Explore

Shelter (2026)

Jason Statham is arguably the most reliable actor in Hollywood. He has at least one new movie out ever year and it's always released theatrically. He actually holds the record for having over fifty live-action theatrical releases with no direct to DVD/streaming/VOD releases, which is impressive as hell. Is every movie great? Not at all (I'm looking at you Exp4ndables) but for the most part you know what you are going to get and he delivers. So, when I sat down a week or so ago to watch Shelter, I was expecting a fun, action film that is a little over-the-top and probably close in story to another movie he made Safe. I knew Shelter was about a man protecting a young girl, which is basically the plot of Safe, and I was happy to experience that once again. What I wasn't expecting was a drab, depressing film with amazing...

“A life that makes a good story tends to be a life that was awful to live.” — Joan Westenberg, Why I Quit ‘The Strive’

The Dead Ones - The Whispering Wall

Will couldn’t get Benjamin’s face out of his head. The bulging eyes. The tongue. The way the body just swung there like a broken clock pendulum. Three days had passed. Or what felt like three days. Time was different now. It moved in clumps. Sometimes fast, sometimes treacle-slow. He sat on the bench. His bench. Smoking. Watching the living drift through the park like they owned the place. They didn’t. Not really. They just hadn’t figured that out yet. Silas appeared beside him. He never arrived. He just was suddenly there. —You’re brooding, said Silas. —I’m thinking. —Same thing, with you. —What happens to him now? Benjamin? —He crossed over. Jemima saw to that. —Crossed over to where? —That’s not your concern. —It bloody well is my concern. I’m the warden. I watch souls come in. I need to know where they go. Silas sat down. Took one of Will’s...

The Ring

The ring sat on the bus seat between them, small and unapologetic. —Found it in the footwell, Mick said. Leo stared at the silver band. It looked cheap under the fluorescent lights of the Number 12. —Right. —You’re not going to take it? —Why would I? —Well, it’s hers, ain’t it? Leo looked out at the rain-streaked window, the Coventry ring road a blur of orange sodium lamps. —Was hers, Mick. That’s the difference. —Still. Seems wrong just leaving it there. —Leave it for the cleaners. Or the next poor soul. Leo stood up as the bus braked. —Keep it.

Meaningful things Happen quietly Without fanfare or performance Acts away from the spotlight Of the ego or the crowd Deeds done Doer invisible

The Greasy Spoon - 10th April 2026

Bob and Joe, two grumpy old guys sit in a cafe in Coventry, slagging each other, discussing their lives and what's in the news. —They moved us then, Bob.  —Yeah, still by the window, though. So that’s alright, in’t it?  —Yeah, I reckon that old pair complained.  —Do yer? —Yeah, if yer count, there’s an extra table now.  —Bloody hell, I never counted before.  —I’m sure there is, look, over there.  —Oh yeah. Is there a sign on it? —Er, no?  —It might say for the ‘Grumpy Old Pair’.  —Ha! It’s their husbands I feel sorry for.  —Ah yeah, ‘im with the piles. I wonder if he knows she blabs it all around the place.  —Dunno.  —‘Ow’s yours— —Bugger off. Don’t want to talk about it.  —I could write a book. ‘Bob And His Metric Miles’.  —Fuck off, you.  —Here, Bob? ‘Ave yer seen the news? Trump, Trump, bloody Trump....

• 🐛 Fixed an issue that may have caused pages to be saved as drafts, without you being able to publish them. • 🧹 By default the /feed.atom (ATOM feed) page will now be automatically served when someone lands on /feed

“…dopamine fires for the chase, not for the catch.” — Joan Westenberg, Why I Quit ‘The Strive’

“Zen is the practice of simplicity and silence. This involves encountering difficulty and frequenting noise.” — Notes & Silence

Mail

iCloud+を契約して独自ドメインでメールアドレスを作ることにした。Hey Mailの使用をやめてコストを減らすことができる。メールアプリはSparkを使うつもりだった。フィルター機能でHey Mailと似たようなことが出来るからだ。以前は無料版を使っていたが、フル機能を使うために課金するつもりだった。そこで気がついた。月額1000円を払うならHey Mailに支払っている金額と大差がないじゃないかと！ Heyにも独自ドメインを使う機能があるからそっちを使うべきかとも考え出した。本末転倒している気がしてきた。一度立ち止まって考えないとならないだろう。

Diet Sodas - Spring 2026

I don't drink alcohol. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs, but I do drink a ton of diet soda. Honestly, I drink too much and I need to work on that, but that's not what this blog is about. This blog is about the limited flavors that have come out recently and my thoughts on each one. I know its marketing at its finest, but I am always on the lookout for whatever new flavor of diet soda gets released and over the last few months there have been a lot of new/returning/limited flavors. Let's take a quick look at each one. Diet Cherry Coke This is probably the most boring of the list. Diet Cherry Coke was around for many years, from 1986-2020 to be exact. It was one way to make canned Diet Coke (which tastes horrible) taste just a little bit better. I wouldn't say I...

