Tonight’s plan is to watch the Wedding Singer with the older two kids. And I’ve just realised that 2025 is about twice as far from 1998 (when it was released) as 1998 is from 1985 (when it is set). A Wedding Singer reboot would be set in 2012.

Waugh. Tolkien. Powell & Pressburger.

I like Playbook. I like economic data and forecasts. But I am slightly baffled by the first eight paras being on the OECD forecasts. I’ve covered the British economy for a long time and a wide variety of outlets and I’m not sure if I’ve ever written a piece on the OECD forecasts?

Here's a stock price chart for Oklo, a small/modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power plant company. They've never built a reactor and their first submission was denied in 2022. Analysts expect them to get up to $57mm in revenue in 2029. Market cap: $20bn.

had a ton of fun working on this poll with @today.yougov.com about the songs that everybody knows the lyrics to, the generational anthems are super neat www.numlock.com/p/numlock-su...

So I'm a chronic text-based journalism poster who used to live their life on Twitter and had somehow got a large number of followers next to my name. Helpful for work, lots of stories, I could make news go viral. Anyway as I test I slightly re-engaged with various platforms this week. Vibes results:

Once again tapping my 'AI is a huge existential threat to the Internet and e-commerce' sign:

Presumably some of this is AI making job applications much easier rather than a genuine like for like increase in the number of applicants? on.ft.com/42H4Yrs Retail and hospitality chains sound alarm over UK jobs market

Retrospectively removing indefinite leave to remain would be immoral and economically damaging. It would tear families apart. Attacking it as ‘potentially illegal’ is completely beside the point. Argue with the (awful) idea. Don’t try ’well, actually you can’t do that’.

Current account balance estimates (% GDP) of the United Kingdom by component since 1800. Source: World Historical BoP Database wbop.world#data

Even when they are listening to an album - rare, it’s mostly playlists - the older kids put it on shuffle rather than listening in the intended order. I’ve raised monsters.

Running thread of difficult high level industrial strategy issues the government is expected to get a grip on 1. Energy and AI. Should they prioritise the data centre industry's needs when it comes to new nuclear, restarting gas etc? newsroom.observer.co.uk/cr/AQjcjBUQw...

Sitting on the sofa reading a warhammer novel. The eldest is sat next to me reading Middlemarch. At least one of us has higher-brow tastes.

This is the interesting split.

This is fantastic. Give it a read if you haven’t already.

New Aldi thing. Essentially a posh scotch egg. Not at all bad. Solid 7/10.

The worst kind of policy moaner is a middle aged arts or humanities graduate grumbling that not enough young people study STEM subjects.

Honestly, this plus the Intel stake is pretty astonishing.

Great read. on.ft.com/4mruUP7 Petrodollars and the ‘Islamic Bomb’: how a Saudi-Pakistan pact was forged

Higher than expected borrowing in August. www.ons.gov.uk/economy/gove...

This is why we can’t have nice things: on.ft.com/3IqUDJm UK households prefer cash, as they plough record sums into Isas

Not long now until the start of term, when I shall explain to my students, as I always do, that monetary policy and fiscal policy are strictly independent and it is essential that they remain that way.

Wonder if local results look a lot like what British politics for the foreseeable. Five parties doing ok to *quite* well, no party with a commanding lead, seat level results could go multiple ways

“The fear that cheap, convincing fake content will displace authentic reporting overlooks a countervailing force: when misinformation spreads, the payoff to credibility increases”. cepr.org/voxeu/column...

Slamming the barn door shut whilst waving to the horse as it disappears over the horizon. on.ft.com/4mn4CgY BCG to train staff on ‘humanitarian principles’ after Gaza outcry

It's been a rough two decades for non-pensioner real income growth after housing costs, especially for the poorest households. www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications...

THIS TIME IT'S WAR! We're picking up our pulse rifles and getting on an express elevator to Hell. Yes, we're watching Aliens. Stay frosty. Wherever you get your podcasts.

Most people working in this area have known for years that DWP's figures on trends in out-of-work benefit caseloads are complete junk but have struggled to find more accurate figures. Ben has now produced an estimated time series and the discrepancy is huge. Nobody should be using these stats!

Need a new winter coat. And so begins, once again, the search for a coat like the one Spike had during the Boxer Rebellion in the Buffy episode Fool for Love.

“An ingenious juxtaposition”. I’ll take that. www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

If you’re around in Chelsea next Wednesday afternoon… chelseaheritagequarter.co.uk/chf/blood-an...

Huge missed headline opportunity here. Microbial life on Mars? It’s a God awful small affair. www.earth.com/news/nasa-an...

Finally a Facebook ad for a product I am tempted by. Also: a very quick ‘no’ from my wife.

Time for the world to install a gigawatt of solar power capacity 2004: A year 2010: ~ a month 2015: ~ a week Now: A day ourworldindata.org/data-insight... 🧪

icymi yesterday: France's upside-down bond market, where a series of big companies have seen their borrowing costs fall below their government's Another sign of worry over France's public finances, and a glut of sovereign debt globally... www.ft.com/content/be40...

Post no one asked for on how to compare bond yields across currencies (more) properly. on.ft.com/48fJTIf

Definitely autumn now.

This is all a bit ridiculous. You need to agree a realistic budget up front first. I spent £1,000 to go to a hen party. You feel like you have to www.bbc.com/news/article...

T20 Blast final is quite fun. No dog in this fight but enjoying it.

Who keeps crashing cars at speed into the front of a specific Tesco Express in east London? It’s happened four times in the last three weeks. It looks like a robbery - but London Centric has learned nothing is stolen and it appears to be the same driver. www.londoncentric.media/p/tesco-expr...

Seems bad: “The rise of unofficial US economic reports.” on.ft.com/4n38BAs

Heavy rain, gutters over flowed. Back of house bifold door flooded in. Middle child helpfully brought me towels and helped arrange buckets. Eldest child live streamed the mini-disaster to her friends on FaceTime.

Eldest child - can I do your radio interview for you? - no - why? It’s easy - “the economy is really difficult, cost of living, blah, blah, blah”.

This evening I am mostly hoping that the weather in Manchester is more cooperative than Wednesday’s Cardiff weather.

T20 Blast finals in July next year. Sanity prevails. Rather than this year’s utterly mad situation of holding the knock stage 7 weeks or so after the group stage.

5 parties on more than 12%, winner gains seat with under 30%. Results like this used to be rare, freak outliers. Now they are routine (there was a second just like this yesterday). Electoral chaos.

Monthly GDP figures are mostly a distraction.

Well… cepr.org/voxeu/column...

New @resfoundation.bsky.social report on savings. Families with savings of less than £1,000, by income decile: www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications...

Ah, the youngest has reached that brief window when buttering her own toast is ‘exciting’ and ‘fun’. But I know from the older two that this window will close soon and I will once again be treated as some sort of breakfast servant.