Getting the tour of my brother’s new place.

I have questions.

A stone sculpture of an old-fashioned diving helmet is mounted on a concrete base, situated near a tree and parked car.

Chilly Christmas beach walk.

A serene beach scene features the sun setting over the ocean, casting a golden reflection on the water and waves gently washing onto the shore.

The advent candles in church this morning.

A set of five lit candles, including purple, pink, and white, is surrounded by greenery in a decorative setting with a floral arrangement in the background.

My late parents’ angel, keeping watch over another family Christmas.

Merry Christmas, to all who celebrate it.

A decorative figurine of an angel holding a book with Joyeux Noël written on it stands on top of a Christmas tree in front of a blurred background with framed pictures.

Just discovered that I’m in the marketing video for our department.

Being a bit counter-cultural this Christmas…

Sent to Whamhalla by my eldest, who played Last Christmas in the car this morning.

#whamageddon

Hurrah. The latest issue of Standart (an indie coffee magazine) has arrived, ready for cosy Christmas reading.

A hand holds a magazine titled STANDART featuring a person drinking coffee while leaning out of a car window.

Interesting bridge graffiti

Brightly colored hearts, drawn in pink and yellow paint, decorate a glass panel overlooking a waterfront with buildings and boats.

Haven’t done one of these photos in ages. It’s easy to grow blasé about the beauty of where we live.

Small boats are anchored along a calm riverbank near a coastal town with buildings in the background.

Festive post box.

A knitted Santa Claus is depicted riding a sleigh pulled by a reindeer, sitting atop a green knitted surface with a Merry tag.A festive display featuring knitted figures, including Santa Claus, an elf, and a reindeer, is arranged on a green knit-covered surface outdoors.

It’s just possible that we left the Christmas tree purchase a wee bit late this year.

A greenhouse with a dirt floor and a chalkboard sign shaped like a Christmas tree bearing the words “Big Trees Priced Individually” is shown.A greenhouse contains several young Christmas trees with a dirt floor and a transparent roof.

Carol Service time.

For which I have had to learn to pronounce “Ephrathah”.

A room is decorated with a lit Christmas tree and Advent wreath in a church setting, featuring two wall crosses.

Dropped the girls at their Guides cinema trip, with time to spare for a sneaky coffee.

Something of an evisceration of Kier Starmer’s Substack.

I suspect that if you think of it as a marketing channel, you’ve lost before you’ve started.

Fun afternoon in the local Warhammer store doing the mini of the month with my youngest and her friends.

Apparently they had a queue at the door at opening time for the Deathwatch Space Marine.

A sci-fi miniature figurine dressed in futuristic armor holds a large weapon against a textured background.

Euan Semple:

Anyone who thinks that AI can write literature can only have seen reading as chewing gum for the soul.

This is a sobering look at OpenAI’s funding. No sniff of a profit for at least a decade, according to HSBC forecasts.

A lot of non-industrial AI use is predicated on it being a cheap and easy solution to certain problems. If customers weren’t being so heavily subsidised by investors, when does that equation start breaking down?

Turns out, AIs are a humourless bunch.

(I’m mainly talking about satire and cartoons here. Maybe the role of humans in the AI age is… taking the piss.)