Blogging: Learning To Let Go

A few more words about letting go with your blog. The technical people. The authors, the marketers. They’ll be cringing at some of the points I’ve made.  I get it.  And I’m still saying, let go. Your blog, you see, is like drinking a nice cool pint at the end of a hot day at work. And if pints aren’t your thing, substitute for whatever you like.  The point is, I find that letting rip on my blog makes it easier for me to write the straight stuff for work. But even then, I don’t stick the proverbial rod up my back.  Because I’ve learned how to write with freedom. You can be professional without sounding like a machine. And if you think that’s an anti-AI rant, it’s not. I use AI. For research. For brainstorming. It’s brilliant. The writing? All me. Because I need to sound like me. Unfiltered,...

Sally

100 word snapshot of a moment in ordinary life... John pushed the broom along the kerb. The girl was watching him. —What’s your name? she said. He kept sweeping. Don’t talk to her. —I’m Sally, I’m ten. —You shouldn’t talk to strangers, love. —I’m not. You’re the street sweeper. He stopped. —Where’s your mum? —Home. —Why are you on your own? —I came out with our Terri. She went off. —That’s not nice. —She’s meeting Ryan. I know she is; I’m not thick. John leaned on his broom. —What are you gonna do? —Dunno. —Go home, love. —Will you be here tomorrow? He shouldn’t have smiled. But he did.

The Ask

100 word snapshot of a moment in ordinary life... —You’re fine then, Fletch. —Er, what? —Nothing. She was stirring her tea slowly. He was watching her stir it. —Jess. —What? —Hmm? Oh, nothing. The spoon went around. The clock on the wall ticked like it was enjoying itself. —D’yer like Italian? He said. —Food or men? —Food. —Kinda depends who’s asking. —I’m asking. —Then yeah, I like Italian. He nodded. She nodded. The spoon went round again. Steady.  —How about Friday? he said. —Could do Friday. —Great. —Sound. She stopped stirring. The tea was long cold. Hadn’t mattered for about ten minutes. —Fletch? —Yeah? —Pick me up at seven.

Blogging - Finding The Flow

I know, right? If you’ve read the other posts in this series so far, you’ll be thinking: For real? No structure? he writes like a drunk wandering home from the pub? Nah, there MUST be a formula… Nope.  No formula. I do one thing. And that’s it. I write a one sentence. I open my editor (iA Writer if that sort of thing interests you) and write one sentence.  Here’s what it was for this piece: “Write a post about the non-structural way of blogging. ” That was it. What that does is shove the topic front and centre in my mind. Then, I’m free to waffle, scream, rant and shout any way that I want. As long as it hits the mark.  I write the opening par. To get the main point down. And that usually opens the floodgates. After that? It comes out. My mind “looks” at that first...

Organizing a 660-App /Applications Folder with AppTela

I recently organized my /Applications folder; it contains more than 660 apps. The tool that finally made it manageable is AppTela, a layered, categorized launcher available for $4.99 on the Mac App Store. I tend to keep an app for every contingency. The problem isn’t disk space; it’s remembering the name of the utility you installed last year to solve a problem that only shows up every few months. If you’ve ever had the experience of knowing you have an app for something but not remembering what it’s called, AppTela is designed to solve exactly that problem. I still launch the majority of my apps from Raycast. My use case for AppTela is using it's organizational structure, but if you're primarily a mouse or trackpad (nothing wrong with that), then this app will server you well on that front. Not many days go by without me downloading at least one app. I’ve been doing that for years....

Blogging - Forget Optimising

I lead a team of developers. It used to be web developers. But the team I lead now are more than that. They are all expert coders across a whole bunch of web-based technologies.  So, words like optimisation are standard speak for them. Then, in the evening, I sit down and write a blog post that wanders around wherever my minds goes. Like a drunk on the way home from the pub.  How does that work? for someone leading a technical team? Easy.  Like this. My mind says: fuck anything that sounds like restraint. If my technical brain says: Ooh, I wouldn’t do that. Or don’t put that there. Or this needs more headings and better keyword choice… I’ll end up writing a piece that has none of those things.  Why? Because that’s not what blogs are for. To me. The rebel blogger. Balls to optimising anything. People (readers) want...

Blogging - Why Bother?

Seventeen years ago blogging was Wordpress or bust. Yeah, but nowadays, it’s even easier than that. There’s loads of great platforms (Hello, scribbles.page or Ghost) you can use. And if you’re a coder? Even better (hello Astro).  So that’s grand. why bother though? How has that changed? Do I write blog posts today for the same reason as when I first started? Or has that changed? Oh crap. This post is going to be short. The answer is: no. No change. I blog today for the same reason I’ve been blogging all these years.  I’ve got something to say. And a blog seems as good as anywhere to say it.  I do remember back in the day, people used to write more personal stuff. Before the great ‘content driven’ marketing bollocks started. You’d get folk writing about the last great meal they cooked. Not because they were chefs. But because...

