Reading

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Interesting Links for 27-08-2025

1. Scotland's birth rate falls to lowest level since 1855: (tags:scotland babies )
2. Local Restaurant Exhausted as Google AI Keeps Telling Customers About Daily Specials That Don't Exist: (tags:ai google fraud restaurant viaPatrickHadfield )
3. Judge sides with trans-inclusive sorority: They can admit trans women if they want: (tags:transgender women law USA GoodNews )

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Interesting Links for 25-08-2025

1. The Oldest Unopened Bottle of Wine in the World (Circa 350 AD): (tags:wine archeology rome Germany )
2. 26% of recent posts on Brexit and Scot independence are made by Iran: (tags:iran disinformation internet UK Scotland Europe independence )
3. For some people, music doesn't connect with any of the brain's reward circuits: (tags:music happiness psychology )

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micropost

Musical interlude with a room full of children

Spent the afternoon being serenaded by a cinema full of kids at the K-Pop Demon Hunters sing-a-long.

As musical kids movies about demon-hunting go out was pretty darned good and I expect to be earwormed for weeks.

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Interesting Links for 24-08-2025

1. Ancient Nomadic Scythians Found to be Ethnically Diverse: (tags:race ethnicity history viaPatrickHadfield )

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photos,
pixelfed

Photo cross-post

Gluten free pie and a collection of badges to indicate my new age. I think my family might like me!
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

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micropost

It's the little things

I've just discovered that Android has an option that lets you snooze notifications. You have no idea how happy this makes me.

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Interesting Links for 22-08-2025 (and the previous day)

1. Trans Segregation in Practice (Experiences of trans segregation following the Supreme Court ruling): (tags:transgender bigotry LGBT UK OhForFucksSake )
2. How UK inheritance tax compares with other countries: (tags:inheritance tax uk )
3. Google has released data on how much energy an AI prompt uses: (tags:ai energy co2 water )
4. Nigel Farage lies about the real asylum story: (tags:asylum uk migration OhForFucksSake )
5. Where Is the Political Leadership Against This Violent Far-Right Movement Terrorising Britain?: (tags:racism politics UK OhForFucksSake )
6. Missing Texas woman found living among lost ‘African’ tribe in Scotland: (tags:Scotland Africa history EpicWTF weird )
7. Ann Summers confirms trans women welcome at bra fittings: (tags:clothing transgender LGBT shops )
8. New Fireworks Control Zones to be introduced in Edinburgh: (tags:fireworks edinburgh scotland )
9. Moderate drinking is not good for you.: (tags:cancer alcohol disease )
10. 4chan will refuse to pay daily UK fines, its lawyer tells BBC: (tags:law uk usa censorship )

No idea why the autoposter didn't work yesterday/today. Will investigate tonight!

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micropost

An auspicious beginning

So far today, I was woken up at 4am because the children had been playing with an old alarm clock yesterday (I got back over though).

And Sophia hurt her wrist falling off of a swing yesterday and it still hurts this morning so we're off to the Sick Kids at 10am for her to get checked out.

Happy birthday to me!

Edit: No break. Possibly minor sprain. Just needs to take it easy and stay off the monkey bars for a few days.

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micropost

Life with two kids: Less reassuring than you might expect

Gideon, heading for a recently arrived package, holding a knife "I'm not going to stab *anyone*!"

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photos,
pixelfed

Photo cross-post

I've not been out this late since Gideon was born, but when my music-obsessive photographer friend Kenny told me I had to come see Fantastic Negrito at the Fringe I decided to make an exception.

The support band (Megan Black) was better than most support acts. The main act, on the other hand, is just, well, fantastic. Maybe even worth missing the kids bedtime for.
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

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photos,
pixelfed

Photo cross-post

The Flying Bubble Show was great fun. Kids thoroughly entertained.
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

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Interesting Links for 17-08-2025

1. What's your answer to the UK's population implosion?: (tags:UK population immigration doom )
2. African Union urges adoption of world map showing continent's true size: (tags:africa maps )
3. People (wrongly) don't believe that building homes helps with the cost of housing.: (tags:housing economics psychology )
4. Snow White, various dwarves, and convergent evolution with butterflies: (tags:short_story evolution )

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Milestones

Screenshot 2025-08-16 at 16.32.23

[LiveJournal Achievement banner: 24 years of blogging]

A number of milestones have passed in recent weeks, including the above. With the exception of a few weeks here and there, I have been blogging continuously in the same journal for 24 years. Most of the rest of the world has moved on to various socials, none of which I have been able to find fulfilling. I deleted all the associated apps off my phone in January and I don't miss them. This community of stalwarts, on the other hand, I cherish, especially as we all navigate middle and old age together.

The other other important anniversaries:

Five years of being an academic and three years since being promoted and taken off probation. I have one more rung up the ladder to climb.
Thirteen years since moving into this house. This is the longest I've ever lived in one place. I was never going to do so unless I had kids. My childhood was so disrupted by repeated moves, I was determined for my children to have as much stability as possible.
Twenty-one years since moving to the UK. I thought I was only going to be here for a year and a half, maybe two. Lol. I've now spent far more of my adult life in this country than the one I was born in.

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Interesting Links for 16-08-2025

1. This is how the Swiss would have done HS2: (tags:Switzerland infrastructure hs2 investment )
2. The ease of collective action induces more egalitarian behavior by individuals in a position of power and makes those without power less willing to accept unfairness.: (tags:unions community society equality power psychology )
3. Meta appoints anti-LGBTQ+ figure Robby Starbuck as AI bias advisor: (tags:facebook bigotry lgbt )
4. Photos: Wildfires Rage Across Southern Europe (CW: burned animal about 20 pictures down): (tags:fire europe photos )
5. Are you ready for polyaninmosity in your life?: (tags:polyamory satire video funny )
6. There's something I love about stories that take a very simple concept and push it a far as they can: (tags:scifi video fiction short_story )
7. Sauron the Economist: (tags:lotr comic economics funny )
8. Chinese economists recruit Ray Dalio and MMT in their battle over deficit spending: (tags:economics china )
9. The Electric Fence Stopped Working Years Ago - A metaphor for friendship: (tags:advice friendship )
10. Once Again, Oil States Thwart Agreement on Plastics: (tags:plastic pollution doom diplomacy )