Off to Bristol in the morning, and I still can’t get Citymapper and the TfL journey planner to agree whether it’s safe for me to try to take the tube or not.

I wonder how many people are now regularly using Discord servers rather than more ‘public’ forums?

Ukrainian partisans cut power to Russian GRAU arsenal supplying Kharkiv front - Euromaidan Press ATESH partisans torched a substation powering the GRAU Arsenal and 1060th support center in Voronezh Oblast.

Its not just drones Ukraine uses against russia behind the lines. Partisans operating in Russia still have their role - like here, taking out a substation that feeds a major Russian arsenal, freezing ammo deliveries from it.
euromaidanpress.com/2026/04/20/u...

Whereas I, having received a ‘borderline’ (non-)diagnosis, am still going over my two interviews wondering how I could have answered the questions differently to get a concrete ‘yes’.

I’d seek a second opinion, but the first one cost enough as it was.

Hooray, they’re doing Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians the Proms. Boo, they’re doing it in Bristol.

(Nothing wrong with Bristol, it’s my home town, I just have to make a special trip now.)

I had a peek when the war broke out. Sure enough, lost 5% overnight. Took a peek again yesterday - back to where it was pre-war.

Thing is, the yield is still below the best cash ISA returns, and I don’t see the BoE dropping its rates in the next year.

I’m 58 this year, I don’t have the luxury of thinking, well it’ll all come out in the wash in the long run.

My first thought too. “Reskilling” - as what? No coding jobs, no admin jobs and apparently no manual jobs either. What does that leave?

I was actually considering that.

Be ready to be shocked and offended at university, students told Guidance has been published by the Office for Students on new free speech rules coming into force this year.

I knew we shouldn’t have put Jimmy Carr in charge of higher education www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

In the era of "we must exclude trans people from playing sport, for Fairness" it's actually quite sickening for various media outlets to be all "check out out, a ROBOT won a marathon!"

I tried Mastodon for a while but, like many, I couldn’t hack it. I generally use this place as an alternative news source as most of the journos I trust are here and post regularly.

As for the business model… I think a lot of people are going to be very disappointed at some point.

Not just you at all. Not just ‘hits’ but seemingly a narrow range of hits too. And it feels like someone has a fondness for a particular piece which they then decide to play endlessly, perhaps hoping it will become a hit (eg Beethoven’s 1st piano concerto - great piece, but…)

@ianpatterson.com Ah, found you. Wasn’t sure if you’d made it over here from the hellsite.

(I’ve had to curtail my name in case a future employer decides to search for me, when I truthfully say I don’t use Facebook or Twitter.)

🧵The major churches in Germany have been notably opposed to the far right. So now the AfD is planning to cut historic state funding of the Catholic and Protestant churches/...

This is all remarkably good news.

Yes, completely with you on this. They’re at their peak, and way too many people hate them.

I’m watching the pennies more than usual lately, and I’m pleasantly surprised at how little I miss some of the things I’ve been forced to give up, like takeaway coffee.

The bathrooms aren’t too bad.

I’m surprised he hasn’t portrayed himself making the lame to run and the blind to see.

I’m currently reading a history of the Attlee government, and the parallels with Starmer’s are striking (except that Attlee was moderately popular). Labour did - just - win the 1950 election.

The most optimistic conclusion I can draw is that, perhaps, lack of trust in politics and politicians may have bottomed out.

However awful these leaders are (and they are), belief that “they’re all corrupt” and “they’re all the same” is what led to the Fuck You button that was Brexit.

What interests me in this chart is the one showing *all* the leaders’ approval ratings going up, even if only slightly. I wonder if this is a consequence of their not being [T-word] and distancing themselves from him.

It’s sad how it was the apex of Roland Joffé’s career before its slide into mediocrity. But that’s a common enough story.

I’d have chosen Hannah and Her Sisters, but I can’t watch W**dy All*n films any more.

I mean, The Mission is problematic in its own way, but it’s still a compelling study of the different aspects of faith.

Without stating your age, post your favourite film released the year you turned 18.

I just saw this and, as a middle-aged streamer, I can promise the audience is there for this kind of thing. Just don’t expect to make any money.

Despite knowing both films so well I can quote whole chunks, I never made the connection before and I can’t believe I missed it. It’s so obvious now you say it.

Casablanca is perfection though, that film doesn’t put a single foot wrong.

I saw ‘Clifton’ and immediately assumed it was Bristol. I thought, how the hell did Reform win a seat in that part of Bristol? Then I saw ‘Thanet’ and it all made sense.

I know that branch of Greggs. It’s tiny. There’s nowhere to put the stock except pretty much right by the door.