felt smart, might delete later
@outeast.bsky.social
Won't post much as I have no insight or expertise, but sometimes forget that when drunk with the power of a keyboard. Pronouns whatever. Writer, editor etc. of ESL materials in Prague. Interests here: Politics, climate, SFF, linguistics, i dunno
They were tons of fun but objectively mediocre: 90% of the appeal was the community and fans' feeling of ownership/belonging. Rowling and the TERFs savagely attacked a big chunk of that community and turned the fandom into a warzone, while Potterdom is now just a commercial behemoth. What's to love?
January 27, 2026 at 8:02 AM
They were tons of fun but objectively mediocre: 90% of the appeal was the community and fans' feeling of ownership/belonging. Rowling and the TERFs savagely attacked a big chunk of that community and turned the fandom into a warzone, while Potterdom is now just a commercial behemoth. What's to love?
It's Pass Notes, which has been doing tongue-in-cheek reporting on ridiculous fake trends and buzzwords for well over 30 years. This particular one has been doing the rounds for at least a year.
January 26, 2026 at 8:57 PM
It's Pass Notes, which has been doing tongue-in-cheek reporting on ridiculous fake trends and buzzwords for well over 30 years. This particular one has been doing the rounds for at least a year.
So sorry. Your Felix posts were always bright moments in any day. He'll be missed even by those of us who never met him.
January 26, 2026 at 8:17 PM
So sorry. Your Felix posts were always bright moments in any day. He'll be missed even by those of us who never met him.
I'm absolutely atheist (not a choice), deeply suspicious of churches (not entirely unjustified) and even of faith (ok, that's prejudice). I've been awed by what many churches have been doing to stand up for their communities and to oppose this Christofascism. And it's a source of *joy*.
January 25, 2026 at 10:11 PM
I'm absolutely atheist (not a choice), deeply suspicious of churches (not entirely unjustified) and even of faith (ok, that's prejudice). I've been awed by what many churches have been doing to stand up for their communities and to oppose this Christofascism. And it's a source of *joy*.
Page! Bring me a sack of butt!
January 25, 2026 at 9:54 PM
Page! Bring me a sack of butt!
Half a morning of first aid at school 35 years ago here. Can confirm.
January 25, 2026 at 8:53 AM
Half a morning of first aid at school 35 years ago here. Can confirm.
Allegedly 47 days (per the Atlantic) to honour Trump as POTUS 47. Homeland Security says 'tis a lie: it's 8 weeks! "Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, said in August 2025 that training had recently been reduced to six days per week over eight weeks." That's 48 days, for those who skipped maths.
January 24, 2026 at 10:19 PM
Allegedly 47 days (per the Atlantic) to honour Trump as POTUS 47. Homeland Security says 'tis a lie: it's 8 weeks! "Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, said in August 2025 that training had recently been reduced to six days per week over eight weeks." That's 48 days, for those who skipped maths.
Such huge events and such a fascinating history, and all we can do is snigger about dogging. *shakes head wearily* *sniggers*
January 24, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Such huge events and such a fascinating history, and all we can do is snigger about dogging. *shakes head wearily* *sniggers*
If that is the source, it's clearly a garbled statistic based on a misunderstanding of the finding from a smallish cohort from another country. But while the 83% figure crops up more than you might think in MH surveys etc. that's the only one I could find that's close to the claim made.
January 24, 2026 at 10:25 AM
If that is the source, it's clearly a garbled statistic based on a misunderstanding of the finding from a smallish cohort from another country. But while the 83% figure crops up more than you might think in MH surveys etc. that's the only one I could find that's close to the claim made.
You'd think that such a specific number would be traceable. If not simply misquoted, I think it must be a reference to the Dunedin longitudinal study, which reported that 83% of its roughly 1000 respondents met diagnosable criteria for a MH disorder at one or more meetings (of 13 so far) by age 38.
January 24, 2026 at 10:22 AM
You'd think that such a specific number would be traceable. If not simply misquoted, I think it must be a reference to the Dunedin longitudinal study, which reported that 83% of its roughly 1000 respondents met diagnosable criteria for a MH disorder at one or more meetings (of 13 so far) by age 38.
For those talking about it being "weaponised", bear in mind that as it is a criminal offence, prosecutions would be brought by the DPP not by individuals / groups.
January 24, 2026 at 8:04 AM
For those talking about it being "weaponised", bear in mind that as it is a criminal offence, prosecutions would be brought by the DPP not by individuals / groups.
There are a lot of comments (supportive and un-) that suggest people have only the vaguest idea of what this offence might entail. So here's the text (current version of the bill, relevant chapter only). Hope it helps.
January 24, 2026 at 8:01 AM
There are a lot of comments (supportive and un-) that suggest people have only the vaguest idea of what this offence might entail. So here's the text (current version of the bill, relevant chapter only). Hope it helps.
It's when I can see myself as my parents that I feel closest to happy with who I am. It lets me recognise that my children can love and accept and need me despite my many flaws, just as I loved, accepted and needed my own parents despite theirs. I'm a far crueller judge of my own worth.
January 23, 2026 at 9:38 PM
It's when I can see myself as my parents that I feel closest to happy with who I am. It lets me recognise that my children can love and accept and need me despite my many flaws, just as I loved, accepted and needed my own parents despite theirs. I'm a far crueller judge of my own worth.
I hate to say it, but it really depends on whether liberalism wins out in Europe. Not a given. We might well fracture. If we weather the storm, though, I think necessity will make healing the EU/US rift more possible than it feels at the moment, though likely more in the way that we work with China.
January 23, 2026 at 9:32 PM
I hate to say it, but it really depends on whether liberalism wins out in Europe. Not a given. We might well fracture. If we weather the storm, though, I think necessity will make healing the EU/US rift more possible than it feels at the moment, though likely more in the way that we work with China.
I reckon a non-nazi could wear a similar coat and no one would pick up on the visual similarity. He should try accessorising with a microbrewery IPA and a book of Beat poetry instead of a gang of racist thugs #styletips
January 23, 2026 at 5:07 PM
I reckon a non-nazi could wear a similar coat and no one would pick up on the visual similarity. He should try accessorising with a microbrewery IPA and a book of Beat poetry instead of a gang of racist thugs #styletips
Looking forward to seeing the effects of this article on tourism to Yunnan
January 23, 2026 at 4:32 PM
Looking forward to seeing the effects of this article on tourism to Yunnan
Back in my young and foolish ESOL teaching days, I developed a lesson on the grammar and semantics of swearing. I still think it was probably the most useful lesson I taught but oddly enough I only managed to deliver it once
January 23, 2026 at 10:48 AM
Back in my young and foolish ESOL teaching days, I developed a lesson on the grammar and semantics of swearing. I still think it was probably the most useful lesson I taught but oddly enough I only managed to deliver it once
Oops, left the author's name out of the alt text. It's Adrian Tchaikovsky.
January 23, 2026 at 8:07 AM
Oops, left the author's name out of the alt text. It's Adrian Tchaikovsky.
Reader, I added that - and a warning that lawyers and scientists are just some who have had careers damaged by failing to do so. I feel that was a minimum duty to the target readership but it also meant going much further than an editor should. I hate, hate, hate this.
January 22, 2026 at 10:03 PM
Reader, I added that - and a warning that lawyers and scientists are just some who have had careers damaged by failing to do so. I feel that was a minimum duty to the target readership but it also meant going much further than an editor should. I hate, hate, hate this.