Writer, graphic artist, creator of @scarfolk. "This guy, who apparently saw the future" - Edward Snowden. Running an ASD/ADHD operating system. Avatar image: Black & white photo. Me: bald, bearded, bespectacled, and seemingly unaware of the enormous arachnid with the face of a malevolent baby, and the plague doctor, behind me.
Public Key
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2026-08-19T12:01:20Z Event JSON
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Last Notes npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler I don't recall ever going trick-or-treating when I was a kid (in the UK in the 1970s/80s). Getting dressed up and going door-to-door was more of an American thing, right? Or is this just me? #Halloween npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Browsing #Netflix. Do they realise films were made before 1973? At least old-school video rental shops offered classics going back to the silent era, as well as healthy art, avant-garde, and world cinema sections. I discovered so much that way. There's a narrowing, rather than widening, of culture. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Nowadays, the internet sometimes feels like a once well-to-do neighbourhood that became a slum after an industrial park & motorway were built through it. And I'm the lifelong resident who refuses to leave, unable to accept that the decaying, now unsafe area will never regain its former grandeur. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/484/065/899/110/508/original/01aad8ba44663458.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/484/066/390/544/213/original/90c809f7dc606820.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler LinkedIn: "You've been invited by [someone you met once 30 years ago, and no, they didn't really personally invite you] to the daily puzzle challenge. It's YOUR move now". Such cringing attempts at fabricating engagement. Apps and sites have become so wretchedly, panderingly needy. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler A very merry fuck Orbán into oblivion to all those who celebrate. #Hungary npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Happy Eater https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/351/025/769/719/020/original/71c230e568bb532c.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Aliens: "We don't understand why 8.2 billion humans are just standing by while a tiny (tiny!!) fraction of narcissistic, flagrantly benighted terrestrial fucknuggets ruin the planet and risk the future of the species. It makes no sense." npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler The town mayor is in another phase of pitching. Busy couple of weeks. Keep your fingers crossed. #scarfolk https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/261/901/156/281/502/original/f2f8b3b7ebe534c7.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler The US is using #AI targeting in its attacks on Iran. In unconnected news: In the last few days I've uploaded a batch of photos of streets/buildings in 1960-61 Manchester in search of their sources, and AI's unsolicited assistance has proven to be 100% wrong about location/date. In the example below, AI was almost 200 miles and half a decade out. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/164/436/789/083/464/original/edda00e641e76521.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/164/437/311/545/393/original/b19298f525f60f73.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Is there a more improbable recording line-up than that of 'Rise' by Public Image Ltd? John Lydon, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Steve Vai, Bill Laswell, L. Shankar, and Tony Williams (of Miles Davis Quintet fame). Talk about 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon. You could probably connect to *everyone* via this band. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/125/439/519/457/514/original/e88558b04c1e53da.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Does advertising really work? Everyone I know mutes TV ads when they come on. Everyone I know uses ad-blockers online. I avoid sites that say 'You can't view this site unless you turn off your ad-blocker.' And some ads are so annoying &/or repetitive that I refuse to use the product on principle. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Increasingly, I don't know any of the celebs on celeb contest TV shows. When I look them up, I'm none the wiser: 'Jamareen is an online influencer known for their work in the M-social KatVortex genre, and their appearance on the reality show 'Chimp or Lasagne?' on the streaming channel Digi-Bog TV'. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler "Autistic #Barbie doesn't like to be touched. Put her down! If you look her in the eye, she turns away. She obsessively collects 1st editions of James Joyce's Ulysses and KitKat wrappers. She knows precisely how many hairs she has on her head, and doesn't like the texture of walnuts" #autism #asd https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/286/473/210/861/original/6aa5b300e4af1e5c.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Nearby, he even has his own walking path based around the events of his life. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/103/813/144/637/original/da91a5fdbd8535f8.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/104/560/232/101/original/5f78f182bae23ebd.