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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 6h

Reminded of this just now as my “oh no this is going really badly” third starter word delivered the goods:

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 16h

(I should add that Gdańsk is a fantastic place to visit but as there are way more tourists here than I expected I think I am well behind the curve on that one.)

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 16h

The Fahrenheit Thermometer in Gdańsk, in honour of the scale’s inventor, features two important design choices:

- What did Daniel Fahrenheit look like? We don’t know but we’re guessing “ripped”

- look we have to put Celsius on the scale as well or people won’t understand it otherwise

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 1d

Just walked past my younger neighbours trying to manoeuvre a very large sofa in the stairwell and I shouted “pivot!” and you know I reckon they had absolutely no idea what I was talking about and now think I’m mad.

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Reposted by James Chalmers

Kate Bevan @katebevan.com · 2d

Useful mini-thread that puts the restricted eligibility for this year's Covid jab in perspective 👇

Steve Senior @stevensenior.bsky.social · 3d

Bit nerdy, but it's worth having a skim over the number needed to vaccinate figures here. E.g. to avoid one hospitalisation in otherwise healthy people JCVI estimated 60-100k would need to be vaccinated (based on Autumn 2024 data).

www.gov.uk/government/p...

Appendix A: estimating the number needed to vaccinate to prevent a COVID-19 hospitalisation in autumn 2024 in England

www.gov.uk

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 2d

Time for my annual game of “can the main Swedish online bookseller get its list of the laureate’s works online before they all sell out?” Answer: yes, but only just (one out of nine on the list remains available) www.bokus.com/nobelpriset-...

Nobelpriset i litteratur 2025

Den 9 oktober 2025 klockan 13 utses årets nobelpristagare i litteratur av Svenska Akademien. På den här sidan hittar du årets pristagare och tidigare pristagare.

www.bokus.com

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 2d

I can feel my unread copy of Sátántangó judging me from across the room (tbh this is normal)

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 2d

Breaking News: The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Laszlo Krasznahorkai, the Hungarian novelist, for his “visionary oeuvre.”

Laszlo Krasznahorkai Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature

The award comes with prize money of almost $1.2 million.

nyti.ms

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 2d

Even if you explicitly frame development as targeted at older people you are unlikely to get thanked for it: oh the council wants me to move out of my home? oh someone wants to build a care home and they say it might be in my interests some day? but I don’t want to live in a care home thank you!

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 2d

(And if you are capable of maintaining a huge blind spot regarding housing costs - and people are absolutely capable of that! - it's not as if that final point is even *wrong*.)

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 2d

More broadly, I think many people have a sense that the world is directed at the young: you have to do everything online now? all those new houses (hah!) that are being built are for young families and students? all this cultural stuff is for the young? the young have all this stuff we never did!

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 3d

(Just reminded as I walked past it: there is a bar near me that has started advertising student offers with “textbooks closed, tabs open” and as it confuses even me I can only assume that was written by someone who was a student a very long time ago.)

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 3d

Thought this was absurd and then checked to find I have 67 open. Although this is mostly me just forgetting to close things as I go and then nuking the lot.

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 3d

You can make a lot of implausible claims by invoking "properly costed", but it is the choice to use "or" instead of "and", committing himself to the bold statement that no political party in the world polling 16% has ever held a conference, that makes this art.

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 3d

Very much appreciate how you were all angrily posting “and *this* is supposed to be the party of fiscal rectitude?” before Kemi Badenoch stepped up and said “stamp duty? yeah we’re abolishing that”.

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Reposted by James Chalmers

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 3d

Spot on from @stephenkb.bsky.social. And the other aspect of this nasty turn is the eliding of British ‘culture’ with ‘white British’, which will shock anyone who has watched TV or football, or listened to music, or read a book, or indeed breathed since 1980.

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 3d

(screenshot rather than quote of @stephenkb.bsky.social there solely so the original nested post remained visible rather than requiring clicking through)

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 3d

There is I think a sort of liberal comfort belief that the system is self-correcting; if the right does something bad then there will be an equal and opposite reaction restoring order. You see this a lot as a reaction to lots of things Trump does or proposes and… the belief just isn’t true!

Jenrick being the loudest member of the Conservative party has already been a huge contributor to the poisoning of our politics. We really don't need any four-dimensional chess about him becoming leader. When it happens, it will be a terrible day for our country.

[quoting the post below]

A Tory party under Jenrick might take a few of the racist votes from Reform, but they’d haemorrhage bucketloads to the Lib Dems.

So, on balance…

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 4d

I don't think I noticed that part, but as an accented Scot my English remains in that category...

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 4d

I remember frantically trying to find out what the rules were a while back when I was on a delayed train and the consensus seemed pretty firm that you *could* get on the next train if it was with the same company. Whether that's an argument I'd want to have on board the train is another matter...

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Reposted by James Chalmers

Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 4d

THE SECRET PROJECT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS IS FINALLY LIVE

CHECK IT OUT

outsidersartsclub.com

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 4d

"Ms Badenoch... said people had been complaining to her about having to queue to get in." OH COME ON

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Reposted by James Chalmers

Alan Beattie @alanbeattie.bsky.social · 4d

Henceforth the red robes will only be worn as an away kit when the Canadian Supreme Court is playing the US one.

Pwnallthethings @pwnallthethings.bsky.social · 5d

Tragic news from Canada where the Canadian Supreme Court has gone from the official dress on the left to the one on the right

Canadian Supreme court. Everyone is dressed in bright red wooly gowns, with a beige trim. It looks sort of like a Santa robe

The Canadian Supreme court. Everyone is dressed in black gowns with a bright white kravat, and two thin red vertical lines on the side of the robe

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 5d

"I said *for* one day."

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 5d

Congratulations!

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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 5d

As you might expect, it's not really what he said (even if the headline here says it is...) www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Lib Dems will ‘almost undoubtedly’ win more seats than Tories, says top pollster

Sir John Curtice made the stark warning at a fringe event at the Conservative party conference

www.independent.co.uk

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