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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 11d

Because some people think that more money, technology, etc. is the only measure of success and considering people with disabilities, trans people, immigrants, etc. slows that “progress” down.

“But if we didn’t stop to think of them we’d be faster and have more stuff sooner.” in effect.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 11d

Great day at Abyssal Festival. Under and Mastiff not to my tastes but everything else just grand. Bands of the day were Margarita Witch Cult & @hundredyearoldman.bsky.social so bought albums from both of them.

Two CD albums against a dark wood background. Sleep in Light by Hundred Year Old Man and Strung Out in Hell by Margarita Witch Cult.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 12d

Off out to a local metal festival. Southampton often gets missed for metal gigs, sandwiched between Brighton, Bristol & London so this is a great turn up for the books! 🤘

A poster for Abyssal Festival at Papillon in Southampton. Bands are Praetorian, Vnder A Crumbling Moon, Under, Trippy Wicked, Uncoffined, Sugar Horse, Hundred Year Old Man, Mastiff, Margarita Witch Cult and Slomatics.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 19d

An absolute barnstormer from @elusivebrewing.com. A classic black IPA. Roasty malt and wonderful dank hoppy bitterness. The recipe’s been improved but generally why change what works.

A can of Shadow of the Beast, a Citra & Mosaic black IPA from Elusive Brewing. The artwork is of a humanoid beast in a forest, all in 16-bit art style.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 19d

Thanks very much! I’ll check them out.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 19d

MANCHESTER! I’m in town for Damnation Festival in a few weeks at the BEC, staying in the city centre. Any good breakfast/brunch places in the city centre or on the way to the BEC?

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 25d

No idea. Some person or other.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 25d

Pint of Lost Pier Better Best Bitter, cheese & onion [regional round bread name of choice].

A pint of a red/brown cask beer and a cheese & onion sandwich with a healthy portion eaten.

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Reposted by Alex MacArthur

Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 28d

NOTHING will prepare you for this 45-second story arc. From "I'm just doing this because I love the flag, it's totally grassroots, and I'm not part of anything political"... to who actually gave him the flags the night before.

Anyone who believes it is an innocent movement needs to see this.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · Sep 8

Missed aikido training tonight due to work so just catching up on new Damnation Festival announcements and prepping for sonic annihilation in November. 🤘

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · Sep 7

Walked from Ventnor (sea level) to St. Boniface Down (241 metres), the highest point on the Isle of Wight. It was _steep_. But worth it at the end.

A flight of stone steps, hundreds of years old.

The view from St. Boniface Down, a dirt path heading down leading to rolling hills and the sea beyond.

A view down to a bay with small towns nestled along the edge.

Reposted by Alex MacArthur

Gabby HC, but a ghost, hiding in a corner @scriblit.bsky.social · Aug 7

Patient, sobbing: But Doctor, I AM Pagliacci!
ChatGPT: Apologies. I didn't realise when recommending Pagliacci's epic show to cure your depression that you were the genius himself. I'm impressed! With regards to your initial question, I can recommend seeing the Great Clown Pagliacci.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · Aug 7

For me there is joy in the work I do. If someone is looking for a program to do their work for them then that says to me that they take little joy in their work and should find something else, like the politicians who think that the best way to help is for them to do as little as possible.

Katie Mather @katiematherkm.bsky.social · Aug 7

"At this point, can we stop saying it streamlines the process of creation and just admit that this is zombie behaviour? If you can’t decide what to cook for me, I don’t want to eat your shitty food."

www.katiematherwrites.com/the-gulp/abs...

Absolutely Fuck ChatGPT — Katie Mather Writes

There’s a lot to get angry about when it comes to Generative AI, but something that really set me bleeding from the ears this week was learning that kitchen managers, chefs, even cocktail mixologists ...

www.katiematherwrites.com

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · Jun 23

The irony(?) of a private company, which exist so that not everything is controlled by the state, using “But the state hasn’t told us not to…” as an excuse for doing something immoral…

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · May 19

Monday night aikido training done. Pint in a local whilst I peruse the newest Damnation announcements. November may destroy my soul.

A pint of hazy pale beer in a stemmed glass on a dark wooden table.

A poster for Damnation Festival 2025. Held at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester on November 8th & 9th.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · Apr 21

Top 3 trending topics on Bluesky:
"Pope Francis"
"WrestleMania"
"Pete Hegseth"

That's conjuring quite the mental image...

Reposted by Alex MacArthur

Pilot @pilotbeer.co.uk · Apr 17

Good news, NASA have discovered your boyfriend’s homebrew lager.

An article about the discovery of DMS in space.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · Apr 13

Really nice time at The Butcher’s Hook for an @elusivebrewing.com event this weekend. Excellent beers (Double Sunset Oregon Trail!) and bonus hug from @tabamatu.bsky.social.

A glass of beer on a wooden table with a pair of sunglasses next to it.

A bottle of Mills Brewing beer next to a stemmed glass of it.

The river Itchen at dusk with barely a ripple on the water.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · Apr 13

Weather changing like US trade policy at the moment…

Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · Apr 12

Get that Double Sunset. It’s absolutely brilliant.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · Mar 23

Huis in Southsea?

Agree about the “right now” comment. Different beers for different times. Sometimes the beer with someone you haven’t seen for ages is the best one. Or the first beer at a weekend music festival.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · Mar 17

An hour between trains at Wolverhampton.

Pint of cask & a ham cob at The Great Western. 👍

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · Mar 15

Visiting friends in Scotland and we walked along the water from Edinburgh to Leith so naturally popped into the Newbarns taproom. Absolutely great place. So cosy. Peaceful atmosphere lots of old beer tat on the walls and great beers. 👍

The Newbarns taproom. A mixture of old wooden chairs and tables with a dark floor, white walls with hop bundles strung up.

Newbarns beer fonts. Old brass fittings that they recover from pubs as they find them with modern keg taps attached to some.

A pint of Bios lager in a Newbarns-branded glass.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · Mar 14

As someone who used to make regular beer trips to London but now less so this newsletter is a great way of still getting some idea as to what’s going on in the big city. Already marked the new Bohem place on a map.

Will Hawkes @willhawkes.bsky.social · Mar 12

New @londonbeercity.bsky.social coming at the end of this week. Featuring
- the brewery that conquered London by stealth
- Beamish is back
- pub news in TW1, SE18, SW11 & E17
- the first night of a new regime at SE London’s best pub 😮
Subscribe here: www.willhawkes.net/london-beer-...

A view through a doorway at the Blythe Hill Tavern in SE London, showing people sitting at tables and drinking Guinness

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · Mar 12

Southampton to Lenzie (Glasgow) by train today. Incident meant I missed my connecting train from London but folks from South Western Railways & @avantiwestcoast.bsky.social were super helpful and got everything sorted again. 👍