this really isn't what that paper says? the paper itself repeatedly refuses to make anything other than a functionalist argument?

Mostly they didn't though!

Some of it is quite charmingly clunky at times.

A constant theme is the oral traditions of the people of Middle Earth and, crucially, how the time of the ending of the Third Age is pretty much like, a time of the old songs and stories coming true. Multiple characters talk about people stepping out of legend.

The Ents are so cool. He was really like "hmm what if there were guys who are trees? What songs would they sing?"

Re-reading Lord of the Rings continues to be really good. I don't want to alarm anyone but I think Tolkein was a good writer??? But in a way that's like - god you can see the depth of the influence he had.

They're really squeezing those usage limits now and enterprise pricing is also expensive - it's a good product but is it an essential one?

Also, I feel I should say - hi! Also Manx in Wales (I wasn't born on the island but my parents were and grew up there, lots of family links and such and I think of Ellan Vannin with much fondness).

It's not a sign of revolution and if it was it wouldn't be one you or I would want.

Do you not think it's part of a trend that started long before this government?

Oh the Keir Starmer playbook.

Sadly I was travelling :( I intend to have a seder when I can but I'm very sad I missed it this year.

I know people don't like to think of bad things happening, but anyone could become chronically ill or disabled at any time, through no fault of their own, no matter how healthy they are

It shouldn't only be disabled people having to fight the government all the time, it's up to all of us

I saw a security guard quietly arrive behind them having come down the opposite escalator to the one the incident was taking place on/down and follow the two station workers up. I suspect his colleagues were waiting at the top for the gentleman in question.

Stuff like this happens in the UK of course but I've never seen it in the central station concourse of a capital city. Disgusting. Kind of prick who would have been a collaborator I bet.

Just witnessed some of the most obvious public racist abuse I have ever seen. Some fucker shouting in Swedish at I think two station workers something I couldn't quite understand but it contained the words "go back" and gesturing at them in a way that was, given their relative ethnicities, clear.

Amusingly my colleague liked the restructuring it proposed but thought the bit I had handwritten to fill a gap in the paper was bad.

Thanks.

*I am immediately burned on a stake on a Milton Keynes roundabout*

Fund it by hiking fuel duty. Bish bash bosh.

Could the government give tax incentives to companies who save on energy use by mothballing offices and getting people to WfH? Thinking through better solutions than "simply prop up demand".

I am internalising a lot of the stuff I read and am turning it inwards at myself and I'm struggling to stop.

The other day I used Claude to help with a job-related task - just the planning stage - because I had a splitting migraine and the world was falling apart and I had a deadline to hit. And I feel like absolute shit for that. Like I feel like I'm a failure as an academic and a writer and a person.

Weird how you're all pretending a "tweet" can be "funny".

I feel like I'm more aware of the issues of the EU and I understand the Leave case better. I'd... still look to rejoin in a heartbeat. Weird stuff from her this.

Man's cooked.

What did Trump say yesterday?

Yeah I mean I did a post-grad teaching cert and... yeah... not a lot of evidence for anything there.

I watched Black Bag earlier. Odd film. Like having the plot of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy explained to you by someone on coke who doesn't quite remember it. Not great.

What an odd religion.