Richard Brown
@richardbrown.bsky.social
Cities, urban economics, housing, puns, poetry and pop music. Views are mine.
Reading this @gideonrachman.bsky.social piece, I am reminded that Nena's '99 Luftballons' described the type of accidental incident that almost triggered nuclear war in Operation Able Archer (referred to here) a couple of months later. www.ft.com/content/3c30...
November 10, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Reading this @gideonrachman.bsky.social piece, I am reminded that Nena's '99 Luftballons' described the type of accidental incident that almost triggered nuclear war in Operation Able Archer (referred to here) a couple of months later. www.ft.com/content/3c30...
Great sherry tasting yesterday evening at Hove's wonderful Fourth and Church to round off Sherry Week, under the expert and enthusiastic tutelage of Paul Morgan.
November 8, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Great sherry tasting yesterday evening at Hove's wonderful Fourth and Church to round off Sherry Week, under the expert and enthusiastic tutelage of Paul Morgan.
And Mountain Goats! Much harvest.
November 7, 2025 at 2:09 PM
And Mountain Goats! Much harvest.
If you see this, post a vampire that isn't Dracula.
October 31, 2025 at 4:40 PM
If you see this, post a vampire that isn't Dracula.
Back from holiday. All lovely, but I do wish hotels and rentals didn't supply toiletries in bottles labelled 'Refresh', 'Regenerate', 'Revitalise' etc, only specifying in 6pt type whether they are shampoo, shower gel or depilatory cream. I don't take my reading glasses into the shower. Rant over.
October 20, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Back from holiday. All lovely, but I do wish hotels and rentals didn't supply toiletries in bottles labelled 'Refresh', 'Regenerate', 'Revitalise' etc, only specifying in 6pt type whether they are shampoo, shower gel or depilatory cream. I don't take my reading glasses into the shower. Rant over.
Three tomb doorways in St Nicholas Rest Gardens, Brighton. Design by Amon Henry Wilds (though probably not the concrete blockwork).
October 9, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Three tomb doorways in St Nicholas Rest Gardens, Brighton. Design by Amon Henry Wilds (though probably not the concrete blockwork).
Harvest moon on the way to see Magnetic Fields complete 69 Love Songs at Brighton Dome. One of the best romantic pop-indie-country-chanson-showtune-electro-drone-balladeer-troubadour-folk song cycles you'll hear this or any year.
October 6, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Harvest moon on the way to see Magnetic Fields complete 69 Love Songs at Brighton Dome. One of the best romantic pop-indie-country-chanson-showtune-electro-drone-balladeer-troubadour-folk song cycles you'll hear this or any year.
TIL that these fugly cars are named after these beautiful rugs. Bleak.
October 6, 2025 at 2:33 PM
TIL that these fugly cars are named after these beautiful rugs. Bleak.
Mass-market male toiletry branding is all a bit Tate-adjacent.
October 4, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Mass-market male toiletry branding is all a bit Tate-adjacent.
In my report, published yesterday, on generative AI, professional services and HE for University of London, I summarised what genAI can do and predicted that my summary would date quickly.
Having seen some of Sora 2's outputs, I think that has already happened.
Having seen some of Sora 2's outputs, I think that has already happened.
October 3, 2025 at 12:58 PM
In my report, published yesterday, on generative AI, professional services and HE for University of London, I summarised what genAI can do and predicted that my summary would date quickly.
Having seen some of Sora 2's outputs, I think that has already happened.
Having seen some of Sora 2's outputs, I think that has already happened.
Is the graduate recruitment slowdown the first harbinger of an 'AI jobs apocalypse'? Not quite, but generative AI is likely to have a radical impact. Delighted to launch new report commissioned by University of London, considering what this might mean for HEIs and graduate careers. Link below.
October 2, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Is the graduate recruitment slowdown the first harbinger of an 'AI jobs apocalypse'? Not quite, but generative AI is likely to have a radical impact. Delighted to launch new report commissioned by University of London, considering what this might mean for HEIs and graduate careers. Link below.
I really think it is (and don't call me Shirley)
September 29, 2025 at 10:45 AM
I really think it is (and don't call me Shirley)
Re-read Tony Harrison's V this afternoon, the poem that introduced me to his work. Pretty strong stuff still, and quite an epitaph. RIP.
September 28, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Re-read Tony Harrison's V this afternoon, the poem that introduced me to his work. Pretty strong stuff still, and quite an epitaph. RIP.
Next time I want an image to represent local participation in planning (and specifically objecting to new housing), I may use this rather than the AI images we have all seen. (Image: LDRS)
September 16, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Next time I want an image to represent local participation in planning (and specifically objecting to new housing), I may use this rather than the AI images we have all seen. (Image: LDRS)
That's me told.
September 12, 2025 at 8:07 AM
That's me told.
Could be worse.
September 7, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Could be worse.
On the left, from the BBC website, is one of the most magnificently bleak end-of-summer photos I have seen.
September 7, 2025 at 3:23 PM
On the left, from the BBC website, is one of the most magnificently bleak end-of-summer photos I have seen.
There's more...
September 5, 2025 at 2:46 PM
There's more...
It's Bandcamp Friday, so buy lots of music!
September 5, 2025 at 8:57 AM
It's Bandcamp Friday, so buy lots of music!
The rules are (as we have discovered over the past few days) not simple, but I don't think that this necessarily dodges the higher rate.
September 5, 2025 at 8:21 AM
The rules are (as we have discovered over the past few days) not simple, but I don't think that this necessarily dodges the higher rate.
Saved my parents' Fougasse books (including this one) when clearing their house. Such great chronicles - like a graphic Mass Observation (though this one always seemed very spring 2020 too).
September 3, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Saved my parents' Fougasse books (including this one) when clearing their house. Such great chronicles - like a graphic Mass Observation (though this one always seemed very spring 2020 too).
Been enjoying this by Cass McCombs. A joy of google maps is you can check out distant locations, so here is a shot of the beach at Pescadero. open.spotify.com/track/78mY5y...
September 3, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Been enjoying this by Cass McCombs. A joy of google maps is you can check out distant locations, so here is a shot of the beach at Pescadero. open.spotify.com/track/78mY5y...
The gods of humour must have heard me ranting about The Times' rightward drift. Look what came through the door this morning.
September 1, 2025 at 8:33 AM
The gods of humour must have heard me ranting about The Times' rightward drift. Look what came through the door this morning.