Alasdair Swanson
@alasdairswanson.bsky.social
No interpersonal skills.
Films, birds, books, science and so on. Socialist, atheist, AuDHD, guitar botherer. Officially not psychotic, will probably blame Thatcher, may post pictures of cats.
Laminated with Clarifoil™
Films, birds, books, science and so on. Socialist, atheist, AuDHD, guitar botherer. Officially not psychotic, will probably blame Thatcher, may post pictures of cats.
Laminated with Clarifoil™
Pinned
Now that I'm in my 50s I realise that most conversations I have are a variation on
Them: Just be yourself
Me: OK [is self]
Them: Not like that
Them: Just be yourself
Me: OK [is self]
Them: Not like that
Reposted by Alasdair Swanson
Winter sunlight illuminates the Inverpolly landscape in NW Scotland, with the mighty Suilven silhouetted in the distance, photographed on this day two years ago. Hoping for a repeat of such light conditions next week when I will be back in #Scotland (woohoo!).
December 9, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Winter sunlight illuminates the Inverpolly landscape in NW Scotland, with the mighty Suilven silhouetted in the distance, photographed on this day two years ago. Hoping for a repeat of such light conditions next week when I will be back in #Scotland (woohoo!).
Reposted by Alasdair Swanson
Pre Storm Bram skies in Marchmont, Edinburgh
December 9, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Pre Storm Bram skies in Marchmont, Edinburgh
I'm definitely getting "Agency thought they were being clever and were sure they were bound to be up for awards and plaudits but are now having to be aggressively defensive" vibes here.
Love how they’ve made this sound like they were trying to save a child’s life rather than making an advert for burger and chips.
December 9, 2025 at 5:07 PM
I'm definitely getting "Agency thought they were being clever and were sure they were bound to be up for awards and plaudits but are now having to be aggressively defensive" vibes here.
Billy, in one of his nice new sashes
Fell in the fire and was burned to ashed
Now, although the room grows chilly,
I haven't the heart to poke poor Billy
Fell in the fire and was burned to ashed
Now, although the room grows chilly,
I haven't the heart to poke poor Billy
Which lines of poetry live rent-free in your head?
December 6, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Billy, in one of his nice new sashes
Fell in the fire and was burned to ashed
Now, although the room grows chilly,
I haven't the heart to poke poor Billy
Fell in the fire and was burned to ashed
Now, although the room grows chilly,
I haven't the heart to poke poor Billy
Also last ever FIFA Peace prize.
‘This is pathetic:’ Fans react as Trump receives first ever FIFA Peace Prize
‘This is pathetic:’ Fans react as Trump receives first ever FIFA Peace Prize
‘This is pathetic:’ Fans react as Trump receives first ever FIFA Peace Prize
www.independent.co.uk
December 5, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Also last ever FIFA Peace prize.
I'm convinced Stephen Mangan is the voice of tesco self-service checkouts.
#NotSureWhyIBroughtItUp
#NotSureWhyIBroughtItUp
December 5, 2025 at 5:34 PM
I'm convinced Stephen Mangan is the voice of tesco self-service checkouts.
#NotSureWhyIBroughtItUp
#NotSureWhyIBroughtItUp
Reposted by Alasdair Swanson
Man whose job depends on continued presence of other man says other man's presence should continue.
Reform deputy leader dismisses claims of Farage’s past racism as new witnesses come forward
Reform deputy leader dismisses claims of Farage’s past racism as new witnesses come forward
Richard Tice says testimony by about two dozen people about party leader’s school days is ‘made-up twaddle’
Reform UK’s deputy leader has described a celebrated film director and a large and growing group of corroborating witnesses as liars over their allegations of Nigel Farage’s teenage antisemitism and racism.
With the bigotry row continuing to dog Reform, whose lead in the national polls has slipped in recent weeks, Richard Tice turned on those who claimed to have been abused and those who say they saw it. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Man whose job depends on continued presence of other man says other man's presence should continue.
Reposted by Alasdair Swanson
Insert a movie into another movie:
Carry On Don't Lose Your Head of Alfredo Garcia.
Carry On Don't Lose Your Head of Alfredo Garcia.
December 4, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Insert a movie into another movie:
Carry On Don't Lose Your Head of Alfredo Garcia.
Carry On Don't Lose Your Head of Alfredo Garcia.
Reposted by Alasdair Swanson
Illustration of the interior of the DH Evans Department Store, Oxford Street
1934-37
Louis Blanc
bit.ly/3M7HFBY
1934-37
Louis Blanc
bit.ly/3M7HFBY
December 4, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Illustration of the interior of the DH Evans Department Store, Oxford Street
1934-37
Louis Blanc
bit.ly/3M7HFBY
1934-37
Louis Blanc
bit.ly/3M7HFBY
Reposted by Alasdair Swanson
December 1, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Please don't think this is about anything other than finding a way to reduce benfit payouts and force people back to working. Meanwhile the chronic absenteeism associated with long covid is being ignored.
Or maybe diagnosis is at last catching up with the crises so many have been enduring, which have for so long been minimised, dismissed or ignored.
share.google/1aKjHRJ596x6...
share.google/1aKjHRJ596x6...