The Return of Certs

This will be the fourth blog post I've written about Certs in the past ten years, which is definitely too many on a forgotten mint/candy. Two of the three previous blog posts survive, and you can read them here if you'd like: Certs What Happened to Certs? A Mystery Solved If you don't feel like reading old blog posts, the Cliff Notes are as follows: • In 2016, I discovered that Certs were no longer popular and were very difficult to find. • In 2022, I confirmed that Certs had been discontinued in 2018. It amazes me what candies and snacks seem to be missed by the public and make a comeback. I mean, a few years ago, Cream Savers emerged from the ashes of the 90s and started off as a Big Lots exclusive before finally making their way into more stores. Meanwhile, Certs, something that I felt was...

Have spent much of the day tearing my arms and legs to shreds using only nature’s finest overgrown brambles and gorse while knee deep in a freezing stream. Get back to nature they said…

• 🐛 Fixed an issue with deleting blogs. • 💅 Fixed an issue with navigating to the discover settings page from Explore.

Moon Views, Earth Love

I have been watching the Artemis II mission off and on. I saw these pictures on the NASA website, and here are a few that I really like. They definitely got me thinking. I have always been fascinated by space and the Heavens. I would like to go to space, but not like we do today. If I went, I would want it to be on a Star Trek type shuttle or ship. Our spacecraft, much like our planes, are little more than thin tin cans. Looking at these pictures really affected me. The Moon is very dead and very unwelcoming, and space is the same way. Then, seeing our planet Earth from that vantage point just shows the miracle God made for us and the love Jesus purchased for us. Why would you want to go anywhere else? Hello, World NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman took...

Good evening.

Good afternoon.

Good morning.

A Quick Thought on Console Pricing

Over the past few weeks, the online video game circle has been outraged over the increase in prices of video game consoles due to tariffs/memory/storage issues. One article I saw on IGN even lamented how we’re now stuck with Xbox Series X and PS5. As a gamer for over thirty years, I’m okay with sticking with the current gen. Honestly the differences between the last two generations (and arguably the last three generations) has been pretty minimal. Sure, the load times are better, and there are graphical upgrades but we’re not talking eight bit to sixty four bit improvements. Yes, times are tough all around, so maybe Microsoft and Playstation delaying the next gen a couple of years would be a good thing. And of course, if the console prices do go above $1,000 and you don’t find it worth it (honestly for me video games are the best return...

I replaced Apple Music with Yate, Swinsian, Navidrome, and an iPod Classic. Surprisingly better.

My ten-year experiment with Apple Music is over. Over the past month I rebuilt my workflow for managing a large local music collection; roughly 36,000 tracks. After a lot of experimentation, these are the tools that finally clicked. • Migration – Apple Music with iTunes Match ($25/year; you only need it once) • Repair – Yate (free) • Management – Swinsian ($34.95) • Maintenance – Yate + Swinsian • Consumption (hardware) – iPod Classic ($40–$400) • Consumption (streaming) – Navidrome (free) This is the story of moving from Apple Music back to files I actually own, and the workflow that makes that practical in 2026. Why Leave?Streaming trained us to tolerate a mess we never should have accepted. Tracks, albums, and playlists quietly disappear. You’re never quite sure what counts as “your library.” Metadata changes underneath you. And if you cancel the subscription, it’s not always clear what remains. For casual listening that trade-off may be fine. For anyone who has spent years curating a library, it’s frustrating....

Birthday Thoughts on a Country at a Crossroads

At a pivotal crossroads, a nation contemplates its future between the pursuit of wealth and industry or the call to civic duty and democratic engagement. I turn 57 this month, and with everything going on in the world, it almost feels like an afterthought. This year feels worse, more doom and gloom than others. I am not entirely sure why, but it is not just politics. The economy has been rough too, with gas prices staying high, in my case over $4.25 a gallon, along with rising costs across the board and ongoing tech hardware shortages. It all adds to the sense that things are off. I have never seen as much upheaval as I have this past year. I have also never witnessed in my adult life companies and wealthy individuals fawn over a President to this extent, while much of the media seems complicit. Then they wonder why...

🍿Watched Civil War (2024)

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: FULL SPOILERS In Civil War (2024), the iconic torch of liberty becomes a battleground as soldiers clash atop its flame, symbolizing the fierce struggle for freedom amid chaos. My Rating: ½ (0.5/5 stars) The movie stunk, and it stunk so bad I kept watching only for the action at the end. It made no sense to me. Why were we in a civil war? Seems more like a feel-good piece for the press. There were undertones of innuendo but no reason was given, nothing clear was given. It was basically like the viewer came in the middle of a tale and only got none of the backstory. Totally stupid movie. If you were supposed to guess about the relationship to today's politics, this movie will be bad in 25 years' time since there is no context at all, and I mean at all. Every good movie has...

