This interactive map traces the journeys of thousands of civil servants who travelled across the globe to administer the British Empire. It turns out that extracting the wealth and resources from the rest of the world required an astonishing amount of bureaucracy.The British Empire was the largest empire in history, at its height governing around a quarter of the world's land surface and
Postcard photo of footprints on the sand at sunset. On the beach at Longfellow St. ロングフェローの足元 夕暮れ時の砂浜に刻まれた足跡を写した絵葉書。ロングフェロー通りが浜辺に突き当たる場所にて。
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It is amazing and wonderful that small, kind moments, and working with others on a common goal can bring you right out of your funk. Even if that common goal is No Big Thing. It is the greatest antidote to doomerism, which is the most powerful tool of our oppressors. Do not submit to pessimism, do not submit to those who wish to see you apathetic and defeated. Maintain optimism and hope if only for one reason: You have no choice. #leftism #doomerism #optimism #pessimism #solidarity #hope
Bruce Pearl, Auburn basketball coach and prominent Jewish Republican, has delivered an ultimatum unto Vice President J.D. Vance: cut ties with Tucker Carlson, or he won't support Vance's 2028 presidential bid.I don't know if Pearl will stick to his guns on this. I do feel quite confident that Vance will not oblige Pearl. Vance, if nothing else, sees which way the winds blow, and there is increasingly little profit in politicians paying heed to Jewish objections.This, alas, is not unique to any…
The most popular link last time was this (now paywalled) Ask Molly column, with the Guardian review of my husband's new book, Lady C, second. As a barbecue hater, I enjoyed this.A Q&A with an interesting writer, who gives the only truly universal writing advice: "Don't try to match anyone else's routine; write around the life you have. That's what I've always tried to do."An addictive and weirdly difficult browser game.Back in February, I shared Rebecca Black's excellent cover of "Fame is a…
Last Friday set a new national record for June daily maximum temperature, according to the Met Office. "A provisional high of 37.7°C was recorded at Lingwood, Strumpshaw Hill on 26 June, surpassing the previous record of 35.6°C set at Southampton in June 1976." But where is Lingwood, how high is Strumpshaw Hill and where precisely is the record-breaking weather station? I was in the area yesterday so went to have a look. Lingwood is a small Norfolk village about halfway between Norwich and…
If you love deviled eggs and a good pasta salad, this Deviled Egg Pasta Salad is about to become your new summertime favourite. It’s creamy, tangy, and loaded with all the comforting flavours you’d expect — tender elbow macaroni, perfectly cooked hard‑boiled eggs, smoky bacon, and a deviled‑egg inspired dressing that brings everything together in the most delicious way. It’s rich without being heavy, easy to make ahead, and just right for BBQs, potlucks, or simple weekday lunches when you want…
Trump's Emoluments This Term Exceed a Billion Dollars The Constitution bans the president from getting emoluments from any source, domestic or foreign, other than the presidential salary Congress has approved by law. What is an emolument, anyway? Dictionary.com says it is: "profit, salary, or fees from office or employment; compensation for services." "Profit from office" definitely falls in that category and Donald Trump has made over a billion dollars from crypto alone according to his new…
The pull to go inward and sit with nagging, unresolved, forgotten, or ignored issues, aspects, and situations is strong in recent days. I know this, I speak of it, yet my ego has been doing a good job of living in denial, "but that's not me!" So, taking my own advice, today's meditation was all about a particular line of thinking that has been slowly, but surely, coming up to the surface more and more.
In the first six months of 2026, I started 37 books, 28 of which I finished. All together, this brings me to 11 000 pages read so far this year, a significant increase from last year's 10 000 pages read (in 12 months). Books read by month: the average is steady around 6 per month with a dip in February and March because I lost momentum by trying to power through a few disappointing books. I'm happy with the diversity and overall quality of the books I read: several were duds, but the great ones…
Marko Zivkovic, reporting for AppleInsider: For the U.S. variant of the iPhone 18 Pro, which will feature mmWave compatibility, Apple seemingly plans to use Qualcomm modem hardware. Multiple Qualcomm components, including the SDX80M, SDR875, QDM8771, QDM8720, PMK75, PMX75, and QET7100A, are referenced in a bill of materials related to the iPhone 18 Pro model Apple plans to sell in the United States. As for the iPhone 18 models which will be sold elsewhere, Tata documentation suggests these…
For £125 you could buy a decent item of new clothing or even a low end niche : full bottles of non- high street fragrances rarely come cheaper. There are a few I have my eye on – I bought d a small travel size Abel Miami Split for d on our anniversary — I know it will come in handy for a performance with its dazzlingly realistic fresh banana-ness — but it is also pleasingly wearable in and of itself : creative conceptual perfumery with a humorous wink. I rather like it. The sandy, spiced…
This is not to imply that I do not normally bathe, or that I’m one of those people who believe you only need to wash your armpits and groin and the rest of your body can just naturally accumulate…stuff. It just means that I was told after surgery to avoid taking a bath for a while, since it could cause problems with the sutures/incisions due to all the soaking in water and such. But as the title says, it’s been 39 days now, and it was time after a run and walk around the lake today to have a…
Perfume Posse154 Cologne by Jo Malone Hiya Posse, If you’ve been reading for a while you’ll know that my husband Jin has become a bit of a perfumista himself. He has a collection of interesting things, mostly a few years old, that he has fallen in… Continue Reading → Perfume Posse154 Cologne by Jo Malone
