Sorry. I was out of my element.

That’s just like… your opinion, man

Great list. The Princess Bride somehow passed me by. Is it one of those movies you could watch now and enjoy, or more something that you enjoyed at the time and therfore still holds up?

Yeah, I get what he’s saying, but I agree. I think we’ve lost a lot in this post-nuance world. It’s kind of like saying you wouldn’t watch American History X because it’s got nazis in it.

Now that you mention it…

Turns out I only have one kidney. Went in for a scan of my bladder (which was fine), and the nurse doing the scan just casually mentioned it. I had no idea. I was 43 at the time.

I hear you. But then does the existence of some sort of higher purpose/unknown science necessarily imply everlasting life?

I wouldn’t say I heap them in together. At times in my life I have rejected a belief in anything ‘higher’, which fits your definition of atheism, although perhaps my mindset was closer to an agnostic atheist stance, which to me is more along the lines of ‘I don’t believe, but I can’t be certain as there’s a limit to my knowledge’, as opposed to being a strong proponent of the belief that there is nothing beyond death.

I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say it’s all baseless. It could just as easily be the passing down of allegorical tales — stories seeded by some guiding or controlling force countless generations ago in our collective development. There are even arguments for things like a collective consciousness or sub-atomic networks, suggesting that our linear experience of time might just be a way of processing information.

Honestly, who really knows? But speaking as someone who has oscillated between Christianity, Buddhism, and atheism in my youth, I’ve come to see atheism as just as much of a limiting dogma as any other belief system.

As a UK citizen at the ripe old age of 47, who has always been fairly left wing but has definitely become jaded with all politics and less engaged than ever, I can honestly say I’d never heard of the guy until this week.

However, from widespread media exposure this week, it’s hard not to conclude that he was basically one of the many grifters that seem to be riding high in the US. There seems to be club of them who disingenuously tap into the unfocused frustrations of many Americans, charismatically providing easy answers and appointing blame, seemingly motivated by nothing more than their own self-interest.

That said, I can’t take pleasure in seeing someone die. I haven’t and will not watch the video. I don’t think it’s a healthy to be entertained watching another humans life brutally end.

ITT: a lot of folk buying tech. Including me.

Retro gaming thing the size of a game boy from Temu. Probably not great for the planet, but it was £23…

Not gonna lie, the food in Spain is tremendous. And yes, historically our recipes have been bland (but with decent produce). Post WW2 staples were dreadful. But we’re a fairly multicultural clubtry now, so Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Thai etc are all on the menu these days.

Ha, you’ve no idea what you’re talking about, Amigo. North Sea fish from the waters of Shetland is amazing. Shetland lamb, Scottish Beef. Google it. I suspect it shits all over the drugged up fodder served in American cities :-)

Kind of reassuring that, come the inevitable hostile AI takeover, the weather here in Scotland will come to our aid :-)

I live in the UK. Tonight we had fresh haddock and chips, caught locally. Yesterday we had lamb curry, made with locally sourced lamb. Local produce is abundant, and high quality. How you cook it is up to you, but we also have some of the best chefs in the world.