My local bookshop understands their audience.

I know they don't need any more plugs or listeners but MY GOODNESS, the Rest Is History on the Iranian revolution is a banger. Just the perfect topic for them, Sandbrook's brilliant knowledge of US politics with Holland's brilliant command of the nature of faith. Just wonderful. And it's funny!

Random thought: My favourite battleship is HMS Agincourt, built for the Brazillians, who for political reasons needed a battleship with more guns than any other battleship, who then went bust and sold it to the turks, who basically crowdfunded it and then the British stole it to fight World War One.

This Department and the Department of Incompatible Cords report up to the Executive Vice President of Enshittification

I can’t believe the department of we don’t have real jobs at Apple have changed all the buttons again.

Fondly remembering the time in 2009 when my friend texted me from a Bolt Bus “haha this is so weird, a cop pulled over our bus AND is making the driver do a field sobriety test??” and then five minutes later texted me “oh my God he failed”

I just woke up from a nap and somehow while I was asleep, everyone on the bus has figured out we are not going to the right place

Why would Games Workshop target me so specifically with 10 foot tall golden space lesbians?? Have I not bought enough?? When will you let me rest????

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

Writing a book with fancy balls and battles and balls are MUCH harder to write. I’ve basically re-read all of Jane Austen in the last 2 months to try to work out how to make them work.

Jesus. www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...

After 20+ years in the trenches of TV, audio and newspapers, one of the really nice things about writing early drafts of books is: You are world king. You can write whatever the fuck you want. (I know there will be agents and editors later, but it's INCREDIBLY liberating right now)

I love how this reference now serves as a subtle clue he's from the evil dimension bsky.app/profile/poli...

Incredible to brand your political party “vote for us, we’re Nazis” bsky.app/profile/sund...

Novel writing chat - about 60% of the way through a first draft I’ve realised I’ve made an error and left out a scene I probably need. Go back & add it in now or get to the end and then put it in on the second pass?

They’re gonna put in a request for a guy named Klimt Kubiok with six fingers on each hand

This whole thread is worth reading but podcasts are SO similar, the look on people’s face when you say “yes each episode takes 11 weeks to make” and they are like “but my brother in law just sits down with his mic, surely it’s the same??????” bsky.app/profile/alex...

I mean, this is bonkers and pathetic in the way we’ve all become accustomed to, but we shouldn’t forget it’s absolutely the stuff of mad kings

No notes.

Good: Oh hooray my editor has come back with brilliant notes that will make the book much better. Bad: Oh no that’s a lot of work. Bloody hell novels are hard work aren’t they?:)

100% this. And not just twitter tbh! I genuinely proposed handing out flyers in town centres as a better way to market podcasts than social media bsky.app/profile/step...

This is 9 months old but someone liked it this morning, and my reflection of how bad qui-gon looks in PHANTOM MENACE is worth resharing: bsky.app/profile/will...

Something I've realised about SCAVENGER'S REIGN. I didn't *like it* at all, but I've realised I still think about it, like a year on from watching it, which means it's probably pretty damn good.

Watching THE GREEN KNIGHT again

Something else thats come to me with writing this one, is the importance of time with this stuff. Like this book has been percolating in my head for like 10+ years. And even then, taking a week to write a chapter, really thinking about it, makes it so much better.

I am once again back on my novel writing bullshit, while the first book is out with beta readers. The new one is going well, but just having come off a big edit, I'm writing a fun but indulgent scene and I'm like "I'll cut this later, I just know i will". Finish it or skip?

@handiworkgames.bsky.social hello! Just wanted to say got my lad BANG AND TWANG for Xmas alongside a bunch of background books, and we all played it and loved it at Christmas:)

so brilliant in this documentary: the point that education is supposed to create a level playing field which selects for the brightest minds & hardest workers. many of those minds are, by this evidence, in Kenya. but their work bolstering false self-images of North American and European people.

My favourite genre of courtroom drama is one where one lawyer says something INSANE, the other lawyer (reasonably, still living in the real world) objects, and the zany judge says “it’s highly irregular, but I’ll allow it”

As we enter the New Year remember fear of making bad art is holding you back. Fear of people not liking your work is holding you back. Rejection is holding you back You'll make bad art, you'll have people not like your work, and you'll be rejected. Moving past it is half the job of being a creative

Yeah, exactly. There are inherently two different formats with two different sets of needs (and coverage). To make something that works for both formats at the very least doubles the commitment of time and skill (or budget) if not by a factor of 3. They are two different departments.

I need 30 people to subscribe to @garbageday.email right now. Please. We're so freaking close to 100,000. Please 😭🙏🏻❤️ www.garbageday.email

Watching the finale of WELCOME TO DERRY, which I've largely enjoyed, and have absolutely no idea how this final episode was greenlit. It makes absolutely no sense! The swing to go OK PENNYWISE IS DOCTOR MANHATTAN outta nowhere, and then have literally no idea what you'll do with that...

this is culturally a vital work of modern art

Love this analysis

This Christmas. Give generously so we can help Bruce, Gene, and so many others like them

Sincerely one of the funniest things the WSJ has ever written or done. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...

this is not behavior becoming of a FIFA Peace Prize recipient.

Truly incredible attempt to rebrand Dostoyevsky as a romance author going on 'pon the Kindle

Weekly emails from Wondery so depressing. What used to be the home of the best investigations and storytelling in long form audio now "why not catch up with the Kelce brothers, Keke Palmer or Dax Shepard???" Nothing against those shows, but ugh. So grim that it's staggering on like a zombie.

I’ve sent the novel to beta readers. Nerve wracking stuff.

The look I got from a Netflix exec when I suggested they should do this as a series was PRICELESS filmstories.co.uk/news/netflix...

This is some classic Bristol news. Makes me long for the days of treading the streets writing weird stories for Venue! www.bbc.com/news/article...

Wrote a post about what I thought was the best show of 2025: Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer by Audible. I felt a weird kinship with Springer - although I skipped right past the earnest mayor + scandal bits to the chaos and fame arc:) soundscompleteradio.substack.com/p/why-i-love...

So, a couple months back, I interviewed Nicholas Thompson, the CEO of The Atlantic, for @longlead.com's Depth Perception newsletter. At one point, I asked him about the deal they made with OpenAI, and he explained the thought process behind why they did it. (Link in next post) 1/

you'd think that the fact the president of the united states is completely fucking insane would be a bigger news story

Something bleakly funny about replacing real unionised actors and film crews making your Christmas ad, not with, say, a horribly crunched traditional animation crew but with horribly crunched, AI prompt writers pumping out creepy uncanny slop. AI, the magical tool that will make everything great.

Jared Kushner always looks like those reprobates from Delta House have just sabotaged his Polo match.

It’s giving Nazi-Soviet pact www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Very happy to report that Empress Magritta VI of Marienburg (and her manticore, Murdermittens) areready to defend her home city in an event tomorrow