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I haven't read the LRB takedown of the Odyssey, although I might once I've seen the film. But it's reminded me of one of the definitive Nolan videos, by the genius that is @michaelspicer.bsky.social

I say this with nothing but love in my heart for the fatherland but can you imagine any other country looking at wildfires and thinking "quick, get a philosopher on the line"

This summer has made it abundantly clear that we need rewetting across all landscapes, varied habitats, firebreaks and a recalibration of what we use water for, and in ireland, a massive growth and restoration of our degraded ecosystems like bog and wet woodlands that are naturally fire resistant

Real underpriced reason why a snap election is a dreadful idea is that it would likely give Reform a shot in the arm just as they’re flagging and, even if it went well on Labour’s end, would almost certainly make Nigel Farage leader of the opposition

And it’s not the World Cup that we hate :)

Trump talks to Putin every 2 weeks and we hear nothing about what was said . We dont have his medical records ,his tax returns ,hes filling his bank accounts daily . We elected this ? Really?

How your email finds me

same but for academia

At one job we deployed am internal chatbot, and I had to interrupt some HR training to suggest that, no, it would not be a great way to workshop difficult performance management and disciplinary conversations, because we absolutely logged the whole thing. It's wild what people will type into the box

I took pleasure in putting in a supporting comment for the new tower in Penge which will replace an underused car park (and retain disabled spaces). I read the objections, at least half of them were under the impression that people “drove into Penge to shop” like we’re bloody Bluewater. Mad.

So you are saying that you don‘t know how to generate rents from an increasingly commoditised technology, and want the government to help preserve your valuations?

I mean it’s both isn’t it. The little friend you talk to when you’re a child, embodied in a bit of fabric and stuffing, that’s functionally an idol. The point when I really got this was when a lecturer asked us 1) do we believe objects are sentient? (no) 2) so you’ve never shouted at a printer?

I saw this and thought “ooh a goddess” and I’m not sure that’s so wrong really. I haven’t done all the archaeology goddess reading yet, Gimbutas et al. I gather some of it is a bit flaky. But we don’t help our understanding by insisting on profane/divine separation in past societies’ thinking.

People need to step back and understand what they are seeing. After a few months of war, the USA is running out of munitions and options fighting a country with no air force, no navy and a damaged infrastructure. US decline is real and self-inflicted.

I knew Iain and he *definitely* despised Musk! (Joliet Veppers in "Surface Detail" is a brutal caricature of Musk. Musk either skipped that Culture novel or didn't recognize himself ...)

Oh yes I can see his opa

I think it’s the sound everyone makes when someone drops a glass in a pub, not sure of the phonetic transcription

So it looks like the dark money Cottrell scandal around Farage now involves people in Trump's circle too

Just seen from the insta that Croatia has sent some of its little yellow scoopers over - military planes with tanks underneath that skim the sea and drop the water on fires. Very cool to see in action, but absolutely crazy that help needs to come from that far away.

(If you don’t know what I’m talking about, good for you, keep it that way!)