So do I, space-born jellyfish, you ain’t special.

Jersey goes incredibly hard incredibly quickly

I'm in New Jersey. I'm in New Jersey and I'm eating a salad. This morning I had wine sausages in West London and now I'm eating a salad in Jersey City. Extraordinary

I see Valve have made Microsoft look like a bunch of amateurs

@brainmage.bsky.social @ewacat.bsky.social @beardynoise.bsky.social @wangleberry.bsky.social Now look here. I'm away for a week but when I come back, pub?

Just finished Philip Pullman's The Rose Field. Together with The Secret Commonwealth, it forms a masterwork. It spoke to me very deeply about the constant work of fighting disenchantment and alienation. It sees the same issues in the world and weaves such rich fantasy around them.

Looks like I may have an empty seat next to me on this flight. Better than first class.

I read a review of Jeff Vandermeer's Shriek: An Afterword in SFX one foolish summer and it's not only a terrific book that straddles the line between fucked up fantasy and literature, it's also a gateway to *so much* good stuff on both the literature and fantasy sides

Living it up

"Hey professor, look at those milfs" Professor JRR Tolkien: "Milves, boy"

Big Travel tomorrow and with it our friend Big Travel Anxiety

In a twelve month period, Britain produced Doctor No, Doctor Who, The Royal National Theatre and the first Beatles album. What the fuck were they putting in the water in 1963? Can I have some?

Long journey tomorrow and Rue Valley dropping directly onto my Steam Deck. Don't mind if I do, Vicar

"Oh no. James Bond died. How can we write a new film that makes sense?? Anyway, here is Bond's Girlfriend: Denise Tits."

Sorry. Too much Bond talk today. But it's laser focused at too many of the things that I'm specifically angry about.

The reason James Bond has different faces and styles and an inconsistent history and can die and come back is because he's a film character who's appeared in a series of movies across 60+ years.

"JAMES BOND" IS NOT A CODENAME. HE ALREADY HAS A CODENAME. IT IS 007. RESIST THE URGE TO CANONISE STUFF. CANONISATION IS THE MIND KILLER. CANONISATION IS AMERICAN

My last word on the matter

I like the Carry On films but the lore is too confusing, impossible for modern audiences to accept these people could play a major part in the French Revolution AND lose their bras on camping holidays

Brandon Standardisaterton: The creeping conversion of all stories into rigidly self-consistent bodies of lore so nerds can feel good about knowing more about them than you

The thing about the Bond discourse is the *intense* blindness and limitation of seeing it as a pretend history that merely happens not to be true. It's not that "it's not that, it's something else", it's different things at different times.

I truly cannot emphasise enough the extent to which this can fuck off, and Horowitz with it. It's asinine.

I reckon a shared national popular culture is just as important (if not more important) than a fact based, impartial news service for liberal democracy to work.

I've slightly surprised myself by writing to my MP.

I don't know what's behind this, but through some mysterious working of fate whenever I'm sad and worried and really need it, @smershpod.com pops out a new Neenan/Crowley episode and balance is restored

What idiot called it "being an economist" and not "getting an invisible hand job"?

Me: "I hope the director of the BBC goes down because of the blatant political bias in their news coverage" Cursed Monkey Paw: "Oh I am going to *have fun* with this one"

This year's Christmas Cake is basking in the oven

I'm either tired of immensely self-serious internet scolds who apply crude readings derived from 21st century US tropes to literature from outside that ecosystem like it's a charter mark OR of immensely self-serious internet scolds who can't see a joke in front of their face. Either I win. And lose!

Filled with adoration for this beautiful fool

If you’re wondering what a “least weasel” is, they absolutely live up to the name. This is the least amount of animal you can have that can still meet the bar for “is weasel”

I've made myself a lovely little espresso, piled a plate high with little pastries, stirred honey and jam through a bowl of yoghurt, poured a glass of orange juice and taken the lot on a tray to my armchair next to the radiator where my book is waiting.

Ah, my first perfectly tuned baked potato of the season. What a pure pleasure

Creativity Plups!

I think it exposes how politics is a world where you have to contort your beliefs to fit party loyalty. And of course how bad that is.

The Bishop's Wife is on BBC2! Christmas movies have begun!

Always a little shocked by the notification that pops up on the takeaway app - "The restaurant has accepted your order" Were we in a situation where they might not? Is there more going on here than me giving them money and them firing a pizza off into the night?

please watch movies and read books and play games and look at art, please view it with your own eyes through a lens you made yourself and not just through video essayists and ending explained videos please im begging you

This is something I find frustrating sometimes in the chatter around the game. Some people can get very into the trees of the shortcomings of Traitors as a balanced game, while missing the wood that those things would not make it a more compelling piece of TV (or necessarily better to be in!)

I wonder what Slenderman is doing these days?

I don't even like it when people talk in Online on the internet. Someone in rural Wales addressed me as My Dude the other day and I had to have a bath to calm down.

I'd give maybe three fingers off my right hand to see Russell T Davis on the next series of Celebrity Traitors.

The Muppets The Traitors, Claudia as the only human.

Lamb as presenter, every breakfast telling the faithfuls they’re fucking useless now put down that fucking croissant and fuck off #CelebrityTraitors

What an amazing bit of television. Really lovely stuff. I cried.

Occasionally I remember I was in the crowd when David Tennant appeared on stage as Doctor Who with the Muppets. Like a crossed signal from a better universe.

Did a panel at work today about men's mental health. A lovely thing for a workplace to organise on principle, an interesting discussion, I got some laughs which is how you can tell I WON. But...

There should be a superstition about Bonfire Night weather. "If it's too warm to wear gloves everything's gone to shit"

Can't tell you how good it is to see an election decide in favour of someone who campaigned on understanding the challenges people had, looking at the root causes and wanting to do something about it. You know, like politics is meant to work

I have to go and collect some trousers now but I sat on the bed for a moment and my cat leapt up, walked over to me and placed a single paw on my leg.