<unnamed>

Public Key

npub1gus0dgwlll5a947jc5ywseknjk09873lewewuq8xvmjsdja76jxqvpmkgh

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsywg8k580ll6wj6lfv2z8gvmfet8jnlgluhvhwqrnxdegxewldfrqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsxnndp6

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Last Notes

2026-08-25 08:28:07 UTC

"Robot beats Usain Bolt"
So?
'Hot air balloon ascends higher than Olympic high jumper Gale Lark'
'Submarine can stay underwater longer than Karen Fish of Guildford'
'Lawn mower cuts grass quicker than Herbie Vorr when he's on all fours nibbling'
It's a *robot*. False equivalence.

2026-07-27 18:16:55 UTC

Today's visual obsession: Arnold Böcklin's Die Toteninsel (Isle of the Dead). Five variations painted between 1880 & 1886. The 4th was destroyed in Berlin during World War II. Only a b/w photo exists. A 6th 'lost' version (1901) attributed to Böcklin & his son, Carlo, came to light in 2022.
#art
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/993/307/803/612/789/original/5de4ac57ebfab1b5.jpg

2026-07-22 10:55:59 UTC

- reply

We truly live in the thickest era of human evolution. You can forgive the ignorance of our ancestors because they had limited access to knowledge, but now the sheer volume of verified learning at our fingertips is unprecedented. Being so ignorant is a wilful act of self-defeating spite.

2026-07-22 10:41:33 UTC

Helen of Troy was born from an egg as a result of her father turning into a swan (or goose) and mating with her mother, who may have been either Leda or Nemesis.
And let's not forget the 6-headed, 12-footed Scylla, and the half-bird, half-human sirens.
I look forward to all the hiSToRICle aCCuraSSy.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/963/205/634/540/928/original/842e4ff2ff09c78d.webp

2026-07-21 11:02:12 UTC

"Burnham has appointed a minister for AI"
Unless her name is Sarah Connor, you can get fucked.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/957/621/178/844/143/original/288c853ebe908261.mp4

2026-07-16 10:05:20 UTC

Sorting out old stuff...
Spot the kid who grew up before the advent of home video.
Condensed, 45 min versions of #movies and #TV shows on record, often with narration to help bridge the missing bits.
#vinyl #cinema
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/929/088/632/946/666/original/af81c184b5c0dc1e.jpg

2026-07-11 08:01:32 UTC

New Swiss magazine with "Ohne KI" (No #AI) on the cover.
Nice to see some publishers openly resisting.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/900/289/995/923/200/original/9a3c5827f11cad96.jpg

2026-07-06 12:21:01 UTC

A sneak preview from Tim Burton's latest feature animation, Corpse of the Living Doll.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/872/999/343/162/370/original/077700e77ebad189.webp

2026-07-01 09:06:37 UTC

The weather's not taking any prisoners this morning. This fast-moving lightning storm just surged across the sky like a charging army.
#photography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/843/922/040/342/884/original/65b35b64e1236804.jpg

2026-06-30 09:24:50 UTC

I feel like I'm going mad sometimes. Sites like Facebook have turned into history-erasing machines. There are far too many posts now along the lines of: "I found this old photo of my great grandmother and decided to restore it with #AI".
With comments like: "Oh wow, she's so beautiful! You must be *so* proud!"
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/838/327/390/213/961/original/afde94492749b5b3.jpg

2026-06-28 14:02:47 UTC

After almost two weeks of this heat, my brain has turned to glitchy mush. Yesterday evening I struggled to put the lid back on a bottle of water and then realised why it wouldn't work - it was a Bic biro pen lid. I find my mislaid glasses in the fridge. I look for the spoon that's already in my hand.

