“I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open-mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer.”

He’s so right. We get bigot-in-chief Farage flapping his gums every bloody day, and Ince is chastised for his OFF-AIR opinions. Cox can’t carry the Monkey Cage on his own, he’s not a real boy!

Not for me, I hate them. BUT. I watched a documentary recently where a blind man wore a pair (the Meta ones maybe?) and was able to use them to navigate around on foot, alone, without other aids. He also tried out a self-driving car, and showed how he already uses his phone’s AI to help him; for example he gets it to describe the shirt he’s about to put on. The programme shook my ideas up. I hate AI, driverless cars, all this tech that takes away our autonomy in various ways. But I hadn’t considered that for many people it’s liberating, it gives them independence.

BFO! BFO! BFO!

Cute is so last year…

Yes, I still want to throw shade.

That’s Piccadilly Circus, in the middle of London. Don’t like it? Hop on one of those buses and go somewhere else. Or use the Underground - there’s a station right there. Direct route to Cockfosters, and the station there is right next to Trent country park. http://trentcountrypark.com/Welcome.html

In art, this fellow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kinkade

It’s the only Wiki entry on an artist that I’ve seen with no examples of his work. The nearest is a photo of a photo of Kinkade with one of his paintings.

I’m not being snobbish - it does give me the same vibe as AI generated images touted as art. Nostalgia, colour saturation, cliché, all dialled up to the max. The man died in 2012 but lives on as a brand.

My vote goes to the Fowl of Death, the mottled wood. Lovely plumage.

I bought fresh milk today, the use-by date is 11 December. It’ll still be fine by then. It only goes off if you leave it out of the fridge.

I have a ceramic filter holder that sits on a mug. It uses two-cup paper filters, which I compost after use. https://algeriancoffeestores.com/products/ceramic-filter-cone

When I have people to stay I dig out my old filter coffee machine, the kind with a water tank and a glass jug. I have a couple of cafetieres, but rarely use them; some of my visitors prefer them.

Thank you!! I might try that one day…

I’ve had Zorin on an old laptop for a few years now, it’s pretty good. I’d previously tried Mint and another distro I can’t remember the name of, but I’ve stuck with Zorin. I’ll probably go with it on my PC once I’ve done a backup.

Do you live in Edinburgh by any chance? Because that all sounds familiar…

Our parents used to make ginger beer when I was a kid. There was a “starter”, some kind of yeast? Then a raisin or two in each bottle, and of course ginger. Every now and then you’d hear one of the bottles explode. The surviving bottles were delicious, effervescent and spicy, not too sweet.

Bluey. I’m an adult and don’t have children. It’s my guilty pleasure.

My brother in law recently acquired one of these and is obsessed with stalking and blasting flies with it. He shot a big blowfly and it exploded in a ghastly mess on the wall. Very effective and - according to him - satisfying.

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Correct, though I’m old enough to remember using old money, and it was never six and a half, just sixpence ha’penny.

I love all the old coin words: florin (two shillings), half a crown (two and six), thrup’nny bit (3d), farthing (quarter of a penny).

Back in the 1970s some friends and I ate some fly agaric we found in the botanic gardens, because we’d heard it got you high. The other three went on to have a fantastic time, high as kites, in a nightclub. Me? I spent hours on my knees in front of the toilet, vomiting and vomiting and vomiting. Do not recommend.

“Everyone”?

I’m not talking about rowing machines. I’m out on the water with a crew, hauling on an actual oar. It’s the best thing ever.

https://scottishcoastalrowing.org/

Peonies.

https://binnynurseries.com/herbaceous-peonies/p/paeonia-lactiflora-angel-cheeks