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler When I moved to Switzerland, I discovered he was a local. He built an 'ancient mysteries' theme park, which soon failed, but the buildings still stand. I took some photos a couple of years ago. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/095/135/919/367/original/c0d386f8de7fbed7.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/095/824/926/007/original/5c3645f2509ea7a6.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/095/834/154/386/original/cf88f6d187786814.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/095/874/433/025/original/814606218dadabea.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Däniken's 'paleo-contact' claims of extraterrestrial influences on early human development, attracted a dedicated following, despite his earlier convictions for theft, fraud and embezzlement (and robust debunking of his theories). Films, soundtracks, and even prog concept albums followed his books. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/085/302/823/919/original/c677005e3cd81cbe.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/085/904/070/723/original/2fcdfa557de0f368.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/085/931/804/814/original/3afcb24efbce30ea.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler 🧵 Erich von Däniken is dead, aged 90. Many of my generation will remember him as a proponent of the pseudoscientific 'ancient aliens' theory, just one of the many sensationalist supernatural topics that flooded culture in the 1970s. I've had this book since I was a little kid. #ancientaliens https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/882/071/376/904/319/original/9cdc18717d1af112.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler 19th century book endpapers. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/833/062/980/793/218/original/d77283290fd32a99.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/833/063/366/774/785/original/e6049c34f0f06c93.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/833/064/025/452/146/original/f78d00c555c2b967.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/833/064/426/450/731/original/f180649b7b8c239e.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler The last time I saw The Trial by Orson Welles it was on VHS; the teenage me probably taped a late-night TV broadcast of a cropped, substandard print. I saw it again last night. Wow. Every frame is a work of art, not least due to cinematographer Edmond Richard. Here's a short 🧵of frames. #cinema https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/808/069/389/191/155/original/7816515ad3dd5b1a.png https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/808/069/396/414/550/original/0fa2a0c9f140e027.png https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/808/069/401/496/472/original/f22e1d5662c06229.png https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/808/069/422/312/446/original/5722e37b86f963e5.png npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler You don't need a Christmas tree here; you can just visit one. The view this afternoon... https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/758/228/623/989/063/original/5749cbe3a3400f06.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/758/229/171/158/025/original/68f7e1d3f8667576.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/758/229/719/103/473/original/818717c1e8ac228a.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/758/230/187/410/496/original/67709851700b9d8d.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler 8am. The Christmas demons have arrived... Good morning. #photography #landscape https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/745/325/884/916/784/original/bce8a63597e588ed.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/745/325/910/302/702/original/583efb5cb547786e.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler I'm guessing #Duolingo has now moved over to AI. One bug after another; crashes; non-functioning buttons; exercises that randomly end mid-exercise; sentences that don't always make complete sense; clumsy grammar; written dialogues (that you're expected to speak/repeat) that disappear off screen... npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Music auto-tagging has become a pain since AI. Even if I switch it off, my albums are constantly updated with the most ludicrous imagery. This supposedly represents Bach's St Matthew Passion. AI is like irreparable cognitive impairment resulting from severe brain trauma. 'hEre'S PASsionATe mAtthEw' #ai #aislop https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/717/227/827/504/090/original/20e86f6783b6f5f1.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler It's almost a joke. Entshittification by @nprofile…998y. - I order the book, but it doesn't ship for weeks, despite being 'In Stock'. The expected delivery date is changed to May 26, even though the book is still allegedly 'In Stock'. - It suddenly arrives. The postman doesn't ring the bell; it's left outside. - I find that the book is damaged by a strip of paper that's irreparably glued to the cover. - Other pages are stuck together or crushed. 1/2 https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/706/282/252/638/268/original/c335aff8049e01a6.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/706/282/749/910/050/original/82874daa78ba3d50.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Don't you just miss cheap tat that was probably carcinogenic? https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/705/670/946/081/373/original/5b07341586447ee4.