2026-06-26 08:34:24 UTC

- reply

And, yes, I know it's possible in theory to select 'English (UK)' in many apps... However...
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/815/483/479/859/444/original/30d571a47d0cadd0.jpg

2026-06-26 08:17:26 UTC

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/815/418/012/597/658/original/dce3ea397968e7d9.jpg

2026-06-25 16:50:19 UTC

#LinkedIn email: "[Someone you worked with briefly 30 years ago] just solved a LinkedIn puzzle game. Think you can beat their score?"
It's like someone phoning you and saying:
'Hi, do you remember Tony?'
'Tony who?'
'You worked with him for a summer when you left school. That Tony.'
'Erm. Ok. Tony. Yes, vaguely.'
'Well, I'm calling to say he just completed a crossword.'
'O...kay? And?'
'That's it, really. I thought you might want to know, in case you wanted to do one too'

2026-06-24 11:55:40 UTC

Oh no.
I'm going to search Netscape and AltaVista for ways to help. I'll set up funding pages on MySpace and Friends Reunited. And I'll video a charity appeal on Betamax, convert it to Laserdisc, then send out copies that can only be watched on 3D-Ready TVs. I'll page you with more details ASAP.
#AI
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/804/952/204/730/955/original/b1a3a3b3c93ba7b2.webp

2026-06-24 08:20:32 UTC

- reply

Just wow.
I Googled to see if 18th century artist Henry Fuseli had ever painted Orpheus and Eurydice, and AI overview said: "It appears you may be blending the tragic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with the distinct, spiraling noodle known as fusilli"
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/804/103/993/682/896/original/864a9ae2ebbe6650.jpg

2026-06-24 08:12:23 UTC

It seems that everywhere I turn at the moment I encounter a book (e.g., Murakami), film (Cocteau), music (Stravinsky, Monteverdi), painting, or whatever, that has some connection to Orpheus and his descent to the underworld in search of Eurydice.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/804/073/834/617/400/original/c7d97a203eaef8d3.jpg

2026-06-22 13:03:52 UTC

"Andy Burnham is on his way to Downing Street to fulfill his Midsummer destiny..."
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/793/895/044/474/813/original/0939433ed3c599d1.jpg

2026-06-20 19:46:40 UTC

The White House vs. Isengard in Lord of the Rings.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/784/152/772/600/097/original/12d6bdacb37db50b.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/784/153/444/018/849/original/db480caf39376481.webp

2026-06-19 06:38:54 UTC

Congratulations to Andy Burnham for winning The Masked Singer.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/775/394/995/171/379/original/cf3ec41ac98be936.jpg

2026-06-12 20:55:50 UTC

Always had a fondness for Hockney's early work. Perhaps because his northern British suburban imagery was so familiar to me.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/739/126/484/671/989/original/e31170dd0db17f0c.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/739/126/573/825/437/original/bce7e315ffecdcbd.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/739/126/661/353/629/original/7cea322072dce708.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/739/126/719/880/875/original/5a531a297af14cc4.jpg

2026-06-08 07:41:52 UTC

The problems with gigs:
1. Human crowds.
2. Getting home afterwards.
but mainly
3. Advance booking. Gigs rarely coincide with my concurrent obsession. So, if I'm bingeing avant-garde jazz, attending a rock gig is jarring; when listening to glitchy electronica, it's harder to appreciate a requiem.

2026-06-07 12:54:12 UTC

Just rewatched Lord of the Rings. I'd forgotten that Sauron's seeing-stone is called Palantir. So, democracy-sceptic, demon-believing Peter Thiel names his company (and models its logo?) after a device that allows an all-seeing evil eye to "broadcast propaganda" and control what people can and can't see in the service of malevolence... And the UK gov thought: "Yes, let's hire that company to look after our defence, policing, financial and health systems"?
https://www.reuters.com/technology/uk-lawmakers-call-palantirs-role-public-sector-an-unacceptable-weakness-2026-06-02/
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/708/907/135/480/538/original/76444564c481e62f.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/708/907/737/212/393/original/3c4e4606b57adee7.png

2026-06-04 11:19:26 UTC

"Grandpa, what did it feel like living through the 2020s?"
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/691/561/554/486/037/original/11bb34b532c7a618.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/691/561/834/765/298/original/8b5005349a42f24d.jpg

2026-05-27 10:58:37 UTC

People: "There's no such thing as a stupid question"
Me: "Is the UK outside?", "Does the moon own a lawnmower?", "When counting 1, 2, 3... Does hen come next?", "Have you ever been murdered?", "Do you need to take off your head when you sit down?", "Is a flerm half a blerf, or is it a Kenneth?"

