Last night's VAR farce was one of the worst. Heard and read a fair bit since about how it could be avoided or mitigated. But this excellent piece nails the pointlessness of the whole shebang. VAR is fundamentally incompatible with football.
Seems like a good moment to re-share my piece on VAR.
Why VAR is the worst thing that has been inflicted on football
I'm going studs up on VAR – bear with me. Plus, what do we mean by "best-run club"?
open.substack.com
January 14, 2026 at 12:01 PM
Last night's VAR farce was one of the worst. Heard and read a fair bit since about how it could be avoided or mitigated. But this excellent piece nails the pointlessness of the whole shebang. VAR is fundamentally incompatible with football.
Before you delete, unfollow all government accounts. They need to see the follower counts go down to prove the pointlessness of remaining.
January 14, 2026 at 10:22 AM
Before you delete, unfollow all government accounts. They need to see the follower counts go down to prove the pointlessness of remaining.
Talk about wine guzzling pointlessness
January 14, 2026 at 4:39 AM
Talk about wine guzzling pointlessness
A reminder of the pointlessness of that metric, which basically means "Is National in power?"
bsky.app/profile/thou...
bsky.app/profile/thou...
Business confidence surges to 12-year high as recovery gathers pace
Business confidence surges to 12-year high as recovery gathers pace
A new survey puts optimism at levels last seen post-GFC, reinforcing hopes of stronger hiring and investment in 2026....
thespinoff.co.nz
January 13, 2026 at 9:26 PM
A reminder of the pointlessness of that metric, which basically means "Is National in power?"
bsky.app/profile/thou...
bsky.app/profile/thou...
The abstract hell of memory; the pointlessness of poetry. Tuesday mood.
January 13, 2026 at 9:00 PM
The abstract hell of memory; the pointlessness of poetry. Tuesday mood.
--ably need to do that once you get windows searching for "new" devices.
aside: rant about pointlessness of these short character counts.
aside: rant about pointlessness of these short character counts.
January 13, 2026 at 8:46 PM
--ably need to do that once you get windows searching for "new" devices.
aside: rant about pointlessness of these short character counts.
aside: rant about pointlessness of these short character counts.
Perfect example of the pointlessness of the orange felon rapist.
January 13, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Perfect example of the pointlessness of the orange felon rapist.
People like us were born to change the world. It’s filled with shit. It’s filled with people who did the things they did to you. It’s filled with stupid pointlessness and ignorance and so much mundanity, it makes me want to scream. Don’t you feel it too?
January 13, 2026 at 4:56 PM
People like us were born to change the world. It’s filled with shit. It’s filled with people who did the things they did to you. It’s filled with stupid pointlessness and ignorance and so much mundanity, it makes me want to scream. Don’t you feel it too?
I frequently find myself thinking about the pointlessness of social media, the 3 second interactions, the quiet concern over specific interactions or the lack thereof. The sky is blue. The birds are singing. The days are short. What drives me to the dais to speak into the void?
January 13, 2026 at 3:17 PM
I frequently find myself thinking about the pointlessness of social media, the 3 second interactions, the quiet concern over specific interactions or the lack thereof. The sky is blue. The birds are singing. The days are short. What drives me to the dais to speak into the void?
Thank you for not succumbing to the pointlessness of teaching young people about a legal system that has no standards and is crumbling before them.
January 13, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Thank you for not succumbing to the pointlessness of teaching young people about a legal system that has no standards and is crumbling before them.
In the UK, we are guaranteed infinite oil and gas. But in a separate Scotland, we would potentially lose access to Ibrox. The pointlessness of nationalism is plain for all to see.
Busted flush.
Busted flush.
January 13, 2026 at 5:22 AM
In the UK, we are guaranteed infinite oil and gas. But in a separate Scotland, we would potentially lose access to Ibrox. The pointlessness of nationalism is plain for all to see.
Busted flush.
Busted flush.
(not to mention that many folks joined November and December 2024 and Bluesky opened to the public in February--so it's not like there were years and years of accounts online prior. Just to add an extra dose to the level of pointlessness)
January 13, 2026 at 1:39 AM
(not to mention that many folks joined November and December 2024 and Bluesky opened to the public in February--so it's not like there were years and years of accounts online prior. Just to add an extra dose to the level of pointlessness)
all sorts of sensations: the thrashing, the pointlessness, the stickiness of that incoherent web, the inevitable shame. Clever, candid, confessional. Another brilliant poem, Stan. 🔥 🕸️🕷️ 2/2
January 13, 2026 at 1:02 AM
all sorts of sensations: the thrashing, the pointlessness, the stickiness of that incoherent web, the inevitable shame. Clever, candid, confessional. Another brilliant poem, Stan. 🔥 🕸️🕷️ 2/2
He may be right about the pointlessness, but probably not the reason 😬
January 12, 2026 at 9:49 PM
He may be right about the pointlessness, but probably not the reason 😬
The data centers are such evil. Not that the system wasn't already, but they are so inextricably tied to AI that the pointlessness just gives it an extra layer of horror.
