Darren

My wife and I are finally in a place where we’re financially comfortable enough to book tickets to things. So we’re seeing Alanis Morissette in Cardiff in July, then we’re off to the Royal Albert Hall in September for a performance of Holst’s Planets.

These aren’t big things by any means, but her mobility isn’t great and our income hasn’t been amazing, so it’s nice to have something on the calendar that isn’t a reminder of a bill that needs paying.

Split Fiction came out a few days ago and is excellent. My wife and I are a good way into it already and are enjoying it every bit as much as we enjoyed It Takes Two.

Yep. Welder in a previous life, and can’t go to travelling fun fairs without casting an eye over the rides.

Yes Jeff!

My Volkswagen flashes a message when I put the key in the ignition; “Depress clutch to start”

So I tell it that the majority of Yanks don’t know how to use it and it starts every time.

Honestly, the base level M1 mini is still one hell of a computer. I’m typing this on one right now, complete with only 8gb RAM, and it hasn’t yet felt in any way underpowered.

Encoded some flac files to m4a with XLD this morning. 16 files totalling 450mb; it took 10 seconds to complete. With my work flows I can’t imagine needing much more power than that.

it felt more like what you’d expect from a labor-of-love indie game

I thought that too. It was like a long cutscene and I loved it.

If I can shoot rabbits Then I can shoot fascists

I have a Brother printer at work that’s old enough that I don’t have a single thumb drive small enough to work with it. Haven’t tried in a while, but iirc it tops out at 8gb and the smallest I have is 32gb.

But it works fine over the network, so I’ll just carry on ignoring the firmware update it’s been begging me to install for two years.

Safari + AdBlock + Vinegar makes for a great YouTube experience.

That said, Freetube on my Pixel is wonderful.

I had my 13 mini for two years, and in that time I never once felt like the battery was on the way out. At worst it would be around 20% when I went to bed.

I don’t necessarily think it’s underrated because it’s the underpinning of a major religion, but;

Existence is suffering.

The first noble truth of Buddhism that I don’t think enough people really grasp.

On first read, those three words sound like an angsty teen being all sad, but a deeper exploration tells us that to expect a life of ease and unending contentment is to set ourselves up for continued disappointment and anguish.

When I first really absorbed the meaning of this it actually made me feel incredible. I am alive, therefore my knee hurts. I am alive, so I’m worried for the welfare of those I love. And when I considered it even further I began to understand that this is something that connects us all, regardless of our status in the world. From the most powerful kings and presidents to those sleeping rough begging for change; we are all fundamentally the same.

For me, it’s really helped me to push through boundaries that have stopped me being more assertive with those who are more powerful than I am; managers, bosses and such. My boss worries about stuff the same way I do. It’s probably different stuff, sure, but he’s still experiencing existential pain.

I am not a Buddhist, nor am I particularly spiritual. But I take a lot of inspiration from that phrase.

I say “That’ll do pig” almost daily. It’s basically a tic for me at this point.

Hands down, Ron Swanson from Parks & Recreation.

He’s a libertarian who firmly believes in his right to self-determination, but doesn’t force that view on those around him; he lets them live their own lives and is there to help them whenever they may need. I do somewhat envy his ability to ignore the meaningless bullshit around modern life, how he paddles his own canoe and strives not to be in anyone’s way.

But most importantly, he’s fond of pretty, dark haired women, and breakfast food, and who can argue with that?

🎶 Don’t whiz on the electric fence! 🎶

I didn’t.

I must admit, I don’t really know how it all works and am mostly just blindly picking my way through, appreciating what works at this moment in time.

Marilyn Manson’s ‘Antichrist Superstar’ had 99 tracks. That confused the fuck out of me when I first put it in my player.

I recently discovered Nicotine+. My iPod mini has never been happier.

READY THE SMOKE MONSTER

In our defence, Boris Johnson is an idiot cunt.