2026-05-23 07:08:03 UTC

'Accept cookies/confirm choices'.
If you don't offer a 'reject/decline all' option from the outset, I'm not going through pages & pages of your 300 vendors selecting & deselecting as appropriate. Nor am I just going to agree to all out of resigned apathy. I simply don't use your site/app. Fuck off.

2026-05-19 08:57:43 UTC

Good books, not necessarily in the right order, and with some glaring omissions.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time

2026-05-15 08:56:02 UTC

All tech bros: According to our #AI assistant, MeMeMe™️, Jesus explicitly said that we should be allowed to do whatever we want, even if that means annhilating all life on earth (you can't make omelette without breaking eggs). And that anyone who tries to regulate us should be stoned to death.

2026-05-08 07:48:54 UTC

If you believe that #Reform is a solution to, well, anything, I have a splinter from the true cross I'd like to sell you.
I hope you won't think this presumptuous of me, but have you ever considered attending a course that teaches rudimentary reasoning skills, you gullible fucking lack-wit?

2026-05-06 08:42:52 UTC

🧵A somewhat niche thread. Film posters inadvertently photographed by postwar town planners.
I found most in the Manchester Archives+ and Manchester Libraries archives.
#1: Dr. No
#cinema #socialhistory
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/526/738/290/824/889/original/bdf05635b0ff077a.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/526/739/682/970/518/original/3feb4c0c135092ad.jpg

2026-04-15 15:24:15 UTC

- reply

Couldn't resist.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/409/410/254/405/067/original/01bc571fabc9fe7a.jpg

2026-04-15 14:17:16 UTC

- reply

If you have a prosthetic, implant, hearing aid or pacemaker, please approach them with caution. Get distracted for even a second and they'll swipe it, patch it into a faulty R5 unit or landspeeder, then sell it back to you at 10 times the price.

2026-04-15 14:04:13 UTC

If anyone is in the Whitehaven area, could you pop over to the Jawas and ask if they have any secondhand droids for sale, thanks.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/409/095/771/617/415/original/932b82d49c425709.jpeg

2026-04-15 08:04:16 UTC

Wes Streeting looks like a marionette from a cancelled Gerry Anderson series, or a possessed Edwardian ventriloquist dummy.
See also: Lindsey Graham and Mike Johnson.
Maybe there's a cabal of evil, living puppet/dolls taking over the world? We should look into it.

2026-04-15 07:28:24 UTC

People hear music in the song of spring birds. Not me.
There's one bird that just shrieks out a single, unchanging 'ARGH!' every 20 seconds. Another makes a high-pitched, honking clown nose sound. And don't start me on blackbirds: 'Hi! Hello? Hi there! Hi! Can you hear me? Hi! Hello! Hey! Hi there!'

2026-04-12 19:31:44 UTC

A very merry fuck Orbán into oblivion to all those who celebrate.
#Hungary

2026-04-10 14:50:11 UTC

Flowers and mountains. Photoed on Wednesday in Montreux.
#photography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/380/962/784/141/073/original/9a507a4bebb5be60.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/380/963/603/621/533/original/f5197fc5e83945cf.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/380/964/210/902/105/original/f5bb834c7e54f763.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/380/964/651/687/416/original/c06dd48cf9a4bb9e.jpg

2026-04-10 08:56:47 UTC

Sudden military presence in Switzerland over the past few days. Lots of army transports on the autobahns; pairs of fighters flying in formation.
Just sayin.

2026-04-05 07:56:35 UTC

Happy Eater
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/351/025/769/719/020/original/71c230e568bb532c.jpg

2026-04-01 09:10:20 UTC

How autie brains sometimes work &/or process information.
A: Have you seen that Jack Nicholson film?
B: Which one?
A: The one with the frustratingly unidentifiable wallpaper.
Throw #adhd into the mix and you can lose hours/days/weeks to researching minutia.
#autism #asd #audhd
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/328/666/544/350/322/original/0dafaa151d7ce236.jpg

2026-03-31 11:04:18 UTC

The Wicker Nan.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/323/453/278/503/228/original/f806aa08dd846086.webp

2026-03-27 11:08:52 UTC

Apropos of nothing, here are some Macbethian witches.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/300/817/927/616/787/original/fec260108055f55e.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/300/818/448/775/352/original/e45a13b692948ff3.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/300/819/231/309/726/original/620fe7266ad0b1be.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/300/819/774/331/354/original/0c17ee3499bb9775.jpg

