Nostr notes by Richard Littler

I don't recall ever going trick-or-treating when I was a kid ...

2026-10-27T13:16:02Z

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

Browsing #Netflix. Do they realise films were made before 1973? ...

2026-10-23T12:58:25Z

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.

Nowadays, the internet sometimes feels like a once well-to-do ...

2026-10-22T10:24:06Z

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.

LinkedIn: "You've been invited by [someone you met once ...

2026-08-28T06:57:56Z

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.

A very merry fuck Orbán into oblivion to all those who ...

2026-04-12T19:31:44Z

A very merry fuck Orbán into oblivion to all those who celebrate.
#Hungary

Happy Eater ...

2026-04-05T07:56:35Z

Happy Eater

Aliens: "We don't understand why 8.2 billion humans are ...

2026-03-21T19:41:41Z

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."

The town mayor is in another phase of pitching. Busy couple of ...

2026-03-20T14:10:43Z

The town mayor is in another phase of pitching.
Busy couple of weeks.
Keep your fingers crossed.

#scarfolk

The US is using #AI targeting in its attacks on Iran. In ...

2026-03-03T09:07:28Z

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.

Is there a more improbable recording line-up than that of ...

2026-02-24T11:46:47Z

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.

Does advertising really work? Everyone I know mutes TV ads when ...

2026-02-10T08:45:04Z

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.

Increasingly, I don't know any of the celebs on celeb contest ...

2026-01-15T15:13:29Z

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'.

"Autistic #Barbie doesn't like to be touched. Put her ...

2026-01-12T13:09:50Z

"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

Nearby, he even has his own walking path based around the events ...

2026-01-12T12:24:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…cd5v
_________________________

Nearby, he even has his own walking path based around the events of his life.

When I moved to Switzerland, I discovered he was a local. He ...

2026-01-12T12:22:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…66em
_________________________

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.

Däniken's 'paleo-contact' claims of extraterrestrial ...

2026-01-12T12:20:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…z5d5
_________________________

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.

🧵 Erich von Däniken is dead, aged 90. Many of my generation ...

2026-01-12T12:17:32Z

🧵 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

19th century book endpapers. ...

2026-01-03T20:32:15Z

19th century book endpapers.

The last time I saw The Trial by Orson Welles it was on VHS; the ...

2025-12-30T10:35:20Z

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

You don't need a Christmas tree here; you can just visit one. ...

2025-12-21T15:21:11Z

You don't need a Christmas tree here; you can just visit one.
The view this afternoon...

8am. The Christmas demons have arrived... Good morning. ...

2025-12-19T08:38:50Z

8am.
The Christmas demons have arrived...
Good morning.

#photography #landscape

I'm guessing #Duolingo has now moved over to AI. One bug ...

2025-12-15T14:23:33Z

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...

Music auto-tagging has become a pain since AI. Even if I switch ...

2025-12-14T09:34:05Z

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

It's almost a joke. Entshittification by @nprofile…998y. - ...

2025-12-12T11:11:20Z

It's almost a joke. Entshittification by
nprofile1qyt8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kytcqyzujmnq8uxljl8l5m30p6kf69nnnerpz4tq2urwm62lz7qa34rk4xe4998y (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

Don't you just miss cheap tat that was probably carcinogenic? ...

2025-12-12T08:34:42Z

Don't you just miss cheap tat that was probably carcinogenic?

#NowPlaying #soundtrack #minimalism ...

2025-11-27T12:47:49Z

#NowPlaying

#soundtrack #minimalism

Somebody posted an old photo in a Facebook local group and asked ...

2025-11-25T13:43:43Z

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.

It's crucial that I take my pill. Just as crucial that I ...

2025-11-24T11:37:08Z

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.

Nostr event nevent1qqsxtdgw93whxutmcude5f7w9y5tuuuav03l65p3f0asz35227raf9gzyq8ywc5jsylx7lmzll0kj4kpmjchuw0kpns0qss7v5wjm5ket3q4sf3aqj3

2025-11-20T11:15:56Z

#AI

#Cloudflare: "We'll just plug in your life-support system ...

2025-11-18T14:38:58Z

#Cloudflare: "We'll just plug in your life-support system over here, ok?"

"Peter Thiel dumps entire Nvidia stake, slashes Tesla ...

2025-11-17T13:04:04Z

"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

An insomnia night. My brain is like this, but with accompanying ...

2025-11-16T01:37:41Z

An insomnia night.
My brain is like this, but with accompanying audio.

#NowPlaying Michael Nyman. He captures a uniquely wistful, ...

