I Have No Plan For This

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Ok, look, I'm going to talk about Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez

Obviously it is obscene to be alive right now. Obscene to be writing a newsletter at all, but then it also feels obscene to be sitting safely in my flat with a cup of coffee and a snack. A normal life feels obscene right now but we've got

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Men, hug your bros. Grasp them by the shoulders, look deep into their eyes and tell them you cherish their friendship. For the good of us all.

We regret to inform you that there has been a discourse. Ian Dunt is worried about men getting laid. He's worried that all the advice for men on getting laid comes from right wing dipshits like Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate, and that the left doesn't

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Complaints

We continue to barely function

Samuel Johnson (of the dictionary) spent a lot of his life trying to avoid debtor's prison. He's one of the most highly regarded English writers in history but while he lived and worked he struggled to survive. Such is life. What he would do to avoid

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Art

A Dichotomy of Bops, Bangers, and Jams

I've been trying to explore, musically, this week. I do this thing – I don't know if you've heard of this – where I tend to only listen to things I already know, and I'm trying to be better at keeping myself abreast of

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Advice

Unfortunately it's time to take a lesson from: Improv comedy

I'm not going to talk to you about yes and, don't worry, it's not that bad. I used to be an actor. I'm what they call professionally trained. This just means I spend several years of my life and several thousands of

Art

Jamie and Janina’s Universal Film Drinking Game

I had originally posted a version of this on Medium, but it occurs to me that I used to sign in to Medium with my twitter account and I've deleted my twitter account, obviously, so I thought I put it here because it's very good. Jamie

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AI

Once again, we regret to inform you, it is AI

This week in death to AI some judge in some case ruled that AI companies using our books without permission qualifies as fair use because it's transformative, and not distinct from authors being influenced by other books themselves. The judge did also say that AI companies pirating books

What the fuck is going on

A non-exhaustive list of what the fuck is going on. What the fuck is going on is that Trump bombed Iran. What the fuck is going on is that this hero successfully delivered food to someone trapped on a stuck train. 0:00 /0:49 1× What the fuck is

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Complaints

We need at least some rich people to agree to being eaten

Labour are trying to court Reform voters. The BBC is trying to appeal to Reform viewers. We're all sick of it. There is one common cause, I think, between a lot of us on the left, and many voters on the right and it is this: life fucking

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Art

What weird shit have you watched recently: part two

Look, I'll be honest, I've fallen down recently on my resolution to watch a lot of weird shit. Both in quantity and in scale of weirdness, thing have been quite normal in recent weeks. I don't know what to tell you, I've

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The horrors

Unfortunately it's time to take a lesson from: Christianity

Hello and welcome to a new series I'm calling unfortunately it's time to take a lesson from. I'm calling it a series because so far I have two (2) ideas for it, and sometimes that is enough. And I'm coming in hot

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Art

Taskmaster task outfits: ranked (Series 19 Update)

The following is the definitive ranking of Taskmaster task outfits. I placed each outfit on a whim and stand by absolutely none of it, so do not come at me, I will fold immediately. I'll be honest, I thought this was going to be a quick and easy

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Art

Are we finally getting weird again?

I'm starting to be every so slightly optimistic about the state of blockbuster art. What a thing! Jamie's been playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. As I understand it, everyone has been playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I'm not going to play it (turn based

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Politics

Whither the British left?

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Politics

The best things in life are free except stable mental health, which does require some money

I am currently on hold with Thames Water. I am 90 minutes into a phone call with Thames Water to try and get them to refund the £375 they have just incorrectly taken from my account. There's a lot of boring backstory to this involving an incorrect bill

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Art

I have covid and I've watched all the Missions Impossible, here are my thoughts

The Missions Impossible work best when the movie is aware that it's very silly and when Tom Cruise doesn't realise at all. It's the action spy movie version of the classic comedy truth that playing something straight is funnier than leaning into the joke.

The horrors

Do they think trans people are people?

It's been baffling and horrifying to watch the transphobic moral panic grow and mutate in the UK and around the world over the last decade or so. Something about it has felt to me so childish. Here in the UK, there existed a pack of fun, irreverent (white,

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Art

Why did I feel such visceral disgust at the trailer for Wes Anderson's new movie?

I mean, I like Wes Anderson! I always have! For me his films range from more or less enjoyed it to will love and cherish it until my dying day with the only exception being Isle of Dogs. I'm even an apologist for The Life Aquatic with Steve

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Personal

I am, once again, stuck in Singapore

Over the past few months when I've talked to my friends about my general situation it has led to the same phrase: God, you really need a win. And I do. I need a win. I have been needing a win, I remain needing a win. I will

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Personal

If there is a multiverse, which one am I in

Every so often I see a film or a TV show for the first time and somehow it feels wrong that I'm only seeing it for the first time. Not in that it's a shame it took till now to see it, but that something went

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Personal

Dating shouldn't have a fail condition

Everyone knows there's a loneliness epidemic among young men. This is, naturally, because of the patriarchy and Queen Victoria. Kind of. In the Victorian era when sodomy laws began to be prosecuted it became dangerous for men to appear to be too intimate, even in entirely platonic relationships.

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Personal

Oh look, I'm in New Zealand

I can judge billionaires for a lot of things but I can never quite bring myself to condemn private jets, despite the emissions because I know I would absolutely get one if I could. Of course that's mainly a reaction to how brutal and dehumanising flying anywhere feels,

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Travel

My plane was broken and I am stuck halfway to New Zealand, these are my thoughts

I have had roughly five hours of sleep in two days. I have been sent to a hotel in Singapore because the plane was broken. I have been on hold with Qantas for all time. I think Anora ruled and I'm delighted by its Oscar sweep. Sean Baker

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Complaints

Why did we all decide business is sensible?

I've decided that an MBA is the most nonsense degree you can have. And I say that as someone whose degree is in theatre. In another world or in another era this observation would just be idle chitchat but in this world, in this era we've

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Complaints

A list of the ways I am currently providing value for shareholders

Sometimes, when you are having a Rough Time™ it can be helpful to have something to hold on to, to remind you of your inherent and exquisite value as a human being on this earth, living their one and precious life. I am having one such Rough Time™ currently – you