2026-03-23 14:49:43 UTC

"Prince William keen to build 'strong & meaningful' bond with Church... [because i) the PR dept hopes it'll be seen as a repentant gesture to atone for Andrew. ii) If we stop believing in gods, the ancient royal claim that god sanctioned their very existence isn't worth shit]"
https://bbc.com/news/articles/cx230em8jg7o

2026-03-21 19:41:41 UTC

Aliens: "We don't understand why 8.2 billion humans are just standing by while a tiny (tiny!!) fraction of narcissistic, flagrantly benighted terrestrial fucknuggets ruin the planet and risk the future of the species. It makes no sense."

2026-03-20 14:10:43 UTC

The town mayor is in another phase of pitching.
Busy couple of weeks.
Keep your fingers crossed.
#scarfolk
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/261/901/156/281/502/original/f2f8b3b7ebe534c7.jpg

2026-03-16 18:00:19 UTC

I keep meaning to post something, but I've run out of opinions. I don't seem able to formulate any new ones. And god knows how many times I've recycled all my old opinions; I never got around to updating them.

2026-03-02 11:29:07 UTC

Just spotted.
The sheer, staggering anarchy of Swiss graffiti.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/159/343/228/121/603/original/a9b6772cd6ce8e8a.jpg

2026-02-12 10:11:30 UTC

"The free version of the new #AI app FuKLIFE can take your daily walk, or attend a concert, for you. But subscribers can also send FuKLIFE on holiday in their stead. The app's clever algorithm sends AI-generated photos of the moments you might have experienced and tells you how you feel about them."

2026-02-11 10:20:03 UTC

Took the bins out and found myself inside a huge pint of freshly-poured ale.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/051/488/606/752/732/original/65f80601b2581aa4.jpg

2026-01-28 09:52:44 UTC

RE: https://flipboard.com/@independent/uk-politics-o7qj2rmtz/-/a-3dcNmDj9QEazFBSPeYT7Tw%3Aa%3A1855170754-%2F0
"We're going to train people how to not think for themselves, and in doing so deny them the opportunity to learn new skills."
It's like the medieval church. "Don't bother learning Latin yourself. No need to read the bible; just trust the priests."
Trust the Machine.
The Machine will provide.
#AI
#note1d9t…ljvt

2026-01-21 15:40:45 UTC

People often invoke George Orwell when discussing the grim state of the world, but Hans Christian Andersen, with his story about a vain, gullible emperor, and the townsfolk who are too afraid to challenge his stupidity, doesn't get the credit he's due.
#Davos #WEF
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/933/835/488/307/739/original/8326add10de4acb9.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/933/836/054/033/390/original/369c326a41fa76b7.jpg

2026-01-20 10:07:28 UTC

We had freezing fog overnight.
It's too cold (or rather I couldn't be bothered) to go outside, so here are some pictures I made earlier during similar weather.
#photography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/926/864/108/887/573/original/91e59402861bb87a.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/926/864/160/159/389/original/0a76f796c2b51535.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/926/864/947/769/219/original/ca65fa0078cdc4ba.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/926/865/413/845/801/original/96702504a5702e4e.jpg

2026-01-19 13:50:55 UTC

It's like a remake of Big, but in place of Hanks's Josh Baskin, Veruca Salt has taken the lead role.
America: remove this deranged infant without delay. He doesn't care about either US citizens or non-US citizens. His destabilisation of the planet is a purely narcissistic endeavour.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/922/084/236/139/466/original/d4cf84afa7192221.jpg

2026-01-19 09:12:19 UTC

The centre of Bern is, let's say, *quiet* on Sunday afternoons; more so than most European capital cities, I would have thought.
#photography #silentSunday
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/920/986/482/394/099/original/af78d5e3bd1b9bec.jpg

2026-01-12 12:22:33 UTC

- reply

When I moved to Switzerland, I discovered he was a local. He built an 'ancient mysteries' theme park, which soon failed, but the buildings still stand. I took some photos a couple of years ago.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/095/135/919/367/original/c0d386f8de7fbed7.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/095/824/926/007/original/5c3645f2509ea7a6.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/095/834/154/386/original/cf88f6d187786814.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/095/874/433/025/original/814606218dadabea.jpg

