I didn't know Beethoven recorded any tapes at all, to be honest.

When life gives you lemon-shaped-planets, make planetade.

Excellent pun, no notes.

Luna dog wishes all a Happy Christmas.

2025 reading 🧵 Fun SF/heist novella by the ever-enjoyable Adam Roberts. A late night read this one and a nice blend of readability and implied depth. Like Lavie Tidhar, Roberts avoids the common SF trap of over-explaining making his setting all the richer for being a bit less explicated.

I assume this guy's rear door got damaged & he replaced it; but I prefer the theory that his business is actually called "ry" and he sells "tors".

No kidding?

I cannot say I enjoyed this movie. profadamroberts.substack.com/p/avatar-fir...

We've just seen AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Phew. That is an arse-numbingly long film.

Meriadock-the-halls-with-boughs-of-holly Peregrinch-who-stole-Christmas

Two weeks ago I bought an item from an online retailer. Today I get an email wishing me a happy Christmas and thanking me for becoming a part of their "community". But buying a Christmas present online does not mean I have joined their "community". I feel like the Borg are trying to assimilate me.

I'm reading up about Napleon III for a thing. This hostile judgment from A J P Taylor seems to have a contemporary relevance (Walewski was the French foreign minister)

Seems harsh. But I am ready to face the charges.

A Lord of the Rings cover band called Gandalft Punk

This is how they should have ended the Watchmen movie.

Walked the dog.

Recalling this: "on only one occasion in my life have I been in the same room as David Gilmour." medium.com/p/26f74b474e40

"So who's in charge of this parish." "At the moment, nobody." "You don't have a parson? What do you do?" "We take it in turns to fill-in." "Really?" "Yes. Sometimes Alan parsons. Sometimes I do."

Talking about _The Player of Games_ by Iain M. Banks. www.newscientist.com/video/250912...

He'd like to say thank you on behalf of the band and they hope they pass the audition.

Uh-oh.

Nobody knows more about Peake than @profrmaslen.bsky.social. This is an exemplary podcast on Gormenghast etc. For all your Gothic-Christmas listening pleasure!

*sings* Maccabeus Maccabeus Macc-abeus Maccabeus Maccabeus Macc-abeus Maccabeus Maccabeus MaccMaccaMaccabeus Cmon and rock me Maccabeus

Bishop Richard Godzilla defeated in the final round.

[sings in Alice Cooper] Skull's ... out .... for ... summer! Skull's ... out .... for ... ever!* --- *Not, in the event, actually forever. profadamroberts.substack.com/p/the-skull-...

And I thought he was more a baseball guy.

True story (thread):

*sings* In Istari's steps they trod Where the snow lay dinted Heat was in the very sod Which Gandalf had printed.

"Odysseus must travel the Mediterranean locating *all* the vertebrae of the fabled Golden Stegosaurus: for only by assembling them all can he summon Dino Powers and defeat the suitors" exactly as Homer wrote it.

"I wore a gigantic Walnut Whip upon my head which was the fashion of the time"

Napoleon wearing his Invisibility Cloak, just before he pulled the hood up over his head.

It's a very romantic story,actually

Zahuris, red of eye ... profadamroberts.substack.com/p/zahuris-re...

From earlier. It's interesting how simply zooming-in alters the colour balance so much (no filters or adjustments otherwise made)

Unto Us A Child Is Prawn

Feel like this tree isn't trying hard enough. Stop slouching! Stand up straight!

Inaudible Beloved, I call this. It's a great movie, but they mix the sound increasingly down as the main character's deafness gets worse, which is a little frustrating for the viewer. The performance of the 9th at the end is very well done, though.

My mind is now wandering to a Hobbit remake with the characters from Bagpuss. Bilbo Bagpuss Professor Yaffle as Gandalf The mice on the mice organ as the dwarfs.

Got those "term is over and I thought I'd done all the marking for my modules but here are seven extra essays that came in on a different deadline and which will occupy your morning" blues.

Philip Larkin's "The Winter Palace" (November 1978). He never published it. It first appeared in Anthony Thwaite's edition of the Collected Poems.

We're watching ah say ah say *watching* Knives Out Wake Up Dead Man.

"Trailer for Hitchcock's Psycho slammed as 'disgusting' by motel owners"

New substack: on Chastity. profadamroberts.substack.com/p/on-chastity

I call this "The Lying Screen"

BRITISH PERSON: so what's your name? 10th CENTURY BOHEMIAN MONARCH: Václav BP: Wenceslas, got it. 10CBM: no, no, Václav BP: When-cess-larse 10CBM: Václav BP: Off to write a carol about *you* right away my old mucker, and no mistake.

A tiny frog has evolved whose whole purpose is sharpening peoples' pencils. And some deny that there is a God!

"I'm joking of course"

Beautiful Cycling Bridge of the Silv’ry Spey! Alas! I am very sorry to say That bicycles now have no pathway www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...