Post on blot.blog

Are You Buying the Product – or the Praise?

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 15:34:00 +0100

If by magic, only you could see it, would you still buy it?

This one question strips away our elaborate justifications and reveals the truth about why we buy things.

Much of what we buy (and do) is for others – more than we care to admit. We’re masterful at convincing ourselves otherwise, creating stories that protect our self-image as rational, independent thinkers.

But we’re not. Entire industries thrive on our willingness to pay massive premiums for status markers. A £20,000 Rolex instead of a £200 Seiko. A £4,000 Louis Vuitton bag instead of a £120 M&S. £30 Aesop hand soap instead of £3 alternatives. A £30,000 wedding instead of an equally beautiful, intimate ceremony.

Dwight Schrute Is My Life Coach

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 15:28:00 +0100

Sometimes the most profound wisdom comes from the unlikeliest sources. Case in point: the comedy show The Office (US) has given me two pieces of advice I rely on constantly.

Don’t be an idiot

Michael asks his protégée Dwight what the best piece of advice he ever gave him was.

“Don’t be an idiot” he replies without hesitation. “Changed my life”.

It’s played for laughs – highlighting the absurdity that Dwight never independently considered this himself.

Weeknotes – 1748 of 4175

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 17:25:00 +0100

Hi all 👋 Hope you had a good week. Here’s what I’ve been thinking, learning and writing.

🏡 Life Update

I’ve never had any interest in going to a traditional English afternoon tea. Eating tiny bites with a big price? No thanks.

But my Mum loves them. So off we went for Mother’s Day. And to the Savoy Hotel too (the thinking mans Ritz). It was all perfectly nice, and less stuffy than I imagined. But it was eye-wateringly expensive for some mini sandwiches and cakes.

This Post Is Only 80% Finished

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 08:15:00 +0100

I have a goal to write a more. Just a little bit, every day.

It’s part of my initiative to take advantage of the mornings more. I’m tired of spending 60–90 minutes upon waking just scrolling on my phone.

And whilst I’m not committed to posting something every day, I’m going to try to.

However, I struggle with getting a post over the line – getting it from 80% done, to 100% done and hitting ‘publish’.

The Cultural Fade of Rick and Morty

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 19:41:00 +0100

In this weeks weeknotes I mentioned how Game of Thrones disappeared from cultural relevance. Now I’m noticing Rick and Morty followed a similar path.

During its early seasons, it dominated geek culture and the internet. Today? Almost nothing.

For me, the decline began with the McDonalds Szechuan sauce incident. The public suddenly saw the toxic side of the fanbase. Then came allegations of abuse and general creepiness against co-creator Justin Roiland. The magic somehow evaporated.

Weeknotes – 1747 of 4175

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 30 Mar 2025 12:44:00 +0100

Hi all 👋 Hope you had a good week.

I’m still getting into the swing of writing these weeknotes, so I’ve missed the past two weeks. I’m realising that I shouldn’t wait until the end of the week to write it. I should just add to it each day.

Anyway, here’s what I’ve been thinking, learning and writing these part three weeks.

🏡 Life Update

My biggest highlight recently was getting to feed baby lambs at Herrings Green Activity Farm. Delightful. Aside from having some farm animals, it’s also a cracking owl sanctuary. My main takeaway is that eagles are scary and owls are spooky.

Weeknotes – 1744 of 4175

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Hi all 👋 Hope you had a good week. My week was pretty quiet (as the short weeknotes will reflect).

🏡 Life Update

The theme of this week continues to be me and my girlfriend looking to buy our first home. We’re having to pull out of the one we’ve put an offer accepted for¹. Our cirumstances have changed and we have fallen in love with a gorgeous cottage.

All my life I’ve wanted to life in a cottage, so the chance to fulfill that dream is too good to miss. It is gorgeous and has everything you want from a cottage: wooden beams, cubby holes, slightly quirky (but large) layout, and a log burner We’ve put in an offer today. Let’s hope they accept.

Weeknotes – 1743 of 4175

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Hi all 👋 Hope you had a good week. Here’s what I’ve been thinking, learning and writing.

🧠 Things I Learnt

I read mostly about Robert Cotton in The Posthumous Papers of the Manuscripts Club this week.

He was a Member of Parliament, but he’s mostly remembered for his high-quality manuscript¹ collection. Though sadly a lot of his books were lost or damaged in a fire in 1731.

I thought it interesting how genealogy and ancestry determined personal status in Tudor and Stuart England.

Heroism in the Age of Dishwashers

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 15:11:47 +0000

I saw a TikTok where a wife said that when her husband claimed he’d do anything for her, he meant fighting off bears and going into battle. Not putting the washing away.

There’s a lesson about life and love in that quip. When we’re young, we imagine life’s defining moments as grand and cinematic – standing firm against formidable foes and making dramatic declarations of love. What we don’t realise is that most of life’s biggest battles will be boring and monotonous. Often that’s precisely why they’re challenging.

The Wistfulness of Your 30s

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 13:40:00 +0100

Wistfulness [noun]: a feeling of sadness because you are thinking about something that is impossible or in the past.

@easemyvibes on Threads:

No one prepares you for the grief you feel in your 30s. Time suddenly feels like it sped up — you’re grieving the life you thought you’d have by now, you’re seeing your parents get older, you and your loved ones are all experiencing loss in some capacity, you’re outgrowing relationships, and you’re constantly thinking of your own mortality; wanting to live life to the fullest, but “the fullest” costs money so you’re stuck working to afford a life you have no time to live.

You Don't Need More Content – You Need Better Attention

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 07:40:12 +0000

Reading Henrik Karlsson ° got me thinking about the importance of high quality ‘inputs’.

Every day, we wade through dozens of blog posts, when our reading list is full. We browse book reviews, despite having shelves of unread greatness. We scan Rotten Tomatoes, while our watchlist already contains more masterpieces than we could watch in years.

Consuming excellence isn’t a search problem. It’s a focus problem. I know which blogs have a low ‘hit’ rate. I know early on when a book isn’t good. I know I rarely gain anything from visiting a news site.

Dr Pepper

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:58 +0000

I have an extremely strong memory of the first time I tried Dr Pepper.

Dawn broke at the scout campsite.

With the smell of smoke still softly rising from last nights fires, me and my best friend Sam took a walk.

The ground was endlessly dew-covered and we were the only humans awake.

Amid the dank trees there was a beacon glowing. A vending machine.

I chose a curiously named drink I’d heard of but never tasted: Dr Pepper.

'James Bond to be made by Amazon as British creators step back'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 17:08:05 +0000

The Times:

Creative control of the James Bond film franchise is to become an all-American affair after long-time rights holders Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson announced they were stepping down and handing the reins to Amazon MGM Studios.

I think this is bad news, despite them remaining ‘co-owners’ of the franchise.

It always seemed that ‘Bond’ as a franchise and all it represents was largely held together by the dedication of Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson – they were more than mere rights holders. They understood Bond, and I’m sure stopped many attempts to ‘modernise’ it.

Hunter S. Thompson died 20 years ago today

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:17:00 +0100

Raising a glass of Wild Turkey to Hunter S. Thompson, who died 20 years ago today. The father of Gonzo journalism, he was a rebel, trailblazer, and master of chaos. (1937-2005) 🦇

If you’re unfamiliar with this work, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Hell’s Angels are good places to start.

And I have a particular soft spot for his novel The Rum Diary – it’s a great holiday read.

'10,046 out-of-copyright works, free for all to browse, download, and reuse'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 09:49:00 +0100

Public Domain Image Archive from the Public Domain Review:

Explore our hand-picked collection of 10,046 out-of-copyright works, free for all to browse, download, and reuse. This is a living database with new images added every week.

How Andrew Roberts writes his diary

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 10:25:00 +0100

I expected historian Andrew Roberts to make me feel bad about my diary habits when he spoke about it on the Tim Ferriss Show ° (.mp3).

I imagined: lengthy nightly sessions, perfect consistency, deep reflection.

Instead, Roberts:

Writes in the morning (he drinks at night)
Only writes when something interesting happens
Keeps entries around 500 words

This was refreshing to hear. I’ve been stuck on rigid rules: minimum 750 words, every single night, no excuses.

On Writing: Short Enough to Finish, Long Enough to Matter

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 12:25:05 +0100

Listen to this post.

My instinct is to ramble when I write. And whilst my final ruthlessly edited drafts are fairly compact, could I go further, into minimalist territory?

