It's the policy that keeps on giving.

All ready for a first game of Abomination tonight. #boardgames

First time I've watched The Traitors. Wasn't expecting the cloying "I've been on such a journey" narratives. And the 24-7 background music.

When will the media understand that it's not really worth going to the trouble of analysing what Trump said and just go with "well that's what he said today but tomorrow, who knows?".

Political correspondent on Radio 5 Live telling me that Farage is in Davos and if he meets with Trump it will be "an embarrassment" for Starmer. Really?

Watched The Rip on Netflix. First hour was pretty good (even if the script dropped so many f bombs, it just became punctuation). Last 40 mins were not so good.

Bizarre that Radio 5 Live news have a single politician talking about the Greenland situation - and it's Priti Patel.

When will people learn about this man?

Nobel prize stuff is just so tawdry.

Think I'm going to give up on 5 Live Drive. Turned it on at 1803 in the hope of hearing some news - and they're doing "tell us what your favourite sandwich is" (or something similar). Desperate attempts to create audience 'involvement' seems to be the Radio 5 way these days.

Trump telling the Iranians to "keep protesting" and to keep the names of "the murderers and abusers" is quite something.

Every interview with a Labour Govt Minister goes the same way. Minister: "We are against (insert bad thing)" Interviewer "So you'll be taking action to stop (bad thing)". Minister: "I'm been absolutely clear that we are against (bad thing)". Interviewer: "So....." Minister: "Is that the time?"

Notable that almost all of the video games on The Guardian's "best games to play in 2026" are sequels or remakes.

Tired of watching this Government lurch in super slow motion towards the inevitable conclusion about X. Which is pretty much how they've acted since day 1 of office (2 child benefit cap, winter fuel payments etc). In a couple of years we'll get "we shouldn't have sucked up to Trump & Reform voters".

Maybe the Trump playbook now is to keep ratcheting up the aggression and corruption until he has to be impeached - and then he can play the full martyr / insurrection card to install himself as 'leader for life'.

These kind of points assume the US wants NATO to continue. What about the possibility they need the EU out of the way as they might be on opposite sides in the future (i.e. supporting Putin)?

Funny how all these 'communicators' suddenly stop 'communicating' when the sh*t hits the fan.

This is on the back of another site last week which listed their games by Publisher name ?!? in bold, with the game name itself in small non-Bold font beneath.

Why do so many board game shop sites have such terrible UIs (UK ones anyway)? Just got an email from a UK site for a new year sale - the site has 137 pages of games where you can't increase the number on the page and 'sold out' items are mixed in with available stock. Awful experience. #boardgames

Also good words for underrated Knizia Poison and Festival: #boardgames

Well, nothing like saving the best of the year until last. Vinhos was excellent. Done and dusted in just over 2 hours (3P) and just the right level of complexity / rules load to strategy. Certainly in the top 3 best 'new to me' games from 2025. #boardgames

Having a go at Lacerda's Vinhos tomorrow. Going to use the 2016 rules and see how we go. This will be my third Lacerda (after Lisboa, which I quite liked, and On Mars, which I didn't). #boardgames

the thing that drives me insane about genAI/chatgpt bullshit is that brother, the process IS the work IS the entire thing. no artist comes to art for the final result. the final result is inextricable from the fucking labor that came into making it

BBC News on Reiner's death quotes President Obama's social media post - but say nothing at all about Trump's disrespectful rant. Which is not full reporting IMHO.

Just been to the Post Office. They have installed video screens between the cashiers so you can 'enjoy' ads for Roblox while you wait. Bladerunner dystopia edges closer.

www.theguardian.com/business/202... "The deal calls for the NHS to increase the net price it pays for new medicines by 25%." Good job the NHS has so much money.....

Now the bank will not let me complete any transactions "as I have an active chat open". So many sighs.

Update - now have access after complaining. Bank says transfer is 'over daily limit'. Chat says "we aim to get back to you within 6 hours". Total enshittification.

Will Labour learn that trying to please the Right is always doomed to failure? Of course it won't......

The modern world. All I want to do is put some money in my cash ISA. "Please record a video of your face" (records video of face) "This won't take long" (takes 5 minutes) "We are reviewing your account and will get back to you".

First students, now tourists. Good luck with that economic growth agenda.

It's a bit early but here are the best 'new to me' board games of 2025: Panamax Bus Inferno Through Ice and Snow Galactic Cruise World Without End Strike! Startups #boardgames

Played Inferno for the first time last night. It was very, very good - certainly a top 5 for this year. You need a few rounds to 'understand' the point scoring arc but there was lots of player interaction with the shared Hell board. Length maybe 20 mins too long but definitely a keeper. #boardgames

Just listened to 10 minutes of analysis on Radio 4 about the new asylum measures. A lot about party politics etc. Not once was the question asked "is this morally right?"

Just ..... no.

Let's consider the people of Ukraine for this rather than the hysterical negativity about 'people on boats'. Is this how we want to treat people fleeing from war?

It almost seems like Labour has become 'a black op' to get Reform into power. How can they be so foolish? All anyone with any moral sense will remember from this is that "the UK wanted to steal the jewellery of refugees".

WTAF are we doing here? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

After 30 years, Labour has lost us.

A week of chaos, cowardice and negligence: Labour has managed to pack so many failures into a single five day period that it's becoming difficult to remember all the details iandunt.substack.com/p/a-week-of-...

This is absolutely something I can get behind. I still have not heard of a sane rationale as to why this was ever introduced - we don't need 'politically partial' policing. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

This is ..... just sad. www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/n...

What will be interesting now is if any Trump 'loyalists' flip as they see the way this is going. Once a tipping point is reached, he will be toast.

I'm a sucker for night sky events but the idea that you set your phone camera up to see aurora lighting that you can't actually perceive with your own eyes seems a bit weird.

Some of the most powerful and well-paid people in the world don't understand a lesson that every schoolchild knows: if you surrender to bullies, they will only bully you more

The world is basically Pottersville now isn't it? Although there appears to be an absence of angels to reset it.

Shouldn't we have a Celebrity Faithfuls as well though 'for balance'?

Maybe Keir should demand the heads of major US news networks any time they imply Britain is on the brink of civil war or that we live under sharia law. Or does it not work both ways?

I do like how, in the bit of Prescott's memo where he criticises the BBC for editing together different parts of Trump's speech, his own quote of "what Trump actually said" is... edited together from different parts of his speech.