No writer’s death during my lifetime has so stunned me, left me unwilling to accept the news, as Vladimir Nabokov’s. On a muggy night in Youngstown, Ohio, while driving around the city, I learned from a radio report that “the controversial author of Lolita” (as newsman around the globe inevitably phrased it) had died in Swiss exile on July 2, 1977, age seventy-eight. No more Invitations to a Beheading, no more Pnins. The Original of Laura was still thirty-two years away and hardly worthy of our…
July has just begun so I thought I better kick off my blog housekeeping for June. If you are new to #MurderEveryMonday, it is a book cover sharing activity, which I host on Twitter a.k.a. X and Instagram and it is nice to hear that it has spread on to other social media platforms too, such as Blue Sky and there are one or two bloggers who also share via a post on their blogs. As the hashtag suggests this activity takes place on a Monday and each week has a different theme. For more info here is…
Thursday 2nd July 2026 Residents living in Trumpington on the southern fringe of Cambridge have long enjoyed good transport links. Located alongside the southern end of the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, with a large Park and Ride car park nearby as well as being close to Cambridge’s huge Biomedical Campus has resulted in extensive travel options. However, from Sunday, they just got a whole lot better still with the much anticipated opening of Cambridge South railway station. As you can see from…
I haven’t cracked open Ableton for the past maybe month and a half. And I noticed that somewhere in my immediate local subconscious, I feel a little bad about it. It’s either feelings of betrayal or, like, what would Ableton think? Obviously, Ableton doesn’t care. Neither is Akai MPC happy to have me. They don’t care. So what’s going on? I guess, really, you have to abandon any attachment to the sunk cost fallacy. And if you’re not familiar, it’s the idea that you need to keep doing something,…
A free browser game that teaches real Vim motions. Drive the ice-cream van (your cursor) around town (your text) and serve every customer under par. Another fun Vim learning game. Refreshed my memory about f and ; 🍦 Thanks for reading this post via RSS. You're awesome ♥️
I don’t remember when this started, but I like sharing featured photos on Wikipedia when they feature a cute bird. Today we have this photo of the Rufa Red Knot, taken by Chuck Homler: The Red Knot is a medium-sized shorebird in the sandpiper family, which to me always sounded like a musical instrument. By Ruben Schade in Sydney, 2026-07-02.
OK, I don’t know what you’ve been looking for. And maybe you’re looking for Republican candidates to donate to, in which case Oath is not for you, that’s fine, we can still be friends. But if you have wondered, as I have, “why doesn’t somebody automate the process of identifying candidates, especially local candidates I’ve never heard of like would-be state legislators, who are in close races in closely divided partisan bodies, and whose campaigns need money, so that people wanting their…
There were more lagoons on the coast of Venetia than what exists today, and even the lagoon landscapes were different. In fact, had it been left to nature, there would have been no lagoons today.
There’s this perennial issue with archaeology (at least how I practice it): writing mostly happens toward the end of a field or study season and this is exactly when my energy and motivation is lowest. As a result, writing final reports tends to be a slog not because I don’t enjoy writing about archaeology, but because they come at the very time when my energy levels are low and I’m starting to look forward to going home. Compounding this more is that I use writing as both a way to think…
Back in the 1980s, the L&WMRS built a Thomas the Tank engine layout. It was a simple track plan, a couple of ovals with loops in the station, and fiddle yard. Some sidings existed, but were never used. Control was by a couple of old (even then) H&M controllers at the front, feeding through some panel mount ones at the back. Thus, we could let kids drive the trains, but limit their top speed. We had all the trains. In an era when Hornby made Thomas and Gordon, keen, and often finescale,…
The wood I've chosen to fabricate the back and sides of this instrument from is something of a mystery. I bought it perhaps 25 years ago, accepting without question at the time that the vendor's labelling of the wood as "Tasmanian Oak" was accurate. I don't recall whether I had immediate plans for it, but if I did, it seems I was distracted before I could convert intentions into action. It features subtle flame, which more than likely explains my purchase; there's a good chance I bought it on…
Today was another day of off and on rain, though more off than on, thankfully. The last storm did a lot of damage in areas, including at least one tornado touching down at the edge of the city. We have much to be thankful for. While doing my rounds this morning, I was able to … Continue reading Scapes, peas and a huge step
In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Hanif Abdurraqib, Andrew Sean Greer, Roxane Gay, and many others. Jules Wernersbach’s Work to Do is a mesmerizing debut, a workplace novel that embeds the reader in the dramas of an Austin food co-op. Kirkus wrote of the book: “Wernersbach’s depiction of…
Quoted World Cup debrands mega stadiums by Matty Merritt (Morning Brew) It’s the first day of the World Cup, and in addition to sporting fresh new grass fields and extra tall beer cans, 11 stadiums across the US have scrubbed thousands of normal sponsors from their grounds. This expensive 'debranding' stems from FIFA’s requirement that stadiums be wiped clean to protect the organization’s multimillion-dollar marketing deals with companies like Coca-Cola and Adidas. I have never been a soccer…
This week's Commando set includes a fun and fantastical Commando story set in the Norwegian mountains, and a mystery for former detective Rick Brennan in the foggy Ardennes in 1944. Issues 5971-5974 are on sale today, Thursday 2nd July.5971: Commandos Vs DragonsSergeant Terry Banks and his colourful team of Commandos were known for getting the job done. But the Commandos might have bitten off