2026-01-12 12:20:17 UTC

- reply

Däniken's 'paleo-contact' claims of extraterrestrial influences on early human development, attracted a dedicated following, despite his earlier convictions for theft, fraud and embezzlement (and robust debunking of his theories). Films, soundtracks, and even prog concept albums followed his books.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/085/302/823/919/original/c677005e3cd81cbe.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/085/904/070/723/original/2fcdfa557de0f368.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/085/931/804/814/original/3afcb24efbce30ea.jpg

2026-01-12 12:17:32 UTC

🧵 Erich von Däniken is dead, aged 90. Many of my generation will remember him as a proponent of the pseudoscientific 'ancient aliens' theory, just one of the many sensationalist supernatural topics that flooded culture in the 1970s.
I've had this book since I was a little kid.
#ancientaliens
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/071/376/904/319/original/9cdc18717d1af112.jpg

2026-01-11 17:51:04 UTC

Taking a quick walk this afternoon, I bumped into some 'rebels', who asked if I could help them destroy the local shield generator. I said I'd love to, but I had to get back in time for the last bus. Public transport on the forest moon of Endor is notoriously unreliable.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/877/729/688/193/278/original/db504273547bc2d9.jpg

2026-01-08 15:05:07 UTC

- reply

Some US opposition interviewees seem stunned, as if they haven't grasped this is happening in America, right now, rather than in some distant foreign land. Deer in the headlights.
'This sort of thing shouldn't be happening'
'Someone should do something about it'
Yes & yes. And that someone is you.

2026-01-08 14:44:21 UTC

US citizens: If those in power corrupt or remove the legal mechanisms designed to protect your rights, and the ability to hold those in power to account, it stands to reason that you don't have to abide by the law to remove those in power.
You are falling to a noxious totalitarian regime. Right now.

2026-01-01 13:56:41 UTC

Work in progress.
I'm slightly obsessed with turn-of-the-(19th)century theatre/pantomime/circus playbills at the moment, so I'm re-creating posters and ads for more recent productions (and products) in that style.
#graphics #movies #davidlynch #victorian
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/820/183/369/659/771/original/cfa99ed365a52e17.jpg

2025-12-30 16:49:50 UTC

A selection of images created in 2025.
i. Paint sketches
#art
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/809/541/939/587/759/original/415e687bf8016540.jpg

2025-12-30 10:35:20 UTC

The last time I saw The Trial by Orson Welles it was on VHS; the teenage me probably taped a late-night TV broadcast of a cropped, substandard print.
I saw it again last night. Wow. Every frame is a work of art, not least due to cinematographer Edmond Richard.
Here's a short 🧵of frames.
#cinema
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/808/069/389/191/155/original/7816515ad3dd5b1a.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/808/069/396/414/550/original/0fa2a0c9f140e027.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/808/069/401/496/472/original/f22e1d5662c06229.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/808/069/422/312/446/original/5722e37b86f963e5.png

2025-12-19 08:38:50 UTC

8am.
The Christmas demons have arrived...
Good morning.
#photography #landscape
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/745/325/884/916/784/original/bce8a63597e588ed.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/745/325/910/302/702/original/583efb5cb547786e.jpg

2025-12-18 13:27:31 UTC

If you want to know how Google #AI Overview is doing, it just identified wallpaper on the kitchen wall of a derelict, slum-clearance house in 1960s Manchester as "rare, valuable Chinese silk fabric from the early Qing dynasty."

