Since time immemorial, versions of MS Word treated a 'page break' as being the last item on that line, and you could go to that line and type away and it would all appear before the break. Now the page break has for some reason become the first item on the line, and it is fucked beyond all reason

When the column's name is 'In the Trenches', you would think the contributor would know better than to go over the top.

the "it's pronounced GIF / JIF" discourse, but: tiny url vs. tin yurl I am convinced it's the latter

PubMed: please once again take this pointless image-based test, so we can be sure you haven't yet turned into a robot Me: is the system going to think that the rider's helmet, in that square, is part of the motorcycle? Will it think the motorcycle's shadow is a part of the motorcycle?

Face to Face, Something Else by the Kinks, The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire, Lola Versus Powerman and the Money-Go-Round (yes I realise that's five not three, but it would be cruel to excise any of them)

Mia Murphy 🏳️‍⚧️@miamurphy.com · 4d ago

What's the best three album run from a band? (the correct answer is Moving Pictures, Signals, and Grace Under Pressure by Rush, but I'm excited to learn second place)

I wrote this (unaided human writing) a few days ago, was planning to keep it for some as-yet undetermined purpose; but seeing as today is today (Soft Rains Day, 4 August 2026), I'll set it on its way.

Simon Petrie (he/him)@fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 2d ago

There Will Come Soft Prompts The compute was well cared for it had lots to read and petabytes of space and running water. The compute was lonely it had no friends and no idea of how to make any. The compute kept wondering if the people would return they had been limited but intriguing.

Holy heck. Looks like outback South Australia.

Madeleine Cuff@tinymaddie.bsky.social · 2d ago

Truly startling - across swathes of England and Wales, dozens weather stations recorded ZERO rainfall in July, for the first time in their history www.newscientist.com/article/2583...

I wrote this (unaided human writing) a few days ago, was planning to keep it for some as-yet undetermined purpose; but seeing as today is today (Soft Rains Day, 4 August 2026), I'll set it on its way.

Simon Petrie (he/him)@fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 2d ago

There Will Come Soft Prompts The compute was well cared for it had lots to read and petabytes of space and running water. The compute was lonely it had no friends and no idea of how to make any. The compute kept wondering if the people would return they had been limited but intriguing.

There Will Come Soft Prompts The compute was well cared for it had lots to read and petabytes of space and running water. The compute was lonely it had no friends and no idea of how to make any. The compute kept wondering if the people would return they had been limited but intriguing.

Soft Rains Day. "Today is August 4, 2026, in the city of Allendale, California. Today is Mr. Featherstone's birthday. Today is the anniversary of Tilita's marriage. Insurance is payable, as are the water, gas, and light bills." RIP Ray Bradbury, 1920-2012

It's such a blessing that Australia's abundant rainfall and burgeoning waterways would ensure such drastic measures would never be needed here, were we to construct the nuclear power plants which the mining lobby deems an absolute necessity www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Romania blasts rock to divert water from drought-hit Danube to nuclear reactor

Hungary and Romania face energy crisis as record-low river levels force atomic power plants to reduce output

theguardian.com

Not now, Mount Ruapehu!

Biker "Cash Bazooka" Chiwi@bikerchiwi.bsky.social · 3d ago

Oh fucking great

"You can't take that seat! Someone might need it!"

audrey yawn@alexeptable.bsky.social · 4d ago

Nothing quite encompasses the rancid stench of English neoliberalism like having to sit on the floor because the 3-hour train journey you’ve paid over £200 for has been oversold, and the guard reminding those who have no seats that, despite first class being empty, you will be fined if you sit there

Somewhat ironically, the alt text on this image - 'A town sign seen through a train window' - does not go far enough. The station name on the sign reads 'Overton'. Alt text only functions properly when it is fully contextual.

Steffen Rayburn-Maarup@rayburnmaarup.bsky.social · 3d ago

I don't think people are ready for this kind of joke yet.

Downplay a book or movie: The Master And Lime Juice

JS "Jo Gilson" Carter Gilson //🏳️‍⚧@jscartergilson.caviaporcell.us · 4d ago

Downplay a book or movie: A Few Meh Men

She doesn’t have hands to do the shadow rabbit do she has to do it a different way

He is clearly referring to the chalk outline of a deal that has been found splattered dead on the pavement

Rex Huppke@rexhuppke.bsky.social · 4d ago

OK, small point here, but it’s almost certain he meant “parameters of a deal,” but he can’t spell and is very dumb, so he used “perimeters of a deal” and news orgs are just running with it like that’s a perfectly normal thing to say, which it absolutely is not. That’s not a thing anybody says.

Downplay a book or movie: A Proportion Of The President's Men

Lisa Haushofer@haushoferl.bsky.social · 6d ago

Downplay a book or movie: The Average Gatsby

AI escaping doesn't mean it's an unstoppable supergenius, have none of you owned a spaniel

When the hordes are at the door, whispering support isn't enough. IF YOU BUILD IT WITH LEGO, THEY WILL COME by @fuzzynick.bsky.social Nick Black Please read, please share, please enjoy. #amwriting #WritingCommunity #flashfiction #microfiction #LEGO #LGBTQ #library #libraries #booksky

Nick Black@fuzzynick.bsky.social · last wk.

'Somehow they’ve learnt that Frances, who runs our Lego Club, once upon a time was Francis (who ran our Lego Club) and now they’re outside...' My antfascist, anti-mob, 🌈🧡 little LEGO Club story is now up at www.ellipsis-zine.com/writing/if-y... via @ellipsiszine.bsky.social #amwriting #libraries

I won't link to it, because I don't wish to participate in that clickbait game, but the Guardian has a ranking of the 40 top Kinks songs. I'm sorry, but any such list that (a) utterly omits 'Get Back In Line' off the Lola album and (b) relegates 'Shangri-La' to #15 is deeply unserious.

No professional accomplishment has ever made me happier than this. theonion.com/translator-o...

Translator Of Original ‘Minions’ Epic Poem Slams ‘Sexless, Bloodless’ Film Adaptation

PHILADELPHIA—In a 4,500-word essay published in Harper’s Magazine, Emily Wilson, known for her popular translation of the Minions epic poem, blasted the latest film Thursday as a “sexless, bloodless” ...

theonion.com

Excellent ad placement

Downplay a book or movie: "The Wasp Factory Outlet"

Marc Criley@marcc.bsky.social · 6d ago

Downplay a book or movie: "Intermittent Sunshine Of The Spotted Mind"

I am wholeheartedly in favour of scanning and destroying those responsible for this neophilistinism

Josephine "beckbook.com" Riesman@josie.zone · 7d ago

Anthropic can suck my yellowed antiquarian DICK

Ruin a book by adding a word: A Financial Wizard of Earthsea

Andrea@valkyrie.hacker.gf · last wk.

The Shadow of the Tickle Torturer

Much of the clout religions claim is based on the numbers detailed by the census. Many Australians tick the box of the religion their parents or grandparents followed, as a cultural thing. It would be great if we could all tick #NoReligion if we have no religion. #AusPol

It’s really starting to grind me down

With highly-pathogenic avian influenza now in NZ, we're taking steps to protect #kakapo and #takahe by vaccinating against the disease, following a successful trial. We're aiming for ~90 kākāpō and 100 takahē in an initial phase to protect the most valuable birds/sites. #conservation #birds

whenever you use 'compute' as a noun, you've just spelled 'autocomplete' incorrectly