Anyone who has ever met a writer (especially one with neurodivergent hyperfixations) knows that ideas are free. The tree of ideas is always laden, & there is too much windfall to eat. Maybe pay thoughtful creative people a living wage to act on their ideas instead of letting the echoing box chirp.

I understand people have been ‘gifting’ for centuries but as an expert in this field I remain unconvinced. #nevergiftupneversurrender

Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.

Honestly, if people want quirky gifts, they are better off going to www.presentindicative.com or bahhumbug.shop which are both run by the fabulous @academicgifts.bsky.social who will absolutely appreciate the custom more than whoever's selling the Guardian's list of tat.

Brilliant!

Doing some product pics. This may be just too leafy?

People of London! PLEASE SHARE. I lost my necklace last night (10th Nov), and I'm hoping someone has found it. I caught the Northern Line from High Barnet to Leicester Square, then walked to the Prince Charles Cinema, then the same back again. I only noticed it was gone when I got home.

It’s that special time of year when our ‘other’ gift shop wakes up from its deep a slumber to say BAH! bahhumbug.shop

Just remembered something rather touching about "Asterix in Belgium". Goscinny died halfway through work on it, so for the rest of the book, to mark the exact point of his passing, Uderzo has drawn either rain, or darkened, lowering skies into pretty much every panel.

Send this fake NY Times Wirecutter recommendation to every dad you know. It's the only way to save our neighborhoods.

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS Seeking #activist teachers who are also qualified, fully registered & working in #Scotland schools. This is for my @unistrathclyde.bsky.social PhD exploring their experiences of #professionallearning & #activism. Grateful for your support! forms.office.com/e/cjNE3UkNyY

The Literary Gift Company (creating unique gifts for readers, writers & book lovers. From literary maps to bookish mugs & totes, they design their own products & support indie bookshops too; based in Reading, UK) leaves X (3.594 followers) Bluesky: @literarygifts.bsky.social

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... something adorable out of my home town. The hospital got a play MRI scanner so kids can scan their toys before they go for their real scan, and it's really helping them stay calm

This has been an exciting collaboration to work on. 😊

Vinted - mixing it up a little.

My latest cartoon for @newscientist.com p.s. this week I am on a USA/Canada tour with my new book. Details and preorder links at tomgauld.com

This is also me. Attempting to untangle my brain a tiny bit.

"THE BIG GREEN BOOKS 500 CLUB" I've set up a thing where I can regularly send £500 of books to schools who need them. It costs £1 a week to help out, or whatever you can. Here's the plan. biggreenbookshop.com/big-green-bo... Please share (and join!) Thanks. Currently we have £289.12!

That title.

Nope

Actually it's quite a good question; I, too, would like to know what kind of cockamamie set-up this is.

Need something a little... expressive?... for your office pinboard for the new academic year? Let me send you a postcard! (These are about the only things I can reliably send to the US at the moment, because they're straightforwardly correspondence and tariff-exempt.) Shares appreciated!

An unsolicited email from a marketing company informs me that my ‘front-end is clearly dialed in’. It’s not 100% clear if this is a good thing.

Amazing story: one of the organisers of the group putting Union Flags up around Manchester previously did time for being part of a people smuggling gang. manchestermill.co.uk/manchester-f...

The Spirograph dress in silk from Jigsaw via Vinted for £7 was already a dream come true. That it fits perfectly is just a bonus.

Tommy Lee Jones as US Marshal films ranked: 1. Double Jeopardy 2. The Fugitive 3. US Marshals

While riding the B or Q trains between Dekalb Ave station and the Manhattan Bridge, you may catch a glimpse of "Masstransiscope," a public art installation by Bill Brand. It was added to the #NYCsubway system in 1980.

Cars.

We should have listened when the modems screamed at us.

Only managed to read about 20% of not actually the right book for book group.

RIP Dave Cousins. Just been reminded of this pic with my Aunt Joy far right and Mum 4th from right.

This kind of smart, walkable, mixed-use development is illegal to build these days.

Well Prague was pretty but this place was 😍 #Teufelsberg

it’s no secret i am a weepy, sentimental girl. a feeler. a tremendous sap. but i defy you to watch these beautiful kids vibing and just absolutely murdering “everything in its right place” and not feel feelings.

@kermodeandmayo.bsky.social re: songs evoked by the title ‘Clowns in a Cornfield’ - for me it’s been Carly Simon and You’re So Vain

Maybe they could just package the leafy salady leaves in compostable bags and be done with it?

Thank you Fed(up)Ex for sending separate tracking updates for every box in a 21 box consignment delivery even though the boxes are all on the same pallet. Just what my inbox needed. Bonus points for changing the scheduled delivery time a few times 😵‍💫.

Ooo congrats!!

One of our t-shirts on the telly! #springwatch 🦡

And two separate in-depth conversations about purples.

When your job involves meetings about dragons. 🐉

Thesis writing lava lamps in action. They are now an essential part of my creative process. #whoknew

Gaffer tape + 1 hour bodging = postponement of £25 outlay for how long I wonder…

What a great event - my brain is abuzz! Thanks to @belmasoffice.bsky.social

Getting the final touches sorted of the new blog ‘Bridging the Gap’ sorted. The idea is that an academic & a practitioner answer a question linked to working in UK schools The aim is to understand if/where/why there is a gap between theory & practice so that we can bridge it to all of our benefit!

😵‍💫

Had a chance to see this absolute gem of an exhibition at Peterbough Museum whilst visiting my mum. peterboroughmuseum.org.uk/events/the-w...

Dear Policy Exchange, PIP is not an out-of-work benefit. So why are you trying to score political points by insisting young people on #PIP must work, volunteer or go into training? PIP enables disabled people to do these things. Cutting it will do the opposite. Thanks Dr Watts