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Nov 21, 2024: “You may click to consent to our and our 1445 partners’ processing as described above. " …and I may never visit your web site ever …
Nov 21, 2024: The archive stuff on BBC 4 has been doing a good job at showing what a cultural wasteland TV has become.
Nov 17, 2024: How to survive the broligarchy: 20 lessons for the post-truth world - Carole Cadwalladr This should be shared far and wide.
Nov 9, 2024: I bought one of those cheap Kodak Ektar H35 half frame cameras. It’s years since I did any sort of analog photography. I’m under no …
Nov 6, 2024: It is like democracy is a bottle someone can threaten to smash and do a bit of damage with. It has become a time of people saying stuff to each other …
Nov 5, 2024: Started to read: Mayday by Jackie Kay. I don’t read a lot of poetry but the blurb on the back cover struck a few emotional chords. 📚
Nov 4, 2024: Read: Nobody’s Empire by Stuart Murdoch. Very enjoyable debut by the Belle and Sebastian singer/songwriter. Obviously very autobiographical. …
Oct 29, 2024: We and our 854 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Nope.
Oct 28, 2024: I don’t usually like the food outlets at big shopping malls but this one place does a great calzone. I’ve had this before and …
Oct 28, 2024: Out shopping today, in Glasgow, for a new kettle. Decided on this rather smart one….
Sep 27, 2024: Like so many of the tech titans, Mark really does offer an end-to-end service: they make the world worse, then they claim to be leading the escape. …
Sep 24, 2024: Big Big Train - Last Eleven. One of the highlight songs, amongst many, from Saturday’s show in Edinburgh. I love this band. The combination of …
Sep 19, 2024: Reading: Neu Klang - The Definitive History Of Krautrock by Christoph Dallach. I really like the oral history style of books like this. You get a …
Sep 3, 2024: The Time Bandits “remake” is a lot of fun. Boo! to the naysayers.
Aug 6, 2024: The iOS Journal app is starting to grow on me. I don’t use it every day but I like the way it suggests places, photos, and activities from the day as …
Aug 6, 2024: Back to book shopping this week. It’s funny how Waterstones used to be the big bullies out to destroy all other bookshops back in the 90s. Now …
Jul 18, 2024: Paid a visit to Braehead Shopping Centre in Glasgow today. I went into the Apple Store and came out ten minutes later with an unplanned brand new iPad …
Jul 2, 2024: I’ll be up late for Thursday’s UK election results and I’m looking forward to lots of “Portillo moments”.
Jun 26, 2024: Recently Read: Golden Hill by Francis Spufford. I loved this one even more than Cahokia Jazz. It’s another historical novel but set in mid 18th …
Jun 25, 2024: Big fire to the west of Glasgow a couple of nights ago. It was well over ten miles from here and I could see the smoke from my window.
Jun 25, 2024: Recently Read: Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford. Loved this one. The setting is an alternative 1920s USA where the state of Cahokia is run by a native …
May 25, 2024: I Don't Really Like Social Media Yet, off the back of Manton’s recent posts regarding OpenAI, I read a number of responses from people on Mastodon that were needlessly antagonistic …
May 25, 2024: My usual online notebook source had a sale and I couldn’t resist. I love the Hobonichi notebooks. They’re expensive but I actually use …
May 21, 2024: Started to read: Three Rocks by Bill Griffith 📚
May 12, 2024: I found a decent frame for my Jacques Tati film poster at last. It’s big but looks pretty good on this wall.
May 12, 2024: The new version of the Sonos controller app is getting slaughtered on the App Store and rightfully so. It’s a horrible buggy mess that doesn’t even …
May 3, 2024: Almost forgot about the upcoming Yes concert in Glasgow. My ticket for last year’s cancelled show is still valid. The current lineup gets a lot …
May 1, 2024: Logged into my old Gmail account for probably the last time time before I shut it down. I had to check that one important message source had stopped …
Apr 30, 2024: Listened to Life Of The Record - THE MAKING OF I WANT TO SEE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS TONIGHT - FEATURING RICHARD THOMPSON AND LINDA THOMPSON For the 50th …
Apr 30, 2024: Quick rule before signing up to any new online service - check how easy it is to find the exit door.
Apr 30, 2024: First tea of the day has great revivifying powers. Just needs a little milk.
Apr 28, 2024: The Guardian: Billy Bragg: ‘There’s nothing like going out there singing your truth. That ain’t changed’. Billy has always been a force for good and …
Apr 28, 2024: I always set up a new computer/device as a new user. It lets me get rid of all the rubbish and unused applications that have been taking up space for …
Apr 28, 2024: New MacBook I became a full time laptop user this week after years of using iMacs as my main computer. My current iMac was the last of the 27 inch Intel machines …
Apr 26, 2024: Link: Creative Good - To resist the robots, get a typewriter Nice list of reasons for why typewriters are superior to robots.
Apr 25, 2024: “The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.” Attributed to Alfred Hitchcock. The older I get the more I …
Apr 23, 2024: There’s always plenty of money for more bombs and guns.
Apr 21, 2024: I changed my working hours last month and I don’t have to work Mondays anymore. What a difference it makes not to have that Sunday night dread of …
Apr 21, 2024: Another spectacular red sky here tonight. I’m thinking about using one of my extra micro.blog sites as a daily “view from my window” …
Apr 18, 2024: Listened to the Mubi podcast. Legendary filmmaker Wim Wenders returns to the show to tell host Rico Gagliano about his Cannes-winning, …
Apr 17, 2024: Another day of very Scottish weather. Heavy rain and wind in the morning. Bit of sunshine in the late afternoon. At least I didn’t have to turn the …
Apr 17, 2024: Playing chess for the first time in years. I’m still not very good.
Apr 17, 2024: Qobuz I chose Qobuz as my music streaming service because: it prioritises albums over playlists it has good editorial articles by humans there are no …
Apr 15, 2024: Earworm of the week: Sisters Friends by The High Llamas. One of the best tracks from the new album. 🎵
Apr 8, 2024: Started to read: A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel 📚
Mar 19, 2024: Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight.
Mar 19, 2024: So It Goes A big number birthday today. I thought I might feel a bit depressed, like after the last new decade birthday, but I don’t. I feel like I’m …
Mar 6, 2024: Film log: watched The Daytrippers, 1996 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🎥
Mar 4, 2024: I grew up listening to Radio Clyde. That was when you could hear pop music during the day and rock, folk, jazz, and all sorts, late in the evening. …
Feb 21, 2024: “As a rule, distrust those who use the word “iconic,” unless they specialize in the art of the Orthodox Church.” Anthony Lane in a recent …
Feb 19, 2024: I found an old Chemical Brothers minidisc album. Someone just paid £45 for it on eBay so there must still be a collector’s market for pre-recorded …
Feb 12, 2024: I switched my main domain name over to micro.blog today. I’d become a bit fed up maintaining a Wordpress site, and plugins, that I hadn’t really been …
Feb 6, 2024: Bell, Book and Candle, 1958 - ★★★★ I’ve seen this film multiple times and it never loses its charm.
Feb 1, 2024: I couldn’t wait any longer for The Criterion Channel to come to the UK so I signed up using a VPN, got the app onto a Fire Stick, and I’m …
Jan 31, 2024: Started to read: Lou Reed by Will Hermes 📚
Jan 30, 2024: Inside Llewyn Davis, 2013 - ★★★ Watched on Tuesday January 30, 2024.
Jan 30, 2024: The Man Without a Past, 2002 - ★★★★ Watched on Tuesday January 30, 2024.
Jan 29, 2024: Film log: watched Le Havre - ★ ★ ★ ★ 🎥
Jan 29, 2024: Le Havre, 2011 - ★★★★ Watched on Monday January 29, 2024.
Jan 26, 2024: Fire Music, 2021 - ★★★ Watched on Friday January 26, 2024.
Jan 26, 2024: Drifting Clouds, 1996 - ★★★★ Watched on Friday January 26, 2024.
Jan 26, 2024: Film log: watched Drifting Clouds, 1996 - ★★★★. Another great film from Aki Kaurismäki. 🎥
Jan 24, 2024: I like the way micro.blog can bring in my Letterboxd RSS feed but I don’t like the large poster images that get posted. Just grabbing the url …
Jan 23, 2024: Film log: watched Tokyo Drifter, 1966 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🎥
Jan 23, 2024: Tokyo Drifter, 1966 - ★★★★ Watched on Tuesday January 23, 2024.
Jan 22, 2024: A new doggy pal.