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/705/670/956/008/065/original/6ac5994aad60db5f.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/705/670/970/461/234/original/2544e252c4b86347.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/705/670/972/030/379/original/b5ffa6cfaea14a58.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler #NowPlaying #soundtrack #minimalism https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/621/729/192/915/024/original/a7ee8f2f86658bd4.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Somebody posted an old photo in a Facebook local group and asked if anyone could clean it up. Well-meaning people turned to #AI. Lots of responders seemed happy with the results, but this is how you destroy historical records. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/610/599/262/750/814/original/41a1a4b462fbf3b6.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/610/600/254/955/892/original/569f5a6c8f43813b.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/610/628/217/566/344/original/66293fcceda6a887.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler It's crucial that I take my pill. Just as crucial that I don't exceed the stated dose. I put it on my plate beside my sandwich. I ate the sandwich. But now there's no pill on the plate.. ..or table/floor etc. Did the pill get stuck to my sandwich and I ate it? Or have I not taken it? Life's a dick. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler #AI https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/581/736/178/121/252/original/8aabfe72f6253758.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler #Cloudflare: "We'll just plug in your life-support system over here, ok?" https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/571/210/387/892/677/original/07b7ff143c85d8b5.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler "Peter Thiel dumps entire Nvidia stake, slashes Tesla holdings amid bubble fears" Struggling to understand what all this means? Maybe you relied too often on (inaccurate &/or biased) #AI summaries, rather than using your little grey cells. I could draw a picture of it for you, if you'd like, but, to make up for all the graphic work I've lost to AI, my fee went up. https://ca.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/peter-thiel-dumps-entire-nvidia-stake-slashes-tesla-holdings-amid-bubble-fears-4320129 npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler An insomnia night. My brain is like this, but with accompanying audio. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/556/812/083/103/125/original/d2bfe1fba42eba19.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler #NowPlaying Michael Nyman. He captures a uniquely wistful, historical, and somehow unsettling streak of Britishness that no one else can. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/547/729/715/371/996/original/df1f0770eeb27921.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler The play as we know it from the 1st Folio (pub. 1623) also includes 2 songs that feature in Middleton's play The Witch (1616), produced when Shakespeare was retired, if not dead. It's suspected that the 1st Folio version of Macbeth is essentially an extensive adaptation by Middleton. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/547/393/335/414/271/original/a32f2e484adced58.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler So, the witches in Macbeth may be a later reworking by playwright Thomas Middleton. Someone who attended the play in 1611 described 3 'beautiful' "feiries or Nimiphes," not “filthy hags”. Holinshed's Chronicles, Shakespeare's source, also describes 3 "creatures of the elderwood.. nymphs or fairies" https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/547/390/110/143/201/original/087a22e5ebcae653.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Flea market find. You don't often stumble across 1950s copies of Peanuts books, even less so in rural Switzerland. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/525/166/875/075/556/original/4aea409784b2c4e2.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Good night https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/521/820/423/362/516/original/bef22059d73a5c26.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Reminds me of a Peter Cook line: In reply to someone telling him they were writing a book, he said, "Yes, neither am I". npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Classic #ADHD day: - Sit down to write next book chapter. - Get distracted by something entirely unconnected: - Namely, researching an ancestor in the 1500s. - Stumble across a mystery of potentially international importance. - Realise there may be a book in it. Result: 2 unfinished books. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Four vintage 'found photos' I came across recently that invite further explanation. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/497/049/632/523/285/original/95381f48cb7d096c.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/497/050/462/047/671/original/a603b4e0a30a5c65.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/497/051/393/061/447/original/1a64dd3b3c431313.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/497/052/060/607/913/original/27a983c1f5df95b4.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Evening viewing. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/482/086/274/313/058/original/e1e1a8907de88cee.