Darren

This ain’t my first rodeo, Chief.

Cool. Lower prices at the pump in 5… 4… 3…

Is the original image art? Who’s to say.

But turn that image into a meme and it does become art. And that’s wonderful.

This is why Miyazaki is so against AI. Man can’t handle the junk in the trunk.

You joke, but staring at the shitty LG LED TV I bought a year ago, I get mad at how much research we have to do these days just to make sure we get the best <PRODUCT> possible for the budget we have.

Not that long ago you could walk into a TV show room, pick the best one they had that you could afford and that was that. We’d have our brand preferences, but by and large we could buy a TV that would last us ten years.

Now, in order to stand a chance of getting five years out of a product we have to do weeks of research, scour a bunch of forums, mentally having to vet out replies that feel like they’re shill accounts. We have to become miniature experts in every field where we need to spend money, and it’s just fucking exhausting.

In my case, I was labouring under the belief that LG make really good TVs. Turns out they make really good OLED TVs, but their LED panels suck balls. So within nine months of buying this panel, the backlight has become patchy as shit, and now I’m having to go through the bullshit of returning it in order to get a better one.

I dunno. I joined Mastodon back in 2022 and just…followed people.

They weren’t the same people as on Twitter, but it didn’t really matter in the end. I now follow almost 600 people and never feel like my feed is empty.

One social media site doesn’t have to be better than another, it just has to be sufficient for your needs.

I tried to put this on my Kobo, but it just crashed it every time.

I think Refused are one of those bands who don’t need to be big. They do their thing, then they disband for a while, work on other projects, then come back together.

Shape of Punk To Come is a straight up masterpiece. Blew my tiny mind in '98, when my world had come to revolve around whatever Epitaph and Fat Wreck were putting out.

My wife and I are finally in a place where we’re financially comfortable enough to book tickets to things. So we’re seeing Alanis Morissette in Cardiff in July, then we’re off to the Royal Albert Hall in September for a performance of Holst’s Planets.

These aren’t big things by any means, but her mobility isn’t great and our income hasn’t been amazing, so it’s nice to have something on the calendar that isn’t a reminder of a bill that needs paying.

Split Fiction came out a few days ago and is excellent. My wife and I are a good way into it already and are enjoying it every bit as much as we enjoyed It Takes Two.

Yep. Welder in a previous life, and can’t go to travelling fun fairs without casting an eye over the rides.

Yes Jeff!

Safari + AdBlock + Vinegar makes for a great YouTube experience.

That said, Freetube on my Pixel is wonderful.

I had a 13 mini until a month ago. It’s one hell of a phone, and honestly, I’d still be using it if iPhones didn’t keep their value so well and Apple weren’t such a shit company.

I don’t necessarily think it’s underrated because it’s the underpinning of a major religion, but;

Existence is suffering.

The first noble truth of Buddhism that I don’t think enough people really grasp.

On first read, those three words sound like an angsty teen being all sad, but a deeper exploration tells us that to expect a life of ease and unending contentment is to set ourselves up for continued disappointment and anguish.

When I first really absorbed the meaning of this it actually made me feel incredible. I am alive, therefore my knee hurts. I am alive, so I’m worried for the welfare of those I love. And when I considered it even further I began to understand that this is something that connects us all, regardless of our status in the world. From the most powerful kings and presidents to those sleeping rough begging for change; we are all fundamentally the same.

For me, it’s really helped me to push through boundaries that have stopped me being more assertive with those who are more powerful than I am; managers, bosses and such. My boss worries about stuff the same way I do. It’s probably different stuff, sure, but he’s still experiencing existential pain.

I am not a Buddhist, nor am I particularly spiritual. But I take a lot of inspiration from that phrase.

I say “That’ll do pig” almost daily. It’s basically a tic for me at this point.

Hands down, Ron Swanson from Parks & Recreation.

He’s a libertarian who firmly believes in his right to self-determination, but doesn’t force that view on those around him; he lets them live their own lives and is there to help them whenever they may need. I do somewhat envy his ability to ignore the meaningless bullshit around modern life, how he paddles his own canoe and strives not to be in anyone’s way.

But most importantly, he’s fond of pretty, dark haired women, and breakfast food, and who can argue with that?

Yeah. My bank is one of the few UK banks whose app won’t work with Graphene, which is irritating. Also, the lack of Wallet access for payment cards is annoying.

But all in all everything else works fine.

When I was assessed for (and diagnosed with) ADHD when I was 39, 5 years ago, I asked the psych whether my obesity was perhaps linked to it. He replied that, “no, probably not. Most of the people I see are thin”.

This had the double whammy of making me doubt my diagnosis and consider that I’m just an irredeemable fat cunt.

Which was nice.