Jan 22, 2024: I Hired a Contract Killer, 1990 - ★★½ Watched on Monday January 22, 2024.
Jan 22, 2024: Fallen Leaves, 2023 - ★★★★ Watched on Sunday January 21, 2024.
Jan 21, 2024: I always thought people were joking when they said that tower blocks can wobble in very strong winds. Well, I’m feeling it tonight. #Stormisha
Jan 16, 2024: The Lady Eve, 1941 - ★★★★ Watched on Tuesday January 16, 2024.
Jan 15, 2024: Pickpocket, 1959 - ★★★½ Watched on Monday January 15, 2024.
Jan 11, 2024: AI voices are being used in review videos on YouTube and, as expected, they’re really awful. I watched one that referred to the Cambridge Audio …
Jan 10, 2024: There are certain ideas that don’t need the light of day to be proven wrong again and again. They don’t need debated. They cause real harm in the real …
Jan 10, 2024: The communal entrance area in my block of flats is well-kept and there are some very nice potted plants. I love the way iOS Photos has plants/flower …
Dec 26, 2023: First Christmas without my mum around and I thought I might struggle a bit. Came through it okay but still glad it’s nearly all over again for another …
Dec 26, 2023: I was given a Medinilla plant as a Christmas gift this year. I’ve read several times that growing, and looking after a houseplant, can be a …
Dec 15, 2023: Deactivated my Twitter account today. Thanks to @manton and micro.blog I have a nice, readable, archive of all of my old tweets. The older ones are a …
Dec 13, 2023: My WFMU t-shirt collection is small but expanding. October fundraiser swag is here.
Dec 12, 2023: It’s a bit of a cliché to overexaggerate emotional responses to films/TV shows/ etc on social media but, damn, season 2 episode 4 of Reservation …
Dec 9, 2023: Slow Horses manages to be a great TV drama despite having almost zero likeable characters. All caught up with season three. 📺
Dec 9, 2023: Recently Read: Quantum Criminals by Alex Pappademas 📚
Dec 9, 2023: Recently Read: My Effin' Life by Geddy Lee 📚
Dec 3, 2023: Snowy view from the 11th floor.
Oct 5, 2023: It’s one of those days.
Oct 3, 2023: Currently reading: Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon 📚
Oct 2, 2023: Three months living in the new flat now and the novelty is starting to wear off (a good thing). The sense of being on holiday has gone and I realise …
Oct 1, 2023: Cooked a steak in the air fryer tonight and I feel like I’ve levelled up. Pre-heated the air fryer for five minutes at 200C and then cooked each side …
Sep 29, 2023: This does not sound good. Asked whether artist revenue shares, user experience, or the editorial platform Bandcamp Daily will be affected by the …
Sep 26, 2023: I think the world might be a bit nicer if people said “I don’t know” more often.
Sep 21, 2023: I went to the cinema last night for the first time In ages and it was a nice experience. Comfy reclining seats, an idiot-free audience, and Dazed and …
Sep 15, 2023: Currently reading: Left Bank by Agnès Poirier 📚
Aug 16, 2023: This evening’s view from the eleventh floor.
Aug 7, 2023: It seems like all of the things that used to fill up your spam folder are now being advertised on British television channels.
Aug 6, 2023: Five weeks in my new place and most of my books and CDs are still packed away in boxes. I like the tidiness. I like the lack of chaos. They might have …
Jul 17, 2023: There’s something satisfying about coming home to your own place and locking the door behind you.
Jun 15, 2023: I found my old Sony Mini Disc player. It still looks shiny and brand new. I wish I could also find the recording of Alex Chilton I made with it when …
Jun 11, 2023: Here’s a bit of joyful reading for a Sunday. 🎵 Joni Mitchell review – first headline show in two decades is three hours of total joy | Music | …
May 29, 2023: Found a dead mouse at my front door this morning. A gift from one of the local cats.
May 28, 2023: Trying out one of the ChatGTP iOS apps. It seems like the easiest way to try it without opening an account. I wont be continuing with a subscription …
May 26, 2023: 🖋 I bought these two Pilot Elite fountain pens from a seller on eBay. They’re both described as “vintage” but I’m not sure …
May 24, 2023: 🎵 Farewell, Tina Turner. A true rock’n roll legend. Tina Turner: legendary rock’n’roll singer dies aged 83
May 23, 2023: Currently reading: One-Sentence Journal by Chris La Tray 📚
May 23, 2023: I searched for Mastodon apps on the iOS app store and an advert for “Truth Social” appeared at the top of the results. Good grief. Way to …
May 17, 2023: I was listening to a film podcast and the hosts thought it pretty funny that someone would call a film a “picture” these days. That’s still pretty …
May 17, 2023: Logged on to Twitter for the first time in ages today. Pretty much everyone I follow is still there doing their thing. I think talk of its imminent …
Apr 23, 2023: My mum passed away recently after a short illness. Less than a year after my dad. I’ve spent the last three weeks in a bit of a daze, doing nothing, …
Apr 2, 2023: I’m testing the new Post/Update to Micro.blog Drafts action.
Mar 26, 2023: I’m not a big Nick Cave fan but this New Yorker interview really resonated with me. Nick Cave on the Fragility of Life
Mar 24, 2023: I watched The Ipcress File for the umpteenth time. I can watch it again and again despite knowing all the twists and turns of the plot. It’s …
Mar 15, 2023: It’s that time of the year when foxes start making their nocturnal noise. I woke up in the middle of the night to what sounded like someone …
Mar 14, 2023: 😳 Hello insomnia, my old friend.
Mar 13, 2023: Happy with my new desk.
Mar 10, 2023: Wearing my badge for WFMU Fundraising Marathon fortnight. Increased my monthly contribution this year because I love this station.
Mar 10, 2023: I’m always late to things and so I just finished watching the first season of Reservation Dogs. It’s publicised as a comedy but the last …
Mar 8, 2023: Clear blue sky and bitter cold today. There’s been a trend, here, over the last ten years or so for the worst of winter to come in March. Snow is …
Mar 7, 2023: I’m getting a new desk. The choice was between a nice, solid, Ikea desk with drawers or one with built-in usb chargers and legs that could be …
Feb 27, 2023: When you’re young ten years feels like an eternity. When you’re older it goes by in a flash.
Feb 27, 2023: A starling sitting on the roof.
Feb 26, 2023: It’s easy to say now but I always thought Dilbert was the least funny cartoon in the long history of cartoons.
Jan 13, 2023: I’ve had Covid this week. I could have cried when I saw the positive result after being so careful for the last three years. Feeling miserable …
Jan 2, 2023: Dead Reckoning, 1947 - ★★★½ Watched on Sunday January 1, 2023.
Jan 1, 2023: Started to read: Wyntertide by Andrew Caldecott 📚 It’s taken a while for me to get around to reading the second part of this excellent trilogy.
Dec 30, 2022: 🥂 Last work day of the year.
Dec 28, 2022: I just heard a radio advert for Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. That’s a bunch of words that don’t slip off the tongue easily.
Dec 28, 2022: I turned on the micro.blog newsletter service and sent myself a copy to see what it looked like. It’s nice. I haven’t written much here to …
Dec 24, 2022: Christma Eve dinner at relatives today including a few gin & tonics and this doggy.
Dec 23, 2022: Trying to get back into the VSCO iOS app but the user interface is still awful. There’s something wrong if I have to keep reminding myself where the …
Dec 22, 2022: I never really listened to Terry Hall’s band The Colour Field that much. Which means I’d never heard their gorgeous cover of The Roches’ Hammond …
Dec 22, 2022: 🙁 Contemplating the first Christmas without my dad around.
Dec 10, 2022: Another Round, 2020 - ★★★★ Watched on Friday December 9, 2022.
Nov 24, 2022: I don’t like the way rich and powerful men get referred to using their first names eg “Boris”, “Elon”. They’re not …
Nov 6, 2022: Detective Story, 1951 - ★★★½ Watched on Sunday November 6, 2022.
Nov 5, 2022: Ball of Fire, 1941 - ★★★★ Watched on Saturday November 5, 2022.
Oct 21, 2022: Steely Dan’s 20 greatest songs – ranked! | Steely Dan | The Guardian: With November marking 50 years since their debut album, we pick the best of the …
Oct 20, 2022: 🧐 It’s the start of a three week work break and I’m thinking about what needs to be done.
Oct 20, 2022: I watch baseball late at night here in the UK. My late dad was in the US Navy and we lived in San Diego for a while when I was very young. I would …
Oct 8, 2022: I shouldn’t still be surprised that there are people who will watch hours of a TV show they claim to be boring, and awful, just to dump on …
Oct 6, 2022: Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks, 2019 - ★★★ Watched on Thursday October 6, 2022.