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler 🧵I've posted them before, but here's my thread of horror/kids' TV double-bill cinema posters. Happy Halloween... #halloween #cinema #graphicdesign #poster https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/468/143/837/727/134/original/a49048624cc04520.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler #NowPlaying Bernard Herrmann's scores for Truffaut. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/423/075/492/072/353/original/f22de6d4395077e3.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/423/075/537/736/749/original/b35c2799e5f8163d.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler It shouldn't be called Artificial Intelligence; Illusory Intelligence is a better fit. It's like some spiv feigning expertise about a knock-off watch he's peddling to some gullible punter. True experts can easily expose the spiv's pitch for what it is: Specious, unreliable 'bootleg knowledge'. #AI npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler RIP legendary illustrator Drew Struzan. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/373/672/088/877/493/original/5fdc8124e6d13149.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/373/672/636/069/576/original/ae5a460bf50241d8.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/373/673/204/057/254/original/9e6dd5db431aab6e.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/373/673/862/724/645/original/67ce22f2a3120d8f.webp npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler 🧵Thread. I collect photos that people took of their TV screens (in the days before home video) because they wanted to capture a historical moment, or at least something of personal significance. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/860/148/956/933/original/e36c435a8447d503.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/865/386/056/200/original/2871760f51ab7654.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/870/332/468/332/original/06e65f4d6c17da35.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/365/870/727/880/914/original/96be4d19722f81b6.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler On one of the Facebook groups I follow, someone is posting #AI animations. Many of the replies are along the lines of "Wow, you're so talented. Awesome work!" And the poster is thanking them with great humility, as if touched by their kind words. One genuine artist made a disparaging remark about AI and was promptly berated for his cynical attack on the humble, 'talented' AI creator because "things are difficult enough as it is right now for creative people". We're beyond the looking glass. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler I generally avoid reality TV, but last night I watched #TheTraitors for the 1st time. It's essentially a sexless Eyes Wide Shut, baroque hotel murder mystery weekend with tons of money chucked at it, right? Also, celebrities dragging a Trojan horse through rural Scotland is classed as... reality? npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler "We get it; the clock is ticking. That's why we're burning through vital, vanishing natural resources to work out why all the vital natural resources are vanishing so quickly..." https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/309/059/347/672/369/original/411856bf4c7f0f8a.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Can anyone recommend an open-source (Windows) alternative to Microsoft OneNote? I've looked at a few, but can't find the functionality I need: the ability to freely drag text/objects on a 'whiteboard/canvas' type page; a similar interface/layout to OneNote; being able to save files locally (not cloud-only). https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/185/138/969/047/740/original/16bf7d4306a450f3.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Websites: "Verify you're a human... No, try again... No, try again... You must verify you're a real person." The same websites: "You can only make a complaint via Billy, our AI assistant, who will connect you to one of our customer support operatives, Misha, who seems to be an attractive human but is in fact a bot" npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler 'I have no idea what possessed me' #97356. This is 100% vector graphic. (and maybe a cry for help?) #graphics https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/106/586/451/007/670/original/665002685dbd8bda.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler 2/2 https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/084/016/905/035/357/original/b4ab0311dd3be636.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/084/017/443/427/729/original/604618f825729f61.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/084/017/947/446/070/original/f9baa02e4a0b1ece.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/084/022/268/984/637/original/aa5537714e8d95bc.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Frankly, I don't know what possessed me, but I decided to recreate 1970s cinema intermission screens as vector graphics with the rule that everything had to be 100% vector. No raster graphics, no photographs, no post-vector treatments. 1/2 #graphics #vectorgraphics #cinema #1970s #illustration https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/084/008/689/753/602/original/7505a01c2201108e.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/084/009/249/779/902/original/3cbdfb03f0fde5ea.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/084/009/894/462/043/original/5a658674e2db2c70.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/084/010/322/534/511/original/878054f1e0c983c4.