A lovely illustration of an answer to the basic question I try and ask myself every time I write: 'what am I/you/they [etc] actually doing'. It's a useful question to ask of any text, yours or others'. Sounds bloody obvious but, often, the answer is not.

'Questions to which the answer is no/yes, wtf you on about' = 'all newspaper headlines written as a question'.

apologies, I realise the correct response is 'chills'. And probably a gif.

shivers

I currently rest a lot on 'I make thing because I like making thing. One day someone else might like thing and pay for thing. But for now I make thing. Thing good. Could be gooder. Will be gooder.'

It's not a career plan, but we find our ways...

The 'refused to acknowledge' bit is just culture war sloganeering. There's a tragic Telegraph advert going round Reddit etc that suggests 'progressive academics' are ignoring the perils of AI in assessments...

...to which the only printable answer is 'motherfucker what?'

'I promise to watch these adverts later if you'll start the film now. Honest 'guv.'

Sensible chuckle etc

Crispy Fried Lobster. Ducks don't mess.

I can't speak for the latter, but the TLS for shorter pieces and actual book reviews, LRB for essays and essays masquerading as book reviews.

Was always sure. Ez.

...

Here's to many more, inclusive of the pint.

Ah, but words are prettier than spreadsheets.*

*May be a self-selecting value judgement

I thought the problem for the terminally Telegraph et al was that students were too often shocked and offended?

The Rubicon was crossed long ago - that is, precisely when I sat on Teignmouth front, eating a giant slab of rocky road. The gull swooped, claimed, swallowed it whole. Then it looked me in the eye. Then it flew off. Bastard had style.

He's more City than City.

Goya always knows.

One of the greatest pleasures of my life is 'accidentally' 'having' to stop off at the local with the new LRB because... reasons.

Not only in terms of notional cause/effect, grievances and ambitions, but also in how people conceive of their lives: from 'I must make a mark' to 'this is how life is'. History conceptualised as a web of meaning in which people act, reason, err and decide things, is sorely underappreciated, imo.