Oct 5, 2022: 🤔 Contemplating an import of old Wordpress posts to micro.blog.
Oct 5, 2022: Film log: Watched Rock and Roll’s Greatest Failure: Otway the Movie ★★★1/2 John Otway was/is the personification of punk’s DIY spirit. This …
Oct 5, 2022: Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure: Otway the Movie, 2012 - ★★★½ Watched on Tuesday October 4, 2022.
Sep 30, 2022: Roger Waters is embarking on “his first ever farewell tour” according to an ad on the radio. If this goes well I presume there will be another …
Sep 29, 2022: Daguerréotypes, 1975 - ★★★½ Watched on Thursday September 29, 2022.
Sep 28, 2022: Free Guy, 2021 - ★★★½ Watched on Wednesday September 28, 2022.
Sep 27, 2022: 🎉 This feels like Twitter did in the beginning.
Sep 21, 2022: The Marillion show was rescheduled to the following night but at a different venue. This was my view of the stage and the reason I have a sore neck …
Sep 14, 2022: Some random finds out walking today. Early signs of autumn.
Sep 13, 2022: I expected it but next Monday’s Marillion show in Glasgow has been cancelled. It’s disappointing but understandable. I could have done with the …
Sep 12, 2022: Varda by Agnès, 2019 - ★★★★ Watched on Sunday September 11, 2022.
Sep 11, 2022: Film log: Watched Agnes By Varda, 2019 ★★★★. 🎥
Sep 7, 2022: The share menu in iOS is a delight. You never know what you’re going to get. I do know that the app I need is never there no matter how many times …
Sep 3, 2022: Watched Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. I really enjoyed it. The first episode was a bit exposition-y but things really pick up steam in the …
Sep 2, 2022: WFMU: Dance With Me, Stanley with Stashu: Playlist from September 2, 2022: Dance With Me, Stanley with Stashu I love the joyful chaos of DJ Stashu on …
Sep 2, 2022: I’ve got two live shows coming up this month. Marillion and Steve Hackett. The last two shows I attended were to see… Marillion and Steve …
Sep 2, 2022: Wonderful BBC Proms concert on TV tonight. Public Service Broadcasting and the BBC Symphony Orchestra performed their tribute to the BBC centenary. …
Aug 25, 2022: I’ve been trying to clear out a lot of old paper stuff and I just found these old Apple coupons. You needed them to get an upgrade to OS X 10.1. …
Aug 16, 2022: Finished reading: Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott 📚Loved this one. It seems to divide people according to reviews I’ve read but I came to it …
Aug 9, 2022: Along the Coast, 1958 - ★★★★ Watched on Monday August 8, 2022.
Aug 9, 2022: Faces Places, 2017 - ★★★★½ Watched on Monday August 8, 2022.
Aug 7, 2022: Currently reading: Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott 📚 I knew nothing about this book but at 99p for the Kindle version I decided to take a chance. …
Aug 6, 2022: I’m a fan of Wes Anderson’s films but, gosh, The French Dispatch is hard work. The premise is interesting but the execution is very dull. It looks …
Jul 30, 2022: I found an old notebook. There’s a page in it that has a list of old software license codes. Virtually none of the apps still exist. Does anyone …
Jul 30, 2022: Spider-Man: No Way Home, 2021 - ★★★★ I never expect much from these things but this one had quite an emotional punch in the last third. Maybe it’s just my current state of mine but I was …
Jul 29, 2022: Film log - watched Spider-Man: No Way Home. I never expect much from these things but this one had quite an emotional punch in the last third. Maybe …
Jul 29, 2022: I’ve read lots of good things about the Pilot iroshizuku inks. I could have bought more ink in a full bottle for less than the cost of this …
Jul 15, 2022: Currently reading: Sound Within Sound by Kate Molleson 📚🎵 I haven’t been able to concentrate on any reading over the last few weeks due to the …
Jul 15, 2022: Finished reading: The Sound of Being Human by Jude Rogers 📚
Jul 9, 2022: Trying to make the best of the first decent summer day here. A heatwave is heading for the UK according to the forecasts but, as the old joke goes, …
Jul 8, 2022: Tough week. It was my dad’s funeral on Monday. I find myself almost getting back into a “normal” routine and then I remember …
Jul 1, 2022: Another uninvited guest.
Jun 13, 2022: Nice clue in today’s Guardian cryptic crossword. Solving it will require knowing a bit of British slang. “Initially looked in toilet for …
May 30, 2022: Moonrise Kingdom, 2012 - ★★★½ Watched on Sunday May 29, 2022.
May 30, 2022: The Hot Rock, 1972 - ★★★★ Watched on Sunday May 29, 2022.
May 20, 2022: I started watching Better Call Saul but then my brother said I’d need to finish Breaking Bad for it all to make any sense. So I’m back …
May 6, 2022: I had to pay for a digital copy of the WFMU documentary but it was worth the money. It made me feel even better about my recent decision to become a …
May 3, 2022: Nobody, 2021 - ★★★½ Watched on Monday May 2, 2022.
May 2, 2022: Film log - watched Nobody, 2021 - ***½ 🎥
May 1, 2022: Dropping everything to read : The Sound of Being Human by Jude Rogers. I’ve had this on order for a while. 📚
Apr 27, 2022: Medicine by Momma. I love this. If you like 90s alternative stuff you probably will too. 🎵
Apr 26, 2022: My decision to go default with the DuckDuckGo browser was a little bit rash. Too many little annoyances are popping up already. I imported a large …
Apr 26, 2022: I got my beta invite for the DuckDuckGo mac browser. Initial impression: it’s very fast but there are no extensions installed yet so that might …
Apr 24, 2022: I set up a new domain and theme for micro.blog this week. Wordpress is like a big machine with multiple parts that need oiling, and maintenance, for …
Apr 22, 2022: Marillion have released a special edit, and video, of the song Reprogram The Gene for Earth Day - A Friend Of The Earth (Youtube). Have a listen. …
Apr 22, 2022: New pen. It’s the Yookers Gaia fibre-tipped pen that takes fountain pen ink cartridges. I don’t know what fountain pen purists think but I …
Apr 21, 2022: I’ve become a big fan of WFMU over the last few months and having unlimited fast broadband means I can listen in for hours everyday. Knowing …
Apr 20, 2022: Currently reading: The Horse’s Mouth by Joyce Cary 📚
Apr 20, 2022: The final season of Brooklyn 99 comes to the UK tonight. I’ve managed to avoid any talk about the episodes so I’m looking forward to it. I …
Apr 19, 2022: Read: ‘They didn’t go round the corner for beer’: Lou Reed and John Cale’s Songs for Drella (The Guardian) 🎵
Apr 18, 2022: Finished reading: The Looking Glass War by John Le Carré. It took two attempts to read this gloomy installment of John Le Carré’s espionage …
Feb 16, 2022: Preparing for Storm Dudley to hit later on. Storm Eunice is due tomorrow. I think British storm names are being picked to cause the least amount of …
Feb 15, 2022: Can a person have too many sets of headphones? I’m hoping the answer is “no”.
Feb 9, 2022: The Challenge, 1960 - ★★★ Watched on Tuesday February 8, 2022.
Dec 20, 2021: Spider-Man: Far From Home, 2019 - ★★★ Tom Holland as Spider-Man is hard to dislike and this film is hard to dislike.
Dec 18, 2021: Cry of the City, 1948 - ★★★½ Watched on Thursday December 16, 2021.
Nov 21, 2021: A week of highs and sad, sad, lows. It started with a tremendous Marillion gig and has ended with the tragic death of Big Big Train vocalist, David …
Nov 16, 2021: I saw Marillion in Edinburgh. It was a fantastic night and felt like a real celebration. They were clearly very happy to be back on tour. Lovely old …
Oct 27, 2021: Updated everything and, of course, Podcasts is broken on the Homepods. Apple should dump their crappy app and buy something better. Back to Pocket …
Oct 27, 2021: There are lots of things I like about Drummer blogging and lots of things I don’t. I’m good at following instructions but switching to …
Oct 22, 2021: This a great little story. A rock star’s favourite guitar was stolen. One of his biggest fans tracked it down in Japan. Link: Randy Bachman’s guitar …
Oct 19, 2021: Family members have had Covid over the last week. I tested negative but I’m pretty sure I’ve had a mild dose. We’ve all been …
Oct 19, 2021: Hello from Drummer. It’s nice to have new things to play with.