As a blogger, what style and length should your writing be? Short and punchy? Or longer and more in-depth, with plenty of details and examples?

I have a “Essays & Long-form” folder in my RSS reader, full of great writers. Yet most days I don’t even look in there. It’s rare for me to have the motivation to read 2000 words on medieval side hustles, for example. And when I do look in there and see a long post I like I’ll save it in my ‘read later’ app. Where the article will likely remain, unread.

ADHD and the Struggle With Internal Expectations

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 09:12:05 +0100

I have ADHD. Yet I often act as if I don’t.

Things I expect, yet can’t achieve:

Cook homemade meals every night
Follow verbal instructions flawlessly
Stick religiously to routines
Avoid impulse purchases entirely
Completely resist binge eating
Remember much of what I read
Excel at laundry management

It’s time I face facts: these traits aren’t vanishing. They’re part of me.

I’m learning that ADHD is about balance. Accepting some things, fighting others. Setting realistic expectations.

ADHD and the Burden of Possessions

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:38:05 +0100

10 Things You Think You Need to Organize, But Should Minimize Instead °

The list has things like toiletries, tupperware, towels, kitchen gadgets, clothing and shoes. All things that I spend a lot of time organising when I should probably be minimising.

My ADHD complicates and makes things worse. Every item has an oversized effect. The burden of storing it, cleaning it, and organising it is immense.

ADHD folk should live simply and minimally. But instead we impulse buy and pick up a new hobby every month.

The Ron Swanson Approach: Birthdays for Introverts

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 09:29:05 +0100

In Parks and Recreation’s third season there’s a moment that perfectly captures the introvert’s dilemma.

Ron, a man who guards his privacy and peace fiercely, dreads Leslie’s notorious penchant for over-the-top celebrations. As the day approaches, his anxiety builds. But when the moment arrives, he’s met with an unexpected gift - solitude. Leslie has arranged for him to enjoy a steak, whisky, and “The Bridge on the River Kwai” in peaceful isolation.

Your brain is not a computer

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 09:18:05 +0100

Research psychologist Robert Epstein argues that our understanding of the human brain is being held back by the persuasive ’the brain is like a computer’ metaphor.

I especially like this passage showing that our knowledge of ourselves has always been influenced by the technology of the time. We’re just too complicated, so we shoehorn in mechanical parallels:

In his book In Our Own Image (2015), the artificial intelligence expert George Zarkadakis describes six different metaphors people have employed over the past 2,000 years to try to explain human intelligence.

1920’s depression treatment: lots of milk and lots of nothing

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 16:28:57 +0100

I’m currently reading “English Food: A People’s History” by Diane Purkiss. I thought this passage on Virginia Woolf’s depression treatment interesting:

Virginia Woolf, on the other hand, was in the 1920s treated, if that is the right word, by the then recommended regime of complete rest – not even books were allowed, lest they excite the brain – milk, weight gain, fresh air and early nights. One of her doctors, Sir George Savage, was especially keen to treat neurasthenic women by excessive feeding and complete rest. Woolf was given four or five pints of milk every day, half a pint every two hours. After five days of milk on this scale, she was allowed to add a cutlet, malt extract, cod liver oil and beef tea. The rather brainless thinking behind the regime was that since patients like Woolf stopped eating and lost weight when depressed, they could be forced back into wellness by being made to gain weight.

1930’s Protective Foods

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 16:24:49 +0100

I’m currently reading “English Food: A People’s History” by Diane Purkiss.

There’s a section on the hardships of people during the Great Depression. And after a sad, brief mention of a woman named Annie Weaving who died aged 37 ° potentially due to not being able to feed both herself and her family there’s a reference to something called “protective foods”.

I’d never heard the term. I thought they might be “protected” as in having their price controlled by the government. But it’s actually the precursor to the food pyramid idea.

Millenarianism

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 12:38:07 +0100

One of the things I don’t like about certain religious groups and people is their love of round numbers. Or more specifically round years. Every new century, half-century or decade they claim something miraculous and/or terrible is going to happen¹

To me it’s just lazy, easy prophesying. And I find it rather silly. If religion is fantasy then these predictions are high fantasy. They’re always the same. The non-believers will burn. And the believers will live in a utopia or be taken to heaven. There’s never any subtlety or precision.

Give me some citations please

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 10:57:16 +0100

I recently started reading "Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire" by Roger Crowley. While I’ve only highlighted two passages so far, both of them contained incorrect information.

The first passage:

The Romans knew of the Canary Islands, a smattering of rocks off the coast of Morocco, which they called the Fortunate Islands and from which they measured longitude.

Late bedtimes might harm your mental health, even if you're a nightowl

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 09:42:09 +0100

Neuroscience News °:

Staying up late harms mental health regardless of one’s natural sleep preference. Surveying nearly 75,000 adults, researchers discovered that both morning and night types who stayed up late had higher rates of mental disorders. Surprisingly, aligning with one’s chronotype didn’t matter—early bedtimes benefited everyone. The study suggests lights out by 1 a.m. for better mental health.

[…] “The worst-case scenario is definitely the late-night people staying up late,” Zeitzer said. Night owls being true to their chronotype were 20% to 40% more likely to have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, compared with night owls following an early or intermediate sleep schedule.

Asket and stupid marketing experiments

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 26 May 2024 05:43:10 +0100

Last week the clothing company Asket removed all images for their products.

I would be curious to know how much their sales dropped during that week.

Well, I’m guessing they dropped. Who knows, maybe the publicity outweighed the loss of sales. Hey, I’m talking about it. So the marketing has worked.

Aside: I always mix up Asket and Arket. They have similar names and they both sell slightly expensive minimal clothing. Maybe Cos should rebrand to Atket.

Big projects, small favours: Boost your work reputation by nailing the extremes

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 25 May 2024 20:09:37 +0100

Want to be known as dependable and great at your job? Focus on the big and the small tasks.

People notice when that critical project is struggling. They also notice when you promise a small favour but take forever to deliver.

It’s tempting to tackle the medium tasks first. The small ones can wait until later. But suddenly it’s the end of the day and they’re not done.

And the big projects feel overwhelming, so you wait for the perfect time to start. Which never arrives.

Travel? Meh

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 25 May 2024 10:40:05 +0100

Venkatesh Rao (Ribbon Farm)°:

One of the biggest changes in my personality with middle age is that I no longer really enjoy travel beyond local weekend getaways. Almost no destination has a pain/novelty ratio that makes it worth it… Even though travel has gotten way more convenient overall (smartphones, eSIM cards, cashless payments, Uber, Google Translate — though at the expense of phone-loss anxiety), my tolerance for discomfort has plummeted. I don’t like shitty hotels/hostels, awkward couchsurfing, wrangling luggage, driving unfamiliar cars, figuring out transit systems… I especially don’t like wading through lots of options figuring out food options. The net effect is that I’ve gradually gone sessile.

Arun.is

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 19 May 2024 10:05:29 +0100

I love discovering a wonderful new homepage or blog. Especially on the weekend when I have time to gently sip away at its content. This time it’s Arun and their website arun.is.

It’s a technology-focused blog that’s simply, but sensationally, designed. There’s quite the archive, so I haven’t read all their stuff, but here’s some of my favourites:

The Art of the Desk Setup and The Evolution of the Desk Setup. I’m forever fascinated by peoples desk setup. And this one goes into the methodology and reasoning, rather than it being a dispassionate list.
Introducing arun.is 2.0. I love a behind-the-scenes look at a blog.
The deep work guide to Slack. A good Slack productivity guide.
Why we crave healthier computing. How computers should maybe do less, so humans can do more.
Tools for professionals, tools for amateurs. As it says on the tin.

They also have a newsletter and another website called zen of things that showcases some beautiful products.

Film Review: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 11 May 2024 19:44:45 +0100

I’m a big fan of Guy Ritchie’s films. His first two, “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch”, are the business. Even as he’s gone more Hollywood over the years, his work always maintains that unique Ritchie touch – the clever dialogue, the inventive filming style. His Sherlock Holmes felt fresh and modern, despite the period setting. And “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” was a blast. Even when he slightly misses the mark, like with “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” or “Wrath of Man” (a poor man’s “Heat”), there’s still enough Ritchie magic to make them worth a watch. His “Aladdin” was okayish too. Really, “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” is his only true dud (even the title is bad).

