Well, Denmark will be feeling a bit more twitchy about Greenland now 😬

Seems to me there are three types of right wing populists 1️⃣ The one that they're all accused of being - fascistic, antidemocratic, dangerous. To varying degrees think e.g. Hungary and the USA 1/3

I'm going in again. Some people hate Messiah. I'm married to one of the haters. I don't get it. Every movement's an absolute banger. youtu.be/dNjSfzZXnG8?...

And Tiny Tim, who did NOT sink on his maiden voyage

It's extraordinary how social media has trained us to believe that every new thing is absolute shit. Even the most innocuous news on Facebook that new electric car charging points have been installed in rural Northumberland. Comment after comment finding fault, potential problems, nonsense...

Some thoughts on the good and not so good in the Hodge review of Arts Council England, with some gentle encouragement to be more Scottish

Having read and mulled on the Hodge Review a little today, there's not much to disagree with (though there is some), but my lingering impression is, when compared to the v focused review of Creative Scotland, this is a giant wishlist. A tree on which everyone got to put a star.

Sankta Lucia at Hexham Abbey tonight. A (early!) delight

Interesting that this is the first black Friday with native access to price history on Amazon - so it's possible to see how many items do indeed put their price up in the run up to Black Friday, to appear discounted this weekend.

The political drama today in Aalborg has been intense and literally no-one I know cares. Curses! 🇩🇰

Today a department of Northumbrian Water emailed a contractor of ours a file The contractor emailed it to me I emailed it back to a different department of Northumbrian Water, who didn't receive it in time to process it today. Which is quite vexing, given we have no water until this is sorted.

First (proper) snow of the year has arrived in the #NorthPennines

Just the London Pension Fund Authority asking a perfectly normal questionerer

Geekily interesting how two huge media organisations can have the exact opposite interpretation of privacy law / policy as to whose faces to blur or unblur on these stories (Guardian, and BBC)

I'm staying in the sort of hotel that offers you a glass jug in the room with paper filter pre-installed for you to percolate the perfect coffee following the manual provided. But not an iron.

Today I had to order some roadworks signs, and on the order confirmation I discovered it's an unprecedented time for roadworks signs

Just do it. Like the Lib Dems and tuition fees this government, thanks for the winter fuel allowance, is burdened by an original sin which condemns it to one term. May as well do the right thing. Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out income tax rises at Budget - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This life!

The mainline into Euston features multiple graffiti tags saying "I farted in Yoga", and now I'm wondering if Celia Imrie is out there with her spray can of a Monday night?

All the Threads algorithm shows me these days is men obsessed with airline status - not just the gratuitious mentions of their frequent flyer programme, but the casual mentions of business class or the lounge, the complaints about non-frequent flyers... One guy this morning complaining that [1/2]

"Step 1 of *23*?"

Autumn in the #NorthPennines 🍁

Psyching myself up for a big meeting with the final movement of Sibelius 5, because I'm *that* kind of classical music tosser.

Off to @livetheatre.bsky.social on Friday to see Bad Lads by @graeaetheatre.bsky.social, which plays there until Saturday night - if you want to too, you need to get your skates, or other mobility aid of your choice, on 🛼

My husband has got me absolutely hooked on the Inspector Gamache novels 🕵️‍♂️

Very timely and interesting statement from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Particularly interesting re my own work, but also to those who want to know just what the hell is going on. 'Engaging with the grief and anger of white working-class communities that this comment...' 1/3

Contains a lovely piece of history - a telegram / telemessage from Trevor Nunn to Cameron Mackintosh railing against his plan to cut one of the show's pivotal songs www.thetimes.com/article/f17b...

Is it? What a world. Interview with David Lammy in the Observer

What a song, what a voice

Very interesting from @edvaizey.bsky.social on recent guidance on corporate sponsorships for museums Broadly aligns with my view that we draw the ethical line in the wrong place at present, though it's obviously a very difficult judgement call www.artsprofessional.co.uk/magazine/fea...

Loved the Downton movie at the Hexham Forum cinema tonight - note-perfect sentimental mush. #IndependentCinema

I have this morning learned that Peterlee in County Durham is named after a campaigning Methodist preacher and Trades Unionist called Peter Lee www.perplexity.ai/search/what-...

We are losing so many independent museums - this article raises the important question of what happens to the collections? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Astonishing Hamlet from Eddie Izzard tonight at Northern Stage - a very sincere standing ovation all round

I've been using Fyxer to manage my work inbox this week, and the early signs are it's a genuinely useful use case for AI 🤖

"Zarah Sultana and the Secret Membership Portal" has a certain ring to it.

Love the Last Night of the #BBCProms, and this year we seem to have been spared the political nonsense on both sides ♥️

The Albert Hall is a thing of absolute beauty, particularly when lit like this

i like it when plays and musicals announce they've released extra seats. what, did the theatre get an extension?

Southwest Airlines will require passengers who “encroach upon the neighboring seat” to proactively purchase an additional ticket, which might not be refunded.

Some thoughts on what's fair in dynamic pricing and discounting - and what's perceived to be fair www.artsprofessional.co.uk/magazine/fea...

[1/3] Last night I wrote an opinion piece about this latest update. This morning I asked ClaudeAI to tidy it up. Claude replied: "I've rewritten the piece in a more neutral, analytical tone that: Removes the sarcastic references and condescending language www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/grantiu...

Is this series of Star Trek Strange New Worlds empirically terrible, or is it just me very much Not Enjoying It?

I am, I regret, in the 98%

10 days in Southern California, two conferences and a ton of remote work done and I'm feeling reflective! Here's some pure self indulgence. Thought 1: I'm not as old as I will be, but I'm not as young as I used to be. The line being travelling for work being net interesting and net knackering is 🤷‍♂️

It's a busy day on @artsprofessional.co.uk - I can't keep up! Two stories jump out though: Good news that Baroness Hodge will look at the situation with Grantium: www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/dcms-co...

I'm just a boy, deleting my em dashes in Word in case people think I used AI to write the thing

@lner.co.uk Just wanted to praise the knowledge of your team at Kings X tonight who recommended a route back to Darlington via Sheffield that I'd never have thought of. Great to have experienced people on hand in challenging circumstances.

John Niven spot on on the loss of Twitter as a social network

Last night at the #BBCProms with @rnsinfonia.bsky.social at @theglasshouseicm.bsky.social - such a great night. Lobgesang epic.