Oct 18, 2021: Le Cercle Rouge, 1970 - ★★★★ Watched on Sunday October 17, 2021.
Oct 15, 2021: Another MP is murdered in the UK and people are trying to score points in the usual places. Twitter and Facebook have poisoned the well and I …
Oct 3, 2021: I love Steely Dan and this is a great interview. Donald Fagen is supposed to be working on a new solo album. 🎵 Talking Nabokov and Judaism with the …
Oct 3, 2021: Watched the old Hammer classic The Devil Rides Out again. It has some genuinely scary scenes but I can’t help laughing at some of Christopher …
Sep 29, 2021: I have three more invites to literal.club.
Sep 26, 2021: Off to my first post-lockdown big indoor public event tomorrow. I got an email from the venue with a list of precautions that are going to be in place …
Sep 26, 2021: A great unreleased (as far as I know) live version of my favourite Genesis song. 🎵 Genesis Live at the Rainbow (1973) - Cinema Show (2009 Remaster) - …
Sep 25, 2021: A reminder for anyone thinking about getting the new iPad mini - your old Apple Pencil will not work. 🤨
Sep 24, 2021: Email from Blizzard re new Diablo 2 Resurrected game - “Hell’s Gates Have Opened!”. They don’t mention that those gates are …
Sep 22, 2021: The Drafts action “Append To Obsidian Journal” is good enough to make me want to use Obsidian again.
Sep 21, 2021: I bought myself a little synthesiser to learn about synthesis and have a bit of fun. That led me to buying an audio interface and a delay pedal and …
Sep 11, 2021: The Shooting, 1966 - ★★★½ Watched on Thursday September 9, 2021.
Jul 9, 2021: Mystery Men, 1999 - ★★★ Watched on Thursday July 8, 2021.
Jul 8, 2021: The Friends of Eddie Coyle, 1973 - ★★★★ Watched on Wednesday July 7, 2021.
Jun 1, 2021: Out of Print, 2014 - ★★★ Watched on Sunday May 30, 2021.
Jun 1, 2021: Moonstruck, 1987 - ★★★★ Watched on Saturday May 29, 2021.
Jun 1, 2021: John Wick: Chapter 2, 2017 - ★★½ Watched on Friday May 28, 2021.
Jun 1, 2021: Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, 1982 - ★★★½ Watched on Thursday May 27, 2021.
Apr 26, 2021: Finished reading: Maskerade by Terry Pratchett 📚
Mar 27, 2021: I plugged in an old external hard drive and had my first iMac system crash in years. There was a loud screech, the screen went black, and the computer …
Mar 21, 2021: I found a box of the limited edition Wilco Field Notes online. Who do I start to use first? Jeff Tweedy…Nels Cline…?
Mar 21, 2021: Keep The Change by Mattiel. 🎵
Mar 19, 2021: It’s my birthday and I’m at work alone today. The good thing about lone-working is that I get to choose the radio station and I choose BBC Radio 3. …
Mar 18, 2021: I think spring just sproinged.
Mar 16, 2021: I mentioned how great it was to see the return of Hakuho to Grand Sumo this month. He’s just retired from the tournament again. Hey-ho.
Mar 16, 2021: It’s Grand Sumo Tournament time again. I’ve been watching Sumo on the NHK World Japan TV channel for a few years now and its become a bit of an …
Mar 15, 2021: The iOS app 1Writer is a very good companion for Obsidian. Notes and backlinks sync and if you set the default extension in 1Writer to “.md” you can …
Mar 10, 2021: Finished watching Pretend It’s A City on Netflix and now I want to read some Fran Lebowitz.
Mar 8, 2021: There must be something magical in Lyon, France, that makes it produce so many great bands. This is one of my favourite albums from last year …
Feb 27, 2021: I seem have escaped any of the more common side effects of yesterday’s Covid jab. I shivered with cold for a little while last night, which might not …
Feb 26, 2021: I got my first Covid jab today and also unfriended someone on another social media site. A Covidiot of course. Every post was like a personal insult …
Jan 21, 2021: I don’t want a foldable phone. I want a thin slab of plastic like the devices in The Expanse.
Nov 1, 2020: October was such a dreary month and the rest of the year is shaping up to be more of the same. I’m someone who likes to be at home but the …
Nov 1, 2020: The Trial of the Chicago 7, 2020 - ★★★★ Aaron Sorkin did a good job of boiling down the trial into a two hour drama.
Nov 1, 2020: The Personal History of David Copperfield, 2019 - ★★★★½ Watched on Saturday October 31, 2020.
Oct 29, 2020: A Scene at the Sea, 1991 - ★★★★ Watched on Wednesday October 28, 2020.
Oct 28, 2020: When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, 1960 - ★★★★ Watched on Tuesday October 27, 2020.
Oct 27, 2020: Ugetsu, 1953 - ★★★★½ Watched on Monday October 26, 2020.
Oct 26, 2020: An Actor's Revenge, 1963 - ★★★★ Watched on Sunday October 25, 2020.
Oct 25, 2020: Sansho the Bailiff, 1954 - ★★★★ Watched on Saturday October 24, 2020.
Oct 19, 2020: Black Angel, 1946 - ★★★ Watched on Sunday October 18, 2020.
Oct 19, 2020: The Man Who Cheated Himself, 1950 - ★★★½ Watched on Sunday October 18, 2020.
Oct 9, 2020: Added these resistance bands to my daily indoor cycle exercises. I’m not a gym/workout kind of person but I need to get those lockdown joints …
Oct 9, 2020: It would be helpful if the Micro.blog account page told you which paid account you’re currently on. I’ve juggled a few other subscriptions around and …
Oct 2, 2020: I had to phone Apple Support today and speak to an actual human being. It was a pretty good experience as far as these things go. My problem was …
Sep 30, 2020: Bob has been on a run of fantastic albums recently. I’m looking forward to the new one very much. The former Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman is …
Sep 26, 2020: I don’t get sleep tracking at all. Any tracker I’ve tried to use has just recorded how long I’ve lain in bed. It’s another tiny layer of anxiety that …
Aug 25, 2020: We’ve been leaving a side door open at work resulting in things like this.
Aug 12, 2020: Sound. Another dip into the past. #mbaug
Aug 12, 2020: Earworm of the day: Troublemakers by Lavinia Blackwall. 🎵
Aug 11, 2020: Transport. Train, Earls Court, London. #mbaug
Aug 11, 2020: I’d never seen Silicon Valley before so I started a binge watch. One season down and I’m really enjoying it. Mike Judge’s name on something is usually …
Aug 10, 2020: Windows. #mbaug
Aug 9, 2020: Black and white. #mbaug
Aug 8, 2020: View from car, Glasgow city centre. #mbaug
Aug 7, 2020: Daytripping. #mbaug
Aug 6, 2020: Sometimes I delete things I’ve posted. I’ll find something I wrote that sounds so badly judged or expressed that no amount of editing …
Aug 4, 2020: It’s been a while since I fell in love with a song I heard on the radio. Love this one. Take Back the Radio by Katy J Pearson 🎶
Aug 2, 2020: Drunken Angel, 1948 - ★★★★ Watched on Saturday August 1, 2020.
Jul 30, 2020: Currently reading: Manhattan transfer by John Dos Passos 📚
Jul 28, 2020: I grew up on buying vinyl records but I’m not wholly back into the resurgence of the format. I’ll buy the odd special edition but I just …
Jul 27, 2020: Mifune: The Last Samurai, 2015 - ★★★½ Watched on Sunday July 26, 2020.
Jul 27, 2020: Stray Dog, 1949 - ★★★★ Watched on Sunday July 26, 2020.
Jul 22, 2020: Cardiacs' Tim Smith: a one-man subculture who inspired total devotion | Music | The Guardian: Tim Smith, who has died aged 59, made a bizarre kind of …
Jun 10, 2020: Deadline - U.S.A., 1952 - ★★★½ Watched on Tuesday June 9, 2020.
Jun 10, 2020: New York Confidential, 1955 - ★★★½ Watched on Sunday June 7, 2020.
Jun 10, 2020: The Mob, 1951 - ★★★½ Watched on Saturday June 6, 2020.
May 27, 2020: The Driver, 1978 - ★★★★ Watched on Tuesday May 26, 2020.
May 18, 2020: The Hidden Fortress, 1958 - ★★★★ Watched on Sunday May 17, 2020.
May 18, 2020: One Wonderful Sunday, 1947 - ★★★★½ Watched on Sunday May 17, 2020.