The 19th Century's Lottery for Life

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 05 May 2024 18:14:30 +0100

April 12, 1835. London. The weekly Friday lottery draw is about to take place and a young woman clutches her ticket with desperate hope as she speeds up Denmark Hill.

A ticket is difficult to get as it all but guarantees that you’ll see a favourable outcome in the draw. So every morning for the past three days the woman visited various wealthy homes, begging the servant who answered the door to let her see their master so she can plead her case for her worthiness of a ticket. And eventually she was thankfully gifted one.

'Stop Acting Like You're Famous'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 05 May 2024 16:52:58 +0100

Ash from ajkprojects.com °:

You aren’t famous. Anything you do or create will probably receive little to no attention, so stop optimizing for a non-existent audience and instead focus on what makes you enjoy the activity.

I’m an overthinker and overworrier. This article didn’t cure that. But it’s important for me to regularly read content like this to try and keep myself somewhat in check.

4000 Weeks: Embracing Limits for a Fuller Life

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 16:20:06 +0000

Ever feel like you’re hurtling through life, desperately trying to cram everything in before it’s too late? Oliver Burkeman’s book “Four Thousand Weeks” aims to help you (4000 weeks is 80 years, the average human lifespan). But it’s not your typical time management book. It’s a philosophical and practical look at why you’re stuck in the hamster wheel of “getting things done.”

I read it recently. So let’s take a deeper look at it and it’s ideas.

Little Links & Notes 8: Writing Hacks and the Pain of Existence

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 10:51:06 +0000

Hi all 👋 Long time no see. Hope you’re having a good Sunday. I’m back with the eighth instalment of Little Links & Notes. Enjoy, and have a good week.

“How I Went From Writing 2,000 Words a Day to 10,000 Words a Day” (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association – Rachel Aaron °).

You don’t have to be a writer to enjoy this article on how this person used a “Knowledge, Time, Enthusiasm” triangle to improve her daily writing output.

Using a Shell Script to Automate the Building and Deploying of My Hugo Blog

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 17:22:21 +0000

blot.blog is powered by Hugo, which is static site generator. So basically my blog is a bunch of Markdown and other files that then gets ‘built’ into HTML, CSS, etc. files and then uploaded to the web. But the thing is, this all has to be done manually by command in the Terminal. It’s a pain and adds an extra layer of friction when it comes to blogging. And it also means it’s a huge pain to update the blog via my phone.

Movie Review: Your Christmas Or Mine? (2022)

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:49:51 +0000

Through a transport and communication mishap, a couple accidentally spend Christmas at the others’ family home. One family is cold but rich. The other warm but less rich. That’s the premise.

I was annoyed at first when the couple got ‘split up’. How can you have a romantic comedy without them being together‽ But I got over that and I warmed to this film. It took quite a while to find its feet, but once it did it had just enough charm to keep me interested and satisfied. And whilst the ending doesn’t quite land this was still a worthwhile watch. Well, judge for yourself. If you’re totally against romantic, cheesy film that give this one a skip. But I can tolerate even middling examples of that category, so for me it was worthwhile.

Shane MacGowan Has Died

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:34:12 +0000

“The Pogues were once described as a tight, professional bunch of musicians fronted by a total shambles.”

Shane MacGowen, frontman of The Pogues, has died aged 65. A decent innings in some ways, considering his lifestyle.

I haven’t listened to pretty much anything of The Pogues and the limited knowledge I have of MacGowen is just of his hellraising. But there is one song of the band that I know very well: Fairytale of New York.

Little Links & Notes 7

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:02:06 +0000

Recipe timings before the invention of clocks (Making Darkness Light: The Lives and Times of John Milton).

Recipe books, if they needed to tell their readers how long to undertake a given action, would often say things like: ‘Let it remain boiling, while your pulse beateth two hundred strokes’ or The water is to remain upon it, no longer than whiles you can say the Miserere psalm very leisurely.'

Little Links & Notes 6

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 23 Apr 2023 08:14:09 +0100

‘A new ‘miracle’ weight-loss drug really works — raising huge questions’ (Financial Times °).

It’s pretty pricey right now. Costing $1,350/mo in the US.

Something interesting about being obese:

Once it becomes obese, the human body tends to push itself to rebound to its previous highest weight. Scientists don’t fully understand why, or how to stop it.

The 100 best TV shows of the 21st century (The Guardian °). I usually hate these sorts of lists and massively disagree with them. But this one is actually pretty good.

A Stopped Watch

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 12:10:09 +0100

My watch stopped recently. I like my watch. It is (usually) reliable and has been a loyal friend for many years. And I must glance at it dozens of times a day. But suddenly it stopped.

At first I would instinctively continue to check it, only to be reminded – after a beat or two – that the time it was showing was a lie.

Despite all those thousands of instances down the years where I’d loyally turned to it for the right time and it had loyally delivered, all of a sudden none of that mattered. And it took just an hour or two for the habit and the trust to break and for me to stop looking to it.

Lilacs and War

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 13:05:09 +0100

It’s early summer and a veteran of the First World War is walking hand-in-hand with his young son through the lush English countryside. His lungs have never fully recovered from the gas attacks he endured in the trenches, so it’s only a short stroll – just a gentle morning meander really.

After pointing out a rummaging squirrel and a rounded robin to his child he momentarily shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath as he soaks up the warmth of the dawn sun. He notices a smell on the breeze. It’s the scent of blossoming lilac shrubs.

Little Links & Notes 5

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 11:07:09 +0100

‘When Coal First Arrived, Americans Said ‘No Thanks’’ (Smithsonian;°

But convincing Americans to use the new fuel proved tricky… Many people hated the aesthetics of stoves because they were enclosed, and you couldn’t see the flames within as you could in a traditional fireplace. In articles and speeches, prominent citizens protested, denouncing stoves as, essentially, un-American… The cultural arguments piled up. Food cooked in stoves was baked, not broiled, and that, too, offended American tastes… “People were blaming coal-fired stoves for impaired vision, impaired nerves, baldness and tooth decay,” says Barbara Freese, author of Coal: A Human History.

Little Links & Notes 4

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 10:32:09 +0000

On realising that friends often talk about you behind your back and that they don’t always give you the benefit of the doubt (New York Times °, from 2013).

Hearing other people’s uncensored opinions of you is an unpleasant reminder that you’re just another person in the world, and everyone else does not always view you in the forgiving light that you hope they do, making all allowances, always on your side. There’s something existentially alarming about finding out how little room we occupy, and how little allegiance we command, in other people’s heads.

Little Links & Notes

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 14:09:09 +0000

Get Ready for the Forever Plague (The Tyee / Andrew Nikiforuk °). ‘Public health officials’ COVID complacency has opened the door to new illnesses and devastating long-term damage.’

This article is scary in its to-the-pointness. There’s a lot of bold, worrying claims within it. Some of which don’t have any links to papers to back them up. But either way, the gist of the article is:

COVID isn’t going anywhere and is mutating quickly.
Governments and the public aren’t behaving like the above is true.

One of the biggest takeaways I had from the article that I wasn’t aware of before is that each time you get COVID you’re more likely to get issues, especially long-term ones. I presumed it was the other way around. But:

Can’t Afford the Gas to Cook

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 16:24:36 +0000

(Lots of money talk in the UK today as the Chancellor of the Exchequer ° has released his ‘spring statement’°).

The Telegraph °:

….surging inflation will [cause] the biggest fall in living standards in any single financial year since records began in 1956.

An anecdotal tweet coming from a Daily Mail journalist ° isn’t the most trustworthy combination. But still, this quote speaks volumes about just how expensive gas and electricity is in the U.K. right now:

Tolkien, Orwell and Simple Living

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 16:01:09 +0000

Darcy Moore ° looks at the surprising similarities between George Orwell and J.R.R. Tolkien.

And I really like these two quotes by them:

“Outside my work the thing I care most about is gardening, especially vegetable gardening. I like English cookery and English beer, French red wines, Spanish white wines, Indian tea, strong tobacco, coal fires, candle light and comfortable chairs.”

— George Orwell

“I am in fact a Hobbit in all but size. I like gardens, trees, and unmechanised farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and like good plain food, but detest French cooking; I like, and even dare to wear in these dull days, ornamental waistcoats. I am fond of mushrooms; have a very simple sense of humour; I go to bed late and get up late.”

