I've really grown to love Landscape Artist of the Year #Laoty which I started watching when I heard Portmeirion was on it (2023 I think). It's such a testament to positive artistic endeavour. Reassuringly patient and optimistic and lovely outputs - the paintings themselves.

Reform are determined to collect all the most odious politicians in one place. Never liked Jenrick ever since he had that mural painted over.

Art could save your life! Five creative ways to make 2026 happier, healthier and more hopeful www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Showaddywaddy have that air of those guys down the pub deciding to form a band and they're not really any good but no-one dares to tell them.

Watching #TopofthePops 1978 makes me feel we have made some progress. Smurfs, Brotherhood of Man and Legs and Co dancing around in what can only really be described as their underwear.

How great is Can't Hold Us by Sampa the Great? My favourite track of the moment.

A cartoon by Barbara Smaller. #NewYorkerCartoons See more cartoons from this week’s issue: www.newyorker.com/gallery/cart...

For anyone in France, you can find an article about AI toys (featuring mine and @drjennyg.bsky.social's research into their impacts) in Issue 14 of @labreche.bsky.social. 🇫🇷

Fun to see myself quoted in this list of gift ideas for one-year-olds! 😊 www.theguardian.com/thefilter/20...

Call Out: Commission Programme for Disabled Artists with mentorship and support from artist Jason Wilsher-Mills - National Coal Mining Museum www.ncm.org.uk/news/call-ou...

I am learning so much about AI through this project. The outputs will be very interesting.

Whilst we are talking about #bbctv - how wonderful is it to have Matthew Bourne's #Nutcracker on BBC 4 on a Sunday evening?

I recently chatted with @prisblossom.bsky.social about AI toys, all the things we don't yet know about them, and @drjennyg.bsky.social & my research on their impacts in the early years. Read our conversation here. 👇

New publication celebrating 10 years of @pedalcam.bsky.social! 🌟 Featuring reflections from our first decade, including... 🗨️ children's self-reported playfulness 🤝 children as advisors on research 📹 child-driven creative methods 🔓 Open access: doi.org/10.1080/2159... @paulramchandani.bsky.social

In Barry Blitt’s latest Kvetchbook, it’s 2027 and Donald Trump is the only American not behind bars. Get your daily dose of satire by signing up for our humor newsletter: https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jJCeRz

The Hack is so good. Can't believe it hasn't received more coverage and reviews in the papers ....

Legendary cricket umpire Dickie Bird dies aged 92 www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/s... - Greatest Ever!

How will childhood be changed by AI toys? | Letter www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle... Great letter from Dr Emily J Goodacre (my niece) in The Guardian today in response to article about AI Toys earlier in the week.

I know everyone says this but the news is so depressing in so many different ways. We really need uplift - music, poetry, flowers, birds, sunshine.

👥 Partner Spotlight: Hypertech Sustainability Research and Technology Center - HSRT HSRT leads HAMLET’s dissemination, exploitation & communication, develops the Collaborative Community Hub, and ensures QA & ethical oversight for real-world impact. #HAMLETProject #DigitalTransformation #EthicalAI

👥 Partner Spotlight: CERTH Centre for Research & Technology Hellas (CERTH) leads HAMLET, guiding research & innovation with expertise in AI, data analytics, VR/AR & IoT. They design enablers, integrate pilots, and ensure collaboration across all partners. #HAMLETProject #EUresearch #EthicalAI

We're looking for early years practitioners to help us learn about AI toys in early years settings. No experience of AI is required, and all views are welcome. Please repost, share with early years practitioners, and/or sign up for more details here: cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Wo. Cricket. Test Matches. Amazing!

Late Shift (#Heldin) what a film! Drama about nurse over a dramatic shift at a Swiss hospital. Leonie Benesch brilliant in central role. Just about holds on to reality and avoids cliche but sort of inspiring in the end. Need a stiff drink afterwards though.

Check out the recordings from #PEDALConference2025, including me presenting preliminary results from our scoping review on generative AI toys 📖👇

Have we used the joke about there being no escape from Alcaraz yet?

#NeilYoung at #GlastonburyFestival - the elderly relatives you weren't sure if they were up to it bit and then they get up on stage - and then you just feel 'I am not worthy' in a Wayne's World sort of way.

Trying to get something sorted with British Gas through their Customer Service is like some kind of bizarre Kafa-esque experience.

ABBA Voyage has generated a total economic impact of £1.4 billion for London. The show's impact is significant, with every £1 of ABBA Voyage's revenue generating £4.45 in turnover for the wider London economy. Bloody forriners coming over here, generating money for the British economy. 🙄

A fitting way to travel to yesterday's thought-provoking workshop on playful and ethical AI for children at #IDC2025

Last week I was working in a palace in Almagro in Spain and this week in castle in Amsterdam #interestingwork #audienceagents

Coco Gauff ‘proud to represent Americans that look like me’ in French Open final triumph www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/j... and Sabalenka rather ungracious in defeat it seems.

Very very disappointed in the use of 'island of strangers' and 'taking back control' in Pam's speech today and also lack of mention of positive aspects of immigration. A Labour government must be better than this.

Total chaos at Stansted Airport. IT outage.

I knew it: Drinking champagne could reduce risk of sudden cardiac arrest, study suggests www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

#LondonBalletCompany at #TheApex Bury St Edmunds. My niece Hannah Gerrard is in it playing a Nun and a Von Trapp child. Can you guess the story ?

Wonderful few days in Kamnik, Ljubljana and Nova Gorica in Slovenia with the Oracle network.

It's not obvious to me if any of @theguardian.com stories are April Fools. There's normally at least one. I thought perhaps the Gen Z work uniforms and the Chester Zoo items maybe, but they are very believable.

4 hours?! I like working with my laptop in cafes but after a while I start to get backache and guilt. Loud Zoom calls, hogging space, spending a pittance: no wonder laptoppers’ antics irk cafe owners | Emily Watkins www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Please could it not be India just for a change! #ChampionsTrophy

I've said it before but for whatever reason the #skynews team is so superior to the BBC and others. They just seem to be so much 'on it' than many other journalists.

Surely 'what they got done' is not good English. Shouldn't it be 'what they did'? Or perhaps if needing to be precise - 'outline your five main achievements of last week' although that sounds ChatGpt-esque.

Lisa Nandy announces £270m fund for UK’s ‘crumbling’ cultural infrastructure

The problem I always have with those low calorie chocolate bars is I feel I need to eat a minimum three of them at once. Same with low calorie crisps.

Rather randomly saw Brie Larson on Saturday Kitchen who was really amusing. I know she is Captain Marvel but don't think I have ever seen her in anything. Might try out Electra at Duke of York's with her starring.

Can't believe The Brutalist is receiving awards. Such an overrated film. Leave at the interval is my advice. First half 3 stars, second half 2 stars.

It's Away Day time for The Audience Agency in Sheffield. Always great fun but we've had fewer of them since the pandemic. I will actually get to meet some colleagues for the first time in person even though we have been working together for years.

Am I allowed to say that I was disappointed by The Brutalist? I was expecting more about the architecture and design and I really hate all this 'mad genius' stuff. Good fun having an interval though and a good glass of wine helped me to get through the excesses of the second half.