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jphilipboyle.bsky.social
j philip boyle
@jphilipboyle.bsky.social
Music, photos, words
Some of the most enjoyable comics of my youth were the ones where the plot was pretty tangential to whatever The Big Story of the era was.

They could explore an idea or a character without having to worry about how it might affect 100 other story arcs.

The Wonder Man TV show feels like this. 👍👍
February 1, 2026 at 11:58 AM
Sometimes forget just how good this video and performance is. Honestly, hang it in the Louvre.
Childish Gambino - This Is America (Official Video)
YouTube video by ChildishGambinoVEVO
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 7:08 PM
I’d love to see a journalist owned news outlet in Ireland run to the standards set out below.

Maybe a co-op or an employee ownership trust model?

It would probably need a friendly multimillionaire to get it off the ground though. 💸
All I want is a paper that tells me the news, isn't in thrall to corporate interests/PR, doesn't both-sides everything, doesn't align with or platform fascism, and doesn't launder right wing talking points or associated bigotries (currently in particular anti-trans bigotry)

Is that too much to ask?
I don't accept the transcribing Reuters/AP reports though. They don't have to just transcribe and ultimately they are the publisher and take responsibility.
Sure, transcribing is cheaper - but losing subscribers is expensive
January 28, 2026 at 3:34 PM
The 3rd point here is probably the least talked about aspect of why AI doesn’t work for business today.

I’d argue that the massive failure rate of current AI projects is due to the need for real people to check and correct everything it does.

You would fire a person who got so much wrong so often.
AI skills.

* Saying no.
* Not using it.
* Rigorously checking the output if forced to use it.
January 28, 2026 at 10:43 AM
Modern feudalism.

“Ireland's 11 billionaires are wealthier than 66% of the country's population, according to a new study from Oxfam.”
Collective wealth of billionaires rises by $2.5 trillion
Ireland's 11 billionaires are wealthier than 66% of the country's population, according to a new study from Oxfam.
www.rte.ie
January 19, 2026 at 7:49 AM
Both @empiremagazine.bsky.social and @kermodeandmayo.bsky.social podcasts featured Claire Foy / clairvoyant puns.

Didn’t see that one coming. 🤷‍♂️
January 17, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Given how much coverage Those American Idiots got for their baseless claims, it’s worth boosting this story which obviously won’t get nearly as much coverage.
No autism link to paracetamol use in pregnancy - study
Current evidence does not link paracetamol use in pregnancy to autism, experts have said after a new review of studies on the topic.
www.rte.ie
January 17, 2026 at 12:55 PM
Somewhere in RTÉ there’s a Chemical Brothers loving sub editor who’s just chuffed with this headline. 🙂
January 17, 2026 at 10:24 AM
I’m glad to see X feeling a little political and legal heat this week, but I have very little faith in either system to hold them to account.

We’ve already witnessed the news and music industries having their content stolen en masse by platforms, eventually paying pennies on the dollar years later.
January 16, 2026 at 5:53 PM
The ERSI rightly points to the disproportionate amount of “news” coverage (my quotes) that immigration gets as a reason people overestimate its impact on societal issues. RTÉ and others might do well to reflect on this after covering the report themselves.
Immigration levels overestimated by public, says ESRI
Many people believe immigration is happening in Ireland on a larger scale than it really is, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute.
www.rte.ie
January 15, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Even if you’ve seen it before, watch it again all the way to the end. Take 6 minutes off the bad news merry-go-round and just enjoy something. 🙂
2021 Remaster "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with Prince, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Steve Winwood
YouTube video by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
youtu.be
January 14, 2026 at 9:46 PM
I wonder if the cabinet discussed this at their meeting today to force through planning for more and more data centres here? 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️
Cold and data centres drive up US greenhouse gas emissions
US emissions of planet-warming gases rise for the first time in three years.
www.bbc.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:24 PM
The best time to delete your Twitter account was years ago.

The second best time is right now.

You either want to be part of an ecosystem that enriches a fascist billionaire via deepfake porn, unabashed racism, and now CSAM, or you don’t.

I need to be there for work is no excuse in my opinion.
January 9, 2026 at 9:28 AM
This legislation seems bonkers to a lay person like me, and I’d expect President Connolly to be calling the Council of State and the Supreme Court if it gets that far.

I’m in favour of faster delivery of critical infrastructure, but surely the way to avoid delays is better planning & consultations.
New legislation aims to overhaul judicial review process
Legislation which will overhaul the judicial review process has been published by the Minister for Justice.
www.rte.ie
January 6, 2026 at 5:57 PM
An all time favourite that I still DJ with all the time. RIP
Josephine (French Edit)
YouTube video by Chris Rea - Topic
youtu.be
December 22, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Do this in Ireland next please. And add a couple of zeros for good measure. And seize the unlicensed properties and convert them to social housing.
Airbnb fined £56m by Spain for advertising unlicensed properties
The government has been cracking down on the rentals firm as neighbourhoods protest against holiday lets.
www.bbc.com
December 15, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Which lines of poetry live rent-free in your head?
December 6, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Tall buildings in other cities get nicknamed.

I’m going to suggest The Carbuncle for this one.

I’m not against tall buildings in general, but this one is truly hideous, and totally out of place in that location.
Marlet's Tower of Darkness on Dublin's Tara Street is now up for rent as 'The Residence at College Square' with sky-high rents of €3,085 per month for a one-bed apartment and €4,500 per month for a two-bed, offering what the developer's DubLiv agency describes as a 'five-star living experience'.
November 24, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Neither the Minister for Housing, nor the Taoiseach, nor the Tánaiste, nor any other cabinet minister made themselves available to Prime Time or the other major news bulletins this evening to talk about their absolutely critical 6 year plan.

They don’t believe in it themselves. No one else should.
November 13, 2025 at 10:23 PM
In better news, there was minimal phone use at the Baxter Dury gig, which was excellent. I took one bad photo as a keepsake.
November 13, 2025 at 11:23 AM
There isn’t a single thing mentioned in this RTÉ report that would give you the slightest confidence that this government knows how to move the needle on housing. A plan a year in the making and they have spectacularly failed to grasp to nettle.
72,000 social homes among 300,000 pledged in housing plan
The new housing plan titled 'Delivering Homes, Building Communities' has pledged that a minimum of 300,000 new homes will be built by 2030.
www.rte.ie
November 13, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Going to a gig as a punter for a change. Looking forward to the the music and the show. Hoping that the expected slightly older crowd might not be as inclined to video the whole thing on their phones. Time will tell!
November 12, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Memeception
I made a “how do you do, fellow kids?” joke to someone in their mid 20s who, it turns out, was too young to have heard of that meme.

So “how do you do, fellow kids?” is now an example of “how do you do, fellow kids?”
November 8, 2025 at 1:36 PM
FFG has been told by a state department that it has fucked up housing so badly that even if tries quite hard (which it steadfastly refuses to do) it’ll take at least 15 years to catch up.

So FFG has decided to point the finger at asylum seekers to deflect and distract, consequences be damned.
November 5, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Simon Harris’s comments on immigration won’t win FG any new votes and will alienate some of their existing base.

It happened to Sinn Fein when they tied something similar. It has happened to both Labour and the Conservatives in the UK.

It’s incredibly poor leadership after their electoral defeat.
October 30, 2025 at 11:41 AM