January 12, 2026 at 8:33 PM
The data centers are such evil. Not that the system wasn't already, but they are so inextricably tied to AI that the pointlessness just gives it an extra layer of horror.
If you can create sexual abuse images of adults and children in Powerpoint then yes it should absolutely be banned. It not only shows the pointlessness of shoving AI into everything, it shows how it makes everything so much worse for its inclusion.
Also Reform are pro-pedophilia then
Also Reform are pro-pedophilia then
January 12, 2026 at 4:47 PM
If you can create sexual abuse images of adults and children in Powerpoint then yes it should absolutely be banned. It not only shows the pointlessness of shoving AI into everything, it shows how it makes everything so much worse for its inclusion.
Also Reform are pro-pedophilia then
Also Reform are pro-pedophilia then
Not the point but its a good embodiment of the pointlessness of TV punditry that they can invite a guest on to make a point, the guest makes exactly that point, and the guy with the salary and the multi-year contract as a TV Debate Guy can just go "nah. what else ya got. gimme an easy one"
WARNER: It used to take 5 to 6 months to get trained. They've now lowered the training period to 47 days. Why 47 days? Because Donald Trump's the 47th president. Tell me that's a rational approach
KERNEN: I'm not taking that bait
WARNER: Joe! You can't pick your facts
KERNEN: I'm not taking that bait
WARNER: Joe! You can't pick your facts
January 12, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Not the point but its a good embodiment of the pointlessness of TV punditry that they can invite a guest on to make a point, the guest makes exactly that point, and the guy with the salary and the multi-year contract as a TV Debate Guy can just go "nah. what else ya got. gimme an easy one"
People are working hard on that and it’s important people don’t suppress votes spreading messaging of pointlessness and no need to bother to vote. Voting is run by the states, not the federal government.
January 12, 2026 at 3:58 PM
People are working hard on that and it’s important people don’t suppress votes spreading messaging of pointlessness and no need to bother to vote. Voting is run by the states, not the federal government.
Yeah. Annoys me once a year with the pointlessness of it. And twice every 5!
January 12, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Yeah. Annoys me once a year with the pointlessness of it. And twice every 5!
There are friends, but they are people to spend time with, not people to share time with. There's a false beast that takes the form of instinct and harps on the pointlessness of everything that happens.
January 12, 2026 at 3:38 PM
There are friends, but they are people to spend time with, not people to share time with. There's a false beast that takes the form of instinct and harps on the pointlessness of everything that happens.
Everyone has some shit to say about how they're going to write a book, and they never will because only you are emotionally naked enough to give yourself over to the years of pointlessness, spiraling, and incredibly difficult work that will almost certainly lead to absolutely nothing! Live más.
January 12, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Everyone has some shit to say about how they're going to write a book, and they never will because only you are emotionally naked enough to give yourself over to the years of pointlessness, spiraling, and incredibly difficult work that will almost certainly lead to absolutely nothing! Live más.
Try to treat myself every Christmas to something stupid, pulled the trigger on an item every FF friend insists I needed to own. I dont fish in real life, I dont even eat fish, this is purely cause people know me as the guy "a bit too into fishing" in one video game. #ffxiv #fishing
January 12, 2026 at 2:02 PM
6:00 12/1/2569 23° & it looks like we're back to winter here in Wanda's 🏠 of abuse, neglect, & ignoring in the bloody Kaintuck on another day of pain, pointlessness, & penury, where we have to beg a few dollars from the stingy woman who bore us to go on the bus to Physical Therapy tomorrow.
January 12, 2026 at 11:03 AM
6:00 12/1/2569 23° & it looks like we're back to winter here in Wanda's 🏠 of abuse, neglect, & ignoring in the bloody Kaintuck on another day of pain, pointlessness, & penury, where we have to beg a few dollars from the stingy woman who bore us to go on the bus to Physical Therapy tomorrow.
The excess information is a framing device funny for its pointlessness. It's a shaggy dog story with a shaggy dog tail on the end
January 12, 2026 at 8:55 AM
The excess information is a framing device funny for its pointlessness. It's a shaggy dog story with a shaggy dog tail on the end
Current tendency to filibuster interviews needs to be addressed by interviewers. Labour people are just running out interviews with monologues of pointlessness and are being allowed to do so.
January 12, 2026 at 8:16 AM
Current tendency to filibuster interviews needs to be addressed by interviewers. Labour people are just running out interviews with monologues of pointlessness and are being allowed to do so.