2025-11-14T11:07:27Z

#NowPlaying Michael Nyman. He captures a uniquely wistful, historical, and somehow unsettling streak of Britishness that no one else can.

The play as we know it from the 1st Folio (pub. 1623) also ...

2025-11-14T09:41:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…dsh9
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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.

So, the witches in Macbeth may be a later reworking by playwright ...

2025-11-14T09:41:14Z

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"

Flea market find. You don't often stumble across 1950s copies ...

2025-11-10T11:29:35Z

Flea market find. You don't often stumble across 1950s copies of Peanuts books, even less so in rural Switzerland.

Good night ...

2025-11-09T21:18:21Z

Good night

Reminds me of a Peter Cook line: In reply to someone telling him ...

2025-11-06T14:08:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…2dgy
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Reminds me of a Peter Cook line:
In reply to someone telling him they were writing a book, he said, "Yes, neither am I".

Classic #ADHD day: - Sit down to write next book chapter. - Get ...

2025-11-06T13:34:17Z

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.

Four vintage 'found photos' I came across recently that ...

2025-11-05T12:20:02Z

Four vintage 'found photos' I came across recently that invite further explanation.

Evening viewing. ...

2025-11-02T20:53:43Z

Evening viewing.

🧵I've posted them before, but here's my thread of ...

2025-10-31T09:47:45Z

🧵I've posted them before, but here's my thread of horror/kids' TV double-bill cinema posters. Happy Halloween...
#halloween #cinema #graphicdesign #poster

#NowPlaying Bernard Herrmann's scores for Truffaut. ...

2025-10-23T10:46:32Z

#NowPlaying Bernard Herrmann's scores for Truffaut.

It shouldn't be called Artificial Intelligence; Illusory ...

2025-10-17T09:20:35Z

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

RIP legendary illustrator Drew Struzan. ...

2025-10-14T17:23:42Z

RIP legendary illustrator Drew Struzan.

🧵Thread. I collect photos that people took of their TV screens ...

2025-10-13T08:18:48Z

🧵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.

On one of the Facebook groups I follow, someone is posting #AI ...

2025-10-11T17:23:09Z

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.

I generally avoid reality TV, but last night I watched ...

2025-10-10T09:16:20Z

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?

"We get it; the clock is ticking. That's why we're ...

2025-10-03T07:30:31Z

"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..."

Can anyone recommend an open-source (Windows) alternative to ...

2025-09-11T10:16:03Z

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).

Websites: "Verify you're a human... No, try again... No, ...

2025-09-04T09:05:05Z

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"

'I have no idea what possessed me' #97356. This is 100% ...

2025-08-28T13:19:04Z

'I have no idea what possessed me' #97356.
This is 100% vector graphic.
(and maybe a cry for help?)
#graphics

Nostr event nevent1qqsyfy2j8262nmtevz4lagy9hc58wd69zvq2s9am2nzgsy8taw5fsjgzyq8ywc5jsylx7lmzll0kj4kpmjchuw0kpns0qss7v5wjm5ket3q4s85gnrd

2025-08-24T13:40:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…6g6h
_________________________

2/2

Frankly, I don't know what possessed me, but I decided to ...

2025-08-24T13:38:37Z

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

Photos of walls I've taken over the years: The old Stasi ...

2025-08-20T14:39:18Z

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

#BillEvans would have been 96 today, had he not died long before ...

2025-08-16T19:20:48Z

#BillEvans would have been 96 today, had he not died long before his time in 1980.
#jazz

Another day in arguably the most infuriating, idiotic epoch of ...

2025-08-14T06:32:42Z

Another day in arguably the most infuriating, idiotic epoch of mankind's history. What freshly shat folly awaits us today?

Every week for a year: "Your computer can't be upgraded ...

2025-08-13T10:01:11Z

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.

GPT-5: "You say you need emergency medical advice? Don't ...

2025-08-08T12:45:40Z

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."

'Dial B for Bacon'. A portrait of Alfred Hitchcock ...

2025-08-06T17:29:26Z

'Dial B for Bacon'.
A portrait of Alfred Hitchcock painted in the style of Francis Bacon.

#cinema #art #paintingexercise

A painting of Francis Bacon (1561-1626) in the style of Francis ...

2025-08-05T13:43:16Z

A painting of Francis Bacon (1561-1626) in the style of Francis Bacon (1909-1992)

I found these questions suggested by Amazon's #AI assistant ...

2025-08-04T08:04:46Z

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?

Maybe if AI's global harms were recontexualised to show the ...

