I rarely think about how I’m lucky to live in a warm house with running water, have access to the internet, the freedom of a car, or that I’ve outlived plenty of my ancestors. I barely notice any of it – to my shame.
But nearly every time I have that first sip of Fanta Orange or bite of a burger I am immediately delighted, gleeful and thankful.
As I’ve gotten older less and less excites me. Life simply felt sweeter at 16. But at least a Sprite still tastes just as sweet.
AI has officially arrived. My Mum has sent me a AI-generated video on Instagram.
I’ve written about Andrew Roberts' diary routine. blot.blog/2024/10/2…
Morning all 🍂
UK-folk, don’t forget to get yourself into some woods in the next few weeks — the leaves are looking gorgeous. They’re even managing to give some autumnal life and deep colours to this drab industrial estate.
My Saturday:
I envy people who can be productive in a coffee shop or office. My ideal working condition is a a dark, windowless pit devoid of light and people.
The Guardian° The winner, 82-year-old David “King Conker” Jakins that he used a steel conker to win.
This is his first time winning the competition, after 47 years of trying (since 1977).
To be honest, after 47 years I’d be tempted to cheat to win too.
The chap who lost in the men’s final against “King Conker”, said:
“My conker disintegrated in one hit, and that just doesn’t happen … I’m suspicious of foul play and have expressed my surprise to organisers.”
I love stories like this. And I’m pleased and surprised to see it get attention from both Hacker News and Sky News (video).
I’m getting old. Not because I turned 33 yesterday. But because ‘late nights’ are now defined as going to bed late enough to miss the start of BBC Radio 3’s “Night Tracks” at 10pm whilst I drift off to sleep.
I love people who use social media like it’s 2009.
Yes, please tell me that you’ve brewed some coffee after walking your dog and that tonight you’re trying a new moussaka recipe and Noah Baumbach film.
I love that peaceful and personal vibe. Homely, not hateful.
my google.searches on my.phone.alwuas end up looking.like.this
Newsletters feel inherently uninteresting.
Blogs feel like a digital living room where I can share my thoughts with whoever drops by.
If I’m writing on the web, I want it to be on the web. With oddities like blogrolls and reblogs, trackbacks and pingbacks, atom feeds and webmentions, via’s and tips.
How does my ADHD manifest? Mostly as accidental cardio from running up and down the stairs 20 times a day.
I recently dropped Dropbox to save myself £10/mo. I’ve replaced it with iCloud Drive, which I pay for already.
Mostly I used it so I can access my files on my iPhone too. But I’ve realised there’s only a few folders I need:
The other folders I have are temp ones for getting files from my phone to my Mac. For example audio notes, scanned documents, or TikTok videos I’ve downloaded. Hazel on the Mac then auto-moves them to their final destination on the file system.
When you review things on Plex your friends can now see them. I love this. I trust my friend’s opinion over a critic or even IMDB/RT/LB/etc.
One of the consistently good sources for interesting websites or news is the Pinboard ‘popular bookmarks’ page.
I visit it everyday.
I’ve decided to write up my favourite 500 songs. I expect to be done in about 3 years.
I love a cutesy nickname. But I draw the line at “doggo”.
There’s just something about it that oddly enrages me.
It reminds me of cringe reddit slang from 2012.
I love a door you can open just by pushing it. Sure, the doorknob is busted and it should be fixed. But I won’t. It makes my life joyously easier.
I’ve written: “On Writing: Short Enough to Finish, Long Enough to Matter” blot.blog/2024/10/0…
I’ve written about ADHD and the struggle with internal expectations. blot.blog/2024/10/0…
When I saw this in the cinema upon release I thought it was a fairly flawed follow-up to The Dark Knight (2008). It was a very good film. But it was a bit long and had a villain whose motives were more vague and less believable than the Joker’s.
My experience wasn’t helped by seeing it in IMAX and being unable to hear the dialogue for most of the film (there wasn’t a problem, it’s just how Christopher Nolan likes his audio. Which is insane. And it’s the reason I don’t see new Nolan films in the cinema anymore).
Since then though it’s become one of my rewatched staples, and I’ve seen it another 6-8 times. Though my feelings for it remained the same. That it was great, but rather flawed and lagged in parts.
But I’ve just gotten back from seeing it in the cinema again. And I’ve walked away with an increased opinion of it. Firstly, it wasn’t in IMAX, so I could hear basically every word.
But more than that it was just wonderful seeing a proper high-quality blockbuster in the cinema. The cinematography, soundtrack, sound design, and action were great to see on the big screen. Aside from Civil War (2024), I haven’t had a cinema experience come close to it for quite a few years. Sure, there’s some cringy moments – especially from Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman. And it remains a flawed film. But it’s still a Nolan film, so it’s many times better than nearly all the dross that I see these days.
The Dark Knight Rises is still a wonderful film to sit back and experience. 83%
Find out where to stream it. This review is also on Letterboxd. See my original review from 2012.