I bought a £150 thing from France. I'm truly delighted to pay £40 tax on import: that's for schools and hospitals. The £11 handling fee for DHL, on the other hand, is purely to cover the expensive slow additional bureaucratic admin needlessly created for us all by Brexit voters. Merry Xmas!

I don't want to be around when the owner of these glasses comes back to find them.

Big fan of building new homes, no strong views on housebuilders, but... why is everyone so righteous about forcing housebuilders to pay for new GP surgeries and schools? They didn't magically create the patients and pupils. We pay for doctors and schools in tax.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Oxford's councils have made a painted bike lane on Woodstock Rd (by my office). It specifically tells cyclists to ride in the Car Door Zone, the MOST DANGEROUS part of the road. Last month, they added little lights to it. Please, remove it
@oxfordshirecc.bsky.social @oxfordcitycouncil.bsky.social

Sam Everington GP, on Radio4 Today just now discussing how Fit Notes can make people sicker, has an inspiring history of progressive transgressive research, including this, when they were arrested during their work on racism in the medical job application process

sochealth.co.uk/socialism/di...

Saw this amazing model railway of Brief Encounter today. Scenery and trains, all black and white. It's a great idea, and very evocative, and it hurts your brain because a segment of your 3d environment is bafflingly monochrome. Possibly the best art I've seen this year. Made by Dawn Quest. So great!

This doesn't sound like the Erik Satie I know.

Great piece in The BMJ @bmj.com about our OpenSAFELY platform granting unprecedented secure, transparent, efficient access to whole population GP data for analysts in collaboration with NHS England @england.nhs.uk
www.bmj.com/content/388/...

I know it's possible in principle to cook complicated things but I highly recommend mixing adequate supermarket Christmas cake, posh brandy and cream on a plate. At any time of year.

I'm reading Hyperthick by @steveaylett.bsky.social It's brilliant, and full of powerful succour if you feel you often have to work around irrational obstructive systems.