— J.R.R. Tolkien

Little Links & Notes

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 13:34:06 +0000

Good afternoon everyone. It’s a beautifully mild and spotlessly sunny lunchtime in southern England right now and here I am with this instalment of Little Links & Notes. A few long reads this time – but as always, they’re there because they’re worth your bandwidth. Enjoy them and your evening. – elliot

‘How Putin’s Oligarchs Bought London’ (The New Yorker / Patrick Radden Keefe °)

[Britain became] a no-questions-asked service provider to the crooked élite, offering access to capital markets, prime real estate, shopping at Harrods, and illustrious private schools, along with accountants for tax tricks, attorneys for legal squabbles, and “reputation managers” for inconvenient backstories. It starts with visas; any foreigner with adequate funds can buy one, by investing two million pounds in the U.K. (Ten million can buy you permanent residency.)

Little Links & Notes

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 17:26:38 +0000

Ran Prieur ° on not choosing suicide:

“But I think the most universal reason to keep living is the beauty of small moments. If you look for them, you can find them all over, and think to yourself, I’m glad I’m still here to see this.”

I immediately dislike any website that has a non-standard scrollbar or does anything funky with how scrolling works. I find it unnerving and it plays havoc with my muscle memory.

Legs Look Weird

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 17:02:59 +0000

Jerry Seinfield has talked about how there’s something about certain jokes that for whatever reason get deep inside of you and you think about them all the time.

Lines from movies can be like that too. And there’s a line in the Hangover where Alan is asked to put some trousers on because his legs look “weird” and “freaky”.

And I must think about that line weekly. It really speaks to me. Because for me nearly all legs look weird somehow.

Low Birth Rates and High War Deaths

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 19:05:00 +0000

Wrong Side of History (Ed West)†:

It’s hard to imagine but back in the 1970s one of the most-read books was Paul R. Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb, which contained the alarming claim: ‘The battle to feed humanity is over. In the 1970s the world will undergo famines — hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death.’

It now appears that out-of-control population growth is something we don’t have to worry about too much. Nearly all countries that move from ‘developing’ to ‘developed’ see their birthing rate slow down and often their population actually starts to decline.

Economic Sanctions Cause Discomfort in a Very Comfortable Modern World

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 12:18:53 +0000

The Nazi’s preprepared their economy for the inevitable sanctions and supply chain issues long before they invaded Poland in 1939 – they even went as far as doing things like inventing synthetic rubber. The Russian’s have done no such thing.

It was always going to be hard for them to prepare for the inevitable economic war following them starting an actual war, when they’re trying to convince their citizens and soldiers that a ‘special military operation’ is going down, not actual said war. But the few higher-up Russian’s who did know what was about to happen haven’t even done the bare basics in preparation. And by the sounds of it their citizens are going to be out of everything from paracetamol to IKEA Billy bookcases in no time at all. And what happens then?

Enablers of dirty Russian money in London + What's an 'Unexplained Wealth Order'?

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 09:18:15 +0000

Simon Kuper (Financial Times)°:

French economist Gabriel Zucman estimated in 2014 that 52 per cent of Russian wealth was held offshore — surely the largest-ever exportation of elite money.

Kleptocrats appreciate Britain’s rule of law as long as it leaves them alone. The kleptocratic cycle is “steal, hide, spend”… Local beneficiaries range from accountants to sex workers, bankers to dog walkers, and bodyguards to universities.

Britain’s ruling party swims in Russian money °. Lubov Chernukhin, whose husband was a minister under Putin, has given the Conservatives more than £2.1mn ° since becoming a British citizen. In 2014, she paid £160,000 to play tennis ° with London’s then mayor, Boris Johnson.

Just pay Russian soldiers to surrender?

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 17:48:03 +0000

Ukraine is offering ° Russian soldiers currently involved in the Russo-Ukrainian War ° around $48,000 to throw down their weapons and surrender.

Bryan Caplan sees some issues ° though:

The soldier has to somehow slip away from the Russian army.
They have to hope the Ukrainians don’t kill them (even after surrendering).
If Ukraine loses the war they will end up being charged with desertion by the Russians.
What if Ukraine wins the war but is so broke that they can’t pay the soldiers?
As part of a peace agreement they could be transferred back to Russia.

So he suggests a slight alteration:

'Why the Russians Are Struggling'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 12:31:19 +0000

Summary:

Conscripts do just a 12 month term. Which is no where near long enough to learn to become a solider.
The front in Ukraine is simply too wide. Eventually, if/when the Russian converge into the central parts of Ukraine the various fractions will be able to support each other. But right now the Russian’s are spread far too thin.
The Russians were expecting a blitzkrieg, so they haven’t implemented the logistics necessary for a longer conflict. Some of their vehicles can’t even fill up their petrol tank.

National Review (Mark Antonio Wright):

Sigmund Freud aged 26 and 36

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 11:26:06 +0000

Photo one is of him in 1882 – via the New York Times.

Photo two is in 1892 – via Microscopy UK.

“Humanity is just not what I think it is.”

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 16:33:02 +0000

Louis Theroux has a new TV series out called “Forbidden America”. In this week’s episode he looked at the business of porn in the post-MeToo world.

One of the people he interviewed was a woman named Jen Mondello (AKA Jennifer Steele), who was raped by pornstar Ron Jeremy.

When telling the story to Theroux she said that right after the assault:

“that was when the switch flipped, of… humanities just not what I think it is.”

Highly anticipated experiences are often underwhelming

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 14:34:42 +0000

Morgan Housel °:

Going to the moon is the coolest thing humans have ever done.

You’d think it would be an overwhelming experience. But as the spacecraft hovered over the moon, Michael Collins turned to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin and said:

It’s amazing how quickly you adapt. It doesn’t seem weird at all to me to look out there and see the moon going by, you know?

Three months later, after Al Bean walked on the moon during Apollo 12, he turned to astronaut Pete Conrad and said “It’s kind of like the song: Is that all there is?” Conrad was relieved, because he secretly felt the same, describing his moonwalk as spectacular but not momentous.

'My first web3 webpage'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 13:51:15 +0000

Interesting blog post by Dries Buytaert °.

And after reading it I had a serious poke around web3 for the first time. It’s not for me – right now anyway. Everything is so difficult, manual, complicated and expensive to set up (to an almost hilarious extent). If I was 15 again I’d probably have the energy to explore further, despite the annoyance (in fact the annoyance would be half the fun). But I’m too old to be an early adopter of this sort of stuff now. I just don’t have the energy.

February 26th, 2022

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 26 Feb 2022 15:06:21 +0000

I don’t have an opinion on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Nor any knowledge on them. However, it’s so plainly obvious to me that there’s a media witch-hunt against them. I mean, I rarely read newspapers. And when I do I do my best to avoid the sections and headlines about things like celebrity culture and royal news. But even I’ve noticed the blatant witch-hunt. It’s glaring and not subtle in any way. I don’t know why they media have a bee in their bonnet about the couple. But they are openly bullying them. And it’s disgusting.

A Trip to Windsor Castle

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 15:06:21 +0000

I visited Windsor Castle ° yesterday. It was surprisingly good.

Firstly, I shocked by the weapons and armour on display. I was expecting lots of stately rooms and paintings, but the sheer amount of guns and swords took me by surprise (a very welcome surprise though).

Secondly I liked how it was a ‘working’ castle. It didn’t feel like a museum. There was administrative staff knocking about, and The Queen actually spends time here – it’s one of her actual homes. And it was nice wondering around a room knowing that in a few days time the Queen could actually be sitting on that chair drinking a cup of tea. It gave me a closeness to her that I haven’t experienced before.

Review: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 13:54:21 +0000

I’m drinking coffee in bed. The rain is pouring down outside, as Storm Eunice ° gives out its death rattle. And I’m watching Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

I have an interesting relationship with it. When I saw it in the cinema for the first time I’d heard it was fantastic, so went in with very high hopes, and found it pretty awful. Just dull and mostly confusing.

But then a year or so later when I rewatched it at home, I found it rather fantastic. Totally engaging and well put together. A thoughtful masterpiece.

Friday, February 18th, 2022

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 14:50:29 +0000

‘The Dubai debt trap’ – The Economist °. On Dubai’s terrible judicial and prison system (long read, but worth it).

‘Book Review: Sadly, Porn’ – Astral Codex Ten °. I’m always glad for in-depth reviews of books that sound interesting, but too odd and/or dense for me to actually bother to read. Here, Scott Alexander sums up what sounds like a curious, sprawling mess of a book.

