Recently updated blogs

I created Soul Sides 20 years ago because I wanted an outlet to write about my favorite records. The blog era feels bygone — and I clearly stopped regularly updating the site years ago — but the impulse to talk about records has never faded. It’s why I’ve created podcasts and newsletters but to mark the...

Self-hosted setup using docker-compose and importing of articles from OmnivoreThe read-it-later app which I had been using, Omnivore, recently announced that it was being acquired by EvenLabs and would shut down on 30 November 2024.1 Although Omnivore is technically open source (which was one of the reasons I selected it), the project is not mature. It does not actually support self-hosted installations at the moment and the mobile apps will …

Tl;dr: The first progress conference was a huge success. Progress Conference 2025 will happen in October 2025, in Berkeley. More info early next year! We’re hiring an Event Manager to help us make this an annual event and to convene other in-person events for the progress community. It’s been a month since the first annual Progress Conference brought together well over 200 thinkers, builders, policy makers, storytellers, and students of …

The Victoria County History is a distinguished series of chronicles for the old shires of England, weighty volumes in venerable bindings. Professor Catherine Clark, the Director of the series, recently posted on their website a 'VCH Ghost Story', which begins: 'This curious and disconcerting letter was found recently in the archive of the Victoria County History of England (addressed to

Five hundred breathtaking images of human expression at Unpen-ji watch over all visitors! T emple 66, Unpen-ji, has many identities on Shikoku pilgrimage. Although it is counted as being in Kagawa Prefecture, it is actually just across the prefectural … 🐞 Read more about it ➞ ➞ ➞

Look deep into the knowing eye of this magnificent one. He is a Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, a species of baleen whale for whom I hold a special place in my heart. Baleens are toothless whales who feed on plankton and other wee oceanic tasties that they consume through their baleens, a specialised filter of flexible keratin plates that frame their mouth and fit within their

Super delicious post movie dinner Supra restaurant.

For those who came of age after the 1980s, it might be hard to fully grasp the bold spirit of weddings during that decade. Everything about the celebration was larger than life—wedding dresses, cakes, and even guest lists reflected the era’s signature love of extravagance. Dresses were designed to make an unforgettable statement, brides walked […]

This was the final official 32X release, and coming out in 1996, I think there are two assumptions that can be safely made about it. The first is that it coming out was something of an adherence to the lost cause fallacy: possibly the publisher specifically had a license to make Marvel games only for the 32X, and they were going to do it whether it made sense or not. …

The world feels pretty uncertain right now. Conflicts are constant, the threat of nuclear war looms far too close for comfort, and the cost of living is climbing faster than most people can keep up with. Understandably, many are cutting back on luxury spending, focusing instead on essentials. It begs the question: what does all this mean for woodworking as a hobby? Will it remain an accessible and fulfilling pastime, …

The UncoolTwo50 is over – well, the voting phase is – but the posting continues. These are the final 10 near-misses. 60. PUBLIC ENEMY – “By The Time I Get To Arizona” (1991) I learned too late that this record is NOT in fact a single, despite having an (incendiary) video made for it, it was a B-Side. But that’s OK! Because apparently an album tracks challenge is planned and …

An end of week recap “Ideologies separate us. Dreams and anguish bring us together.” – Eugène Ionesco For my elevenses today, I shall help myself to a stout slice of chocolate cake in recognition of my 400th wind up for Book Jotter. WUTW #1 appeared on 14th January 2018 and in it I shared a handful of recent reads, gleefully announced my upcoming visit to the Hay Festival and… well, …

Photography of East London with more information about local events and history projects

Detailed review of the Scanner Calligraphy DKL Pro, a light painting photography scanner tool designed to illuminate scenes, models, or create light trails. Disclaimer The Scanner Calligraphy DKL Pro was sent to me by Frodo from Children Of Darklight for an honest review. The links in this review are non-affiliate links. Scanner Calligraphy DKL Pro (English) Scanner Calligraphy DKL Pro (Espanol) Design and Construction The Scanner Calligraphy DKL Pro is …

Saturday 23rd November 2024 Passengers on TfL’s route 358 between Crystal Palace and Orpington finally got to travel on the much anticipated Irizar electric ‘tram style’ buses on Wednesday when seven of the 17 vehicles allocated to the route, operated by Go-Ahead London from its Green Street Green bus garage, hit the road. Readers may recall I wrote about a journey I made exactly two years ago expecting at that …