Do you like pipes?

外神田 / Sotokanda

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— Thomas Ripoll Kobayashi / 小林透真 (@tomrkobayashi.bsky.social) January 16, 2026 at 5:59 AM

神田 / Kanda

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— Thomas Ripoll Kobayashi / 小林透真 (@tomrkobayashi.bsky.social) January 8, 2026 at 7:23 AM

赤坂 / Akasaka

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— Thomas Ripoll Kobayashi / 小林透真 (@tomrkobayashi.bsky.social) January 6, 2026 at 1:55 AM

赤坂 / Akasaka

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— Thomas Ripoll Kobayashi / 小林透真 (@tomrkobayashi.bsky.social) January 2, 2026 at 5:15 PM

上野 / Ueno

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— Thomas Ripoll Kobayashi / 小林透真 (@tomrkobayashi.bsky.social) January 13, 2026 at 7:45 AM

Today's news and jokes

you know this guy is a FOR REAL photographer because he's telling the story of his brutal, unconditional arrest by federal goons and can't help but slip in a gear review

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— Daniel Suitor (@danielsuitor.com) January 17, 2026 at 7:37 AM

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Captured by Rectangles (@john_abernathy_)

Obituary for Renfrew Christie, who helped sabotage South Africa's nuclear program

NYT:

Renfrew Christie, a South African scholar whose undercover work for the African National Congress was critical in hobbling the apartheid government’s secret nuclear weapons program in the 1980s, died on Dec. 21 at his home in Cape Town. He was 76.

...

By the time the bombs began going off, planted by his colleagues in uMkhonto we Sizwe, the paramilitary wing of the A.N.C., Dr. Christie was already in prison. 

...

Terrorism was a capital offense, and Dr. Christie narrowly escaped hanging. But as he later recounted, he was deliberately placed on the death row closest to the gallows at the Pretoria Maximum Security Prison. For two and half years, he was forced to listen to the hangings of more than 300 prisoners.

“The whole prison would sing for two or three days before the hanging, to ease the terror of the victims,”

My favorite toys 2025

I meant to post this sooner, but have ended up on a long-trial jury and have a schedule even more chaotic than usual. I got a few fancier toys this year that were disappointing because of fragility or limited articulation, but these were all a lot of fun (mostly nostalgia characters, but that's because my favorite newer characters haven't received figures at all):

G.I. Joe ReAction+ Pythona (BBTS, EE, Amazon)

G.I. Joe ReAction+Cobra-La Royal Guard (BBTS, EE, Amazon)

G.I. Joe ReAction+ Fatal Fluffy (BBTS, EE, Amazon)

G.I. Joe Classified Snake Eyes and Polar Bear (BBTS, EE, Amazon)

Star Wars: The Black Series Sebulba (BBTS, EE, Amazon)

Star Wars: The Vintage Collection Crosshair (BBTS, EE, Amazon)

Star Wars: The Vintage Collection Sabine Wren and Howler (BBTS, EE, Amazon)

What We Do in the Shadows Toony Terrors Guillermo (BBTS, EE, Amazon)

Transformers Action Edition Megatron (BBTS, EE, Amazon)

Scooby-Doo The Creeper (BBTS, EE, Amazon)


(Honorable mention for some figures I didn't pick up: Hasbro Pulse Sentinel and Super Skull, 6inchplus Gladiator Hulk, Tubular Tortoise Mutant Karate Warriors, Finegures LPZZ Arkham Knight Deathstroke)

Today's news and jokes

𝑩𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮: Nikola Jokic has tried the @tacobell Quesarito pic.twitter.com/j93ZOCWWp2

— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) January 16, 2026

Here they are! The winners of the r/AskHistorians "Best of 2025" Awards!

Some fun questions answered.

Lego Moby Dick diorama

become ungovernable

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— king's co-op bookstore (@kingsbookstore.bsky.social) January 11, 2026 at 4:53 AM

Alt build instructions on rebrickable: rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-246... Unfortunately buying the set gives the gross terf money.

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— Jonas (@rasherdk.bsky.social) January 11, 2026 at 12:57 PM