Liam Pomfret

The Onion

Social media created this nonsense idea that not exposing yourself to hatred is isolationist. Choosing to not spend your free time with bigots isn’t living in a bubble. I don’t need to know what’s going on at X. I won’t be smarter or more knowledgeable or empathic by being there. Neither will you.

So, in launching a huge bombing campaign on Iran they apparently didn't plan for:

- Who takes over;
- Interceptor shortages from sustained drone retaliation;
- How to defend US bases in the region;
- Threats to ships in the Strait of Hormuz; and
- How to evacuate Americans with airspace closed.

This past week has left us feeling quite vindicated for having chosen to fly Air Canada and avoid transiting via the US.

I did a (non-blind) peer review for a journal last year where there were a significant amount of hallucinated references. Plus several instances where real papers were cited, but for things they never said. Couldn’t believe the sheer lack of care that was being shown by the author.

Absolutely nuts. I fired up Google Gemini and asked it a bunch of questions about my own field — areas I know really well, that I write and publish in.

Literally the first paper that it told me about had a hallucinated author name

Having free wifi internet access on board an international flight is such a civilised way to travel.

So now that I’ve left Australia, at what point am I morally obligated to start getting teary eyed when I hear “I still call Australia Home”?

Just a few short hours now until we’re on our way. Still feels a bit surreal that I’m actually moving overseas.

Less than 24 hours to go now until we leave Australia for good (barring brief returns for holidays and if I’m between visas for some reason). Still feels extremely weird. Constantly worrying I’ve forgotten something important too.

We are moving to Costa Rica, into the house my wife grew up in.

I always knew moving overseas was going to be a bit of a pain, but every single challenge we encountered just kept surpassing our expectations and fears.

I always knew moving overseas was going to be a bit of a pain, but every single challenge we encountered just kept surpassing our expectations and fears.

So glad we gave ourselves a bit of leeway to get everything done for this move. The last couple of months have been a real struggle trying to get everything organised. Still need to make another tip run tomorrow, and probably get in a junk removal place for a couple of things too big for the car.

It feels somewhat appropriate that the last day we’ll spend living in our current house will be Pokémon Day, February 27th. The same day the franchise celebrates its 30th anniversary, my wife and I will celebrate the first day of the next stage of this Pokémon Journey that's been our life together.

"I say! Are you Georgina?" The child in the opposite bed sat up and looked across at Anne. She had very short curly hair, almost as short as a boy's. Her face was burnt a dark-brown with the sun, and “Famous Five 01 - Five On A Treasure Island” By Enid Blyton 7 her very blue eyes looked as bright as forget-me-nots in her face. But her mouth was rather sulky, and she had a frown like her father's. "No," she said. "I'm not Georgina." "Oh!" said Anne, in surprise. "Then who are you?" "I'm George," said the girl. "I shall only answer if you call me George. I hate being a girl. I won't be. I don't like doing the things that girls do. I like doing the things that boys do. I can climb better than any boy, and swim faster too. I can sail a boat as well as any fisher-boy on this coast. You're to call me George. Then I'll speak to you. But I shan't if you don't." "Oh!" said Anne, thinking that her new cousin was most extraordinary. "All right! I don't care what I call you. George is a nice name, I think. I don't much like Georgina. Anyway, you look like a boy."

To give you an idea of how deranged the UK has become about gender stuff, here's Enid Blyton - the absolute avatar of classic English conservatism and a huge fan of racist "gollywogs" - casually describing a gender non-conforming kid in the 1940s and having their friends be totally cool with it.

Does Australia Get More Tax From Beer Than Gas? YouTube video by 10 News

Does the Australian government raise more money from beer than it does from the tax on our gas exports?

YES

And the look on their faces is priceless.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZln...

This is the second account - the first being in Chicago - of DHS agents mass detaining people and then *sorting them by race*.

Happy #LibSpill Day for those who celebrate.

This is bleak: Jes Staley, currently CEO of Barclays, reassuring Epstein that popular revolt against financial elites is unlikely because capitalism and pop culture have defanged social movements, leaving people more invested in consumption than justice.

Lots of things are beginning to make sense now. Given Mandelson’s role in the People’s Vote, and his proximity to Epstein and his MAGA/Russian ties, no wonder they dismissed @carolecadwalla.bsky.social on Cambridge Analytica/Vote Leave and our joint investigation into Russian interference

Lots of fond memories of PBEM games with people on Apolyton and CivFanatics.

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (1999). This game doesn't get enough love today.

“It is impossible to protect privacy from authoritarianism without addressing consumer privacy.” - from Daniel J. Solove, Privacy in Authoritarian Times - final published version here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... #PrivacyMatters

And now I’m hearing Fortnite has released an official statement saying it’s someone who changed their username to create a big hoax. *sigh* FFS, some people are just sick.

Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue

(Though it has to be noted that it's certainly not impossible someone else somehow got access to the Fortnite account. Also, one that had been active early would have the kinds of exclusive skins, etc, that would make it desirable to the kinds of people who'd buy/sell accounts.)

I did not have “internet sleuths find plausible evidence of Epstein possibly still being alive thanks to a still-active Fortnite account” on my 2026 bingo card.