I’m in L.A. because I want to be on Instagram… The people who work nine-to-five, that is not me… I’m twenty fucking thousand dollars in debt from college… I am not work material. I will never be work material… I could never work a normal job.

Via Instapundit, a peep-hole into an alien subculture.

I’m not a hateful person. I’m a Sagittarius.

Also, open thread.

Ah, the wonderment of a child. (h/t, Holborn) || Assorted science-fiction dime novels, circa 1890-1910. (h/t, DRB) || Upmarket scenes. || How to make Korean ice-cream rolls. (h/t, Elephants Gerald) || Iconic consoles. || Coat hangers, obviously. || She does this better than you do. || Art exhibit of note. || Technically correct. || Woke casting call. (h/t, Allan) || They found his skull and trousers. || Twofold Inc is a game. || If you snigger at this, even a bit, you’re a terrible, terrible person. || Always respect the media. || Mural of note. || More snuggest of snug fits. || Heh. || Effective but inadvisable. || “I am unable to can.” || Upscale construction set. (h/t, Things) || And finally, today’s words are escape velocity.

Via Neontaster comes news of an intriguing technological development. Apparently, the device “makes the patient feel comfortable,” while “the strong currents impact and rub.” Hey, I’m just reading what it says here.  

Oh, and yes, there is a more intimate video. 

Also, open thread.

Should we stop using the word ‘cyclist’?

So asks Laura Laker in the pages of the Guardian, thereby adding to our collection of classic sentences from said newspaper. This is promptly followed by another contender: 

As the repair man rummaged around in my gas oven, I tried to explain something to him about cyclists.

Which perhaps conveys a flavour of what follows.

Stopping using the term “cyclist” has been up for debate since an Australian study last week found 31% of respondents viewed cyclists as less than human. 

Specifically, a minority of motorists have been known to indulge in “humorous references to violence against cyclists,” which is entirely unwarranted, apparently, and must not be allowed to continue.

It is easy to dehumanise people who cycle… because they often dress differently and move in a mechanical way, and drivers cannot see their faces… Public references to violence against cyclists are not uncommon, and rarely given the same condemnation as, for example, violence towards women or bullying.

It occurs to me that cyclists are more likely to be the subject of unkind humour if their behaviour, not their chosen outfit, is causing a problem, or is perceived as such. And note the bold conflation of actual violence with merely joking about it.

Yes, a glorious opportunity to assemble your own pile of links and oddities in the comments. Gracious host that I am, I’ll set the ball rolling with a display of dad powers; why physicists put a ferret in a particle accelerator; more joys of public transport; a pop icon speaks; and some vintage warnings about the menace of body odour.

Oh, and a headline of note.