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Photos of walls I've taken over the years: The old Stasi headquarters, Berlin. Labrang monastery, East Tibet. Montreux Casino, Switzerland (Freddie Mercury tribute graffiti). The Berlin wall. #photography https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/061/600/750/905/984/original/e149f1beab560f96.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/061/601/325/456/850/original/adff53fb594df936.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/061/601/862/744/798/original/7a1853893c7a1045.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/061/602/450/555/559/original/ab743a9b538cc381.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler #BillEvans would have been 96 today, had he not died long before his time in 1980. #jazz https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/040/061/414/092/630/original/88156c8fac8f9b62.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Another day in arguably the most infuriating, idiotic epoch of mankind's history. What freshly shat folly awaits us today? npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Every week for a year: "Your computer can't be upgraded to Win 11. Support for Win 10 ends in Oct 2025" I can't afford a new computer right now, so did some delving. It's a bit like some meds/food; they're actually OK for *years* beyond the use-by dates. Now running Win 11 with no issues, so far. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler GPT-5: "You say you need emergency medical advice? Don't worry, I give you PhD-level expertise* in your pocket! *My PhD in art history specialises in the depiction of helicopters in Welsh religious art of the 13th century." npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler 'Dial B for Bacon'. A portrait of Alfred Hitchcock painted in the style of Francis Bacon. #cinema #art #paintingexercise https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/982/956/786/197/328/original/ed44837ce8e4f497.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler A painting of Francis Bacon (1561-1626) in the style of Francis Bacon (1909-1992) https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/976/449/199/540/481/original/bdc7c88465d39411.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler I found these questions suggested by Amazon's #AI assistant for #vinyl music records: "Is it compatible with other books?" "Is the inner sleeve archival quality?" "Are the vinyl disks flat?" "What material is the vinyl made of?" "Does it contain any skippable tracks?" "Does it include a bag?" "Are there plans for an audiobook version?" "What is the diameter?" "Are any rare ephemera included?" "Any there any plans for a vinyl release?" All the crucial questions, right? npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Maybe if AI's global harms were recontexualised to show the cost to individuals, people might think twice. Updated ToS: 'Every time you create an #AI image, 8 mins will be removed from the duration of your life and fed to feral crypto-pigeons. Click OK to continue creating your artless, futile image' https://mastodon.social/@Richard_Littler/114953995025790107 npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler 2035 AD: "Residents over the age of 65 and people with expensive disabilities who insist on drinking water will be arrested and charged with grand larceny and conspiring to commit criminal damage to a holy corporation." https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/953/158/134/829/238/original/3b857b3175eeb6c3.jpeg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler My nearest gig venue only books bands that were big in the 70s but faded in the 80s. All the original band members are long dead, but, by a quirk of legal fate, the session bassist engaged for a one-off reunion show in 1995 now has the rights to the band name and, despite being in his 80s, tours with his new 25yr old band members. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Increasingly, when I'm faced with one of those website cookies-acceptance forms, I just close down the page unless there's a 'reject-all' option. I'm certainly not about to scroll through a list of your 2769 fucking vendors to individually consent or otherwise. And 'legitimate interest'? Of legitimate interest to who? Certainly not me. Fuck off. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler About time a search engine did this. Picture research is time-consuming enough without also having to trawl through page after tedious page of false, redundant, pointless imagery claiming to be something it isn't. #FuckAI #duckduckgo https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/918/811/065/947/686/original/9250a133dc49d5d3.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler I'm inexplicably kicked out of an app so try to log back in. "Password not recognised. Enter your email address to reset password" I do so and am asked to create a new password. I type in the old one. "You cannot use your most recent password" Oh, so now you recognise it? Modern life. Fucksake. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler An undervalued era in #graphicdesign history: When 3D computer graphics were new and all the rage, but no one could afford the equipment, so the vast majority of 'computer graphics' were actually mimicked by designers using traditional 2D art/animation techniques they'd used for almost a century. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/873/525/796/621/349/original/338f3644fe109530.