Stephen's Notebook

A new doggy pal.

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

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 MXN10 music streamer as the “Mexican pesos ten”.

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 world. This is why I had no doubts about deleting my Substack account. If they ever find a moral compass I might go back.

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 identification built in. It could tell me this was a poinsettia without me having to search elsewhere.

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 year.

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 source of happiness. Let’s see if there’s any truth to that.

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 nice reminder of what an enjoyable place Twitter used to be.

My WFMU t-shirt collection is small but expanding. October fundraiser swag is here.

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 Dogs really hit me hard. The subject matter is still very close to home right now. It’s one of the best things I’ve watched on TV in a long time.