🔗 Knight Rider: Knight of the Repli-KITT

[YouTube Video] This was way better than I expected. It’s basically a well shot Knight Rider fan film interrupted by a few Commodore commercials. I love this type of marketing and it feels so right for a brand like Commodore.

Dolly (2026)

When I was a teenager, I loved the whole shock value of horror films. I went out of my way to get my hands on films that were almost impossible to find at the time. Movies like Cannibal Holocaust, I Spit on Your Grave, and Faces of Death. Although released in 2026, Dolly would fit in nicely with those films. Dolly exists not to tell a great story, but to shock you. To leave you cringing and running out to tell your friends about the brutal, fucked up film you watched. The film manages to capture the dirty, sticky vibe of The Hills Have Eyes or Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is impressive since most films who try to recreate this atmosphere fail to do so. But it doesn't capture the storytelling of either of those films. The entire thing feels very one noted. Think... what if Texas Chainsaw was all...

Good afternoon.

🔗 Weather Channel Retro

I've been a fan of Weatherstar 4000 and other various weather apps that re-create the old Weather Channel vibe. So, I was excited to see the Weather Channel get in on the fun with their own Weather Channel Retro complete with soft jazz. My only complaint, I could do without the announcer chiming in and I wish it would just stay up and running 24/7, but it ends after a few minutes and then I guess it refreshes.

Good evening.

A weird sciatic-like pain has appeared lately running the length of my right leg. It‘s dull but strong, quite intense. What’s odd is that it only appears when I walk any kind of distance and at no other time, not even when I’m on a run. Pulled a muscle in my chest at some point too. Hurts to cough. It’s at times like this I remember my age. No spring chicken anymore. And then as quick as I’ve remembered I’ve forgotten again and I find myself trying to scamper around like a teenager.

Unplugging The Corporate Machine

The rain in London didn’t fall so much as it just sort of hung there, thick with the smell of ozone and burnt plastic. John Mason stood in a recessed doorway across from GelTech Industries, feeling every inch of his six-foot-eight frame. He felt like a wardrobe someone had left out on the pavement. A very heavy, very angry wardrobe. He looked at the little glass shard in his hand. It was supposed to be a ‘decryptor.’ It looked like a bit of a broken beer bottle to him. —Right then, John muttered.  He tapped his temple. The internal comms hummed, a low-frequency buzz that made his back teeth ache. —Lilli? You there, girl? A voice came back, crisp and cold as a Finnish winter, right into his inner ear. Lilli Hintikka, his hacker pal.  —I am here, John. You are late. —I’m not late, John said, stepping out into...

Good afternoon.

Just Write

Last night, I felt the urge to write. But instead of writing, I spent a few hours moving my blog around, trying out themes and platforms, and thinking to myself, "Which version of me to do I want to present?" In all honesty, there are too many options nowadays and too many factors at play. I get lost in the debate about self-hosting and which platforms offer just enough customization that I like the way my blog looks, but not so much that I spend all my time tinkering. It's really silly, considering I used to do all my writing in Notepad and I was quite content with that. After mulling over my options today, I decided that the best course of action was to start fresh with a new idea I've been kicking around, while also launching a low-stress place to just share the occasional thought or photo. This...

“The task we must set for ourselves is not to feel secure, but to be able to tolerate insecurity.” — Erich Fromm

Radial 4 Works Best as an Automation Hub

I spent the afternoon experimenting with Radial 4, a rapidly evolving pie-menu app from independent developer Gustav Lubker of AppVerge. If you’re not familiar with pie menu apps, they present a circular menu divided into sections (or slices), each representing an action or command. When configured well, they map naturally to muscle memory and can be extremely fast to use. Other pie-menu apps I've used include: • Pieoneer (good) • CirMenu (good) • PieMenu (limited) • Kando (FOSS) InterfaceIn Radial, pie menus can include the following types of actions: • Input • • Keyboard Shortcut • Text • Clipboard • Open • • Open App • Open File • Open URL • Scripting • • Apple Shortcut • AppleScript • Shell Script • Keyboard Maestro • System • • Window Management • System Control The only obvious thing missing right now is deep-link support for tools like Raycast and similar command launchers. Some...

Good afternoon.

“There’s one main message being shared in ten thousand different guises: Who you are and where you are isn’t okay; you should be different and somewhere else. And this message always manipulates you through this sense of existential distress that makes you forever seek something else, and never allows you to be at peace with who and where you are right now.” — Divine Lethargy