May 14, 2020: It seems some folk are so desperate to try Roam that they’re willing to pay lots of money to buy beta accounts off other users. Madness.
May 10, 2020: Our bumbling Prime Minister is going to get us killed. I’m not prepared to sacrifice myself, family, friends, and colleagues, for the sake of a …
May 10, 2020: “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-wop-bam-boom!” RIP Little Richard 💬
May 9, 2020: Winter froze the river And winter birds don’t sing So winter makes you shiver So time is gonna bring you spring Laura Nyro, Time and Love …
May 8, 2020: Some favourite song lyrics. Steve McQueen jumped the first one clean But the great escape He tried to make was not to be Maybe next time Steve …
May 8, 2020: Kraftwerk: their 30 greatest songs, ranked! | Music | The Guardian: From cycling soundtracks to anti-nuclear protest music, we celebrate the work of …
May 7, 2020: Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories | Netflix Official Site: Patrons of an otherwise mundane Japanese diner find simple yet profound connections with one …
May 7, 2020: Carter, tears of terror mingling with make-up and the rain, squeezed the accordion. There was the long-drawn-out chord that by law must precede all …
May 6, 2020: The Rules of the Game, 1939 - ★★★★ Watched on Tuesday May 5, 2020.
May 6, 2020: “They all laughed when I said I wanted to be a comedian. Well, they’re not laughing now.” Bob Monkhouse 💬
May 5, 2020: Lots of bird activity in the back garden today. I think a robin is building a nest in one of the bushes.
May 5, 2020: Oh, won’t you stay We’ll put on the day And we’ll talk In present tenses Joni Mitchell, Chelsea Morning 💬🎵
May 5, 2020: Jenny Lamour, 1947 - ★★★★ Watched on Monday May 4, 2020.
May 4, 2020: Sad to hear that Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers has died. The Black and White album was one of the first records I ever bought and I still have the …
May 4, 2020: They were both silent for a moment, and the silence wound out around them and filled the kitchen, to be sliced into gentle pieces by the soft ticking …
May 4, 2020: Le Corbeau, 1943 - ★★★★ Watched on Sunday May 3, 2020.
May 3, 2020: La Bête Humaine, 1938 - ★★★½ Watched on Saturday May 2, 2020.
May 3, 2020: I removed and re-added my Letterboxd feed and it seems to have posted every update for the last few weeks. Apologies to anyone whose micro.blog feed I …
May 1, 2020: Paterson, 2016 - ★★★★ Watched on Thursday April 30, 2020.
Apr 30, 2020: Coffee and Cigarettes, 2003 - ★★★★ Watched on Wednesday April 29, 2020.
Apr 29, 2020: Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell, 2008 - ★★★½ Watched on Tuesday April 28, 2020.
Apr 28, 2020: Sisters, 1972 - ★★★ Watched on Monday April 27, 2020.
Apr 27, 2020: Grand Illusion, 1937 - ★★★★½ Watched on Sunday April 26, 2020.
Apr 26, 2020: Love & Mercy, 2014 - ★★★★½ Watched on Saturday April 25, 2020.
Apr 25, 2020: Avengers: Endgame, 2019 - ★★★½ Watched on Friday April 24, 2020.
Apr 24, 2020: Ant-Man and the Wasp, 2018 - ★★★½ Watched on Thursday April 23, 2020.
Apr 23, 2020: Avengers: Infinity War, 2018 - ★★★½ Watched on Wednesday April 22, 2020.
Apr 22, 2020: I watched Thor:Ragnarok next in my lock-in Marvel movie marathon. The straight up comedy did not work for me at all. Big events were supposed to be …
Apr 21, 2020: Thor: Ragnarok, 2017 - ★★½ Watched on Monday April 20, 2020.
Apr 15, 2020: Vintage Ronald Searle.
Apr 14, 2020: I’m reading a book about reading books.
Apr 2, 2020: There’s a Twitter thing going around asking people to post a photo you’ve taken from a place you’ve been but you don’t appear …
Apr 1, 2020: Things just got serious. I’m drinking coffee instead of my usual tea! Kindle primed with books of prose poems and Japanese short stories. I downloaded …
Mar 31, 2020: I’m trying my hand at writing little lipograms. A lipogram is a piece of writing that forces you to omit a certain letter eg the letter “e” which is …
Mar 29, 2020: I succumbed to the lure of Disney+ and signed up for a few months. The first thing I’m doing is watching every single Marvel movie in chronological …
Feb 6, 2020: No trouble with “plant” today. Going for the literal.
Feb 6, 2020: Genuine small ad in this week’s Private Eye magazine. Sounds totally legit.
Feb 4, 2020: Spot the spots.
Feb 3, 2020: I needed an external drive to rip CDs to flac files to play in my new music player. After looking at all of the cheap ones available I’ve gone …
Feb 3, 2020: Reflect.
Feb 2, 2020: A welcome sight tonight.
Feb 1, 2020: Open.
Jan 29, 2020: January, not April, is always the cruelest month. I’m very happy to see the end of this one.
Dec 30, 2019: So sad to hear about the death of Neil Innes (Bonzo Dog Band/The Rutles/Monty Python) today. I’m the Urban Spaceman
Dec 29, 2019: Unseasonably mild weather today.
Dec 28, 2019: I’d forgotten how great the Popclip app is. The ability to select some foreign language text on a page and have Popclip translate it is extremely …
Dec 27, 2019: My pal from yesterday.
Dec 26, 2019: We don’t usually have a family Christmas until Boxing Day so I hope everyone has had a happy festive time.
Dec 22, 2019: Just watched the very first episode of The Expanse. I think I’m going to enjoy this.
Dec 21, 2019: I’m already a bit of a cheapskate when it comes to Kindle books so £0.99 for Neil Gaiman’s American Gods quartet was an easy purchase. When it comes …
Dec 19, 2019: Last pub quiz of the year. We lost the main quiz but won £50 of drinks for the next time we visit. A good night and just what I needed.
Dec 10, 2019: Fantastic show by Dweezil Zappa and band in Glasgow tonight. Perfect antidote to the December doldrums. 🎶
Dec 8, 2019: This “mistake” is more interesting than the other photos I took at the Drygate Brewery in Glasgow last night. I was there to see the great …
Dec 6, 2019: The amount of choice available to a non-techy Wordpress user (themes, plugins etc) can leave you a bit bewildered. I’m not clueless when it …
Dec 5, 2019: I don’t know many poems by heart but I think I could recite This Be The Verse by Philip Larkin. The first line is one of the most famous in …
Dec 4, 2019: I’m finding it difficult to motivate my mind, wrist, and fingers to come up with an idea for Microblogvember (supplemental) today. Better luck …
Dec 3, 2019: A knock-on effect of doing these little daily things is that I feel the need to keep going and so I’ve enrolled for an iPad art class at …
Dec 2, 2019: I’m never satisfied with panoramic photos with people in them. Unless you can get all of those people to stay very still they tend to end up …
Dec 1, 2019: One of these days I will get the hang of Markdown URL links. Today is not the day.
Dec 1, 2019: Here’s a song for Sunday. Beloved by Firefly Burning 🎵
Dec 1, 2019: December is going to be marred in the UK due to one of the most horrible election campaigns in living memory. I’ll be voting, of course, but music and …
Nov 30, 2019: It’s coming to the end of Microblogvember. I still have the extra six days to complete due to my late start though. I’ve really enjoyed doing it and …
Nov 29, 2019: Catching up on some podcasts. If it wasn’t for Andy Ihnatko’s good sense I don’t think I could ever listen to Macbreak Weekly again. He brings a …
Nov 29, 2019: “Take me to the fantastic place Keep the rest of my life away” A highlight of the recent Marillion shows. song.link/gb/i/1328… 🎵
Nov 28, 2019: The history of Monopoly, the property trading game, is much more interesting than the game itself. This is the sort of thing you learn while idly …
Nov 27, 2019: The British political system is antiquated and needs reform but I’m very happy that no mega rich person can decide to run for prime minister …
Nov 26, 2019: I paid for a discounted subscription to Inoreader but I’m already regretting the decision. I much prefer the simplicity of Feedbin. It’s good to mix …
Nov 25, 2019: A long-standing printer problem was fixed today. I’m still secure in my role as home IT champion.
Nov 24, 2019: I’m sure someone famous said it better but I think the world would be a lot nicer if people enjoyed their own company a wee bit more.
