Observations on bad ideas, modern nonsense, and things that go wrong. Written by a 71-year-old Welshman with limited patience and a decent memory.
Apparently I write like a machine. I’m 71. That’s not an excuse. It’s the explanation. In the 1960s I attended a grammar school in Wales, where spelling and grammar were, quite literally, beaten into you. You learned to write correctly because the alternative was a ruler across the knuckles. It’s not a teaching method I’d recommend, but I’ll grant it this much: it worked. Correct English stopped…
Hydration with Altitude The Water the Mountains Kept for Themselves For millennia, the Dolomites have held a secret. Not the snow. Not the stone. The water. Filtered through ancient limestone, rested in subterranean aquifers, and released only when the mountain feels emotionally ready, this is not water that rushes. This is water that waits. It has boundaries. It knows its worth. Alpine Infused…
Gareth's been in a mood all week. Turns out it started with a hosting bill. Not his own, mind. He doesn't have a website. Gareth thinks websites are for people who've run out of pub to shout in. But he heard about someone switching platforms, and it set him off on one of his tangents, the kind that starts with "you know what really gets me" and ends forty minutes later with him accusing a cookie…
She burnt it all down. Stopped writing. Closed her digital store. Disappeared for six months. It was, she said, one of the best decisions she ever made. Then she came back with a $199 bundle. The Story The article was called " I Built a $10,000/Month Side-Hustle Alongside My 9–5. Then I Burnt It All Down. " The story was familiar. Humble beginnings: $1.39 the first month. Gradual success: $800 a…
Six potatoes. Forty-seven pounds. Ceremonial water sold separately. A brief investigation into what happens when wellness marketing gets hold of a vegetable. There is a potato. This should not be complicated. It grows in the ground. You dig it up. You wash it. You cook it. If you are Welsh, Irish, Peruvian, Northern European, or merely hungry, you already understand the basic arrangement. Humanity…
Or: How to Get Rich Selling the Dream of Getting Rich There is a method. It is simple. It is clear. It unfolds in numbered steps. It will, with admirable confidence, produce $10,000 every month. The article explaining it is free. The course linked in the footer is $497. The Opening Move The practitioner begins by acknowledging your scepticism. Yes, this sounds too good to be true. Yes, most people…
Or: How an AI Invented a Plant and Someone Started Selling the Seeds AI images created by a scam Facebook advertisement selling seeds for Hosta plants There is a plant for sale on Facebook that does not exist. It is called the Rainbow Hosta. Also the Fiery Crimson Hosta. Also the Midnight Blue Hosta. Also the Pink-Green Hosta, the Champagne Fog Hosta, and the Blue Porcelain Hosta. The images are…
How a kickboxer built an empire on male insecurity and called it freedom. Steve the Hypothetical Gerbil says: This one’s about Andrew Tate. There’s organised crime, a subscription model, and a man who rents Bugattis. I’d summarise it but Paul won’t let me near the keyboard. Steve the Gerbil is also the Head of Communications at JustRodents.com You can read more about him there. About a year ago I…
The System Go to bed. Close your eyes. Available in four tiers: Basic: €47.99 Includes the system. Pro: €97.99 Includes the system and a guided audio recording of someone telling you to close your eyes. It is eleven minutes long. There are approximately four instructions. Each one is acknowledged. Founder's Circle: €247.99 Includes the system, the audio recording, a signed certificate confirming…
I almost posted a comment on a Medium article this morning. The comment was: "This kind of advice is why the internet has turned to shit." I didn't post it. Not because it was wrong, but because the article didn't deserve it. It was excellent. Genuinely useful. The kind of piece that makes you think rather than just nod. Read the SERP before you write. Understand intent. Find the thinking gap.…