Recently updated blogs

The world of photography is incredibly diverse, making it tricky to choose the perfect gifts for photographers. Whether you’re a seasoned shutterbug or someone who knows little about lenses, this guide is here to simplify your search. From clever camera gifts to thoughtful photography gifts that cater to both beginners and pros, you’ll find something to inspire creativity and enhance their craft. Explore these carefully curated picks and make the …

As a lifehacky person, I’m always on the lookout for items that might seem boring but secretly make life lots better. I’ve noticed people sharing similar lists to this, and I find them genuinely useful, so I thought I’d create my own. The method was simple: I went back through all of my Amazon purchases forever and picked out ones which have genuinely added to life. They are things I …

Drawn by myth, stunned by reality. A trip to Transylvania.

With the body back together, the next step is to fully bind the body and also prepare a new neck blank. Cheers Gary

Victorian CromwellWondering around the centre of Bradford, I spent some time staring at the huge City Hall (designed as the Town Hall in 1869 and completed in 1873), trying to take it all in. The tall central clock tower, the grand iron-gated entrance, the rows of Gothic arches, the decoration, the heraldic shields, the many of statues of kings and queens, there was so much for eye and brain to …

That was the title of something Rob Saldin and I wrote more than a decade ago for The New York Daily News. I tried to get AI to create an image for the filibuster, but nothing was better than this. If you hated our point then maybe you’ll hate it now. Or maybe not…since political fortunes have changed. And that’s our core point. If you want a more normal politics …

The most common entry point for Grateful Dead listeners is the acoustic folkie material, especially “Uncle John’s Band”. That makes sense; the song is fun, memorable, and relatively accessible. It seems like it would make a good campfire singalong. But then you get in there to try to learn it, and the song turns out to be extremely odd. Like a lot of Dead tunes! This excellent episode of the …

Anyone who grew up in England and who is of a certain age will remember the children’s TV series Bodger & Badger. The latter was rather fond of mashed potato, I seem to remember. The series came to mind after I prompted GPT-4o to come up with an image “based on our conversations… using an appropriate illustration style.” It came up with this monstrosity, complete with reference to DIGITAL BODGES: …

Well it didn't take quite as long as most of us would have imagined, but the inevitable has happened. Carsberg Marstons Brewing has decided, after announcing the closure of Banks's Brewery and saying that it would not result in a loss of brands - also known as someone's beloved beers - that they are discontinuing no less than eight cask beers and three others. As Pub Curmudgeon remarked, "it might …

Some bullshit Google app is now rewriting web pages and injecting links back to Google's own ad-stuffed pages.

Unwed women in China’s Canton Delta found autonomy and sisterhood in gupouks, innovative communal homes that emerged in tandem with the industrialization of silk-making. Read on Places Journal

Compiling Compile’s Creations Developer: Compile Publisher: Compile Release Date: May 5th, 1996 (via Disc Station Vol. 10) Available On: PC-98 Genre: Shoot ‘Em Up In the 80s and 90s, there was an ol’ proverb you’d hear every so often: “In life, three things are certain: death, taxes, and Compile putting out more shoot ‘em ups”. I just made that up, but it feels like something that should be true, both …

I’ve been playing a little guitar again, after not being inspired for a while. Jag har spelat lite gitarr igen, efter att jag inte blivit inspirerad på en tag.

Late last year I got back into miniature painting, something I hadn’t done since I was in college. I was living on my own in the middle of nowhere for most of 2024, and painting miniatures was a nice way to spend time, especially when I was snowed in. I even made a few YouTube videos about painting.Here’s everything I painted in 2024, along with a few notes on the …