14:55: This morning has been one of those good ones. The caffeine in my coffee hit just right and I’ve actually had some focus. Not enough to write. Of course. Never enough focus to write. My ADHD – or whatever I have – won’t allow that. But enough focus to actually sit at my desk solidly and read lots of articles, and mostly without the temptation to open up new tabs and wander elsewhere on the web ‘for a break’.

'Evolutionary anthropologist Herman Pontzer busts myths about how humans burn calories—and why'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 13:14:37 +0000

According to the evolutionary anthropologist Herman Pontzer the amount of calories a human burns each day is very similar, with low activity Europeans and Americans burning just as many calories per day as African hunter-gatherers who walk 14 km a day.

How is that possible? Science.org °:

Pontzer thinks hunter-gatherers’ bodies adjust for more activity by spending fewer calories on other unseen tasks, such as inflammation and stress responses. “Instead of increasing the calories burned per day, the Hadza’s physical activity was changing the way they spend their calories,” he says.

The Chronicles of the Rings

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 17:34:23 +0000

(.mp4 copy of trailer)

Well the trailer for the new Amazon Lord of the Rings TV show is out. And it doesn’t look promising.

It suffers from the same visual flatness that so many modern superhero and fantasty productions suffer from. There’s just no texture at all to the image. It’s just not a good look. Superhero can often get away with it. But fantasty, not so much. And the lighting always makes the costumes look cheap.

Pencil drawing or satellite image?

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 15:14:08 +0000

The image above was featured in an article in the Economist ° about Russia’s military build up on the border with Ukraine.

It’s a satellite image of troop movement. But I swear all my eyes see is a slightly abstract pencil drawing. Just me?

One third of all Swiss exports are drugs

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 14:55:28 +0000

The Swiss are going to vote soon on wether to implement a total ban on animal testing.

But one thing I didn’t realise was that drugs are such a large part of their economy. The Economist (article came from their World in Brief section, so doesn’t have a permalink, so for posterities sake I’ve just screenshotted the relevant section):

That might damage its pharmaceutical industry, which accounts for more than a third of the country’s exports.

Wealth is money you don't spend

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 13:21:00 +0000

Morgan Housel ° on lifestyle inflation:

Three points stick out here.

Wealth is what you don’t spend, which makes it invisible and hard to learn about by observing other people’s lives. Spending is contagious; wealth is mysterious.

Money is often a negative art. What you don’t do can be more important than what you actively do.

Everything has a price, and prices aren’t always clear. The price of exercise isn’t just the workout; it’s avoiding the post-workout urge to eat a ton of food. Same in finance. The price of building wealth isn’t just the trouble of earning money or dealing; it’s avoiding the post-income urge to spend what you’ve accumulated.

WordPress -> Hugo part 2

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 13:09:27 +0000

Well, after moving my tech blog to Hugo the other day I’ve now done the same here.

With blot.blog being a tumblelog/microblog type thing I wasn’t initially planning on the switch. Firstly as good Hugo is, there is just more friction when it comes to quick posting - for the most part.

Secondly, there’s just a lot more manual inputs needed. You have to create a text file for each post, enter metadata and attatching images in some ways is more cumbersome (especially if you need multiple sizes).

Stealing the word "Freedom"

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 12 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Isn’t it interesting how fascists always steal the word “freedom”?

I think about this line from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) a lot for some reason.

See at the moment the Freedom Convoy.

WordPress --> Hugo

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 12 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Last night I moved my tech blog from WordPress to Hugo.

Everything went swimmingly (I think) aside from the RSS feed.

The old one was /feed/ but the new one is now index.xml. And finding a way for /feed/ to still work - or at least redirect to the new feed - was a pain and less simple than I thought it was going to be.

But I think I got there in the end and everything should be forwarding okay now I hope.

Caffeine, late nights and book introductions

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

It’s late. But I made the fatal mistake of having two sources of caffeine today and I can’t get to sleep.

Well, it’s not even that I can’t to sleep. I haven’t even attempted to get to sleep. Because I can just feel that my brain is too caffeinated right now, so I haven’t even bothered trying.

I tell you what though, caffeine is wasted on me in the morning. I mean it does it’s job. Gives me a ritual, perks me up, makes me go to the toilet - the usual suspects.

Feminine exclamation

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Maybe it’s just me, but when I read say a reddit comment or an email the more exclamation points the person has used the more likely I am to think it’s a woman who has written it.

I don’t know why! Maybe it’s just that the women of my life happen to use them a lot and now I associate exclamation points with ladies.

But it wouldn’t surprise me if women do actually use them more than men.

Review: The Last Dance

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Television: The Last Dance (2020). Bloody hell is this good. I watched it when I first came out, so this is a rewatch, but it was even more phenomenal this time around. I seriously loved it.

Do I like basketball? No! But this documentary about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls had me enthralled from beginning to end.

Its editing - which bounces between various periods - is a little jarring at first. But you get used to it, and it’s actually masterful. Because by not being restrained by a chronological order allows the editor to totally manipulate the flow of the story. Which results in every single episode having spectacular moments. The Last Dance is ten episodes long and most definitely worth your time. It’s on Netlix. You should watch it. 9/10

Review: The Power of the Dog (2021)

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Movie: The Power of the Dog (2021). I hate westerns. But luckily this isn’t your typical one. Firstly, it’s shot in New Zealand which gives it a different feel and look - and there’s some stunning scenery shots. Secondly, there’s not a single gun fight. In fact, I’m not sure I even saw a gun in the entire film. So no, this isn’t your typical western. This is a story about masculinity, isolation and secrets - that happens to have a western backdrop.

Review: The Alpinist (2021)

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Movie: The Alpinist (2021). This is a film about a climber. And if you liked Free Solo you’re also going to also love this one. It technically isn’t as good a film and simply doesn’t have enough footage to tell the story. But it has just as many great moments and if you liked the scary hanging-off-the-side-of-a-mountain-one-handed shots of Free Solo then there’s even more to savour and get scared by here. Seriously, some of the climbing bits are insane. This is a top-notch documentary and very much worth your time. 4/5

CloudFront's first 1TB of bandwidth is free

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 30 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

I didn’t realise that AWS CloudFront now gives customers the first 1TB of out-bound bandwidth for free each month. That’s kind of a big deal. I wonder what competitor motivated them to do that? Cloudflare perhaps? (Cloudflare’s free package was and continues to be an insanely good deal in comparison to AWS).

AWS’s high-priced bandwidth has always been one of its biggest downsides. So that initial 1TB now being free is very handy for people like me who use CloudFront for small-scale projects and personal blogs.

Some links

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 30 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

‘2,000-Year-Old Roman Bowl Discovered Intact in the Netherlands’

’The Quiet Joys of the Very, Very Early Morning Club’. I - like the author - am often at my most productive at 4am. But in my case it’s the end of my day, not the beginning. But there is something magically quiet about the middle of the night. It’s an entirely different world.

Anthony Bourdain would post on reddit sometimes. Mostly on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu subreddit. In the link Rolling Stone has compiled some his better comments. Man do I miss that man.

Today's lunch

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 30 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Beyond Meat burger patty in a brioche bun. Chips and tomato on the side.

By the way, the longest, biggest battle of my life has been convincing myself not to have burger and chips for dinner every single night of the week (with copious amounts of beer and whisky for dessert). It’s a battle I often lose.

Also, here’s how to make quick chips:

Cut 220g potatoes (I used maris piper) into chunks.
Pre-heat oven to 250°C (480°F).
Put into a container and cook in microwave for 6 minutes or so (add 5 minutes if cooking double portions for more than one).
Empty chips onto a baking tray and shake vigorously to scuff up as best you can (I skipped this stage today).
Add the oil of your choice then season to taste (I used salt, pepper, paprika and thyme).
Put in oven until crisped up nicely. Usually around 12 minutes.

1994 Instagram

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 29 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This guy only uploads photos to his Instagram that he’s taken with the world’s first digital camera from 1994. Pretty cool.

Websites seem to have a different sort of downtime nowadays

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 29 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Websites seem to have a different sort of downtime nowadays. Gone are the days when a site was down for hours at a time - thankfully. But in its stead they now experience what I call a ‘microdowntime’.

I go to a website and am greeted by some sort of outage error page. But when I refresh the same page a mere second or two later it loads fine.

I don’t know why this happens, but I experience it often. Maybe it happens just because modern websites are complicated things, often powered by a plethora of AWS products, and it just takes one error in that chain to make the whole thing fail?

