleworth which really should be thought of as the West Riding of Yorkshire. Although I was born in Oldham and that is certainly Lancashire.

It is Yorkshire, it is also Greater Manchester and part of Oldham Metropolitan Borough. It is not part of the Town of Oldham nor is it Lancashire.

Where in Saddleworth? My wife is from Delph and we got married there! And the locals up there insist its Yorkshire!

Greenfield originally. I used to live in Lydgate.

Always like going up to Saddleworth, the whole area is lovely. One of the best steaks I ever had was in the Roebuck pub, was 👌

My apologies. Beautiful part of the world!

Yorkshire.

Which is the right side of the Pennines? I like both sides personally.

Depends where you are at the time, surely? In That London, clearly both sides of the Pennines are great. In a North, then the other side is clearly awful, but nowhere near as awful as Down South, Hope this clears things up.

Though, from personal experience, everywhere's kind of awesome really. A delightful mixture of heroes and arseholes.

Exactly how I feel!

I like to think of a unified north myself, and I am from Lancashire and still live there. I live a short drive from Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Northumberland so I think I get the best of it all. Especially because 30 mins walk affords me a view of Morecambe bay from the hills.

I think of multiple Norths, mostly because when I worked at the Beeb, they seemed to think that Salford was somehow representative of the entire North. And it sort of is, but also, it definitely isn't. Newcastle, Manchester and Leeds are all very distinct cities and cultures, for starters.

And suggesting blithely that I (weekly commuting from Newcastle at the time) would find things easier after the move to Salford was particularly dim of them. In terms of travel time, Newcastle is way closer to London than Salford.

Excellent points. Culturally the north is very diverse. Even places as close as Manchester, Warrington, Wigan, St Helens and Liverpool are so different to each other. The UK is culturally very rich and diverse, even inside major urban areas.

Indeed. It was particularly frustrating in an organisation that absolutely knew that Tower Hamlets, Walthamstow, Islington and Putney are culturally distinct.

It is now! (Delayed comment)

Hello Brian, yes, it is good, really good.

I've jyet to discover but so far so good. Lots of discussions about books which is always a good place to start.

Not enough Oldham Athletic chat on here yet, but we can work on that.

Bienvenue. X/twitter is a sewer

We've got millions... and millions... and millions... of users. *stares wistfully*

It's getting better each day

Yes, it is. Welcome! Bring more science literate brains, please.

Let’s make it so

Yay. The Profs here. Glad of that, I think @robinince.bsky.social might have been getting lonely. It's all coming together.

I go to the other place only when I'm alerted to new posts. Today was your post re Brexit and the Spectator headline re the economy - which I was hoping to see here on Bluesky. I refuse to use t'other beyond it being a reminder of people I used to follow and to renew here.

It's very good indeed Beats that other platform

🙂‍↕️

Slag off Rob Ince before he gets here!

He already is

My plan foiled almost immediately

Robin's been here for months!

8.3k followers after less than a day. Impressive. I joined yesterday and have seven. My first follower was an unwelcome sex spam bot. Not a great start!

It's relatively Musk free. So it doesn't stink as much. ... I'll get my coat.

Yey, I found you on here!

Hi, I have just scrolled down your timeline. Welcome, been here two days. It is genuinely good.

It seems to be good so far. How are you liking it? Question for you... Perhaps a juxtaposition between psychology and physics... Does just being observed, or the content of the thought of the observer cause the wave to turn into a particle?

Getting better every day!

Just be here. Not right that you’re weren’t.

I’d say things can only get better now I’ve found you 😀

One of my all time fave records 👌

I'm not booking into his Motel.

Why have you posted a picture of James Blunt?

@profbriancox.bsky.social I can see where this is leading. A duet. You on keys, James Blunt on vox and guitar, @crapportraits.bsky.social providing the record cover...

I’m available for commissions if you’re happy to pay for crap.

My line of thinking is that the National Portrait Gallery need to buy your canon for the Nation to enjoy

😂😂😂

Har har, as likenesses go this is a top drawer effort for me. 😛

The guy out of the Monkees, Jimmy, Davy, Freddie, Tim, fuckin one of the others

Maybe. I just joined.

Good timing, it’s your round!

Finally!

Some may say things can only get better, but I like it.

Not bad so far... Quite a few SciFoo folk...