Sounds like a good venue, and fun times!

It's incredibly unfashionable to admit this, but I really liked some of Adam & the Ant's videos. I was on the cusp of becoming a teenager, and I loved the Technicolor high camp insanity in the midst of so much po-faced gloom, or aspirational cod-chic, of the times. I loved the fact that no other artist would have had Diana Dors or Dandy Nichols or Benny Hill associated with their 'brand'. Mr Ant wasn't being ironic, of course, which is what made it. But aside from that, I like this video a lot. When it was made, back in the 80s, it apparently cost an absolute fortunate. It didn't have the desired commercial impact, but probably prompted some nightmares.

Really shocked about this. Much of the soundtrack of my life. RIP.

I've just finished Adventures in Modern Recording by Trevor Horn, which I thoroughly recommend to anyone interested in music production. It also has the required bunch of anecdotes, some of which are pretty entertaining, such as his work with Malcolm Maclaren and his unlikely stint as Yes's frontman. I was never particularly into Horn's 80s stuff, but it's a very good read. I'm now starting Barry Adamson's autobiography -- Up Above the City, Down Beneath the Stars. One observation that has nothing to do with the contents -- it's the best quality hardback I've bought for years -- it's heavy simply because the paper is thicker and far better quality than usual. I actually felt like I was holding something of quality for the price.

My concern regarding AI is not that it will become truly sentient and wipe us out. It's unlikely to happen in our lifetime for several reasons. No, my concern in the short to medium-term is corporations using ever more sophisticated AI to largely replace the human workforce. It's already underway. This means we're going to need a system very like Universal Basic Income, and higher corporation taxes to pay for it. Attitudes about 'working for a living' and defining our status and worth by our occupation will have to change. And that's going to be a massive social problem. Imagine it.

The politicians I've met at grass roots level have been mostly decent, even if I haven't shared their views. Anyway, I hope that if Johnson goes the situation isn't considered 'fixed'. Those who continued to support him despite each instance of sharp practice and wrongdoing have proven themselves completely untrustworthy and unfit for public office.

The only astonishing thing about it is this. Why are the Tories and their supporters only now deciding to stand on principle? The fact that they have been happy to go along with it for as long as Johnson was popular in the polls is damning and shameful.

Oh dear. Things aren't going terribly well are they?

Holy crap -- Johnson had an 'ethics advisor' -- who would have guessed? Boris Johnson's ethics adviser Lord Geidt quits - BBC News

Johnson's supporters are well aware of what he is. They support him because he's the embodiment of that cosy, rose-tinted yesteryear when everything was so much better and Britain was great. Without that opium of the masses, nostalgia, the Tories would crash big time; that's why he won the no-confidence vote. The truth is, Boris Johnson could say and do anything, provided he puts the little symbol back on pint glasses, re-introduces lbs and oz, and generally gives the appearance of being on the side of the politically incorrect. What it comes down to is trying to make an argument based on his dishonesty or duplicity or incompetence is futile. It makes no difference.

It's not a good situation, but I would accept preventative voting in the UK if only it would remove the current mob who have been running things for 12 years. 12 years.

nice!

The King of Comedy with another corker. PM's coal mining 'joke' no laughing matter, say MPs - BBC News

I thought I was trying it. It tasted nasty. Then I realised that what I'd got was just a craftly packaged bottle of hemp oil. Not even good for cooking. Interested in CBD though.

I'm afraid quite a few people will completely agree with what Johnson is supposed to have said here. These are the anti-lockdown brigade, and those who have been caught filming empty hospital corridors to prove it's all a conspiracy / scam. They're fine with the collateral damage [i.e. deaths]. This could actually bolster Johnson's standing.

@Alec Although we've always had 'the Liberals', libertarianism is a relatively new concept for UK politics. In the [even recent] past, the Conservatives were socially illiberal to the max. They were popularly labelled 'the nasty party' for being utter judgemental bastards. Cameron and his media pals changed this image significantly when it became apparent that this position was no longer tenable in the 21st century. Much to the displeasure of many of his party, the Conservatives embraced gay rights and same-sex marriage, among other things. And it paid off for them at the polls. As at the time of writing, they have been in power for 1,138 years. But it's all veneer.

Johnson has his first true dilemma. Doing the sensible thing right now would put him at odds with the libertarian element of his fanbase. But if he doesn't do the right thing, the fallout could be horrendous.

Why this wasn't front page news after the first death I'll leave you to guess. And it doesn't have anything to do with saving a relatively piddling amount of money. It's all about politics.

The policy is do what will be most popular, or least unpopular. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who see deaths as better option than loss of business or curtailing their social lives.

The Book of Forgotten Authors by Christopher Fowler This is excellent, but it will leave you with a very long list of [forgotten] books you can't wait to read.