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

I’m watching Hot Tub Time Machine (2010). In it a character is playing Second Life. But of course he’s not actually playing it and the production crew are just playing a video capture of the game on the laptop (that’s how it works in the movies, folks). But it would be far easier to believe the character was actually playing the game if the production crew didn’t leave up the play/pause controls on the computer!

How To with John Wilson (Season 2)

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Television: How To with John Wilson (Season 2). This is the most unique reality show out there right now. A man wanders around New York - and sometimes the world - with his camera and captures all sorts of weird and wonderful people and things whilst delivering a hilariously dry (though sometimes annoyingly stuttering) voice over. Season two isn’t quite as good as the first season, but it’s still a joyously weird visual stroll. You’ll either love it or hate, but either way give it a go. 8/10 (Note: sadly it’s currently unavailable to watch in the UK legally)

I only want TV shows that have ended, and ended well

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

I would love a website which only shows you well-received TV shows that have now ended (but weren’t cancelled). I really hate starting shows which won’t finish for four years. Or that might be cancelled early. Or that goes to crap after the first two seasons. Television shows can be a big time commitment (compared to films) and life is too short for a bad one or one that ends badly.

The North Water (Season 1)

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Television: The North Water (Season 1). Maybe I just missed it when it was being released, but I hadn’t heard a peep about this TV show until I stumbled upon it by chance. Basic plot: a doctor, played by Jack O’Connell, goes on a whaling expedition. Then stuff happens.

I’m not a big fan of Jack O’Connell as I find he often overacts, but in this he is more restrained and performs very well. However, the star of the show is a plump and menacing Colin Farrell. He is utterly terrifying and one of the best TV villains I’ve seen in years. And he’s actually slightly underused in the show, with his masterful performance being slightly wasted as other satellite characters take up screen time that probably should have been dedicated to him.

Brandon Taylor's Substack

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve finally found a Substack newsletter I like. It’s by the author Brandon Taylor, who I’ve never heard of, let alone read any of his books (though perhaps I should if I like his newsletter). But it’s very good. Personal and well written. It’s just about his life and what’s on his mind. Check it out. (Found via Nilanjana Roy – Financial Times)

Note: One of the reasons I’m not huge on newsletters is that they are delivered to my email inbox. And my inbox is full of misery and despair and as far as I’m concerned nothing I like or love should ever find its way inside of it. If you feel the same you should know that every Substack newsletter has its own RSS feed. Just add /feed to the end of any Substack and add it to your feed reader of choice.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Movie: Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021). Maybe I’m not the target audience - being neither young nor a huge fan of the original - but I found this just… okay, at best. And I was expecting so much more after hearing it was so very good and that it was directed by Jason Reitman. 4/10

The French Dispatch (2021)

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Movie: The French Dispatch (2021). Wes Anderson movies tend to leave me a little cold - and the only film of his I’ve ever really liked is The Darjeeling Limited (2007) - and this one was no different. It’s stunning looking and I really enjoyed the first third, but the rest I didn’t connect with at all. 5/10

The Watch (2012)

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Movie: The Watch (2012). Rewatch. The premise is good and there are a few giggles here and there. But overall the script just isn’t good enough. It’s fun watching an out-of-place Richard Ayoade in a big Hollywood film though. 4/10

14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Movie: 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021). (Trailer). There’s a good story here, but sadly there simply isn’t enough footage to tell it properly and the film suffers as a result. This is a mountaineering documentary, but there isn’t enough actual shots of the mountaineering. You can get only get so far with a voice-over and footage of base camp. Also - like many climbing folk - the main guy has a god complex which make it a little cringy to watch at times. 5/10

Black Knight (2001)

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Movie: Black Knight (2001). Rewatch. A childhood favourite. But yeah… this isn’t that great with adult eyes. 4/10

The Economists 'daily briefing'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

I’m not really a big reader of general news. But the Economists ‘daily briefing‘ I never fail to read every morning. It’s top-notch and a good, quick way to see some of the headlines of the day. Worth your time.

Random webpages #1

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

"And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?" Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn on evil.

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”

– Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in “The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956”

"Plotting over brandy." Terry Pratchett on evil.

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

“It was much better to imagine men in some smoky room somewhere, made mad and cynical by privilege and power, plotting over the brandy. You had to cling to this sort of image, because if you didn’t then you might have to face the fact that bad things happened because ordinary people, the kind who brushed the dog and told their children bedtime stories, were capable of then going out and doing horrible things to other ordinary people. It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleak depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone’s fault. If it was Us, what did that make Me? After all, I’m one of Us. I must be. I’ve certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No-one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We’re always one of Us. It’s Them that do the bad things.”

The Mandrake Plant

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

So apparently the mandrake plant from Harry Potter is an actual plant. And also that just like in Harry Potter people of old would cover their ears when around them (see illustration above) for fear of condemned to hell:

In one superstition, people who pull up this root will be condemned to hell, and the mandrake root would scream and cry as it was pulled from the ground, killing anyone who heard it. Therefore, in the past, people have tied the roots to the bodies of animals and then used these animals to pull the roots from the soil. —Wikipedia citing John Gerard (1597). “Herball, Generall Historie of Plants”. Claude Moore Health Sciences Library. Archived from the original on 2012-09-01.

Friday, September 17th, 2021

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

‘Don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from’. /r/LifeProTips.

‘3,100… people died of COVID-19 in America on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The tally was higher than the death toll from the devastating terror attacks.’ The Economist [c].

One of the best and underrated things about the Roku streaming devices is their volume leveling mode. It’s extremely useful for content with a large contrast between sound effects and dialogue. Or for just when the sound for whatever reason is too low. My Dad couldn’t imagine watching television without it now.

Photos of Americans and their pets from 125 years ago

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

All of these fantastic images were taken by Charles Milton Bell and come via the Library of Congress.

Barber [Child and Dog]. Charles Milton Bell. 1905

Mrs Coolidge. Charles Milton Bell. 1905.

A.C. Caine. Charles Milton Bell. 1905.

Marmaduke, M. Charles Milton Bell. 1894. Two more photos.

Wednesday, September 15th, 2021

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I had no idea you can send documents and eBooks (!) to your Kindle via email. Why have I been plugging mine in all these years?!

‘Norm Macdonald, comedian and former SNL cast member, dies at 61.’ The Guardian [c]. He died of cancer.

’‘Why do they have to be brilliant?’ The problem of autism in the movies.’ The Guardian (Simon Hattenstone) [c].

'Going private: Increasing numbers of Britons are abandoning the NHS and paying for medical treatment'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

inews.co.uk [c]:

As more people opt to fund their healthcare themselves, or take out private health insurance, there is a danger of creating a “two tier” system, with wealthier people paying for speedy tests and treatments and the less well-off being forced to wait.

My initial response to that paragraph was: that’s fine. Rich people still pay their National Insurance. So if they’re willing to go private it means the NHS has less of a workload and will work better for those who can’t afford to go private. However, apparently not so:

Franz Liszt by Henri Lehmann

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This portrait of Franz Liszt by Henri Lehmann is fantastic. [Found via Lapham’s Quarterly]

You can own the 'speakers on wheels' rig from Mad Max: Fury Road!

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The auction begins on Sunday, September 26, 2021. Bidding starts at $1 [c].

(Found via the Digital Bits [c])

Michael Chapman has died

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Michael Chapman died today at the age of 80.

He was a part of that tremendous English folk scene of the 60s/70s and was a great musician.

RIP Michael.

Here he is performing a wonderful version of “Among The Trees” [.mp4 copy]:

Announcement of death on his official Instagram page Michael Chapman: British folk musician dies aged 80 - The Guardian [c] Michael Chapman: the man who connects Elton, Bowie, Nick Drake and Sonic Youth - The Guardian [c]

'Instead'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Seth Godin’s blog [c]:

A simple substitute might change a habit. Instead of a snack, brush your teeth. Instead of a nap, go for a walk. Instead of a nasty tweet or cutting remark, write it down in a private notebook. Instead of the elevator, take the stairs. Instead of doomscrolling, send someone a nice note. Instead of an angry email, make a phone call. Instead of a purchase seeking joy, consider a donation…

Eat, sleep and feel better

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Some interesting simple points in this video about how something as simple as food can have a massive impact on how you feel. Obvious I know. But when the title of a video is ‘How to become more rational and level headed’ you expect a lot more mumbo jumbo. But the truth is, sometimes low-hanging fruit like eating properly, paired with a good sleep routine can be enough to help you feel dramatically better. [.mp4 of video]

When to quit a bad book

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Taken from an article on Farnham Street, ‘How to Remember What You Read’ [c]:

Author and librarian Nancy Pearl advocates the “Rule of 50.” This entails reading the first 50 pages of a book and then deciding if it is worth finishing. The Rule of 50 has an interesting feature: once you are over the age of 50, subtract your age from 100 and read that many pages.