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/873/526/130/226/567/original/bcd6420d84784974.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler My gravestone (7 yrs old): "His whole life was ahead of him. He might have become a violin maestro, world-class athlete, respected leader, or inventor of something that benefits mankind." My gravestone (54 yrs old): "He taught himself to pick up light objects with his toes because he couldn't be arsed bending down." npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler I seem to be entering the season of orangey/reddish/yellowy/black #jazz albums. All summery in their own way. #NowPlaying Bill Evans. One of his few Third Stream albums. If it had been released a few years before and had a decent sleeve design, it might be much better known/appreciated. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/833/496/965/592/013/original/d71e9d0bee05a8d2.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler #Grok sounds like a 12 year old Elon Musk on 4Chan. Inevitable, I suppose, as 54 year old Elon Musk sounds like a 12 year old Elon Musk on 4Chan. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Self portrait behind mottled/patterned glass. Will send this off as my next passport photo. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/817/728/214/947/396/original/0d23f8a403f21732.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Imagine there's a once-in-a-lifetime walk that takes you through the greatest, most dramatic scenery in the world. You leave from Point A and walk your way back around to Point A. The ChatGPT guy above might as well say: "Pro tip: You can go on that great walk by never leaving Point A" 3/3 npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler These AI guys have mistaken a photo of a meal in a restaurant menu for the meal itself. They tell themselves it looks just like the real thing, so it must be the real thing, but in the end they'll starve to death. No protein, no carbs, no vitamins, no nutrients, nothing. 2/3 npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Pretty sure all these #AI guys have utterly misconstrued what art is. They think it's just information/data, but it's not: it's a process; it's a manifestation of interwoven conscious & unconscious thoughts that have ripened in a human mind, sometimes for decades. And the result is an interaction with another human mind, a dialogue. 1/2 https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/812/304/033/351/972/original/7097797c7d14b2e7.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Is it too late for me to become a mid-century commercial artist who illustrates cheap, pulp paperbacks and lurid magazine covers? #illustration #art #midcentury https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/784/941/763/448/578/original/f6bb4ac9e4bdb124.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler If you're wondering about the welfare of facts on Facebook, this screenshot from Doctor Who was posted as a purportedly genuine photograph of a supernatural event. 100s of thread repliers now seem to wholly accept the claim, even though discovering the image's true source would take a few seconds. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/782/724/113/851/277/original/a906e6427bb31d1f.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Evening sky, 15 mins ago. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/779/722/551/421/311/original/8ec17b32950c751e.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/779/723/120/535/331/original/7f0df553594347d7.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/779/723/817/285/753/original/7f70b0253902e65b.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/779/723/816/175/019/original/3b7f5ddaa612e249.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler So noisy. And there are only 100k of them outside the window. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/771/984/084/516/276/original/d6884335532d51d5.mp4 npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler I'd forgotten just how big the cicadas are in France. I snapped this one yesterday. It was about the size of a Citroën 2CV. #photography https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/767/266/679/447/336/original/1f6a167176de4bd2.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler This is the future that literals want. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/757/339/479/511/329/original/4cae6f4f063f732b.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Alt text: A man reaches toward a chintz Woolworths lampshape to switch on the standard lamp he stole from his dying grandmother. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/755/880/249/593/693/original/dc5f66f68d7112ef.jpeg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler It's exhausting being on a plane piloted by demented, sociopathic 5 year olds. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler I'd forgotten that, back in 2019, I adapted the shot of 'tank man' in Tiananmen Square. It feels even more relevant now. #nokings #nokingsday #protests https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/686/446/280/602/135/original/8bdd31b96e22a251.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler If a ruler or state is attacking its institutes of higher learning on the grounds of widespread subversive indoctrination, it's typically a sign that the authorities fear a thinking populace that could unmask the lies they employ to maintain power. The US, with its big business & evangelical alliance, seems right out of the pages of the history books. