I sort of hope most of these incredibly tedious people aren't real, for their and their immediate surroundings' sakes. also I don't know how to plurally punctuate surroundings correctly in this case

What’s the point of VAR if you don’t correct obviously bad calls

I see your point, though entirely possible to attribute to "badly handles reading response from multiple people in a short period" Though maybe I just don't want to contemplate a world where "ideologically childfree harasser bot" is a valid social media strategy for the immoral

Bot or not? I’m going for “bot”, I think.

It’s memoirs season! Time to take some proudest decisions

The Thames clipper followed by cable car and the DLR is a perfect day out with kids IMO

*unless* you go on with your child who realises just as the door closes that no, he very much does not want to be on the cable car, and has a massive and spectacular meltdown, and you are sharing the gondola with a horrified American couple

I spent €€€ in Lisbon doing tourist public transport.. Heritage trams, Weird lift thing, Funicular (before the terrible crash) Ditto in Istanbul

This has reminded me to ask for tips for London. We’re going at the beginning of September for the first time in a long time. Any cool stuff much appreciated.

London’s cable car is a really underrated thing to do with a small child. Affordable and good fun, too.

Made a little bot to try and surface archive stuff (10+ years) showing up on iPlayer.

the 'what did the Romans ever do for us' discussion has a direct Talmudic parallel, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that the very well read Python team knew that (www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.33b....)

Delightful thread this. A reminder that people forget just how historically literate (as well as funny) Life of Brian is. "I say you are [the Messiah] lord, and I should know i've followed a few" is, as well as being funny, almost certainly true of quite a few of the first Christians!

this is correct. it's not until the early members of the jesus cult say "actually, he is risen" that the jesus story stops being a late antiquity version of dog bites man.

Nandy perhaps realising that the new prime minister will not be too weak to sack her and actually is interested in the policy area of culture, media and sport.

Fantastic lunch with the FT by @georgewparker.bsky.social:

"as political strategist I didn't have a political strategy"

Nick Robinson’s podcast is so good at just, through intelligent, sensible questions that on paper are “soft” just getting loads of headlines and loads of “why would you admit that?” moments:

Morgan McSweeney, political genius.

Come and hear @davidolusoga.bsky.social and I chatting about history, genetics, race, that sort of thing, to mark the 10th anniversary of my book A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived. unionchapel.org.uk/whats-on/ada...

Sandro, anything to say to the fans ahead of your £100m move to Spurs? "I'm looking forward to leaving"

"Planning reform is important to the longer-term delivery of new homes but the more immediate problem has been a lack of demand and stretched viability — fewer people can afford to buy the homes for the price developers can build them at." Terrific piece by @resi-analyst.bsky.social:

God the USA kit is inexcusably ugly.

In a statement, the Minions said they "do not recall" where they were when Humbaba was slain in the forest, when the bull of heaven was slain, and the lions in the passes of the mountian, but that their cheeks were starved and their faces drawn due to recently starting Ozempic.

🎶 And I'm learning Minionese, says Werner von Braun

I think it is perfectly legitimate to answer that question by asking what the hell is wrong with the person asking it.

some of the minions tried to work for pol pot but were executed for wearing glasses

Herbert Von Karajan, the Minion conductor: ultimately denazified, but not exactly granted tabula rasa among those looking closely

What I’m getting from this is that the Minions would have worked for Hitler if they were physically able to.

Also in the present day they work for Gru, not Bashar al-Assad so why did they even get themselves in this situation lol

the tonton macoute not being a metaphor butliterlaly just being a bunch of minions is so perfect im mad i didnt think of it first

Hans Globke 🤝 the Minions Giving wholly unconvincing answers about what they did between 1933 and 1945

I did not stay up for extra time for it to end like this.

It's obviously a penalty vs 'the neutrals deserve a penalty shootout at this stage'

Sorry Nic Jackson/ooh/never meant to overhit the pass/you have run into the grass

Trossard does look an awful lot like Owen Jones would if he came back as a vengeful zombie.

The Misanthrope at the National Theatre. What a dog of a reworking. Sandra Oh is indisposed, which didn’t help. Some irony here, I realise.

witnessing the birth of a new all timer post is such a beautiful thing

Putting my "can you hear me Tin Tin" post back into drafts

...did everyone else just see the advert for a shampoo that is basically 'Elf, the hair product so good you'll leave your partner to get smited in the Rapture for it'?

The games tonight have been mental Ht @stephenkb.bsky.social

"Yet in one way, he [Infantino] was right. Qatar did host a very good World Cup. So did Russia. Against all expectations, football finds a way." - Martin Samuel is a great columnist but this continues to be his greatest column I think:

Football. Bloody hell.

The empire strikes back!

Football was being sent to France under the "one in, one out" scheme but it has escaped and is now coming home

News of England taking the lead against Congo has reached the House of Lords, and the steel bill

Football tl is 85% KING HARRY and 15% FUCK OFF JOHN TERRY which is v pleasing #TheFootball

Congo robbed by big agua

Apology letter incoming to hydration breaks