Space is the place!

Salin-de-Giraud

It's not just books, too; it's music, it's stage. It just can't sustain like this and I'm absolutely dreading the bottoming-out because it will very likely destroy tons of people's lives, quite probably mine included, even if on the other side there will be (hopefully??) relief and a rebalancing.

it's kinda weird that all the software i am expected to use for work are all written by distributed teams, go, python, postgres, linux, chrome, k8s etc and despite being told "the best teams work in an office together" i don't know of any software i use that's actually written that way

Great views from www.winterhighland.info/cams/glencoe/ webcams 12C and 47% humidity in the sunshine in/above the high pressure subsidence inversion, whose base appears to be around 700m asl judging by image 2 <6C with 98% humidity at 366masl.. below the inversion where low cloud is trapped

A lesson learned and a day of utter joy in the #Cairngorms. cairngormwanderer.wordpress.com/2025/10/13/c...

On October 1, Balin Miller died when he accidentally rappelled off the end of his rope in Yosemite. We examine the flawed media reaction to his death. explorersweb.com/balin-miller...

I saw this on Thursday driving up Deeside. A disturbing column of smoke visible for miles. The sign in Dinnet, a few miles before Culblean Hill, still warned of a high fire risk. It said, "No fires!"

The rut was loud this afternoon.

I support the ban and like Neil want landowners to made to behave responsibly. Earlier today, it stung to drive past Morven watching a plume of smoke form a column in the sky and then drive past the high fire warning, no BBQs or fires sign in Dinnit. It's either fine or its not.

My plan for tomorrow is to visit a valley that statistically no one ever visits, head with the gusting 50mph wind behind me to a Munro I've only visited in the fog then close read Zero History by a fire. It's less ambitious than last year's October mission, but that's this year.

Leg sore. The tendonitis or whatever it is fairing up again. Managed half an interval run dodging dog walkers and fighting my thirst this morning. At least I had a good month of it not hurting.

Bit of storm inspection today. Close call for the Aberdeenshire MR hut! 🫣 #rangerdailydiary

For various reasons* I've been exploring weather data in Norway using yr.no and seklima.met.no, which is fantastic. Does anyone know of a UK equivalent to help me understand our weather? * Mostly trying to understand xc-ski conditions year on year.

My favourite Jilly Cooper story is recounted in Graham Hoyland's 2013 book Last Hours on Everest. What a trooper.

Rereading: Zero History I've read this once. At the time it was released, I was unemployed and spent a day on the old blue Ikea sofa at my parents' house listening to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs on repeat. An unfortunate number of years have passed since then.

A Chromatics megamix so glossy it’s nearly lacquered—plus notes on the Mariana Trench and unbearable weather. Here’s a sleek hyperlink. And a podcast thingy.

Seven years ago today, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was tortured, murdered and then dismembered. And any so-called comedian who can't stand up tonight in Riyadh and do ten minutes on that kind of hijinx and horseplay just isn't worth the Saudi blood money he's being paid.

This 100%. My school's library has had its budget slashed repeatedly (about 25%, then 50% of the remains), positions unfilled. We had 15 full-time librarians not that long ago. In January, we will have 3, maybe 2. Feels like soul-death.

Here I am in 2020 in the flimsiest, most pitful PPE - like so many other NHS staff, some of whom died from the Covid they caught in their hospitals. Tory peer Michelle Mone - who today lost her legal case & must repay the govt £122m - dares to claim she’s been ‘scapegoated’. What, Michelle? 🧵

Who lights the fires in the Cairngorms National Park? - parkswatchscotland parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2025/09/30/w...

dear god, this crash is going to be gargantuan

I need more articles.

In a foul autumn mood.

Shadow of the Hill Runner He ran up Broad Hill for the eighth time since it reopened two weeks ago. A small bump of sand and grass next to the sea that he’d missed for nine months. He darted through a thin ribbon of immature trees and up the loose ground beside the paved path. “New Grass Growing.…

Went climbing this morning. Can't hold a mug of tea now. Skin so tender.

Oh my tired legs how you've made these miso white chocolate cookie taste so delicious.

Ben Macdui Tour. September 14th. Included a quick trip to the Shelter Stone.

A satellite photo of a volcano taken from space FROM THE SIDE

One of my favorite stories I’ve written for ExWeb. Roman Dial is both an Alaskan backcountry legend and a mathematician. He combined the two to come up with a formula on how far you can hike unsupported. explorersweb.com/how-far-can-...

These are superlative. Click to feel love. (Teaser: they would also beautifully illustrate The End of Everything, Serpents Tail, June 2026.)

Yesterday, running (and hiking and chatting) through the Lairig Ghru with two other runners from the @cairngormclub.bsky.social. Everyone else walked, so missed out on coffee & cake at the end.

This is very living on the edge of the Cairngorms talk, but the water seen in these photos, Royal Deeside, is a fantastic example of world building for what is essentially a tap in a hillside next to Balmoral Castle.

Tried running a fast mile earlier to understand my potential paces, but completed fucked it up and bailed at 1km. Still my third fastest kilometre time. An important lesson there. Might try again in a few weeks now I've calibrated off a distance I understand.

Sat at my desk wearing new climbing shoes in a possibly vain attempt to break them in. If I can just stretch them a little bit around the top of my toes...

GET. IN. New M. John Harrison novel, June 2026

Rabbit Seen On Last Sunday’s Long Run

It is insane to me that the richest man in the world is using his global megaphone to call for millions of British people to be rounded up and deported (including my family) and somehow this isn’t even news.

I set my phone to do not disturb two weeks ago and it's been bliss.

Happy 44th birthday to Gaze into the Fist of Dredd, Brian Bolland’s finest hour.

My first night camping with the @cairngormclub.bsky.social was in this area. I learned a lot!

There's no better poster child for the mess the UK is now in than the fact that the Financial Times - home to the "how to spend it" supplement on luxury geegaws - is now one of the most left-wing media channels in the country simply because it's still interested in reality.

Visited Tap o' Noth yesterday. Short outing that'd I'd not normally visit unless my coach hadn't set a short long run. Visited the new coffee and bookshop in Dufftown.

Need to head to the beach soon. The leg is holding up. Maybe rest weeks are good and Sunday's short long run to a hill fort will be helpful.

I'm not a Hollow Knight guy but OK I'm sold now

Media outlets seem to have soured on the AI hype machine.

Articles in financial media outlets have been reporting companies successfully implementing AI projects haven't seen any increase in profits. In other words, spend a bunch of money and waste resources to make the same amount of money.

Sadly, since the AI evangelists were often the NFT fanatics and the Web 3 believers and the Metaverse defenders and the [etc.] I think they'll just move confidently on to the next hype wave.