The truth is - the truth that usually doesn't show itself until long (sometimes many years) after a book's release day - is that there are only two things that matter, & neither of them are about the media. One is whether the book is any fucking good. The other is whether readers connect with it.

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen's note to Starmer after visiting Chequers yesterday.

I just had to start my day telling the HP “Instant Ink” Virtual “assistant” that I had run out of bastard printer ink, whilst it calmly informed me that I had not. Why can’t I just buy some fucking printer ink rather than being forced into some Faustian pact with Hewlett Packard?

Amazing sob story: "ChatGPT deleted all the work I hadn't done" www.nature.com/articles/d41...

According to ChatGPT the title of Blur's Parklife was 'inspired by the BBC sitcom Parkinson'. We all remember the sitcom Parkinson, especially the episode where Michael invited his boss, Dr Jacob Bronowski, home for dinner and got beaten up by Muhammed Ali

Very grim. www.ft.com/content/c894...

It is a cold, miserable morning and I have to work instead of doing fun things, but I am listening to a children’s choir singing about a little fishy, and suddenly I feel a lot warmer.

It is now the birthday of one of my twin sisters because she’s in New Zealand but not yet the birthday of the other one, in Bristol. And that. Is a bit of fun. With TWINS AND TIMEZONES.

I'm old enough to remember when Carter had to sell his peanut farm to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest.

"Uuuungh! Those mean academics keep showing AI isn't what we said and that it's hurting people! It's so mean! Why can't they just let me profit from it and not ask questions?!?"

Alice Roberts on Digging for Britain referred to a *University of Lancaster* dig in Kent. I didn't think we had an archaeology unit. We don't. The dig lead is University of *Lancashire* (formerly UCLAN). Lancaster tried to stop UCLAN changing to U Lancashire because of potential confusion. #sigh

Hell of an argument for banning social media for under 16s from Kemi this. Get kids off it so we can be free to carry on destroying our democracy and tearing apart our society without them.

Not just them - also FriendsReunited and MySpace. What is President Clinton going to do about this???

So Katie Miller, Karoline Leavitt, and Usha Vance are all pregnant at the same time, huh.

This was posted by @mambarlife.bsky.social in the Other Place and it’s too good not to share it.

Rainbow's O.G. BUNGLE, played by John 'voice of K-9' Leeson in 1972, was a nightmare. He had the thousand yard stare of someone who had seen... things. Regenerating after one season, and seemingly forgotten by the cast, it's no wonder @bobfischer.bsky.social named him 'The War Bungle'.

It's strange to think that during the day of 21 January 1924 Benny Hill and Lenin possibly, for a few short hours at least, both drew breath in the same world. Benny probably had less trenchant views on the seizure on the means of production, especially at that point.

Thread

I’m tired of being talked down to by people like this. They are doing the Elon Musk Mars In 2 Years bit but have tied the entire U.S. economy to a bespoke compliment generator. It’s time to start talking about these AI mutants like delusional babies.

Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, and post the second sentence. “Humans have developed the technology to carry out mass extinctions independently.” (Peter Frankopan “The Earth Transformed”)

Italian voice actor Carlo Bononi was the voice of all of the characters on Pingu. A trained clown by trade, he used a theater technique called grammelot, which consists of "speaking" in a mix of babbled gibberish noises. He improvised all the voices live and unscripted.

My finest work.

Free Public Transport for everybody would boost the economy raise tax revenue and save money. Unfortunately there would be no profit for greedy billionaires. So you can't have it.

In the 2010s, the Icelandic tv station Channel 2 accidentally added subtitles from a gritty crime drama to an episode of Teletubbies. I have translated some of the highlights

"...so I'll throw some legs next time"?

no greenlander ever called me a libtard

Update from Channel 4:

Alaska’s passive-aggressive map of the United States

Amazed the people who spent days coming up with elaborate conspiracy theories about the Queen's choice of jewellery haven't cottoned onto this nod to Denmark's finest export...

Listen, Wes Streeting - if a GP surgery asks an 80 year old to record her BP for 7 days to get an average, gives her a sheet to complete & then sends a text link with access code to do it online which she struggles with because of eyesight - what do you think that does to her BP? *mutters grimly*

Look, I know there’s a lot of beckham news going on but I’ve just discovered honey badgers have a reversible anus and feel that fact needs some attention too

“Reeves, you’re a dandy and a fop!”

I GOT ONE I AM PROPER CLEVER AT THE POSH MUSICS #FaceTheMusic

John Julius #FaceTheMusic

Damn. No #CallMyBluff or #FaceTheMusic next week because of.... #BooooForSnooker

I'm going to say parsnip with z from now on. I shall be well thought of, about town #callmybluff

New reaction meme. #CallMyBluff

The natural authority that is the hallmark of the upper orders makes Penelope Keith perfect for this game. #CallMyBluff

Patrick's just about had it with Muir's shit here. #CallMyBluff

Sheffield merely the latest university to claim that legally withdrawing your labour should actually be postponing your labour, and punishing people further. Here’s how strikes work: 1. You legally stop working for a period of time. You don’t get paid. 2. Win or lose you go back to work.

I've just found out from an early episode of the excellent @warmovietheatre.bsky.social that The Vicar of Dibley was filmed in the same village (Turville) as the 1942 home front invasion classic Went The Day Well. This feels like a missed opportunity for an incredible remake.

That's a hell of a paragraph.

OMG, he actually did the ‘I can’t be sexist, my wife is a woman’ line.

People have agency, and pretending that people inside institutions have somehow surrendered that agency and are incapable of independent thought or action is both ethically nonsensical and reinforces the permission structure for doing terrible things.

Dolly Parton is 80 today. America would be much better if more Dollys had positions of prominence.

"The Manchester university administration mentioned that they'll recoup some of the additional licensing costs by printing their degree certificates on very cheap toilet paper"

King Frederick of Denmark spent several years in the Danish Army, including their maritime special operations force. I know USA has no legitimate claim to Greenland but could we settle this with single combat anyway? King Frederick vs Trump? To the death? Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Worrye not about 'being productive,' for thou art not a product. Thou art a star daunsinge yn a hopeful skye. A signal blinking across centuryes and worldes. Thou art a song performid just once and perfectlye.