2025-12-16 12:20:00 UTC

Me, reading online auction listings that claim the item is 'rare', 'original', 'an antique', 'in mint condition', 'a 1st pressing', 'a 1st edition,' 'definitely not a reproduction.'
Them: 'Super-rare 1953 original'
[Ask The Seller A Question]
Me: 'Why is 'Reproduction 1991' printed at the bottom?'
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/729/208/018/878/907/original/b69032c7e71f47e1.jpg

2025-12-14 09:34:05 UTC

Music auto-tagging has become a pain since AI. Even if I switch it off, my albums are constantly updated with the most ludicrous imagery. This supposedly represents Bach's St Matthew Passion. AI is like irreparable cognitive impairment resulting from severe brain trauma. 'hEre'S PASsionATe mAtthEw'
#ai #aislop
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/717/227/827/504/090/original/20e86f6783b6f5f1.jpg

2025-12-12 11:12:16 UTC

- reply

- I select the replacement option online, but get error messages. Refund is the only working option.
- Printing out the return slip directly from the site doesn't work, so I have to create a PDF copy and email it to myself.
- I print out the return slip, but the barcode doesn't work.
Enshittification indeed.
ps- To clarify, neither Cory nor his publisher are to blame for this fuckup. It came from an online retailer, no doubt run by flawed AI (is there any other kind?)
2/2
@npub1fdr…lvhs

2025-12-12 11:11:20 UTC

It's almost a joke. Enshittification by
@npub1fdr…lvhs.
- I order the book, but it doesn't ship for weeks, despite being 'In Stock'. The expected delivery date is changed to May 26, even though the book is still allegedly 'In Stock'.
- It suddenly arrives. The postman doesn't ring the bell; it's left outside.
- I find that the book is damaged by a strip of paper that's irreparably glued to the cover.
- Other pages are stuck together or crushed.
1/2
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/706/282/252/638/268/original/c335aff8049e01a6.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/706/282/749/910/050/original/82874daa78ba3d50.jpg

2025-11-27 12:47:49 UTC

#NowPlaying
#soundtrack #minimalism
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/621/729/192/915/024/original/a7ee8f2f86658bd4.jpg

2025-11-26 12:19:33 UTC

Me (every morning): "Today I will listen to something upbeat & uplifting!.."
1 hour later...
I select an album by an East European or Scandi composer known for their bleak, plaintive &/or atonal works with titles like 'Requiem for Hope', 'Lament', 'Death of the Sky' & 'His Last Winter'.
#NowPlaying
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/615/959/370/550/272/original/421720d2329494d3.jpg

2025-11-25 13:43:43 UTC

Somebody posted an old photo in a Facebook local group and asked if anyone could clean it up. Well-meaning people turned to #AI. Lots of responders seemed happy with the results, but this is how you destroy historical records.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/610/599/262/750/814/original/41a1a4b462fbf3b6.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/610/600/254/955/892/original/569f5a6c8f43813b.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/610/628/217/566/344/original/66293fcceda6a887.jpg

2025-11-20 11:15:56 UTC

#AI
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/581/736/178/121/252/original/8aabfe72f6253758.jpg

2025-11-17 13:04:04 UTC

"Peter Thiel dumps entire Nvidia stake, slashes Tesla holdings amid bubble fears"
Struggling to understand what all this means? Maybe you relied too often on (inaccurate &/or biased) #AI summaries, rather than using your little grey cells.
I could draw a picture of it for you, if you'd like, but, to make up for all the graphic work I've lost to AI, my fee went up.
https://ca.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/peter-thiel-dumps-entire-nvidia-stake-slashes-tesla-holdings-amid-bubble-fears-4320129

2025-11-06 13:34:17 UTC

Classic #ADHD day:
- Sit down to write next book chapter.
- Get distracted by something entirely unconnected:
- Namely, researching an ancestor in the 1500s.
- Stumble across a mystery of potentially international importance.
- Realise there may be a book in it.
Result: 2 unfinished books.

2025-11-05 12:20:02 UTC

Four vintage 'found photos' I came across recently that invite further explanation.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/497/049/632/523/285/original/95381f48cb7d096c.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/497/050/462/047/671/original/a603b4e0a30a5c65.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/497/051/393/061/447/original/1a64dd3b3c431313.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/497/052/060/607/913/original/27a983c1f5df95b4.jpg

2025-10-31 09:47:45 UTC

🧵I've posted them before, but here's my thread of horror/kids' TV double-bill cinema posters. Happy Halloween...
#halloween #cinema #graphicdesign #poster
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/468/143/837/727/134/original/a49048624cc04520.jpg