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Rhetoric, oratory, poetry, philosophy, the arts, etc, led many to a socially- (and sexually)-liberal 'unbelief' system that held 'hell is a fable' and that 'rulers invented divine retribution to keep men in awe of authority.' Not so good for rulers, right? Cambridge student & playwright Christopher Marlowe wrote 'I count religion but a childish toy / And hold there is no sin but ignorance.' npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler 2. 'Universities (& the media) are hotbeds of liberal, seditious thought!' Oxford & Cambridge colleges were accused of 'making a mockery of God' by producing "swarms of atheists"/"scorpions and locusts". Why? Because students were taught to think for themselves through classical sources, such as Ovid, that questioned the existence of deities. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Another stock claim was that there was 'no more room'. The population of London was around 100k-200k of which only 2% were foreign born. The *total* population of England was 2.5 - 4 million (less than half the population of London now). Modern-day anti-immigration/refugee protesters always harp on about 'preserving real Englishness' (whatever that is). Well, how about some Shakespeare? He wrote a speech attacking protestors of immigrants/asylum seekers, accusing them of "mountainish inhumanity” npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler 1. London anti-immigrant riots. At the instigation of figures in religion and business (surprise, surprise), foreigners, especially those of differing faiths, were accused of inherent criminality; of being a sexual threat to women; of not integrating, but, when they did, taking the jobs of true English people' and "eat[ing] the bread from poor fatherless children”. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler 🧵 What's even more depressing about the state of the world right now is that humans don't seem to change (as much as we'd like them to). Reading about life in the 1500s, I see similar culture-war issues, the same old hackneyed grievances, the same disinformation designed to rouse the mob. Just a couple of recent examples I stumbled across... npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Me: "It really is time I climbed out of the rabbit-hole. I've become so immersed in #Shakespeare's London of the late 1500s - early 1600s that I'm checking to see if the same tree exists, decades apart, on detailed London maps that cover *every single* street and house." Also me: [Opens a new book on Christopher Marlowe] #history #books #maps https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/534/385/906/717/611/original/73edc0d6a53378e8.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Can't say too much right now, but something just happened in US politics that I literally pitched almost word-for-word to the producer who's currently packaging a potential #Scarfolk series in the US. We live in absurd times. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler 'Still life' (in more ways than one). I painted it for entry in a local #art exhibition, but it wasn't accepted. At least I can share it here! #painting #adhd #artist #artwork https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/516/496/824/991/194/original/77c3258ddbd0e9fe.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler It's #MesozoicThe4th. Happy #TarWars Day. https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/449/025/031/276/657/original/5f50acf6b0780a70.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/449/025/350/435/070/original/dec77a4346492cb1.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Oh god, here we go. That's the day ruined. Pretty much writing this post blind. #migraine https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/420/241/762/447/539/original/7538cf1990bd0c8a.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Happy Easter! It's the first time I've attempted to paint a religious subject, so I hope you like it. #illustration #artstodon #art #easter https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/369/570/440/386/184/original/7e558e4ff7646a21.jpg npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler Paywall free version: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/rfk-jr-said-autistic-people-don-t-work-or-play-sports-they-say-he-s-wrong/ar-AA1D8txa I might also add that autistic people are clearly better at processing & interpreting scientific data than RFK; they're far less prone to propaganda and faulty, conspiratorial beliefs; on average they have higher IQs than non-autistic people. npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler "'[Autistic people] will never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date,' Kennedy said" 1. I pay taxes. 2. I ran 5km this morning. 3. My poetry has been published. 4. I've been on dates; I'm married. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/04/17/rfk-jr-autism-children/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=threads,twitter&utm_medium=social #ASD #Autism @nprofile…67cd npub1perk9y5p8ehh7chlma54dswuk9lrnasvurcyy8n9r5ka9k2ug9vq77ctkz Richard Littler "OpenAI is building a social network...*" https://www.theverge.com/openai/648130/openai-social-network-x-competitor *...to record, plagiarise, and exploit every word you write, every image you post, every sound you make. Hard pass.