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Photos from January 19th, 2026
Overheard on CFUV 101.9
All weekly emails are copied to the ocean
Where is Rocky?
I’ve been reflecting on the interfaces we’ve ostensibly “chatted to” in the past – most obviously mainstream is the infamous assistants from historical versions of Office. The most famous of these was Clippy (real name Clippit FYI you’re welcome) but not unlike the devil, the Microsoft Office Assistant appeared in many guises including a faithful little golden retriever named Rocky. I was…
2025 Superlatives
In lieu of a more thoughtful end of year review, here’s a smattering of extremes from my 2025. Best song of 2025 Mary by Black Country, New Road Perfect harmonies. Evocative Stuart Murdoch-esque lyrics. I love the loop-de-loop phrasings and emotional climax on “powers”. Total ear-worm. Best bouncy guilty pleasure songs I listened to the most in 2025 Tied: Side Eye by Matt Embree and Can We Talk…
Photos from December 23rd, 2025
I read 'Gentleman Jim' by Raymond Briggs
a14m
It strikes me that “a14m” could be a numeronym for anthropomorphism. I’m not sure the world needs any more numeronyms but it is tiresome word to type out. Anthropomorphisation would be a18n which sounds a little too close to i18n.
against apologising
Writing on the internet is risky as it increases your attack surface for criticism. If you don’t write anything you’re not a target. If you write something it’s guaranteed that someone will have something to say about it. Pre-empting this criticism hits your confidence and reduces the impact of your writing. Good writers have a voice, a recognisable way of seeing the world and sharing their…
Photos from November 17th, 2025
Quoting Stewart Lee
On fact-checking [David Davis] said, our new establishment, academics, quango-crats and the BBC, are obsessed with misinformation and disinformation. They believe that you are too stupid to distinguish between the true and the false. And they think it’s the government’s job, or perhaps theirs, to do it for you instead. Well, it is someone’s job, unfortunately, because we’re now in an immersive…