Wes Streeting orders inquiry into mental health ‘overdiagnosis’
Health secretary wants clinical review of the rise in conditions such as ADHD and autism that cause people to drop out of the workforce
share.google
December 4, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Please don't think this is about anything other than finding a way to reduce benfit payouts and force people back to working. Meanwhile the chronic absenteeism associated with long covid is being ignored.
Idiot Dog had a seizure in the garden and has been to the vets. I decided not to tell them that, while fainting, she had faceplanted in her own shit.
She's very old and ill but will make it for a while yet.
She's very old and ill but will make it for a while yet.
December 2, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Idiot Dog had a seizure in the garden and has been to the vets. I decided not to tell them that, while fainting, she had faceplanted in her own shit.
She's very old and ill but will make it for a while yet.
She's very old and ill but will make it for a while yet.
I am impressed by the plan's hugeness
"Sue and Rupert's dream home includes both a stonking amount of bonkers, and a bonkers amount of stonking"
December 2, 2025 at 9:17 AM
I am impressed by the plan's hugeness
Book folks -- if I want to browse second-hand books online and avoid abebooks (ie Amazon in disguise), what's my best bet? UK please.
December 1, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Book folks -- if I want to browse second-hand books online and avoid abebooks (ie Amazon in disguise), what's my best bet? UK please.
I complained about this last year (and will complain about it every year until the sun goes dark or I forget).
SANTAVERSE
SANTAVERSE
December 1, 2025 at 3:06 PM
I complained about this last year (and will complain about it every year until the sun goes dark or I forget).
SANTAVERSE
SANTAVERSE
Arsehole you assumed was in gang with other arseholes finally gets arse in gear to join gang of other arseholes.
Two more Conservative MP rejects hop over to Reform UK. Jonathan Gullis and Lia Nici.
More and more, Reform UK looks simply as if the Tories ran off stage, then came back on two minutes lates, wearing a comedy moustache-and-glasses disguise. ~AA
uk.news.yahoo.com/former-tory-...
More and more, Reform UK looks simply as if the Tories ran off stage, then came back on two minutes lates, wearing a comedy moustache-and-glasses disguise. ~AA
uk.news.yahoo.com/former-tory-...
Former Tory MP Jonathan Gullis defects to Reform UK
He joins Daniel Jellyman
uk.news.yahoo.com
December 1, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Arsehole you assumed was in gang with other arseholes finally gets arse in gear to join gang of other arseholes.
Reading the lifestyle news after the budget is making me regret not going into tiny violin manufacturing back when it wasn't all in the hands of Big Tiny Violin.
December 1, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Reading the lifestyle news after the budget is making me regret not going into tiny violin manufacturing back when it wasn't all in the hands of Big Tiny Violin.
This year I'm doing my own version of Whamageddon in which I don't pay attention and miss it if it's on because I'm doing something else.
December 1, 2025 at 9:33 AM
This year I'm doing my own version of Whamageddon in which I don't pay attention and miss it if it's on because I'm doing something else.
Reposted by Alasdair Swanson
Don’t think much of the Amazon Black Friday sales. I ordered The Two Ronnies on DVD but instead I got four Kindles
December 1, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Don’t think much of the Amazon Black Friday sales. I ordered The Two Ronnies on DVD but instead I got four Kindles
Nice little #CharityShop haul, £1.50 the lot.
November 30, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Nice little #CharityShop haul, £1.50 the lot.
I'm *very* clean-spoken. I'm sure @profanity.accountant can confirm.
November 30, 2025 at 12:10 AM
I'm *very* clean-spoken. I'm sure @profanity.accountant can confirm.
This is (was) Molly.
Molly was adopted from an old lady who once came round to see her. Molly ran away and hid under a bed while the old lady was greeted by Annie, another tuxedo cat. She was delighted that Molly remembered her and didn't notice Molly's eye had grown back. #ThisUsedToBeMyCat
Molly was adopted from an old lady who once came round to see her. Molly ran away and hid under a bed while the old lady was greeted by Annie, another tuxedo cat. She was delighted that Molly remembered her and didn't notice Molly's eye had grown back. #ThisUsedToBeMyCat
November 29, 2025 at 11:58 PM
This is (was) Molly.
Molly was adopted from an old lady who once came round to see her. Molly ran away and hid under a bed while the old lady was greeted by Annie, another tuxedo cat. She was delighted that Molly remembered her and didn't notice Molly's eye had grown back. #ThisUsedToBeMyCat
Molly was adopted from an old lady who once came round to see her. Molly ran away and hid under a bed while the old lady was greeted by Annie, another tuxedo cat. She was delighted that Molly remembered her and didn't notice Molly's eye had grown back. #ThisUsedToBeMyCat
Yes, I love wandering round second hand and charity shops because accidental finds are the best
The death of browsing is part of the reason art is the way it is now. Our opinions are largely fed to us by algorithms. Spending a spare 15 minutes wandering around a bookstore or comic shop or video rental place was how you found stuff you wouldn't ordinarily pick up and thereby expanded your taste
Bookselling is like the most "people go to the store and buy what looks cool to them without a particular agenda" type business left, and your purchases have a huge influence on what is ordered, what is displayed, and what is recommended.
November 29, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Yes, I love wandering round second hand and charity shops because accidental finds are the best