Ros Jackson @rosjackson@wandering.shop

Oh hey, I have a new short story out. A Scribbler Scorns His Station is set in 1734 London full of invisible demons, and introduces the upstart scribe Thomas Laceby. I had a lot of fun writing this. https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/a-scribbler-scorns-his-station

Stromae is back, and in fine form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3QS83ubhHE

Hope Not Hate are recruiting a deradicalisation case worker, which may suit someone with an education/youth work background.
https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/2021/09/05/apply-to-be-our-deradicalisation-case-worker/

It's voting day in the local elections. Don't forget to vote! Polls close at 10m.

Do you have a postal vote? You can get one for just this election, or on an ongoing basis. Some (not all) local authorities will also let you email them your forms.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-a-postal-vote

@cypnk One of the issues is realising at the time what is and isn't long-term. I have "junk" email addresses I've set up for things I think will be temporary, only some of the things I've signed up to with them have turned out to be still useful years later. So another key is maybe to check your email logins once in a while, and move some of them.

Baen Books has a forum that seems to be a white supremacist cesspool, according to Jason Sanford's report:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/47582408

@Gargron Yes, but Parler is getting blocked by Apple, Google, etc, so Nazis will be casting around for other platforms. Now might be a good time to promote the "No Nazis" USP of Mastodon. I don't envy you right now.

@Gargron Thanks, good. It's going to be a long few days for instance admins, nonetheless.

@Gargron The Twitter Mastodon account just retweeted some far-right type encouraging people to join Mastodon. That would be exactly the worst outcome of the current goings-on in the US, and the response of other social networks.

Another lockdown will no doubt encourage predatory types, including loan sharks. Learn more about them or report them with Stop Loan Sharks, run by the Illegal Money Lending Team.

https://www.stoploansharks.co.uk/

#SharkFreeSurfing

Zoom is tiring, according to research: http://obcovid19files.s3.amazonaws.com/rivkin.pdf

So apparently some no-name guest made a suggestion about bombing Corbyn supporters on Have I Got News For You. I don't have a sense of humour about that stuff.

Here's the complaints form. I will be grateful to everyone who joins me in making a complaint.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-complaint/#/Complaint

There's a news report about it here with the details: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/fin-taylor-bomb-glastonbury-joke-131250300.html

So Disney has decided they don't have to pay Alan Dean Foster (and who knows how many other authors?) royalties he's owed by contract for books he wrote. This can't be allowed to stand. It sets an awful precedent.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/19/sstar-wars-author-disney-royalties-alan-dean-foster

#DisneyMustPay

@salixlucida It's not the surface-to-surface transmission that concerns me (although, licking envelopes...) It's the way you have to get closer to people to hand them a card, plus navigating crowded streets where people don't mask up, to get to the postbox. Nevertheless, that study is reassuring.

So my announcement that we shouldn't do paper Christmas cards this year didn't go down well with my son. I told him it was an infection risk, and email messages would be better.

Am I being too strict? What's everyone else doing?

Freaks is an interesting take on the superhero genre. My full review: http://www.warpcoresf.co.uk/freaks-youre-one-of-us-2020-film.php

My town was rammed today as everyone in England tries to stock up for lockdown 2. I just did my normal Saturday food shop, in shops that won't be closed because they're considered essential. They were still packed.