Reading

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Interesting Links for 18-11-2025

1. There has to be a better way to make titanium: (tags:materials )
2. Reselling tickets above face value set to be banned by UK government: (tags:concerts tickets regulation UK )
3. Legendary game designer, programmer, Space Invaders champion, and LGBTQ trailblazer Rebecca Heineman has died: (tags:history obituary games lgbt )

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photos,
pixelfed

Photo cross-post

After several hours of hammering and some excellent assistance from Sophia, we have constructed a child-stacking device.

(Side-pieces to be constructed tomorrow)
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

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Interesting Links for 16-11-2025

1. What's behind Rachel Reeves's hokey cokey on income tax rises?: (tags:tax uk politics )
2. US police propagandists get paid to oppose views of the actual polled police: (tags:police propaganda )
3. Alastair Campbell says senior BBC staff 'in the JK Rowling camp': (tags:LGBT transgender BBC bigotry )
4. Are Dogs and Cats on TikTok Really "Talking" with Buttons?: (tags:animals language communication )

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micropost

One ping only

I just spent an hour playing "Captain Sonar"
Two teams, each of which are moving their submarin around a map, while trying to work out where their opponent is, keep the ship running, and charge their systems so that they can detect the other team and then torpedo them.
Good fun!

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micropost

Frustration du jour

I can't believe I have to put up with another 11 days of the news cycle being about what may or may not possibly maybe be in the budget.

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Interesting Links for 14-11-2025

1. 'Segregated facilities' are no longer explicitly banned in federal contracts: (tags:usa racism )
2. Lupus may be caused by the common Epstein-Barr virus (as well as MS): (tags:disease virus immune_system )
3. Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, San Francisco, and Phoenix: (tags:automation driving usa )
4. The last-ever US penny was minted today in Philadelphia: (tags:usa money cash )
5. Inside China's Mini PC Production: How Tiny Computers Are Made (a 22 minute factory tour): (tags:computers video manufacturing )
6. Marble: generating 3D scenes from text and imagery prompts: (tags:3d design ai )
7. GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE (apocalyptically strange looking film, I rather fancy it): (tags:movies trailer weird video )
8. 5 key points as legal experts grilled by MSPs on indyref2: (tags:scotland independence law )
9. Drop in U.S. Religiosity Among Largest in World (down 17% in a decade, to less than half): (tags:religion USA )
10. UK tax calculator showing tax rates and marginal rates under various suggestions by different groups/parties: (tags:tax UK visualisation )

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Interesting Links for 10-11-2025

1. How the world's richest man is boosting the British right: (tags:politics fascism ElonMusk twitter bias )
2. James Watson: From DNA pioneer to untouchable pariah: (tags:biography DNA history viaPatrickHadfield )
3. Fact-Checking Claims About Zohran Mamdani: (tags:politics usa satire funny )
4. Reminder that the New York Times regularly prints hateful nonsense (an article about someone they tried to interview about Zohran Mamdani): (tags:politics newyork journalism OhForFucksSake USA viaKenny )
5. A bunch of engineers built a drifting wheelchair for an injured coworker. It looks awesome.: (tags:disability engineering video )
6. The nature of the last universal common ancestor and its impact on the early Earth system: (tags:biology genetics earth )
7. Meet the teen behind the Louvre 'Fedora Man' mystery photo: (tags:france police photos crime Paris style )
8. New flu virus mutation could see 'worst season in a decade' (get your vaccinations!): (tags:flu doom )
9. Long-term Melatonin use associated with much higher risk of heart problems and death: (tags:medicine heart )
10. Senate Democrats Just Made a Huge Mistake: (tags:usa politics )
11. Scotland's first commercial windfarm will be able to deliver five times more clean power than before after being upgraded: (tags:scotland windpower GoodNews )

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Interesting Links for 09-11-2025