'Anti-Aging: State of the Art'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Good introduction to anti-aging by JackH on LessWrong.com [c].

Notes/Highlights

There is an overemphasis on cryonics for life extension, rather than simply solving aging itself.

Today, there are over 130 longevity biotechnology companies and over 50 anti-aging drugs in clinical trials in humans [c].

… the highest rates of depression worldwide are among the elderly [c].

Interesting. I would not have guessed this. I’d always heard people get happier as they get older.

The difference between anti-aging and current medicine is the former prevents illness by targeting the hallmarks of aging, whereas the latter intervenes once a disease has emerged… The former extends unhealthy lifespan, whereas only the latter extends healthy lifespan.

Effeminate looking men banned from Chinese television

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Today in crazy China news [c]:

The Chinese government has ordered a boycott of “sissy pants” celebrities as it escalates a fight against what it sees as a cultural import that threatens China’s national strength.

In a directive issued on Thursday, China’s TV watchdog said entertainment programs should firmly reject the “deformed aesthetics” of niangpao, a derogatory term that refers to effeminate men.

The order came as Beijing tightens control over the country’s entertainment industry, taking aim at an explosion of TV and streaming shows that hold increasing sway over pop culture and the youth.

People keep on using 'gaslighting' incorrectly

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I feel like the term ‘gaslighting’ has gone from obscurity to mainstream in only a few years.

If you didn’t know, ‘gaslighting’ comes from the 1944 film “Gaslight” where “a husband who uses trickery to convince his wife that she is insane in order to steal from her.”

Essentially, if you gaslight someone you are trying to make them doubt their own version of events. And also at the same time make them doubt their own sanity.

Will you get a day off work when the Queen dies? Is it a bank holiday?

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been wondering for a while now - for purely selfish reasons - if there will be any bank holidays when the Queen dies.

Well, Politico has gained access [c] to documents which lay out the entire plan for what will happen after her death.

So, will you get a day off work? The answer is maybe:

The prime minister and the queen have agreed that the day of the state funeral will be a “Day of National Mourning.” This has also led to planning issues. The day will effectively be a bank holiday, although it will not be named as such. If the funeral falls on the weekend or an existing bank holiday, an extra bank holiday will not be granted. If the funeral falls on a weekday, the government does not plan to order employers to give employees the day off — the documents say that is a matter between employees and their staff

The actor who plays the Know-It-All kid in the Polar Express looks exactly how I'd expect him to look

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

His name is Eddie Deezen.

Cunningham's Law

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Ward Cunningham’s Wikipedia page:

Cunningham is credited with the idea: “The best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask a question; it’s to post the wrong answer.” This refers to the observation that people are quicker to correct a wrong answer than to answer a question.

Cunningham was the inventor of the wiki with his ‘WikiWikiWeb’, by the way.

Here’s a random interview [c] of him done by Dave Winer of Scripting.com. It’s a little basic and quite clearly recorded in a restaurant or bar after they’ve had a few beers. Still, might be worth your time.

Salman Rushdie's next novel will be serialised on Substack

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The Guardian [c]:

It will be a digital experiment in serialising fiction (“the way [it] used to be published, right at the beginning”) with new sections coming out approximately once a week over the course of about a year, he says.

A surprising number of the classics were originally serialised: Charles Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers is the best known example, but there is also Madame Bovary, War and Peace, and Heart of Darkness. Rushdie references the experience of Samuel Richardson, who serialised his novel Clarissa in 1748.

'China to Cleanse Online Content That ‘Bad-Mouths’ Its Economy'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Bloomberg [c]:

China kicked off a two-month campaign to crack down on commercial platforms and social media accounts that post finance-related information that’s deemed harmful to its economy.

The initiative will focus on rectifying violations including those that “maliciously” bad-mouth China’s financial markets and falsely interpret domestic policies and economic data, the Cyberspace Administration of China said in a statement late Friday. Those who republish foreign media reports or commentaries that falsely interpret domestic financial topics “without taking a stance or making a judgment” will also be targeted, it added.

Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV show explained. What can they film?

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Amazon Chronicles (Tim Carmody)°:

In his lifetime, J.R.R. Tolkien published two works of fantasy set in a section of the planet Arda called Middle-Earth: The Hobbit and then its multi-volume sequel The Lord of the Rings. While there are hints of other lands and ages in The Hobbit, it’s really in The Lord of the Rings that it’s decisively revealed that these stories take place at the end of the Third Age of Arda…

'The Mormon Church Amassed $100 Billion. It Was the Best-Kept Secret in the Investment World.’

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The Wall Street Journal [c]:

[Ensign Peak’s (The Mormon Church’s investment division)] assets did total roughly $80 billion to $100 billion as of last year, some of the former employees said. That is at least double the size of Harvard University’s endowment and as large as the size of SoftBank’s Vision Fund, the world’s largest tech-investment fund.

[…] Church officials acknowledged the size of the fund is a tightly held secret, which they said was because Ensign Peak depends on donations—known as tithing—from the church’s 16 million world-wide members.

'UK truck driver shortage signals a broken labour market'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Financial Times [c]:

In 2010, the median HGV driver in the UK earned 51 per cent more per hour than the median supermarket cashier. By 2020, the premium was only 27 per cent. They have faced a particular pay squeeze in the past five years: median hourly pay for truck drivers has risen 10 per cent since 2015 to £11.80, compared with 16 per cent for all UK employees. “Why would I want to be a truck driver, with all the responsibility, the long, unpredictable hours, if I can go to Aldi and earn £11.30 an hour stacking shelves?” says Tomasz Oryński.

Dickens house

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Something about this engraving of Charles Dickens’ house brings me peace. (via The Guardian)

Landlord Lloyds

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 21 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The Guardian:

It is already the UK’s largest mortgage lender, and now Lloyds Banking Group aims to become one of its biggest private landlords, with a target of buying 50,000 homes in the next 10 years.

Each year property prices seem to rise, wages seem to stagnate and now Britain moves closer and closer to modern feudalism. (Can you tell I’m trying to get on the property ladder right now?)

'Hospitality crisis deepens chef shortages'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Financial Times [c]:

This week, more than 2,100 chef roles were posted within a five-mile radius of Soho alone.

'Ben Franklin’s bitter regret that he didn’t immunize his 4-year-old son against smallpox'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Washington Post [c]:

Five weeks had passed since the death of Benjamin Franklin’s son, and rumors were swirling. Four-year-old Francis “Franky” Franklin had died after being inoculated for smallpox, the rumor went, and now his pro-inoculation father was trying to hide it.

The gossip reached such a point that on Dec. 30, 1736, the grieving father, then 30, confronted it in the pages of his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette.

“Inasmuch as some People are, by that [rumor] … deter’d from having that Operation perform’d on their Children,” he wrote, “I do hereby sincerely declare, that he was not inoculated, but receiv’d the Distemper in the common Way of Infection.”

Choose an expert

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

“A frustration I have with the ‘vaccine hesitancy’ discussion is that 99% of people on both sides use the same process to come to their conclusion; find people you trust and listen to them.”
— Scott Huston (@genuine_doubt, August 9, 2021)

“If you got the right answer it’s either because you got lucky that the people you listen to happened to get this one right, or you’re good at figuring out who to trust. But being good at figuring out who to trust is a nebulous and difficult problem.”
— Scott Huston (@genuine_doubt, August 9, 2021)

There's always some dude inexplicably loving it

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Afghanistan right now is being overrun by the Taliban. As they moved into the capital of Kabul locals were attempting to escape the country on various aeroplanes at the airport. As planes filled up and doors were closed, desperate people even began to hold onto the outside of the place to escape.

Anyway, I noticed in one of the videos that there were a few people almost having fun:

And it reminded me a bit of scenes from the Bradford City fire:

Just invest

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Banker on Fire:

Remember: there’s never a time when the stock market looks like a good investment. Things are either “too scary” or “too good to be true”.

