Recently updated blogs

For the last few months, there's been a lot of conversation around the "Department" of Government Efficiency, which is ostensibly an effort at improving government efficency, with a primary narrative being around government spending. This is not the actual purpose of DOGE, and it's worth explaining what's going on here, but first we have to cover a few key background ideas. A starting point that's important to mention: DOGE is …

I made this yesterday for a Mexican lunch with family, and it turned out great! Directions In a blender, mix all of the rice and 2 cups of hot water until roughly ground. Add the remaining 2 cups of hot water to the blender and blend further. Pour the contents of the blender into a jug or container with a lid and refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours. …

For the first survey of the year I headed up to Southport where there are umpteen targets awaiting my attention. I walked northwards along Lord Street, noting and photographing (It'll be dark by the time I get back) various targets, until I reached Mavericks:Here I found a very stylishly decorated bar with an American theme, in one long room. Being a former shop on a corner, two walls are almost …

You’re forgiven if you have never heard of “I Prefer Rewards.” I hadn’t until they were added as a Citi ThankYouPoints transfer partner. And when they were added, it mostly didn’t matter. The program was mostly useless because hotels in it seemingly weren’t required to offer any award inventory, so very little was available. The only thing you could realistically do was “cash and points” bookings at a handful of …

Something different for the new year. A found document from nearly twelve years ago. It’s a kind of origin myth for this blog. It should have been my first post when I started The Psychogeographic Review back in 2012. Perhaps it will be my last. As soon as I wake up I know that she has gone. The flat is empty, silent. I make coffee, then pack my bags and …

In the christmassy magical time, I: 🎭 Saw The Importance of Being Earnest at the NT, on boxing day. Camp fun with Ncuti, Sharon and Hugh. 🚘 Drove the length of the country in thick fog. 🏡 Stayed in a nice airbnb near some chickens (pictured) and the dreaded mother-in-law (not pictured). 🚘 Drove back in the sunshine. 🎤 Saw Stewart Lee Vs the Man-Wulf. His best show in years. …

To kick off the year I paid a visit to the Itchen with my younger brother Rich and the plan was to drown some maggots and catch what we could. The river was up a bit with some colour but absolutely fishable, the plan was to move around and trot areas where I know fish hold. The main target was Grayling but hoped to locate some Roach which I know …

A different kind of month with a different category of reading. CHINA Mountain Home: The Wilderness Poetry of Ancient China (5th-13th cent.), tr. David Hinton – The teenagers in The Story of the Stone play various games based on their memorization of massive amounts of classical Chinese poetry. I revisited an arbitrary sliver of it, the “mountains and rivers” school, in David Hinton’s Buddhist-leaning translation. It made the Qing games …

Dear friends and comrades in loitering With a heavy heart and much regret I’m cancelling today’s in person meet-up. I’m heeding travel warnings and also looking out of the window with some alarm and I simply don’t want to put anyone (including me) at risk. I think this is only the second time, outside of pandemic restrictions, this has happened and I hope you understand I have set up a …

One of the little side-quests I’ve had on the agenda is to build some clamps to help out when the eventual planking process. Now, you might say, “hey, there are plenty of clamps available for purchase in stores, why would you want to make your own?” Fair question, and to answer it, we need to remember that this particular boat uses lapstrake (or “clinker” for those across the pond) construction. …

In the previous update I talked about the process of designing my first bass guitar, my Delfinen Bass, looking at how it differs from a regular electric guitar design. This set of notes will catch us up on how the build of that has got going. Refinement Before we start in the workshop side of things, a quick update on the CAD model, as it’s had a couple of tweaks …

And so, another year, another list of translations! I’m doing something a bit different this year: I’m posting the entries that I have today – and wishing you a happy (still-not-quite-here-in-my-time-zone) 2025 – but I’ll finish the list by Friday. This 2024th year has been full of surprises right up until the very end so checking the rest of the publishers on my list has been the last thing on …

This baobab and ginger tea is the perfect cold and flu season tea. It is packed with antioxidants, multivitamins and nutrients that support your immune system, and overall health. What is baobab Baobab is indigenous to the African continent, Madagascar and Australia, where it stands as some of the world’s oldest trees. It holds a lot of importance in various African cultures as a symbol of wisdom and longevity. Despite …