Nov 23, 2019: 📚 The Lark Ascending - The Music Of The British Landscape by Richard King. Enjoying this. There’s some good stuff about the “blood and …
Nov 23, 2019: I’ll be the one with the woebegone look if I can’t find a way to fit woebegone into a post. It’s an archaic word and probably sits …
Nov 22, 2019: You don’t notice the background hum of household appliances until it’s no longer there. There was a short power cut in the morning …
Nov 21, 2019: It’s getting to the time of the year when I start thinking how nice hibernation could be. Like finding a warmish hollow somewhere and staying …
Nov 20, 2019: I used to be in a pub quiz team that continually came in second place. We changed our team name to The Runners Up and started winning. “And tonight’s …
Nov 19, 2019: I think there are perfectly rational reasons for wanting to avoid all news media but it’s important not to let your concern with the bigger world …
Nov 18, 2019: I’ve managed to build up quite a bit of annual leave so guess who has nearly all of December absolutely free. I like to keep a lot of days free …
Nov 17, 2019: Microblogvember has been a superb lure to get me posting everyday to my microblog. Whether the posts are worth reading or not is up to somebody else …
Nov 16, 2019: A 2-1 win for Scotland today against Cyprus. It wasn’t very convincing but a win is a win and they can’t really fall much lower. ⚽️
Nov 16, 2019: I’d describe myself as selective when it comes to using my time but I also recognise that being selective can be an underlying excuse for doing …
Nov 15, 2019: It would have been be easy to talk about how murky social media has become but instead I’m going to raise a glass to Murky, the young murloc, …
Nov 14, 2019: Currently reading: These Are My Rivers: New and Selected Poems 1955-1993 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti 📚
Nov 14, 2019: Two big issues have so distorted all of politics in the UK, and specifically Scotland, that I rarely stick my neck out and make any comment. There is …
Nov 13, 2019: I’m not able to stand for long periods of time in one place anymore so it’s really nice to see a favourite band in a nice theatre with …
Nov 12, 2019: Fantastic Marillion show in Glasgow tonight. Seasons End, their climate change song written in 1989, was spine-tingling with the addition of live …
Nov 12, 2019: 🎵 The Blue Nile - Stay. Yes, I’m resorting to a song for today’s Microblogvember prompt but it is The Blue Nile after all.
Nov 11, 2019: Someone mentioned the nancy comic strip a while back and I became a big fan. It’s nice to have this new collection of them.
Nov 11, 2019: “Please Don’t Touch”. Put up a sign with those three words and it’s guaranteed to be ignored.
Nov 10, 2019: Species of Space and Other Pieces by Georges Perec is one of my favourite books. The main essay is about the different kinds of space humans use and …
Nov 9, 2019: There’s a ten percent chance of snow according to the weather channel. It has been quite cold for a few days but the temperature hasn’t really …
Nov 8, 2019: Alice Cooper said on the radio that people in rock bands don’t make the effort to be stars anymore. I think he’s right. Most modern bands look like …
Nov 7, 2019: I think it’s frightening how quickly the days and months of this year have passed. It’s supposed to be a normal thing as you get older but I think …
Nov 3, 2019: 🎵 I’ve been smitten by this band. Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Asking For A Friend
Oct 18, 2019: Nancy by Olivia Jaimes for October 18, 2019 www.gocomics.com/nancy/201…
Sep 14, 2019: I watched the Bob Dylan/Rolling Thunder Revue documentary on Netflix. Wonderful stuff from start to finish. The bit where Joni Mitchell, Dylan, and …
Sep 7, 2019: Dazed and confused... Another very funny bit of writing from Marina Hyde. She makes this whole shambles almost bearable. Dazed and confused, Johnson stumbles into the …
Aug 16, 2019: Louis Cole & Genevieve Artadi of KNOWER feat. by WDR BIG BAND: Gotta Be Another Way | REHEARSAL. KNOWER plus big band. This is great. 🎵
Aug 8, 2019: I have a few fountain pens. This tiny Kaweco pen is one of my favourites.
Aug 7, 2019: Wind power.
Jun 8, 2019: I’ve reinstalled TiddlyWiki after getting my new computer. The old wiki was backed up in Time Machine so it only took a couple of minutes to get …
Apr 27, 2019: The last of the chocolate eggs.
Apr 25, 2019: Part of my attempt to eat a healthier lunch.
Apr 20, 2019: 🎶 Alive. Really loving the new song from Big Big Train.
Mar 20, 2019: Essential Jacques Tati Blu-ray collection. A little birthday present for myself.
Mar 20, 2019: I love all the new iMac “reviews" on Youtube based on just the reported specs.
Feb 25, 2019: Reports coming in that Mark Hollis (Talk Talk) has died. I haven’t seen any confirmation yet but very sad if true. 🎶
Feb 18, 2019: I don’t expect the streaming Criterion Channel to come to the UK anytime soon but I’ve noticed, while using a VPN, you can sign up with a UK credit …
Feb 16, 2019: Bruno Ganz, actor who played Hitler in Downfall, dies aged 77 | Film | The Guardian A great actor who will probably be best remembered for a silly …
Feb 9, 2019: Re-uploading a lot of old photos to Flickr. This is one of my favourite bits of public sculpture in Glasgow.
Feb 9, 2019: I’ve given the Apple HomePod enough time to get better. Back to Sonos with its built in support for Mixcloud, Bandcamp, Tunein, Pocket Casts, …
Feb 9, 2019: Bob Mould has a great new album out. You can always depend on Bob. 🎶
Feb 2, 2019: Currently reading: The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow 📚
Feb 2, 2019: I just noticed that web pages on mobile Safari can be “handed off” to Firefox on the mac desktop. I find this quite surprising.
Feb 1, 2019: I’m trying to put a link at the top of the Marfa theme to a category. The new category links on the archive page have the address …
Feb 1, 2019: I watched the Fyre Festival thing on Netflix. It’s a fairly dull documentary about a bunch of horrible people. The only time I felt anything was when …
Jan 25, 2019: I’m really enjoying messing around with TiddlyWiki. Currently transferring in my saved Kindle quotes from Evernote.
Jan 16, 2019: Some late Christmas gifts. Looking forward to reading these. 📙
Jan 14, 2019: Is anyone still buying hipstapaks for the Hipstamatic iOS camera app?
Jan 14, 2019: This has been the mildest Scottish winter for a long time. There hasn’t been any lowland snow and I could count the number of frosty mornings on one …
Jan 12, 2019: I’ve grown to really love Mixcloud. It’s not just about DJs and dance music. You’ll find something there no matter what your taste …
Jan 2, 2019: 🎶 This guy is amazing. Chassol - Big Sun Apple or Spotify
Dec 23, 2018: Christmas Time Is Here - Khruangbin. I love this version. 🎶 🎄
Dec 21, 2018: I think we might be overdoing the Christmas decorations at work.
Dec 15, 2018: Ten days to go and I haven’t been hit by #Whamaggedon yet.
Nov 23, 2018: I used to like imore.com but it’s just a shopping site now as far as I can see.
Oct 8, 2018: Google+ shutting down after users' data is exposed - BBC News Google is shutting down much of its social network, Google+, after user data was left …
Oct 8, 2018: I’ve seen Steve Hackett quite a few times now but tonight’s show in Glasgow was extra special. 🎶
Oct 1, 2018: Carlos Ezquerra 1947-2018 2000 AD 2000 AD is profoundly saddened to confirm that artist Carlos Ezquerra has passed away at the age of 70. Very sad …
Sep 30, 2018: It’s that time of the year again.
Sep 26, 2018: It turns out that you need to give the Launchbar app “Full Disk Useage” under the new MacOS Mojave privacy settings. I thought I had lost nearly …
Sep 3, 2018: Garcia Peoples - Cash Crisis #vinyl #onmyturntable
Aug 16, 2018: I pay a subscription for Bear Notes but I’ve found myself just throwing stuff into the Apple Notes app recently. Not caring about tags or formatting …
Aug 7, 2018: There’s a baby gull on the roof at work. The mother sits on this pole all day to protect it and flies around, making a noise, if you walk past.
Aug 7, 2018: Is there any real advantage to using a WordPress optimised hosting setup? What does that really mean?
Jul 22, 2018: 🎵 Sunday afternoon tunes. Primrose Green by Ryley Walker (iTunes). Recommended for all you John Martyn/Nick Drake/Pentangle/Tim Buckley fans.
Jul 21, 2018: I cancelled my Adobe Creative Cloud account today because I just wasn’t using it enough to justify the cost. They don’t like you leaving, …
Jul 6, 2018: This updating stats page for my web hosting company is really nice.
