Only now, when he's been reduced to earning his pension through an annoying Just Eat ad that parodies his long faded heartthrob status, do I find out who Jude Law is

For at least the last 20 years, yes

Some people really need to know when to put their scotch or rye down, and lie down

Evening bluetit couple

My Trumpian cultural crackdown will require all arts venues to have a "spooky" provision

That Chelsea Flower Show sculpture has that distinct provincial nag champa-smelling panpipe moodz gift shop aesthetic, it's the most hideous thing I've ever seen, wtf

This was supposed to be my space for following people with different politics to mine but gosh it's difficult to do that, isn't it

I guess the Laurel & Hardy bit doesn't prove anything unless you know how old I am huh

1. The first version came out 48 years ago 2. When I was 10 I loved Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton and all the Fred & Gingers 3. My nephew's favourite thing in the world is Toy Story, which came out 165 years ago

Mass baptism in the river Gwaun, Fishguard, 1905.

Ah, that familiar refrain

Remember, they really *are* choosing their best guys

Here's a language change I can't stand and I don't care who accuses me of wot: this whole non-standard embedded question inversion thing ("We need to be thinking about, what are our long-term goals?" etc.) Used to be the reserve of corporate dungeons, now bloody everywhere, even in natural speech

The US "to where" (to the extent that/with the result that) has arrived in the UK (via Tiktok, I expect)-- expect confusion btw generations, conflict, mild resistance, resisters labelled language police/fascists, eventual widespread adoption

Discovering Electronic Music (1970). Dr Gerald Strang of UCLA has that classic EM pioneer look- no fashion, pure scientific enquiry. "I wanted pitches which lie in between the pitches of the regular instruments... sound qualities which no instruments... can readily produce" youtu.be/5AmatpZZV3E?...

Women dressed as Wedgwood pottery from Stoke on Trent historical pageant, 1930.

Yeah this is a real telltale sign that you're not... sufficiently distanced from the machine. Though I do have difficulty not starting coding prompts with please

Hadn't been to Barmouth since horrifying jr school trips (visceral memories of a grim hotel with pink candlewick bedspreads and carbolic soap) and it's actually... pretty lovely. Was expecting it to have suffered in the way of all small towns in recent years but, d'you know what? Pretty salubrious

If anyone knows of anything I desperately need to see in Llandudno/Conwy except for goats/the obvious/easily googlable, I'm all ears

Jeremy Fragrance is the best argument against the internet but I could never resist the hubris/downfall stories of such characters. Nothing quite like watching an intensely annoying internet character go feral

some high up sea views

MUST I always be the first person to say I've 'eard it called lots of things ??

Fair play to this guy, it's brave, dating not-through-politics/activism when you Have Politics. Pretty much never works out, but it's commendable to try. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Let's hike through mid Wales in the pissing rain

Funny things still happen over at the bad place This guy put a prompt in his LinkedIn and now AI recruiters are writing him in Old English and calling him "my lord"

The labour right's/"centrists'" (far from biggest) issue is believing that they're the default/common sense option and not understanding that they're a smaller than ever minority. Hence the shock at every repulse, the arrogant, This Is Fine Dog-level complacency

Imo Andy Burnham's the only surviving Labourite who could've won a GE (neither loved nor loathe), a few years ago, but not now- all chances shot. Nobody in the running has a chance. They should've sorted this out at least a year ago.

I think this maybe the most niché bit of trivia I’ve ever heard.

These look delicious. Apparently they're "cakes" of some sort. I'll report back.

👇 this is a fantastic book btw

Finally the country will get chaos with Ed Miliband

Had a rare extremely boring dream last night, that I was at the William IV in Box Hill eating an enormous cheeseboard. And now I can't shake a big sadness that I'm not at the William IV eating an enormous cheeseboard

Part of a thread, and also here is a template for writing to MP/the PM specifically about Palantir's profiteering in the Gaza genocide

Japanese sci-fi: two robots in space, yearning American sci-fi: man gets the author's beliefs on polygamy confirmed by the aliens of ramalama IV french sci-fi: two horny bounty hunters visit the Galaxy of Breasts British sci-fi: nuclear war. Everyone dead. America's fault

Wot he said

I've always sort of doubted that anyone really starts from the assumption that creatures don't feel pain (it's very odd)-rather than doesn't care. I don't think this is going to sway bug spray users, or lead to better insect rights.

Remember when you could put a snippet of text, between quotation marks, into google, and it'd identify it? Amazing to think we lived through such an era

This is the only thing I've ever been wrong about ever (should've known he'd cling like a barnacle) but I'm giving him 10 days max and determined to win some money out of it

My fave Casablanca cut scene is where they move on to another gin joint and there's a lutenist and a woman singing about sausages (considered too risque at the time)

Freestylin' here, but could it be- -that those with the time/means/inclination to "engage" with the arts are just generally wealthier? www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Note the Labour Together tactic of a drip of resignations is underway. Likely those resigning will have been promised jobs by Streeting wp.me/p15p2Q-gJT

Just seen my first mf walking around with one of those portable solar panels strapped to a backpack in the wild; been considering becoming one of those mfs for a while but waiting for it to become less conspicuous- hopeful news

Just realised I haven't heard anything about the capybara for a while. Oh god.

Classic academic's wikipedia page arc

Have you seen a listing like this? They seem to be auctioning off a bit of the middle of a road, which someone has determined isn't owned by anyone, on the premise that the owner can.... charge residents for using their own driveways? or what? Is this... done?

I do like a surprising, historically confusing design element

Thoughts from AI "performance review" (no stakes, zero hours etc): far less intimidating/likely to induce feelings of resentment/suspicion of personal bias. Maybe it's a personal flaw but I can take criticism/feedback from robots far easier.

Watched the Emerald Fennell Wuthering Heights- my assessment: it's a bit of fun, you're all spoilsports

Absolute disgrace that Nigel Farage is invited to speak at an antisemitism rally. Letter from British Jews objecting has received a few thousand signatures in a few hours.