1. Women are three times more likely than men to get severe long COVID: (tags:women Pandemic )
2. We've found a biomarker for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: (tags:babies death )
3. Chinese Authorities Shut Down Film Festival in New York (By harrassing filmmakers and their families): (tags:china censorship movies usa OhForFucksSake )
4. The modern homes hidden inside ancient ruins: (tags:architecture history )
5. What do voters think would count as Labour breaking their promises on tax?: (tags:tax labour polls politics uk )
6. A Gene Editing Therapy Cut Cholesterol Levels by Half (trial only lasted 60 days): (tags:genetics health )
7. Interactive Time-Lapse Map Shows How the U.S. Took More Than 1.5 Billion Acres From Native Americans: (tags:history USA maps visualisation )
8. Why didn't Democrats codify Roe v. Wade when Obama had a fillibuster proof majority in 2009?: (tags:abortion politics USA )

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Lord Peter Wimsey

One of my friends posted links to a really good selection of Lord Peter Wimsey fics.

I've been happily reading through them, and I've lost the link back to the collection.

Help! Which one of you provided the list?

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about me

We are supposed to speak good of the dead.

We are supposed to speak good of the dead.

Are you familiar with Raspberry Ripple ice cream? It's a pale, bland, almost unflavoured frozen dairy dessert, cut through with narrow seams of deep red which savage the blandness.

( We are supposed to speak good of the dead. )

Life with two kids: Bedtime arguments with a five year old

Every night for the past two weeks it's gone something like this:
Me: Gideon, do you want Daddy to shout at you?
Gideon: No
Me: I don't want to shout at you either.
Gideon: Good
Me: So, how do we make Daddy not shout at you?
Gideon: Not muck about in bed
Me: So you're going to curl up, get comfy and go to sleep
Gideon: Yes
...Three minutes pass...
Gideon: Fidgets
Gideon: Plays with his foot
Gideon: Sings songs under his breath
Gideon: Makes clicking noises
Me: Gideon, if you aren't quiet, I'll get grumpy with you. Is that what you want?
Gideon: No. I'll be good.
...Three more minutes pass...
Gideon: Sings, fidgets, rolls over, refuses to hold still, twists his arms around his legs until he looks like a pretzel, and then grins at me
Me: WILL YOU LIE STILL, STOP MUCKING ABOUT AND GO TO SLEEP.
Gideon: Gets tears in his eyes, chokes up slightly, curls up, and stops mucking about,
Gideon: goes to sleep in about 45 seconds.
Me: Is stressed for about half an hour and angry at myself.

If anyone has advice on how we can skip stages 9 through 17 I would appreciate it.

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Interesting Links for 07-11-2025

1. Researchers uncover AI bias against older working women: (tags:women age ai OhForFucksSake bias )
2. Britain Is Having the World's Most Extreme Immigration Debate: (tags:UK immigration OhForFucksSake )
3. What percentage of English derives from which languages?: (tags:language english uk history )
4. Australia has so much solar that it's offering everyone free electricity: (tags:australia electricity solarpower economics )
5. Rockstar Games Employee posts about recent union-busting efforts: (tags:rockstar gta unions OhForFucksSake )
6. Metformin reduces the benefits of exercise in people with diabetes: (tags:diabetes exercise drugs )
7. Labour spending billions on actually building social housing. Finally!: (tags:labour housing GoodNews )
8. The UK Personal Finance Flowchart (an excellent guide to help you think about your finances): (tags:finances uk advice )

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Interesting Links for 05-11-2025

1. EU moves to prevent 'Trojan horses' from joining bloc: (tags:democracy europe russia )
2. Confused about JCVI and COVID shots: (tags:pandemic vaccination )
3. Elon Musk does not understand The Lord Of The Rings: (tags:ElonMusk lotr )
4. Tolkien, Lewis, and The Silver Chair Theory: (tags:Tolkien CSLewis history writing lotr narnia relationships )
5. What happens when you try to meet transphobes halfway: (tags:bigotry LGBT transgender )
6. Takeaways from Tuesday's US elections: (tags:USA elections GoodNews )
7. 3/4 of CEOs believe they have to have an AI strategy or they'll be replaced (which explains why there's so much investment into it): (tags:ai business )
8. Why is land reform on the agenda in Scotland?: (tags:land scotland law )
9. Covid jabs gave under-18s heart problems - but were less risky than catching virus: (tags:pandemic safety vaccination )