Just learned that one of the buildings i teach in is where the Gaelic League was based in London (1913-16)

From Ways of Seeing to this.

Coming across this quote in 2019 has basically shaped ever since how I feel about AI, advertising, social media, and so on:

Because you don’t save, Mr Deasy said, pointing his finger. You don’t know yet what money is. Money is power. When you have lived as long as I have. I know, I know. If youth but knew. But what does Shakespeare say? Put but money in thy purse.

I can guarantee that I wouldnt go to university if I was 18 now. I almost didn’t go 20 years ago. Obviously there‘s far worse things in the world than the fate of vaguely arty white working class lads like me, but it’s a bleak landscape for them now

Will Davies@will-davies.bsky.social · last wk.

university was a far better option for disadvantaged young people 10+ years ago than it is now. Part of what's happened, enabling the new 'vocational/technical' policy discourse is that - via cost of living and punitive student finance - the socioeconomic critique of HE has become increasingly valid

Music this week

My friend Simon has just sent me this astonishing poem that was in his local (Exeter branch) Wetherspoons magazine.

Saint Augustine is now very into the idea of being able to control when we get erections, leading to this startling fart digression

Finally

The average human spends nearly 4% of their lifetime being Indonesian.

I do ultimately just think james joyce was really really good

happy birthday kiyoshi kurosawa

(Guy in the Phenomenology of Spirit) No, I don’t have to do the work myself. I have something even better: someone else to do it for me

the 'post-literacy'/'new orality' consensus is getting so strong im feeling positive its wrong 😎

Lmao here's the goal from Freese's perspective, courtesy of the BBC's 3D World Cup thing

Last 7 days of music

Movies are about learning the characters' names

Bought referee

“What will we remember, skill or meaning?” - Peter Brook, The Shifting Point

i am losing all control at ‘springtime for frankenstein’ (from mel brooks’ memoir)

Stunning goal

don't think this is really the place but I figure it can't hurt to drop a reminder that my wife and I lost our flat in a fire last year and are still looking for a new one – if you have any leads, please get in touch!!

are fight scenes in stories really necessary? everything i need to know can just be said later by a character who watched it all, so i think not

The level of suppression of speech and action on Palestine in the UK carries on getting more and more shocking. 'The proceedings are believed to be the first brought against a barrister in respect of a jury speech in living memory, possibly ever.' www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Barrister in Palestine Action trial facing contempt of court proceedings

Rajiv Menon KC accused of defying judge’s orders to not inform jury of right to acquit on basis of conscience

theguardian.com

Music this week

Weissians! Novel-Experts! Aesthetic Theorists! Our graduate students are putting together a formidable conference on #PeterWeiss' "The Aesthetics of Resistance" at 50. CfP attached, feel free to repost. networks.h-net.org/group/announ...

Keri ramster, a red-faced cork-hatted crocodile wrangler from north queensland, has just put his name forward for the labour leadership contest

lmao

Potentially for the last time, please enjoy the best picture of Keir Starmer