2025-10-28 13:42:11 UTC

"An ex-Intel CEO’s mission to build a Christian AI: ‘hasten the coming of Christ’s return’"
Everyone thought the future would be Orwellian, but between this guy and the US in general right now, it turns out it's actually early George Lucas.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/28/patrick-gelsinger-christian-ai-gloo-silicon-valley
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/452/075/675/797/214/original/44ef6e7184186b34.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/452/076/343/817/988/original/ae11b1f30ea96be9.webp

2025-10-27 13:33:18 UTC

I've reached that age where I hear younger people on podcasts/radio say things like 'I'd never heard of George Harrison, but apparently he was in a famous old band'; 'My granddad watched Spielberg films when was a boy'; 'Found this at my gran's. Not sure what it is; it says 'VHS' on the back'; 'According to Wikipedia, Hitchcock was a film director in the olden days. I tried watching one. OMG, it was sooo slow and boring. Nothing happens!'

2025-10-16 10:02:20 UTC

The Repair Shop with Werner Herzog:
Guest: "Stunning work, thank you"
WH: "How do you feel seeing this object, a symbol of your dead wife? Though constructed of crude, worthless materials, it has been resurrected like some cheap miracle, mocking your grief and dead wife, now condemned to oblivion."

2025-10-14 08:31:03 UTC

#NowPlaying Living Time by Bill Evans and George Russell.
Like someone spiked the BBC Concert Orchestra with an amphetamine/LSD cocktail then locked them in a dark hall full of wild, starving apex predators.
An overlooked #jazz classic.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/371/581/467/103/954/original/3a087704ee0d9742.jpg

2025-10-13 08:35:34 UTC

- reply

There was a guy in the 60s called John Cura who took 250k 'tele-snaps', up to 80s shots per programme, which he sold to actors/directors. In some cases, his shots are all that remain of lost TV episodes from series such as Doctor Who.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/934/592/569/137/original/a6103074d71e056c.jpeg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/934/955/966/329/original/55e0006c139a2b79.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/935/139/118/048/original/169aa354af4cd81b.webp
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/935/838/785/144/original/5388d6552a9788f9.jpg

2025-10-13 08:33:40 UTC

- reply

Or just their favourite TV shows.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/926/120/048/310/original/c4a931bfb6c1cca1.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/926/896/822/594/original/0b945a9a57f0d5b8.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/927/174/754/312/original/f3a4c51648de8f76.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/928/771/437/657/original/016fef64ccfd7200.jpg

2025-10-13 08:30:36 UTC

- reply

Sports events...
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/910/966/133/276/original/0180a14fe7f4f01d.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/916/411/084/976/original/565cecb41a053c5b.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/917/156/874/239/original/7e8fa3e927f7ed4b.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/917/475/708/580/original/77197cf90805e22f.jpg

2025-10-13 08:25:44 UTC

- reply

Favourite music stars...
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/897/222/680/864/original/57b0cd3e2dc99ef1.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/897/641/324/753/original/bdee3240c541e591.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/898/377/034/116/original/4b90902b849ee37c.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/898/528/481/143/original/8bd8eb604f207164.jpg

2025-10-13 08:24:26 UTC

- reply

Political moments...
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/891/046/395/844/original/1e922daf68d9238a.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/891/974/498/032/original/49935873dab13b20.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/892/985/201/091/original/e24c6fc652ad1928.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/893/304/512/627/original/05d27be0224b5e04.jpg

2025-10-13 08:22:50 UTC

- reply

Royal events...
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/882/422/377/206/original/1d5cb2223850cb38.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/884/932/366/895/original/e0bf85c7c154c109.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/886/477/801/391/original/7c9284bb00089fb8.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/886/946/796/780/original/cb68594d1a9c58dc.jpg

2025-10-13 08:20:42 UTC

- reply

Some broadcasts attracted particular attention, such as the moon landing...
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/875/805/201/363/original/148431533d66a1c3.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/877/419/337/230/original/aa4c3f6bd08fcf3e.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/878/068/671/539/original/b55e548bd1591c55.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/878/448/119/067/original/8a7689fcde9c39bb.jpg

2025-10-13 08:18:48 UTC

🧵Thread. I collect photos that people took of their TV screens (in the days before home video) because they wanted to capture a historical moment, or at least something of personal significance.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/860/148/956/933/original/e36c435a8447d503.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/865/386/056/200/original/2871760f51ab7654.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/870/332/468/332/original/06e65f4d6c17da35.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/870/727/880/914/original/96be4d19722f81b6.jpg

2025-10-11 17:23:09 UTC

On one of the Facebook groups I follow, someone is posting #AI animations. Many of the replies are along the lines of "Wow, you're so talented. Awesome work!"
And the poster is thanking them with great humility, as if touched by their kind words.
One genuine artist made a disparaging remark about AI and was promptly berated for his cynical attack on the humble, 'talented' AI creator because "things are difficult enough as it is right now for creative people".
We're beyond the looking glass.

