Boots should really come with an exhaust so that with every step you’re pushing air/moisture out the back end. Nothing like a big pipe or anything, just a wee hole and a sort of bladder that fills with air when you lift your foot and pushes it out again when you step on it. Sure, you’ll sound like you’re stepping on farting mices everywhere you go, but if you just cough with each step you should be fine.

My favourite show back in the day!

Derry Girls

Analogue clocks, particularly clock towers in towns, but also just basic clocks on the wall in your home. With smart devices everywhere, it seems like they’re not needed and probably old-fashioned. The circular 12-hour clock face probably feels like the floppy disk icon or the rotary telephone, in terms of how ‘of another era’ it is, but it’s still a fantastic and resilient form factor for the purpose of visualising the passage of time. Digital is great, but analogue will be with us for the foreseeable future (and I’m including in that the representation of analogue in a digital form, e.g. on smartwatches that provide a classic clock face graphic).

Bro the human brain never fails to fascinate and terrify me in equal measure. We’re so fucking weird.

If you’re in debt and it’s affecting your mental health and making you contemplate ending it all, don’t worry, there is a way to get your life back again. The following info is about the UK and N. Ireland, but it is highly likely similar info is available wherever you happen to be:

StepsChange is a charity that acts as a middleman between you and your debtors. The charity will negotiate reasonable and specially-tailored monthly payments for your debtors, which - depending on your income and savings and all that - will not cripple you every month. You can pay off what you owe and still have money left to live your fuckin’ life. Yes it’s a charity, but they don’t give you free money, you pay your own debts, but you just do it in a way that isn’t ruining you.

I’ve seen this work with multiple family members, so I can 100% vouch for StepsChange and the dream-like positive change it made in their lives. It takes what amounted to many hundreds of pounds a month and reduces it to like 30. It’s insane how much they can help you. Please contact them if you’re in financial trouble.

Similar charities must exist elsewhere, so look into it if you’re not from these parts. There is always hope.

raised anger and criticism in several Muslim nations

I don’t think there are many non-Muslims who were onboard with this stupid shit either, to be fair. Besides the spittle-flecked gammon who were already bigots to begin with, of course.

The only Quran burning I’d support would be if Elon Musk did it as part of his whole white identitarian shtick. I’d send ISIS the airfare myself.

I love that Linux exists, but I really don’t appreciate the bullshit PR speak about how regular users can switch from Windows with little-to-no friction. The second something doesn’t work as expected, even a minor thing, they’ll be at a complete loss about how to even investigate the issue, let alone correct it. Windows competency doesn’t transfer to Linux for even the most basic under-the-hood stuff. The less honest you are about that, the fewer people will try Linux a second time, and the more people will write off the entire endeavour as being the domain of computer experts/enthusiasts.