Deep cleaned my bathroom this afternoon, including running drain cleaner through the pipes and replacing the self cleaning shower head that did not, in fact, self clean. I am going to have a break to get something to eat and then set up my air conditioner for tonight.

Did my fitness class today. Went ok. Unsurprisingly there was a huge queue of people for the lido - actually really great to see different age groups out enjoying the sun and the pool. I think I am going to change up my PT routine as I want to improve my stamina and lose weight.

Section 28 was passed on this day in 1988. It didn’t come out of nowhere. It came from a society where 75% of people thought homosexuality was wrong. It came from a society that believed ignorance was better for children than any knowledge of lesbian or gay lives. 🧵 1/16

Thrilled and not a little nervous to be on the jury panel for this award. It is going to be a very tough decision.

Didn’t sleep too badly last night - the problem was loud people at 2am rather than the heat - but given the temperature is going above 30 today I am going to get the air con unit out for tonight.

one interesting thing so far about loudly hating AI is the way AI lovers are like "wow so you're just totally closed off to hearing another perspective??" as if their perspective hasn't been relentlessly pushed down our throats with no space to push back (particularly in professional settings)

Finally. Some lyrics I can get behind.

YOU’RE LISTENING TO SISYPHUS FM, THE HOME OF NON-STOP ROCK

I am having a self care day today but I did finally get around to taking my car to the car wash because I couldn’t work out why it was so filthy and then I remembered that I last had it washed 7 months ago. Anyway. Wilfred is now gleaming in the sunshine and looks much happier.

The Arlington National Cemetery Memorial apparently has deleted references and information on everyone interred there who wasn’t a white straight man from their database - attempting to sweep their existence under the rug. My thoughts on this obscenity cannot legally be shared on this platform.

This whole thread is fascinating

3D printer company Bambu Lab went after a small developer for using their own open source code. The blowback was enormous and may have exposed something far more consequential. aftermath.site/bambu-lab-agpl...

So what happens when Reform take over your local council? This. #KentCountyCouncil

“Now stay calm. … Let’s hear what they said to Bill.”

It is very cool to see that @gnofhorror.com, @garethlpowell.bsky.social, @neilwilliamson.bsky.social, @margueritekenner.bsky.social and @alasdairstuart.com are all on the British Fantasy Society Awards shortlists. Congratulations to all!

This is good advice.

Really enjoyed watching the sunset this evening. Stunning.

ACAA* my latest for @newscientist.com *a cartoon about abbreviations

When anyone says ‘Reform aren’t going after abortion rights’ send them this! This is date which proves that they ARE doing exactly that and dancing to the MAGA tune. Bookmark this and save it www.opendemocracy.net/aabortion-re...

NEW | This was very grim. GIRLS IN AFGHANISTAN ARE BEING SOLD; WHY DID THE BBC FOCUS ON THE PAIN OF THE FATHERS DOING THE SELLING? In news, framing can be everything. A BBC report showed the grotesque results of moral relativism. brokenbottleboy.substack.com/p/girls-in-a...

Was cheered by an email confirming that my new printer arrives tomorrow. Then immediately disheartened when I realised I would need to call IT to connect it to my work laptop.

Help! I need a fashion historian (or fan) of handbags — AKA purses, the woman-coded bag you put things in — from the 80s to today. Essentially, I need to know when a certain style of handbag became popular, and what 5–10-year era it symbolises. RTs and tagging others in the comments very welcome!

I promised our analysis of the £5m gift to Nigel Farage would annoy everybody. The verdict? He probably doesn't owe any tax. Why? Because "campaigning for Brexit" isn't a taxable trade, and genuine gifts aren't income. But there are risks for him. Thread:

So if Granta doesn’t select Commonwealth Prize stories and not is it involved in selecting the jury, why is it publishing the winner? Surely there is a contract and surely someone at Granta put a clause into that contract reserving discretion including if detrimental to reputation?

I’ve this second finished taking an MP on a tour of London’s candy shops. If you’re reading work for an MP (or are an MP!) I’m running regular tours with policy suggestions. 30mins from PCH and back to your desk, explaining all the tax dodges and you can buy some overpriced sweets for tour staff.

If, like me, you had initially watched this without the sound, then remedy that immediately.

Leaked confidential designs for the new Euston station - and the internal concerns about whether it will be overcrowded from the start and leave Londoners with a hefty bill. www.londoncentric.media/p/euston-sta...

No, fuck off

Today is throwing some real curve balls at me. And one of them hit me in the stomach.

They mean “mommy” as in “servant” but what they’re creating is “mommy” as in “Rosemary West”.

Huh. Tube strike is off.

why bother watching Americans and Brits argue over who has the best food when I could simply watch two bald men fighting over a comb instead

Birth rate discourse is like “It turns out if you give women more choices, they’re less likely to make ones that make their lives harder.” Which is really helpful in figuring out how we can improve society somewhat. But instead people are like wow giving women more choices was a mistake

I bought my little niece this Paddington Bear toy which talks when you squeeze it, but now my sister's dog has got hold of it and is savaging it ruthlessly while it says things like 'I wonder what adventures I shall have today!' and 'I'm your friend!'

Evening disrupted by a group of 4 bored young lads who decided to hit my fence with a hammer and generally behave like a bunch of dicks. Anyway. Chased them off and called it in to the police in case they decide to do worse. It’s all on CCTV so may get a visit from the police to take a look at it.

I hadn't realised that the recent changes to UK employment law limit the use of NDAs - summary here

My fitness class was cancelled so I wandered over to Screwfix to pick up a new shower head (the water in my area is so hard that the Krays paid it protection money), ran some errands and am now taking a breather before mowing the back lawn.

Okay #eurovision. Let’s do this.

It's truly inspiring to see Wes Streeting call for decisiveness in govt after a week in which he denied he'd resign; then resigned but said he wouldn't stand as leader; then said finally he intends to stand as leader, so we can rejoin the EU, a policy he was dead against last week.

Attempt to order Wagamamas thwarted by its pig awful app, which simply refused to process payment no matter what card I tried. Dirty burger it is, then.

“My next guest, on the monitor behind me, is an organized crime informant. To protect his identity, we’ve placed him in a darkened studio—so let’s go to him now.”

🔴 Keir Starmer promised to crackdown on "Slapps" - abusive libel cases to silence journalists and critics Then Labour quietly dropped it We can reveal why: a three-year lobbying blitz by libel lawyers who've acted for Russian oligarchs, Epstein + more democracyforsale.substack.com/p/how-lawyer...

The leisure centre is setting up a runners club for beginners looking to do couch to 5k. I am giving serious consideration to doing it as I am trying to build up my stamina but even as a kid wasn’t much of a distance runner. Bit worried about being the rubbish one at the back though.

It has been a weird week. Very bitty and up and down. Tube strike next week means I am confined to WFH. Oh no. Anyway. I have reconnected with an old writing chum though and have set up a dinner. Plus I had a catch up with an old colleague today, which was lovely.

Was boogieing along to Wham while making a late dinner. Felt that something was watching me. Outside the back door was a cat that was doing exactly what the cat in this GIF is doing. Mortifying.

Caught the end of the #eurovision semi final and saw enough of the Swiss entry to immediately WhatsApp my sister about it. And not in a positive way. It’s the little things that bond us.

Proust Baking Company Recalls Thousands of Madeleines

Recently, FamilySearch digitized and uploaded tons of microfilmed records, including many from 18th-century Massachsuetts. They're using some sort of AI to transcribe/summarize the handwritten documents. I've noticed that the AI strips out references to race and enslavement in 18thc documents.