Charles Flitcraft
@offmessage.com
How fleeting are all human passions compared with the massive continuity of ducks.
he/him. York, UK.
https://offmessage.com/
he/him. York, UK.
https://offmessage.com/
Reposted by Charles Flitcraft
“Imagine if we truly understand complex whale communication & can extend our term ‘language’ to them. Such breakthroughs would not only rewrite biology textbooks but also fundamentally redefine what it means to be human & pave the way to instituting new protections for whales, the ocean & beyond”🧪
November 30, 2025 at 9:20 PM
“Imagine if we truly understand complex whale communication & can extend our term ‘language’ to them. Such breakthroughs would not only rewrite biology textbooks but also fundamentally redefine what it means to be human & pave the way to instituting new protections for whales, the ocean & beyond”🧪
Introduce yourself with five concerts you’ve seen:
Hawkwind (1991)
Hawkwind (...)
Hawkwind (...)
Hawkwind (...)
Hawkwind (2025)
Living my best life 🕉️
Hawkwind (1991)
Hawkwind (...)
Hawkwind (...)
Hawkwind (...)
Hawkwind (2025)
Living my best life 🕉️
Introduce yourself with five concerts you’ve seen:
Nirvana (Mayfair, 1992)
Underworld (The Rocket, 1993)
Shed Seven (Fibbers, 1994)
Probemeister (Arts Centre, 1995)
…
…
…
Goat House Bridge (RegFest, 2025)
Nirvana (Mayfair, 1992)
Underworld (The Rocket, 1993)
Shed Seven (Fibbers, 1994)
Probemeister (Arts Centre, 1995)
…
…
…
Goat House Bridge (RegFest, 2025)
introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen
U2
Depeche Mode
Stone Roses
Placebo
El Kanka
U2
Depeche Mode
Stone Roses
Placebo
El Kanka
November 28, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Introduce yourself with five concerts you’ve seen:
Hawkwind (1991)
Hawkwind (...)
Hawkwind (...)
Hawkwind (...)
Hawkwind (2025)
Living my best life 🕉️
Hawkwind (1991)
Hawkwind (...)
Hawkwind (...)
Hawkwind (...)
Hawkwind (2025)
Living my best life 🕉️
Reposted by Charles Flitcraft
Ok. We're done. AGI is here. '2025-final-v2' just needs to become '2025-final-v2-fixed'
claude has been clauding on some pdf stuff tonight and i've noticed that it's starting to get kinda funky with the file names as we iterate
first we had '2025-processed'
then '2025-corrected'
then '2025-corrected-fix'
then '2025-final'
we're up to '2025-final-v2'
first we had '2025-processed'
then '2025-corrected'
then '2025-corrected-fix'
then '2025-final'
we're up to '2025-final-v2'
November 27, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Ok. We're done. AGI is here. '2025-final-v2' just needs to become '2025-final-v2-fixed'
I think it would do this and all future governments a lot of good if they stopped including pensions with "benefits" and "welfare". Split them out, then let's have a debate.
Another way of looking at this, of course, is that if you took the triple lock out of the equation, the benefits bill would very likely roughly be increasing in line with projected inflation *if that*
November 27, 2025 at 8:14 AM
I think it would do this and all future governments a lot of good if they stopped including pensions with "benefits" and "welfare". Split them out, then let's have a debate.
I'm increasingly of the view that the next phase of this horrid mess is the proposal of some kind of Hadrian's Firewall. I can't quite believe it, but it looms ever larger. If this is one of the (many) hills this govt wants to die on it's a sadly logical step, however dumb, damaging, and unworkable.
If Ofcom want to stop UK people visiting a non-UK website, they need to stop the UK people, not tell the non-UK website to work to prevent the UK hordes
https://alecmuffett.com/article/128354
https://alecmuffett.com/article/128354
If Ofcom want to stop UK people visiting a non-UK website, they need to stop the UK people, not tell the non-UK website to work to prevent the UK hordes
This should be obvious, no? It’s how we deal with football hooligans: Football (Offences and Disorder) Act 1999 (Notes) …The measures proposed would provide recourse to the law to prevent a r…
alecmuffett.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:26 PM
I'm increasingly of the view that the next phase of this horrid mess is the proposal of some kind of Hadrian's Firewall. I can't quite believe it, but it looms ever larger. If this is one of the (many) hills this govt wants to die on it's a sadly logical step, however dumb, damaging, and unworkable.
Terry Riley - You're No Good
YouTube video by carapan67
www.youtube.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Many news stories recently have made me unutterably angry. The Free Birth Society one makes me unutterably unutterably sad. I just don't have the words.
November 25, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Many news stories recently have made me unutterably angry. The Free Birth Society one makes me unutterably unutterably sad. I just don't have the words.
Reposted by Charles Flitcraft
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
Reposted by Charles Flitcraft
I am not sure there is a purer example of bureaucratic creep than G-Cloud. It started out as a breath of fresh air, but every iteration has added just a little more grit to the gears, and by the latest iteration you want to drive off a cliff rather than fill in their increasingly bizarre questions
November 21, 2025 at 2:09 PM
I am not sure there is a purer example of bureaucratic creep than G-Cloud. It started out as a breath of fresh air, but every iteration has added just a little more grit to the gears, and by the latest iteration you want to drive off a cliff rather than fill in their increasingly bizarre questions
Reposted by Charles Flitcraft
French 'National treasure', La Pascaline, pulled from auction as historical significance recognised.
Mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the calculating machine in 1642. Thought to be one of only eight remaining, the lot was expected to fetch £1.8mn.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the calculating machine in 1642. Thought to be one of only eight remaining, the lot was expected to fetch £1.8mn.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Christie’s withdraws rare ‘first calculator’ from auction after French court halts export
Move comes after French scientists issued urgent appeal to prevent La Pascaline from leaving the country
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:29 AM
French 'National treasure', La Pascaline, pulled from auction as historical significance recognised.
Mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the calculating machine in 1642. Thought to be one of only eight remaining, the lot was expected to fetch £1.8mn.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the calculating machine in 1642. Thought to be one of only eight remaining, the lot was expected to fetch £1.8mn.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
The eighties called, they'd like their restaurant back
November 19, 2025 at 9:41 PM
The eighties called, they'd like their restaurant back
I'm not alone in thinking this jewellery thing has.... resonances... am I?
November 17, 2025 at 1:06 PM
I'm not alone in thinking this jewellery thing has.... resonances... am I?
Reposted by Charles Flitcraft
My biggest fear when visiting a foreign country is that after a day of wandering I'll happen upon a little museum of me. Shuffling along with other tourists through rooms of my discarded effects and lost memories, unable to translate the labels. Learning nothing about myself.
November 16, 2025 at 8:32 AM
My biggest fear when visiting a foreign country is that after a day of wandering I'll happen upon a little museum of me. Shuffling along with other tourists through rooms of my discarded effects and lost memories, unable to translate the labels. Learning nothing about myself.
Reposted by Charles Flitcraft
Age yourself with gaming
November 12, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Age yourself with gaming
A VPN ban is the next logical step in this mess. How you distinguish "VPN vital to the cyber security of your firm" and "dirty shameful VPN" is a whole other matter, of course. Only endpoints in the UK allowed? Need a VAT number to buy one? Good luck with all that, none of it will work.
The British government admits it is now monitoring VPNs use by UK residents. Regulator Ofcom has contracted with an AI-powered surveillance service to detect the number of citizens using VPNs to evade the Online Safety Act.
The UK tech minister has said a VPN ban is on the table.
The UK tech minister has said a VPN ban is on the table.
Exclusive: Ofcom is monitoring VPNs following Online Safety Act. Here's how
Ignoring VPNs risks creating ineffective laws, but tracking them threatens people's privacy
www.techradar.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:01 AM
A VPN ban is the next logical step in this mess. How you distinguish "VPN vital to the cyber security of your firm" and "dirty shameful VPN" is a whole other matter, of course. Only endpoints in the UK allowed? Need a VAT number to buy one? Good luck with all that, none of it will work.
Fuck it, some days just need Fields of the Nephilim. Today is one of those days
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ors...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ors...
Fields of the Nephilim - For Her Light (Official Video)
YouTube video by Malo Te
www.youtube.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Fuck it, some days just need Fields of the Nephilim. Today is one of those days
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ors...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ors...
Given its contents you could certainly argue that @isotoma.com 's fridge is an archive.
Maybe we've been spending too much time with our friends at Cheshire, but sign us up for Team Fridge.
Hoping this helps our colleagues across the industry
November 10, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Given its contents you could certainly argue that @isotoma.com 's fridge is an archive.
Am hovering between £39.99 to buy a book vs £80 return to London to visit the British Library and read the bit I need there, but *trains!* and *a day in the British Library!*
November 10, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Am hovering between £39.99 to buy a book vs £80 return to London to visit the British Library and read the bit I need there, but *trains!* and *a day in the British Library!*
Never heard this version before (the 12 minute album version is on regular rotation), and never really thought of them as a 'live' band, either. TIL etc etc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI-k...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI-k...
Floating Points - Reflections - Mojave Desert - Kelso Dunes (Single edit)
YouTube video by Floating Points
www.youtube.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Never heard this version before (the 12 minute album version is on regular rotation), and never really thought of them as a 'live' band, either. TIL etc etc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI-k...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI-k...
Reposted by Charles Flitcraft
Margot Kidder in New York, photographed by Patrick Jarnoux, 1979. You will never be this cool. It’s simply not going to happen. Condolences.
December 14, 2024 at 3:18 PM
Margot Kidder in New York, photographed by Patrick Jarnoux, 1979. You will never be this cool. It’s simply not going to happen. Condolences.
Reposted by Charles Flitcraft
If you want to understand the emotional end intellectual malaise of British politics, this piece by @mjrobbins.com is a pretty good place to start. It effectively describes a country that has gone mad. open.substack.com/pub/martinro...
November 3, 2025 at 7:20 AM
If you want to understand the emotional end intellectual malaise of British politics, this piece by @mjrobbins.com is a pretty good place to start. It effectively describes a country that has gone mad. open.substack.com/pub/martinro...