Jul 4, 2018: I was quite adamant that I wasn’t going to install the iOS 12 public beta this time but that lasted about a week.
Jun 27, 2018: I don’t think I’m doing this meditation thing right when the sound of a small bell makes me jump out of my skin.
Jun 20, 2018: Your government is taking children from their parents and putting them in cages. Stop lecturing the world about human rights. …
Jun 8, 2018: The warm weather always acts as an invitation for the neighbourhood cats to wander around the house.
Jun 8, 2018: Ice Creams #icecream
Jun 7, 2018: Today’s escapee from the heat. It did a tour of every room in the house and then lazed around for a bit on the carpet. #cats
May 29, 2018: Cable and broadband has been down for a couple of days. It’s amazing what you can get done in its absence.
May 18, 2018: Pub quizzing.
May 17, 2018: I walked out the front door this morning to be confronted with a mass of feathers and the remnants of a pigeon. Urban foxes must outnumber those found …
May 15, 2018: “Please register the app in order to view the User Manual”. Really?
May 14, 2018: New iPhone set up and old one restored for my elderly parents today. Job well done.
May 13, 2018: Interesting clouds.
May 12, 2018: Accidental Portrait Of A Knee
May 11, 2018: Scary #dog
May 10, 2018: I was looking to register a domain name today. The price range at various companies for the same name was pretty big. My usual place wanted £30/year …
May 10, 2018: 🎶 I love The High Llamas.
May 7, 2018: I downloaded all my Flickr photos and shut down my Yahoo account just before the recent Smugmug takeover. Maybe I’ll move them back again when a …
Apr 28, 2018: Added the BFI Player to my Fire TV Stick so with that, and MUBI, I’ve got good films to watch every day now.
Apr 23, 2018: I set a reminder to cancel Drafts 5 at the end of the seven day trial but I’ve cancelled the reminder and I’m subbing. I think I’ve …
Apr 22, 2018: Catching up on some #records. Trembling Bells - Dungeness. #vinyl
Apr 20, 2018: Jetpack for Wordpress gets a lot of stick but the VaultPress plugin is really very good. Restored a blog to a new host yesterday quickly and …
Apr 19, 2018: Moved to a new host today and my web site address is defaulting to “www.” at the start of the url. This is causing problems with some Wordpress …
Apr 19, 2018: Headline of the day: ‘Very angry badger’ causes part of Scottish castle to be closed.
Apr 18, 2018: It has probably been there in previous versions but I really like the “Append to journal…” action in Drafts. I can see lots of uses …
Apr 17, 2018: One for Seinfeld fans. George Costanza’s idea becomes reality at last.
Apr 14, 2018: Gosh. My host, Tsohost, is really going downhill. The amount of downtime on cloud hosting is getting ridiculous. Frustrating day.
Apr 13, 2018: I don’t think I’ll doing any microcasting soon. I still hate the sound of my own voice and I think it’s much harder to speak about things, …
Apr 11, 2018: A warning from within The Archive app. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of bad taste now and again.
Apr 10, 2018: It’s just a tangerine peel but I like the contrasting colours.
Apr 10, 2018: Very pleased to be dipping back into the world of the late Terry Pratchett. The first few pages of The Fifth Elephant have been a joy. 📚
Apr 9, 2018: Just witnessed the most intense and full rainbow I’ve seen in a long time.
Apr 9, 2018: Just witnessed the most intense and full #rainbow I’ve seen in ages.
Apr 9, 2018: I’ve been getting multiple emails from Wordpress Jetpack Support saying that my site has been offline. It’s happened the odd time over the last few …
Apr 6, 2018: I can see Twitter forcing developers to allow their ads in timelines or be forced out of business. I’m surprised Tweetbot has been ad-free this long …
Apr 3, 2018: 🎶 THRAK by King Crimson was released 23 years ago today.
Apr 3, 2018: I always print off these Guardian cryptic #crosswords and forget to do them.
Apr 3, 2018: It’s usually starting to warm up a little by now but snow is still falling here. The last few weeks have been full of cold and coughing and I …
Mar 31, 2018: Has someone turned off the iCloud email spam filters again? There’s a load of rubbish getting through here.
Mar 27, 2018: Bought with birthday money. #zappa
Mar 25, 2018: 🎵 Fantastic Steven Wilson show in Glasgow last night. Excellent sound, visuals, and set list. www.setlist.fm/setlist/s…
Mar 17, 2018: I’ve been feeling run down after a bout of flu but made it out to see Yes tonight on their 50th anniversary tour. Really enjoyed it. I’d managed to …
Feb 26, 2018: This winter has outstayed it’s welcome. My favourite times of the year are when you can feel the seasons changing. No sign of spring yet.
Feb 26, 2018: Thanks to blog commenters I’m using the Workflow app and TinyPNG to shrink image sizes on the move now.
Feb 18, 2018: Time to accept that whenever The Producers is in TV listings it’s going to be the inferior remake and not the classic Zero Mostel/ Gene Wilder …
Feb 16, 2018: One of the many things I like about micro.blog is the lack of animated gifs in the timeline. I hope it stays this way.
Feb 14, 2018: 📚 Finished a couple of Le Guin novels. Now on to the Philip Glass autobiography/memoir.
Feb 9, 2018: I’ve been using Feedbin for a couple of years. Just noticed that if you go into settings you can see a graphical representation of how often a feed …
Feb 8, 2018: This image on the cover of the Wonderous Stories book could be a metaphor for being a progressive rock fan in the late 70s.
Feb 8, 2018: Just watched a really good history of the Sunset Strip. Lots of music and bad behaviour. When I visited in 2004 on holiday the place was deserted.
Feb 6, 2018: A little project. I’m #drawing the same mug every morning for a month. I won’t be sharing them all here though.
Feb 6, 2018: James Woods - there’s a good example of having to separate the work from the person.
Feb 6, 2018: 📚A Tribute to John Mahoney, an Actor We Thought We Knew - The New Yorker
Feb 5, 2018: I’ve never tried dictation on my phone before. Doing it right now and it seems to work flawlessly. Even with my Scottish accent and speaking at my …
Feb 5, 2018: You can tell a new social network is maturing when you find discussions on the ins and outs of the musical career of Steven Wilson.
Feb 4, 2018: It’s time to turn off auto-renew for Evernote premium. I only use it for importing Kindle highlights from Clippings.io now and free is good enough for …
Feb 3, 2018: 🎵 I’ve been listening to this wonderful Norwegian band a lot recently. knekklectric.bandcamp.com
Feb 2, 2018: I can’t remember who posted about doing a morning sketch of their teacup/coffee mug but I’m going to do the same for all of February.
Feb 1, 2018: Bob’s Burgers is such a joy compared to lazy and cynical stuff like Family Guy. 📺
Jan 31, 2018: 📚 How I Met My Wife. This old New Yorker piece makes me gruntled.
Jan 30, 2018: The Sunlit app seems fabulous already. I can see it replacing a couple of other things.
Jan 29, 2018: Old Timer
Jan 28, 2018: I bought this Japanese fountain pen years ago based entirely on its look. Unfortunately it’s too small in my hand to be used comfortably for any …
Jan 27, 2018: I’ve started to read The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. It’s a shame that her passing has finally spurred me into doing so. 📚
Jan 26, 2018: I hope the HomePod is a success but silly phrases like “the experience of moving to a Retina screen… for your ears” are not going to convince …
Jan 26, 2018: Rush: a band who sparked the teenage imagination like few others. Nice, fair, piece in The Guardian about the retirement of Rush.
Jan 25, 2018: Sunlit test. “View from the office” today.
Jan 18, 2018: #snow #slowmo
Jan 16, 2018: Current forecast…
Jan 10, 2018: I’ve been reading Detroit 67: The Year That Changed Soul It’s an excellent bit of popular music and social history centred on the tensions …
Jan 9, 2018: First day back at work and plenty of this is needed.
Jan 8, 2018: 📕 Tim Smith, the Cardiacs singer hoping to overcome brain injury to make music once more
Jan 5, 2018: I ordered a keyboard from Amazon UK today and was asked at the order page if I wanted to conceal what was in the package. It’s maybe not the best of …
Jan 4, 2018: I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t like bezel-free phones. I need thumb space.
Jan 3, 2018: I got some cartridges for my slightly battered Lamy Al-Star fountain pen. Planning to use it a lot this year.
Dec 29, 2017: I might get the hang of Markdown links someday.
Dec 27, 2017: Thanks to Instagram I get to see eleven day old photos at the top of my timeline.
