DJDarren

Took a mooch out to Beaulieu this afternoon. The light was ridiculously lovely.

Got a horrible feeling that RingGo have updated their app so that it won't work on @GrapheneOS. It logged me out and won't let me log back in.

Perhaps it's because people actually like to physically handle the media they use. They want to have a tangible connection to the music and movies they've bought? Perhaps they're sick of knowing that they only rent the ability to play things when they subscribe to various streaming services. But mostly, people like to collect things. How do you collect a Netflix library? How do you collect Kindle Unlimited books? How do you express who you are and what you enjoy if it's all housed on a device that feels increasingly hostile?

BBC News

Why do Gen Z have a growing appetite for retro tech?

Gen Z are going retro, with studies showing a resurgence in people buying tech in the modern age that can be dated back decades.

Does anyone out there have an informed opinion on mattress toppers to alleviate back pain, and if so, could you suggest one? We have a new mattress from Ikea, that, after several weeks appears to be causing my partner some discomfort. We could exchange it, but for what? It's otherwise ok and cost us as much as we could afford, so I'm wondering whether a memory foam topper might be a solution.

#Whamageddon really bothers me. Firstly, it's a million miles away from the worst Christmas song (Wonderful Christmas Time - McCartney, hang your head in shame), but also, it makes George Michael into a punchline, despite being a Grade A chap. In a show of absolute magnanimity, Michael donated his proceeds from it - in perpetuity - to the Band Aid foundation. It still receives that money: around £300,000 a year. And people actively avoid playing it for a meme.

Oh, so yesterday I called around several dentists who were being advertised on the NHS website as currently accepting NHS patients. One of them said that, yes, they are. If I book a private "Hygiene Appointment" with them for £80, I could then be registered as an NHS patient. I pondered that for a second then asked if I could just register as an NHS patient without paying them £80. They said that yes, I could, but the list currently has 1500 names on it. So in order to access dentistry on the NHS, I can either wait an unknown period of time, or pay £80 to jump the queue. That doesn't seem right to me. At all. And dentists wonder why everyone despises them.

At the risk of getting a little bleak on a Sunday evening: I was watching a thing earlier where they were talking about how the food benefits in the US are currently on hold because of the government shutdown. It was full of good facts and figures, ably laying out all the ways in which the government are wrong and stupid in this matter. And not for the first time it occurred to me that the US government don't actually care if SNAP is the most efficient way to distribute food welfare. They don't care if private charities struggle to suffer the cost, while providing less because that's all they can do. They don't care. The cruelty is the point. Thousands of kids will go without food, medicine, and/or heating. And they don't care. And honestly, how do you argue against that?

I've just had cause to remember the Amish Sex Pistols from the Kevin Eldon show. The sketch is incredible on so many levels, not least that it was even filmed in the first place. How does the idea of a perfect shot-for-shot remake of the Sex Pistols on the Bill Grundy show, but with everyone dressed as Amish make it through production, let alone to air. Then throw in Matt Berry as Amish Glen Matlock and Peter Serafinowicz as Amish Bill Grundy and it hits a whole other level. Just amazing.

This new Map Men episode is exceptional, even by their usual incredibly high standards. 100% worth 15 minutes of your day. They put a ridiculous amount of effort into even the most stupid, fleeting jokes. Also, they're one of the few channels whose adverts I watch, because they put effort into those too.