2025-08-01T14:33:42Z

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

2035 AD: "Residents over the age of 65 and people with ...

2025-08-01T11:00:09Z

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."

My nearest gig venue only books bands that were big in the 70s ...

2025-08-01T09:16:08Z

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.

Increasingly, when I'm faced with one of those website ...

2025-07-30T20:37:28Z

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.

About time a search engine did this. Picture research is ...

2025-07-26T09:25:20Z

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

I'm inexplicably kicked out of an app so try to log back in. ...

2025-07-22T08:29:26Z

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.

An undervalued era in #graphicdesign history: When 3D computer ...

2025-07-18T09:28:53Z

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.

My gravestone (7 yrs old): "His whole life was ahead of him. ...

2025-07-14T11:00:11Z

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."

I seem to be entering the season of orangey/reddish/yellowy/black ...

2025-07-11T08:16:14Z

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.

#Grok sounds like a 12 year old Elon Musk on 4Chan. Inevitable, I ...

2025-07-09T07:19:43Z

#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.

Self portrait behind mottled/patterned glass. Will send this off ...

2025-07-08T12:58:32Z

Self portrait behind mottled/patterned glass.
Will send this off as my next passport photo.

Imagine there's a once-in-a-lifetime walk that takes you ...

2025-07-07T14:01:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…3ujv
_________________________

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

These AI guys have mistaken a photo of a meal in a restaurant ...

2025-07-07T14:01:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…8208
_________________________

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

Pretty sure all these #AI guys have utterly misconstrued what art ...

2025-07-07T14:00:22Z

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

Is it too late for me to become a mid-century commercial artist ...

2025-07-02T18:01:11Z

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

If you're wondering about the welfare of facts on Facebook, ...

2025-07-02T08:36:35Z

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.

Evening sky, 15 mins ago. ...

2025-07-01T19:53:54Z

Evening sky, 15 mins ago.

So noisy. And there are only 100k of them outside the window. ...

2025-06-30T11:06:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…96r0
_________________________

So noisy. And there are only 100k of them outside the window.

I'd forgotten just how big the cicadas are in France. I ...

2025-06-29T15:05:54Z

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

This is the future that literals want. ...

2025-06-27T21:01:14Z

This is the future that literals want.

Alt text: A man reaches toward a chintz Woolworths lampshape to ...

2025-06-27T14:50:13Z

Alt text: A man reaches toward a chintz Woolworths lampshape to switch on the standard lamp he stole from his dying grandmother.

It's exhausting being on a plane piloted by demented, ...

2025-06-22T05:48:43Z

It's exhausting being on a plane piloted by demented, sociopathic 5 year olds.

I'd forgotten that, back in 2019, I adapted the shot of ...

2025-06-15T08:31:58Z

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

If a ruler or state is attacking its institutes of higher ...

2025-05-23T11:52:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…jut3
_________________________

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."

Rhetoric, oratory, poetry, philosophy, the arts, etc, led many to ...

2025-05-23T11:51:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…sjme
_________________________

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.'

2. 'Universities (& the media) are hotbeds of liberal, ...

2025-05-23T11:51:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…t3qj
_________________________

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.

Another stock claim was that there was 'no more room'. ...

2025-05-23T11:50:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…em3w
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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”

1. London anti-immigrant riots. At the instigation of figures in ...

2025-05-23T11:50:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…c3fn
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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”.

🧵 What's even more depressing about the state of the world ...

2025-05-23T11:49:50Z

🧵 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...

Me: "It really is time I climbed out of the rabbit-hole. ...

2025-05-19T12:02:10Z

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

Can't say too much right now, but something just happened in ...

2025-05-16T08:32:31Z

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.

'Still life' (in more ways than one). I painted it for ...

2025-05-16T08:12:45Z

'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

It's #MesozoicThe4th. Happy #TarWars Day. ...

2025-05-04T10:12:47Z

It's #MesozoicThe4th.
Happy #TarWars Day.

Oh god, here we go. That's the day ruined. Pretty much ...

2025-04-29T08:12:30Z

Oh god, here we go. That's the day ruined.
Pretty much writing this post blind.
#migraine

Happy Easter! It's the first time I've attempted to paint ...

2025-04-20T09:26:59Z

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

Paywall free version: ...

2025-04-18T09:21:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…whh2
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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.

"'[Autistic people] will never pay taxes. They’ll never ...

2025-04-18T09:20:14Z

"'[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 ActuallyAutistic group (nprofile…67cd)

"OpenAI is building a social network...*" ...

2025-04-15T17:59:59Z

"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.