[til] 52 things I learned in 2024 … Fifty-two TIL from Tom Whitwell. ‘The London Underground has a distinct form of mosquito, Culex pipiens f. Molestus, genetically different from above-ground mosquitos, and present since at least the 1940s.’

[blogs] Diamond Geezer’s 2024 Blog Index … A neat roundup of posts of Diamond Geezer’s travels last year. Focused on London, wider travels around the UK and the minutae of DG’s life.

[london] Today I learned… that there is a submarine in Camberwell. Take a look inside. ‘Deep below the ground, boilers provide heat for local council estates, with the ‘submarine’ acting as ventilation.’

[books] In Search of the Golden Brain … A deep dive into the hunt for Spitting Image’s Golden Brain. The brain is a long-forgotten prize for solving a Masquerade-style spoof found in a Spitting Image tie-in book released in 1985. ‘And just one question flicked across my mind, when I first read all the above in the 90s: is this real? Had they actually buried a golden brain, or is all just a big joke? After all, the very nature of the Spitting Image book was that it was full of silly parodies. Sat next to a stupid advert for products like “The Sinclair We-haven’t-thought-of-it-yet”, or trying to get you to bank with “Natlays Midloyd”, the idea that this might be a real competition just didn’t seem particularly likely.’

[web] Essential tools to make the modern web more bearable … A great list of useful tools to make browsing the web less anoying. ‘The most user-friendly way to block ads on desktop is to use an ad-blocking extension in your browser. The main thing to be aware of is that some ad-blockers use monetization strategies that “soften” their ambitions (search “acceptable ads”). I would recommend uBlock Origin Lite (I assume you are using Chrome). Two additional things about ad-blocking to note: Blocking ads is generally easier on desktop than on mobile, and (at the time of writing) ad-blocking extensions are more effective on Firefox desktop than on Chrome desktop.’

[internet] Remembering Cyberia, the World’s First Ever Cyber Cafe … The story of the first cyber-cafe which opened in London. ‘Linking up with like-minded pioneers David Rowe and husband and wife Keith and Gené Teare, Eva found a spot on the corner of Whitfield Street and launched Cyberia there in 1994. With Hackers-style aesthetics and futuristic furniture, it was based around a U-shaped layout that meant visitors could see each other’s screens. “I wanted women to feel safe, because a lot of the stuff on the net was dodgy,” she explains. Many of Eva’s mates chipped in to help out––architects, interior designers, graphic artists, publishers, and ravers among them.’

[web] A great selection of RSS Tricks … ‘Get the feed for the top posts of the month for a subreddit: https://www.reddit.com//r/simpsonsshitposting/top/.rss?t=month (Replace simpsonsshitposting with a subreddit you want to monitor) This gives you the top posts from the month, so it’s not a firehose of stuff flooding your reader–just about a post a day.’

[doom] DOOM: The Gallery Experience … Take some time to browse an art gallery whilst drinking wine and eating hors d’oeuvres within DOOM!

[sonic] Go listen to this Ska Version of Sonic The Hedgehog’s Green Hill Zone Theme …

[tv] ‘The high point of TV as a medium’: David Lynch’s Twin Peaks may never be bettered … Stuart Heritage on David Lynch and Twin Peaks. ‘After teaming up with former Hill Street Blues writer Mark Frost, he realised what the pair could be capable of together. Frost’s more formalised, drama-driven narrative chops paired well with Lynch’s murky surrealism, and they went to work producing a small-town murder mystery. A girl next door. An idealistic detective. A peripheral cast of oddballs. And The Red Room, an unknowable antechamber connecting the real world to another dimension, that Lynch claimed to have thought up by touching a warm car on a cold night.’

[woke] Wokeipedia … A list of things that the right have claimed are Woke. Chicken sandwiches are woke: ‘Gen Z are almost as likely to include continental cheese (48%) as they are English cheddar in their sandwich. This compares with just over a quarter (27%) of baby boomers.’

[tv] Adam Curtish – The Ascension of Incomprehension Part 2… Adam Curtish studies the hidden meanings of Camberwick Green, Mr Benn and Bagpuss.

[tv] An oral history of Twin Peaks … Lots of interesting details from the cast and co-creator. Mark Frost: ‘When we were shooting in Seattle, we asked our local casting agent to show us some young women who might be right for Laura Palmer. We saw hundreds of photos, then we met with Sheryl Lee and loved her – so much so that we said: “Well, we can’t just have her be a picture on a television set. We have to find a way to bring her back to life.” Sheryl was absolutely perfect and a dream to work with. There’s a lot of serendipity when you’re doing something like this, and on almost every occasion, the right person walked through the door.’

[life] Wikenigma … An Encyclopedia of the known unknowns. Paracetemol: ‘One of the most widely prescribed drugs in history works by mechanisms which have not yet been agreed upon by the medical establishment. It‘s currently thought that paracetamol acts via more than one neurological pathway…’

[comics] Dave Gibbon’s Early Gigs – Underground Comics 1970-1973 … Go buy a great collection of obscure, early comics from Dave Gibbons.

[batman] The Batbible … A comprehensive guide to Batman’s character, history, and universe, originally written by Dennis O’Neil in 1989 for creators working on DC Batman projects. ‘Batman is a detective, but not of the genteel ilk– no Hercules Poirot or Nero Wolf, but rather a Marlowe or Continental Op times ten. We should achieve a balance between ratiocination and action, neglecting neither, but perhaps emphasizing the latter. Stories should above all, move. Batman should never do something sitting that he can do running or leaping or jumping off a rooftop. Exposition and explanation should always be integrated with action. Talking heads are to be eschewed. Villains should be larger than life, and preferably grotesque. The Joker and Two-Face are perfect examples of Batman bad guys; they wear their villainy on their faces and they represent archetypical traits (Joker: anarchy and chaos: Two Face: the dichotomy between good and evil that exists in most human beings.) And they are both natural antagonists to a hero like the Batman. Keep them in mind when creating new baddies and you won’t go far wrong.’