Transferring your hard-earned money out of your bank and into an investing account and then hitting that ‘buy’ button is always scary. Because there is always a reason to just stay in cash. But remember, the perfect time to invest simply doesn’t exist (without hindsight anyway). So simply understand your risk tolerance, choose the appropriate asset allocation, and just invest.

Watched – Week 5, 2021

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

[caption id=“attachment_792” align=“alignnone” width=“1920”] The Revenant (2015)[/caption]

Film

The Revenant (2015). Rewatch. The film that Leonardo DiCaprio finally cried in, thus winning him his first leading-man Oscar. Tom Hardy over-acts, as is tradition. But this is still excellent. Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography is beautiful. I think it would’ve been improved with twenty minutes of the more art-house dream-like elements shaved off though. I was very impressed by Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter throughout. Their characters felt very real and fleshed out. 83%

The Power of Netflix

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The landing page of Netflix is one of the most powerful influencers of common culture on earth.

If a television or film is prominently displayed on that remarkable digital billboard it will quickly and swiftly enter the cultural zeitgeist.

It can literally drag years old and forgotten content and push it onto the world stage.

I noticed this recently in the UK with “The Fall”, a mildly popular BBC TV show that aired between 2013 and 2016.

Watched – Week 4, 2021

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Still from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).

Film

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). Rewatch. I tend to watch this every year. So when it snowed recently in England I thought it was time once again, as this film is very snowy and Swedish. My last two viewings I’ve connected with it slightly less the usual for some reason. And I wish the two main characters teamed up slightly earlier. Still it’s fantastic and my film of the week. 88%

'How Many Microcovids Would You Spend on a Burrito?'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Wired [c]:

Olsson thinks about risk for a living—she works for a Silicon Valley foundation on projects that seek to mitigate the potentially catastrophic effects of advanced AI—and is in the habit of assessing her daily life with data and models. A few years ago, after a close friend told her about a scare she’d had while cycling, Olsson decided to reevaluate her own bike commute. Was her life span more likely to be cut short by a fatal crash biking to work or by the increased chance of heart disease from sitting idly on the train? She was happier riding her bike than squeezing in with fellow passengers, but sometimes feelings need a fact check. She did the math and was pleased that it validated her choice to cycle.

Outlaws

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I checked out the band the Outlaws today on the recommendation of my Dad. I’m only a few albums deep, but they’re pretty great so far. They’re country rock and fall somewhere between the Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd musically. The debut album “Outlaws” is a 8/10 powerhouse, ending with the nine minute monster “Green Grass & High Tides” (Spotify / YouTube) that towards the end of the song has some of the greatest guitar you’ll ever hear. Somehow they flew under my radar until now. Check them out. Worth your time.

Pay-as-You-Go Reading

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I still can’t quite believe that there’s no way for me to quickly donate to an online publication once I get to the bottom of an article.

I’ve wanted something like this for years now and I even feel like I’ve talked about it multiple times. Because I hate subscriptions you see. They’re usually overpriced for how much value I get out of them, and they’re nearly always impossible to cancel.

The Man Who Invited the World Over for Dinner

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

BBC News [c]:

Jim Haynes was both an icon and a relic of the Swinging Sixties, an American in Paris who was famous for inviting hundreds of thousands of strangers to dinner at his home. He died this month.

[…] During the 1990s, the crowds started to dwindle at the Paris dinners, as the original hippy crowd aged. But then a new wave of younger visitors started to get in touch. The bloggers had discovered him.

January 26th, 2021

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

If You Squeeze the Coronavirus, Does It Shatter? New York Times. Was that headline thought up by a stoner at 3 AM?

Sauna culture in Finland is now part of UNESCO’s ‘Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’. UNESCO. I love saunas. Believe it or not one of the biggest downsides of the COVID-19 pandemic from a personal point of view has been that I can’t use my gyms sauna. I love saunas so much that I have to set myself a time limit otherwise I spend too much time in there and end up making myself light-headed and giving myself a headache for the rest of the day. I have little interest in travelling. But spending some time in a pukka Finnish sauna is certainly on my list of things to visit.

Dressing Gowns Are Stupid

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I have a strong dislike for dressing gowns. And my reasons are multiple.

Firstly, you have to wear at the very least boxers underneath. Because if you don’t your dick flops out every two minutes and you flash family members your scrotum each time you sit or squat down. So you end up wearing what you’d usually be wearing underneath the dressing gown anyway.

Always ill-fitting, it feels like 80% of the fabric is in the upper half of the dressing gown. So your upper body is boiling. But the lower extremities feel cold and exposed, like you’re wearing a child sized kilt on a winters day.

'Their Noses Paid the Bills. Then COVID Took Their Sense of Smell'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Wired UK °:

Anxiety about this ailment [loss of smell] is creeping into wine and fine dining. In the wine industry, losing your sense of smell is so taboo that several sommeliers interviewed for this piece did not want to be identified. One sommelier at a top London restaurant likened the symptoms to a star athlete injuring their anterior cruciate ligament – a knee injury used to routinely put an end to professional athletes’ careers. They warned that those with a compromised sense of smell could be branded as “damaged goods” or unfit for work in the eyes of the profession. Others have questioned whether it could be a factor in future hiring decisions. One well-known former wine buyer for high-end restaurants, who is still suffering from parosmia six months on, said they aren’t able to function correctly in the business because they have “lost the way to detect nuance in wine”. They have stopped buying expensive wines for their own enjoyment as a result.

'Woman Is Sentenced to 43 Years for Criticizing Thai Monarchy'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The New York Times [c]:

The onetime civil servant’s crime was to share audio clips on social media that were deemed critical of Thailand’s monarchy. The sentence, handed down on Tuesday by a criminal court in Bangkok, was more than 43 years in prison.

It was the longest sentence yet for violating Thailand’s notoriously tough lèse-majesté law, which makes it a crime to defame senior members of the royal family, according to the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights. The former civil servant, Anchan Preelert, was sentenced to 87 years, but her prison term was cut in half because she agreed to plead guilty.

Brutalism

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The Barbican Estate

In the Financial Times the other day, ‘Beauty and the Brutalists: why the most maligned style in history should be preserved’ [c]:

But one of his [Donald Trump’s] last acts in office was to issue an executive order that new federal buildings must be built in a classical style. What they should not be, it specified, is Brutalist. This is how it was defined:

“Brutalist means the style of architecture that grew out of the early 20th-century Modernist movement that is characterised by a massive and block-like appearance with a rigid geometric style and large-scale use of exposed poured concrete.”

The Parler U.S. Capitol Riot Video Archive

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Before Parler was closed down (for now anyway) some hackers downloaded almost the entirety of the site. Vice has the story [c]:

Donk_enby had originally intended to grab data only from the day of the Capitol takeover, but found that the poor construction and security of Parler allowed her to capture, essentially, the entire website. That ended up being 56.7 terabytes of data, which included every public post on Parler, 412 million files in all—including 150 million photos and more than 1 million videos. Each of these had embedded metadata like date, time and GPS coordinates—unlike most social media sites, Parler does not strip metadata from media its users upload, which, crucially, could be useful for law enforcement and open source investigators.

'Inside Twitter’s Decision to Cut Off Trump'

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The New York Times [c]:

But Mr. Dorsey was not sold on a permanent ban of Mr. Trump. He emailed employees the next day, saying it was important for the company to remain consistent with its policies, including letting a user return after a suspension.

Many workers, fearing that history would not look kindly upon them, were dissatisfied. Several invoked IBM’s collaboration with the Nazis, said current and former Twitter employees, and started a petition to immediately remove Mr. Trump’s account.

Dr Martens To Go Public

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

British boot manufacturer Dr Martens is going to be listed on the London Stock Exchange. Financial Times [c]:

While Dr Martens has returned to profitability under Permira’s ownership, the period has not been without problems. In recent years, the brand has suffered complaints that the quality of its shoes is not what it used to be.

Mr Wilson dismissed “rumours” about the quality of Dr Martens boots, saying that the company has been using the same leather supplier for the past 20 years. But it has no plans to reintroduce its life-long warranty range, which it ditched three years ago citing low demand for the more expensive boot.

Snow and the iPhone

elliot@clowes.me (Elliot Clowes) — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been taking this same photograph from my bedroom window of fresh snow ever since I got my first iPhone over 11 years ago. And do you know what? For all the improvements to the iPhone camera over that time this photo still looks as crappy as ever. The photo above I just took. And it looks just awful. Low-light conditions continues to be a problem the iPhone hasn’t quite conquered yet.