2025-10-09 12:05:57 UTC

"Name 20 female authors you admire 1 per day"
I never have the patience for these '1 per day' things, but here's my 20:
Colette; Edith Wharton; Donna Tartt; Olga Tokarczuk; Patricia Highsmith; Margaret Atwood; Virginia Woolf; Joan Didion; Zadie Smith; Dorothy Parker; Iris Murdoch; Mary Shelley; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Hilary Mantel; Elizabeth Strout; Angela Carter; Susanna Clarke; Fran Lebowitz; Sally Rooney; Svetlana Alexievich; Doris Lessing; Gwendoline Riley; Anna Funder; Karen Armstrong

2025-10-03 07:30:31 UTC

"We get it; the clock is ticking. That's why we're burning through vital, vanishing natural resources to work out why all the vital natural resources are vanishing so quickly..."
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/309/059/347/672/369/original/411856bf4c7f0f8a.jpg

2025-09-26 07:53:54 UTC

We used to think the future would be a warless, disease-free, gleaming utopia, but it turned out to be more like the plot of a zero-budget, straight-to-VHS, B-movie horror sci-fi that's so awful it doesn't even possess a so-bad-it's-funny-and-cool kind of charm.

2025-09-25 07:46:04 UTC

I wish all the other Richard Littlers would give out their correct email addresses. In the past few years I've had receipts/invoices for monthly shipments of wine in Essex, a house purchase in Florida, mortgage in Wales, watch in Sheffield, & the latest, an Australian NGO tax return.
I'm also the member of a neighbourhood watch group 4000 miles away from where I live. And I've been on a family's mailing list for god knows long, despite me mailing the group to tell them I'm not a family member.

2025-09-23 08:10:06 UTC

"Tylenol tempteth demons into thy soul to curseth thee with the Goblin Autism Pox. Verily, a forest spirit hath told me so in dreams"
#ASD #Autism #paracetamol
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/252/592/223/202/022/original/7a3d0cd2739fdbca.png

2025-09-19 07:40:07 UTC

- reply

Great juxtaposition. You can't get much more English than this.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/229/824/811/367/959/original/4b37f458adb7ef3c.jpg

2025-09-19 07:30:24 UTC

Classic #Audhd morning.
-Someone rang the doorbell a few times. I didn't answer. I wasn't sure what they expected of me.
-Fractured (broke?) my toe last night. It's black this morning. Went for a run anyway because: Routine.
-Sat down to work. Got distracted by 1930s pharmacy/chemist trade mags.

2025-09-08 11:11:53 UTC

Does anybody remember what it was like to get a work commission? Like in the olden days. When you tell people now that you're a graphic designer/illustrator, they look at you like you said 'town crier' or 'wheelwright' or 'candlemaker' or 'galley rower'.
When you tell people you're trying to sell one novel and are writing another, they look at you like you've just told them you soil yourself because you enjoy it.

2025-09-04 09:05:05 UTC

Websites: "Verify you're a human... No, try again... No, try again... You must verify you're a real person."
The same websites: "You can only make a complaint via Billy, our AI assistant, who will connect you to one of our customer support operatives, Misha, who seems to be an attractive human but is in fact a bot"

2025-09-03 11:31:15 UTC

The things you can find online...
A complete, open matte 35mm print of The Shining.
Below: The standard widescreen release vs the uncropped, open matte print.
#cinema
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/140/133/144/780/375/original/43ff4ac73f6f69b1.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/140/133/181/290/273/original/4d31204500d8b360.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/140/134/122/905/082/original/af2aebcd4259f695.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/140/134/141/705/539/original/e7e02daa308375fa.png