Bat Krown 🦇🎃

I was so excited to celebrate It's Not a Bloody Trend's birthday this morning, only to discover that it was actually...yesterday. Anyway, my book on (you'll be shocked to hear) ADHD is one today!

For years I was curious about the house that lurked in the background of the Great British Bake Off, Welford Park. This year I wrote to the owners, the Puxleys, and they kindly agreed to be in Great Estates – and it's out now!

After much research I have perfected the theory of "AI as the One Ring". All AI techbros consistently fall under: - Knows it's bad, thinks they're just built different - Thinks it's inevitable and switches sides w/ no morals - Thinks it's his magic girlfriend - Evil CEO ruling over the rest of them

Wonder if there's something to look into here with the NYU of it all. His gigantic son goes to that school, which doesn't make much sense, considering what NYU is and what he is. Why?

This makes me so happy. It is so noticeable. In Zone 3, you can stargaze now.

Fascinating Jeremy, now tell us about the time you cut national insurance twice as an electoral game despite knowing we couldn't afford it.

Rowling *never* writes about women’s rights, workplace discrimination or the threats to women from predatory men. I tracked her posts for five months: Well over 200 hateful transphobic smears. Not a single post about women’s actual concerns or needs None

I keep clicking into this thread and its quote posts and it’s like having your face licked by a labrador comprised entirely of good news.

found out that my mother in law decided she was aggressively pro trans rights literally by going, I don't know anything about this but everyone who is against trans rights is also against free school lunch, the issue I know and care a lot about, so this must be the correct way to feel about this

I deleted and reinstalled BBC Sounds and that fixed it, thank you!

Amazing

Is there any sweeter sound than the begrudging “I stand corrected” of an IRL reply guy who has just told you you have no Hemingway in stock and is then shown a whole shelf of Hemingway

Parents, please check your kids’ candy this Halloween. I’ve just found an ancient metal whistle with the inscription “QUIS EST ISTE QUI VENIT" inside a Snickers bar. I blew it and heard a note of infinite distance, and now I’m haunted by a figure in pale, fluttering draperies. Be safe.

This is honestly such bollocks. They are two distinct forms. There is so much bureaucracy and unnecessary seat filling elsewhere in the corporation - getting rid of the people actually creating the programming is totally stupid (see also the annihilation of work for TV freelancers in recent years)

The risk here is that Radio Comedy - a distinct art in its own right with its own discipline and method - is relegated to another layer of television's development substrata.

Brits, please sign the petition to save BBC Radio 4 Extra. It costs tuppence ha'penny to run, is of national and cultural importance, and if the Beeb needs to save money, how about cutting down the endless layers of management? you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...

Alison says it all. Radio 4 Extra wasn’t an apocryphal service for superannuated listeners. It was a cultural resource and a reminder of a braver, expertly curated BBC.

ADHD in bag form, I love them

What a totally brilliant few days of #TheArchers. Really compelling, nail biting stuff, and everything character led - including poor Elizabeth wondering if she’s going to lose another partner to a roof in a storm. Such great writing and acting all round, what a joy!

Yeah I also think the anthropomorphising of it has fed into the negatives (of which there are many, especially environmental). It should be a *tool*, like spellcheck, like Excel or a calculator or even photoshop, something which enhances not takes over and makes you think you’ve got a friend.

There is a real piece of work that needs to be done on AI. Now, “AI” largely stands for gen-AI and the ethical ghoulishness that should rightly be stamped down on. But there is also pattern recognition, transcription tools, spellcheck and stuff that’s long been helpful, just without tech bro spin.

Kneejerk response to this is nuts. My relative is alive because this summer, out of desperation, we keyed his symptoms (that had baffled NHS consultants) into Claude. It diagnosed a rare but simple inter-disciplinary issue. NHS docs swiftly did lifesaving surgery. AI is good at pattern recognition!

“Are you wearing -“ “The Amol Rajan Podcast Members-only hoodie? Yes, yes I am.”

Apparently Director Asger Leth cast 80 real Danes rather than actors, providing them with 40 questions to consider beforehand without revealing how they would be grouped on set.

This appalling berk

Woooooo! Ok these last two episodes have absolutely compensated for the fizzled out nonsense at New Year #TheArchers

You can send Josh away to Patagonia for a year and bring him back as a hero in a storm with a backpack full of clothes and we will STILL notice it’s a new actor (please don’t kill Vince or Chelsea for the new actor) #TheArchers

“Shame Vince and Chelsea missed the buffet,” says Ruth, the consummate host who cba to make up a plate and put it aside for either of them #TheArchers

I set today’s Independent. I still cannot believe it is the last one. Thank you to Mike, all of the bloggers over on 225 and all of the solvers for these last 3 years. puzzles.independent.co.uk/games/crypti...

Spending the day with Clive . For Halloween, Clive is dressing up as the Headless Horse.