Burt Reynolds, Peter Falk: same actor, right?

Okay. Sitting here, listening to the thump, thump of the alien invasion and pretending it’s not happening.

ChatGPT can’t wield a broom, so how does AI help local authorities deliver non-statutory services? On way is to target street cleaning to the most politically salient wards, thus obscuring the overall failure of service delivery by ensuring local influencers are satisfied.

Starmer is doing a Sunak reset.

The Star Park crows first XI are playing football on the roof.

I’m not sure how we’ll find the solidarity to tackle climate change when no one will push the button on a pelican crossing as that helps other pedestrians to cross too.

Cannot find potimarron today; so am winging it with sweet potato and chestnuts. Wish me luck.

I used to hate peeling vegetables then I got a proper vegetable peeler instead of one of the cheap ones with the stupid orange string.

Farmers, who tugged their forelocks and voted for Brexit though it cut them off from their markets, their low-cost labour force and their subsidies, are now protesting a government tax change that prevents their land being used as a financial instrument to facilitate tax avoidance by the ultra-rich.

I’m typing with my ancient Logitech K380. It’s a much nicer keyboard than you’d expect from the design and for the price. It’s also lasted well, and has insanely good battery life.

The right has offered its successor to the neoliberal order, and that is fascism. What will the left offer? Better managed fascism? Sad times.

Apparently Rachel Reeves is a social democrat. As a fully paid up member of the “words mean something” party, I’m here to tell you she’s not a social democrat but a neoliberal. Maybe more “ordoliberal” than “state capacity libertarian” (aka fascist), but a neoliberal never the less.

Daylight saving time is over, and it’s dark when I finish work. So I haven’t seen local moorhens at Telehouse pond: Magic, Mystic and the Pilot.

An over the air firmware update bricked my dishwasher.

No laughing matter

John Harris makes has a good piece in the Guardian on the risks of underestimating the hard right. in contrast to Badenoch and Jenrick’s brazen posturing about “culture” and national identity, Labour’s leader and senior figures lack the confidence and political chops to make the case for a modern, liberal, left-of-centre UK. And in its absence, they tend to get pulled in some of the same directions. Too much?

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Newspaper editors seem to love this Labour freebies story because it gives them an excuse to print a picture of a minimally clad Taylor Swift every day.

The corrupting influence of money on politics is rarely more vividly illustrated than by the Labour front bench attempting to defend willingly reducing themselves to Lord Alli’s literal playthings.

Rayner rejects claims she broke donations rules

Mucking around with the Mb API. Some improvements.

Vain, imprudent, lacking both judgement and a moral compass. Starmer, like many a modern politician, is determined to “prove” modern public choice theory.

Starmer’s £100,000 in tickets and gifts more than any other recent party leader

“Eee bah gum, pet. Labour have condemned us to freeze to death this winter, but at least that Sir Keir Starmer is working with the neofascists to keep the foreigners out,” said no one in the Red Wall.

Giorgia Meloni: Starmer showed great interest in our Albania migration deal