Dec 27, 2017: #dogsofinstagram
Dec 27, 2017: The Big Thaw
Dec 22, 2017: I’m no good at this…
Dec 9, 2017: 🎧 The Tower by Motorpsycho is a phenomenal album. I want to go and buy everything they’ve ever recorded now.
Dec 9, 2017: One of the nice little bonuses of Amazon Prime is having every season of Seinfeld at the touch of a button. I still love it but wonder how today’s …
Dec 8, 2017: I’ve had my new phone for a couple of days now and haven’t logged into Facebook yet. It feels good.
Dec 5, 2017: I tried to hold off but I’ve just ordered an iPhone X. The O2 Recycle price on my 7 meant I could pay off the contract and get a 64GB space grey …
Nov 28, 2017: I’m not doing that a third time. It’s a mixing up brackets kind of day :)
Nov 26, 2017: New camera.
Nov 20, 2017: Tyding up and I found this. Another exhibit in my old tech museum. You plugged it into an iPod and it transmitted music to a nearby radio.
Nov 19, 2017: I’d forgotten how great Popclip is until today. I bought and used it a few years ago but must have missed reinstalling it after an OS update.
Nov 17, 2017: Photo Challenge Day 7 - “Shadow”
Nov 16, 2017: Photo Challenge Day 6 - “Seasonal”
Nov 15, 2017: Photo Challenge Day 5 - “Liquid”.
Nov 14, 2017: Photo Challenge Day 4 - “Up Close”
Nov 13, 2017: Photo Challenge Day 3: “On the Move”. The chunky old watch I don’t use anymore.
Nov 12, 2017: Day Two of @douglane’s Micro.blog Photo Challenge - “Tasty”. No work tomorrow.
Nov 11, 2017: Micro.blog Photo Challenge Day 1: #squares. Ceiling lights, Argentum app, double exposure. I had to go a bit abstract for this one.
Nov 4, 2017: I have over twenty iOS app updates waiting and every one is for iPhone X compatibility which I don’t need.
Oct 29, 2017: Another good leaf. #leaves
Oct 26, 2017: Autumn #leaves
Oct 19, 2017: The people who recorded my favourite music have been leaving the planet at an alarming rate. Sad times. Canterbury Legend Phil Miller Remembered
Oct 11, 2017: Great show by Dweezil Zappa and band in Glasgow tonight. I don’t think the set list had any Zappa songs beyond the mid 70s which was fine by me.
Oct 9, 2017: I’m getting errors using OwnYourSwarm on my site. Checkins with a photo are posting to Wordpress with a 1970 date and linking to non-existent pages. …
Oct 9, 2017: The common cold I thought I had seems to have been a bit more. I’ve had no energy for about a week and I just feel like I’m getting my …
Sep 29, 2017: Cadogan Hall. One more night to go. #bigbigtrain #cadoganhall
Sep 19, 2017: There’s a problem with my UK host, Tsohost, tonight. Lots of web sites down.
Sep 17, 2017: I’m not sure if it’s connected but since updating to iOS 11 GM the Sonos app has become a real battery hog in the background. Battery …
Sep 12, 2017: I hope it’s not called iPhone Pro. My heart sinks whenever “Pro” is added to the name of anything now.
Sep 8, 2017: #vinyl #brianeno
Aug 24, 2017: If Micro.blog posts can have more than 280 characters then the iOS app could become a great little blogging client.
Aug 19, 2017: “Flickr and Yahoo are now part of “Oath” and are members of the Verizon family of companies. Beginning 15 September 2017, we plan to share some …
Aug 10, 2017: More windmills.
Jul 27, 2017: Decided to nuke my site and restore to a new Wordpress installation and database.
Jul 27, 2017: Just spent the last couple of hours cleaning up a hack in my Wordpress installation. Someone had managed to inject a pile of crap into my file system. …
Jul 21, 2017: Okay let’s do this … #gameofthrones
Jul 17, 2017: Nice bit of weather today. Will it last till I’m on holiday?
Jul 17, 2017: Rolled back to iOS 10 on my phone after trying the 11 public beta. It was NOT easy this time.
Jul 8, 2017: I understand the arguments against ad-blockers but if you have those “15 shocking celebrity pictures” type ads on your site then I have …
Jul 7, 2017: I’ve managed to get OwnYourGram and OwnYour Swarm working on my site today. Goodbye to extra plugins and IFTTT recipes.
Jul 2, 2017: There’s a load of spam getting through to my mac/icloud email address today. It seems like someone has turned off the filters.
Jun 29, 2017: I spent some time today learning a bit about Hugo after several mentions here. I managed to download and install it on my mac all via the terminal …
Jun 28, 2017: Switched themes temporarily to Sempress and it doesn’t send the gravitar image to Twitter with Bridgy. It must be some code in the Independent …
Jun 28, 2017: A question for anyone who uses the Bridgy plugin for Wordpress. How do you stop it sending the website icon/image as part of tweets?
Jun 19, 2017: MotionX Poker. This was one of the first and best apps I ever bought for iPhone. It hasn’t been updated in years but still plays without any …
Jun 12, 2017: Just got the “Dispatched” email for my new iPad Pro. Should be here tomorrow.
Jun 5, 2017: The official Twitter iOS app is now 203mb in size. My app of choice, Twitterific, is 10.6mb.
Jun 4, 2017: Farewell Walt Mossberg, the scourge of Silicon Valley Sad to see him go when you consider the state of most tech journalism.
May 30, 2017: Masashi Wakui on Flickr: these photos of Tokyo are wonderful.
May 28, 2017: It’s not often I’ll share something from The Daily Telegraph but this Iron Maiden gig review is pretty great.
May 26, 2017: Much enthused by IndieWeb ideals but I wouldn’t know one line of code from another. If there isn’t a Wordpress plugin for something then …
May 19, 2017: Word Of Mouth - Cucks, snowflakes and virtue signalling: the new US political lexicon Excellent edition of the BBC Radio 4 show about language.
May 17, 2017: It’s 25 years since the release of Buffalo Tom’s Let Me Come Over album. Wow!
May 17, 2017: I think it’s time to get rid of Instagram. It gets worse with every update.
May 12, 2017: The Post Kinds plugin effect looks fine in Safari but adds ugly grey lines in other browsers which I only noticed tonight. I’ve deactivated it …
May 12, 2017: A quick test of TodayPoster.
May 11, 2017: The fearlessness of the people in these old photographs amazes me. The Dapper Daredevil who Documented America’s Skyline in the Making
May 6, 2017: I’ve just about had it with third party complications on the Apple Watch. They work/don’t work, appear/don’t appear. Totally …
May 5, 2017: Nice blue skies on the way to work today.
May 4, 2017: It’s local election day here in the UK and I’ve cast my vote without much enthusiasm. The local campaigns were a bit overshadowed by the …
May 2, 2017: Philip Glass Buddha Machine.
May 2, 2017: What’s to stop anyone using my domain to log into a site using IndieAuth? Am I missing a link here?
Apr 29, 2017: I’ve replaced two old and broken down chairs in the last couple of weeks. My back is very grateful.
Apr 28, 2017: The new album by Big Big Train, one of my favourite bands, is out today. Check out Grimspound.
Apr 27, 2017: Spent a big part of my childhood reading comics drawn by Leo Baxendale. RIP.
Apr 26, 2017: I can’t wait to read the new Mike Nesmith autobiography. He had the most interesting career of all the ex-Monkees.
Apr 25, 2017: There seems to be a lot of layers to micro.blog that I haven’t quite got to grips with yet. I look forward to finding out what I can do here.
Apr 25, 2017: I want to point a .blog domain to my new micro.blog site but the interface needs three name servers. I might have to transfer the domain out to my …
Apr 25, 2017: My first post. Sticking to default settings right now so let’s see what happens.
Dec 26, 2016: “Sorry, you can’t have any ice cream”. #dogs
Sep 21, 2016: Outside the Assembly Hall in #Edinburgh.
Aug 28, 2016: #Glass
Feb 22, 2016: There are worse places to do training courses. Staircase detail at Eastwood House.
Sep 18, 2015: Usher Hall, #Edinburgh for #KingCrimson #early
Aug 16, 2015: Waiting to leave a very quiet King’s Cross station.
Jun 9, 2014: #vscocam
Jun 2, 2014: I think that’s quite enough of those for now.
Mar 3, 2014: #vscocam
Nov 19, 2013: Buchanan St. Bus Station, Glasgow
Aug 4, 2013: I have mixed feelings about these things. #post (testing blog automation)
Jul 29, 2013: Rising