Guess he needed some attention around the back end. || He does this better than you do. || Not unstylish sea beastie. || Autonomous, unmanned beverage and snack car. || What do you keep in your drawers? || Delivery detected. || Why dogs don’t rule the… oh. (h/t, Perry) || Greetings, human. || Greenery of note. || Gothic mansion, Lancashire, needs a little work. || Kraftwerk being Kraftwerk, 1982. || Classy funeral do. || What concerns me, though, is the lack of toilet paper. || Middle-school teacher needs your help. || And in mining museum news. || Nightmare scenario. || Jar contents of note. || Meaty scenes. || Tokyo, 1935. || He’s “validating” himself. Other terms are available. || It’s like a Rorschach test. || At last, a flamethrower for kids. || And finally, his telekinetic shield proved somewhat inadequate.

Yes, a subtle layout overhaul. A light dusting. As is the way with such things, there may be one or two glitches to sort out, archived videos that need to be resized, etc. Do feel free to point them out. But overall, the blog should be more legible and responsive to a range of devices. Less squinting, I think.

Also, I now have a Twitter account. By all means follow me there. I mean, you wouldn’t want to miss anything, would you?

And because there’s always, but always, a catch…

It’s time to remind patrons that this rickety barge, on whose seating your arses rest, is kept afloat by the kindness of strangers. If you’d like to help it remain buoyant a while longer, and remain ad-free, there are buttons in the sidebar with which to monetise any love. Debit and credit cards are accepted. For those wishing to express their love regularly, there’s a monthly subscription option. And if one-click haste is called for, my PayPal.Me page can be found here. Additionally, any Amazon UK shopping done via this link, or for Amazon US via this link, or via the buttons top right, results in a small fee for your host at no extra cost to you.

For newcomers wishing to know more about what’s been going on here for the last decade and a half, in over 3,000 posts and 150,000 comments, the reheated series is a pretty good place to start – in particular, the end-of-year summaries, which convey the fullest flavour of what it is we do. A sort of blog concentrate. If you like what you find there… well, there’s lots more of that. If you can, do take a moment to poke through the discussion threads too. The posts are intended as starting points, not full stops, and the comments are where much of the good stuff is waiting to be found. And do please join in.

As always, thanks for the support, the comments, and the company.

Consider this an open thread. Share ye links and bicker.

Smell it first. || Fortune favours the bold. || The thrill of cardboard. || Buzz Aldrin’s bits. || Meat in a tube. || One-minute pantomime. More, should you want it. || When women conspire. (h/t, Tim) || Counsel sought. (h/t, Perry) || His costume is better than yours. || The machine uprising, day 4. || With fractions of a wheel. || Jailhouse Rock. || Billie Jean. || Lucky or unlucky? || Fierce animal death-match. || Naptime detected. || Incoming. || Incoming 2. || Not the best place to lose a shoe. || Best not to, methinks. Apparently, it was considered “extremely erotic.” || Assorted Victorian exercise machines. || Mouse pad detected. || Taking dad to the cleaners. || And finally, a moment of manly triumph.

As I’m a little busy, more items from the archives.

How Dare You Not Defer To My Lack Of Self-Possession.

A “queer person and educator” is asked not to swear and scream in the workplace. Loud outrage ensues.

Objections to being shouted at, and sworn at, are framed with great haste as a sign of complicity in oppression: “Tone-policing is rooted in colonialism and white supremacy,” we’re told. In short, then, when a suitably black or gay person shouts at you, you “need to be quiet and listen” – and by implication, you should promptly defer, however wrong or ridiculous, or nakedly opportunist, the shouting person may be. You must “validate” their rage, and any incoherence, with lots of silent nodding, before rolling submissively onto your back. Because, being members of a Designated Victim Group, even if irrelevant or based on nothing whatsoever, they matter, and clearly, you don’t. What with all that “privilege” you apparently have. And because reciprocal courtesies just ain’t woke. It’s the progressive pecking order. Know your place. 

You’re A Monster, Just Admit It.

If you aren’t keen to become fat, activist William Hornby thinks you must be racist.

Mr Hornby is, of course, “raising awareness,” a mission that entails steering his followers to a Fat Liberation Syllabus For Revolutionary Leftists, where we learn that, “Fat liberation is a radical anti-capitalist, anti-colonial, anti-state movement that was started by fat Black and Brown disabled queer and trans people.” And where we’re told, quite emphatically, that a reluctance to become fat is “intrinsically entangled with white supremacy, anti-Blackness, settler colonialism, and capitalism.” And therefore, obviously, really, really bad. The goal, then, for all chubby-and-enlightened people, is to “abolish capitalism and settler colonial states like the US,” along with “abolishing prisons and police,” and dismantling the “fatphobic logic of productivity, discipline, and personal responsibility.” One can only hope that this revolutionary project doesn’t involve stairs or significant exertion.  

It Says ‘Poison’ In Large Red Letters. 

A reminder that the absurd and the sinister aren’t mutually exclusive.

It’s a lot to take in. || A miscalculation occurred. || Not ideal, really. || A light snack, owl style. || Little white lie brings many tips. || First gurgle. || “Children realise early on that the fit between forefinger and nostril is pretty good.” || She helpfully has her pronouns tattooed on her face. || Or perhaps you’d prefer dining option C…? || The progressive retail experience, parts 438 and 439. || The progressive retail experience, interrupted version. || Topple “white supremacy” with lettuce, only $58. || Go on, take one for the team. || Attitude detected. || Why spiders don’t rule the Earth. || Typo of note. || Parenting. || Little helper. || A project for the weekend. || And finally, he does this better than you do.