Category: Social media

Not again

Indeed. Spurs were cruising to defeat, but then, this:

One more goal and Spurs win.

Yes: Again. Moura scores a third at the death, and Spurs do win.

“That touch from Dele Alli through to Moura …”

“Unbelievable.”

But of course.

“If last night hadn’t happened, could tonight have happened?”

Good point.

LATER – Stephen Pollard:

Told my son he could stay up for the first half. If we stood any chance he could stay up for second half. So of course he had to go to bed.

How do I break it to him tomorrow? How do I stop him never speaking to me again?

Another good point.

Three professional Japanese footballers play against one hundred children

Video here. Says Patrick Crozier: This is brilliant. Say I: not very fair. Plus: I question the editing. Was this what happened all the time? Or was this the one recorded highlight?

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

There is no day that can’t be improved by seeing pictures of how they weigh an owl

Here. I also like the photo at the top of his Twitter feed. He describes himself as a “campaigner”, which sounds ominous. But like he says: how they weigh owls.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

LATER: There seems to be a regular trickle of people coming to this posting, who will then be frustrated that the first link above no longer works. I’m pretty sure that he was referring to this. Hope that helps.

Just kidding

Niece Roz tweets:

Had enough of your relatives already? Don’t just think about murdering them – come along to @scarthinbooks tomorrow afternoon and talk about how you could actually– (Just kidding, Twitter. Just kidding)

Scarthin Books is, alas, in the Peak District, where Roz lives. This is impossibly far away from London, where I live. If she ever holds an event like this in London, I will definitely attend. I will make sure that all present know that she and I are related. Otherwise I will say little. I will concentrate on looking quietly attentive and quietly thoughtful.

Photo of Roz’s second Meg Dalton book here.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

Capitalism and socialism in tweets

I like both of these.

This:

Capitalism works better than it sounds. Socialism sounds better than it works.

And this:

Capitalism is the only reason socialism has any money to redistribute.

I like them, as in: I like them as pithily expressed things to think about. Not sure the first one in particular is actually true. Socialism, when you actually spell out what socialists want and what they think should be done to dissenters, turns out to be ghastly, long before it actually happens.

And if capitalism sounds worse than it is, maybe you aren’t saying it right.

Yesterday there were four postings here. Mostly small, but still, four. The above stuff is Twitter, but this blog is not Twitter. This blog leaves you time to have a little read and a life.

So, this is your lot for today.

On the other hand, if you have forty minutes to spare on subjects like the above, try listening to this. It’s the IEA’s Kristian Niemietz talking about socialism. He too thinks that capitalism is “counter-intuitive”. His manner is a lot more low-key and considered than you would expect it to be if you only followed him on Twitter.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

A very responsible turkey

ABC News reports, with video:

This very responsible turkey halted traffic on a two-lane road in New Hampshire until the entire flock was able to cross.

Via Roz the Crime Fiction Writer, who says:

He has the exact demeanour of our old school lollipop lady.

Pigeons and foxes aren’t the only ones who have adapted to human civilisation.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

Deadpan Robert Smith

A little snatch of video. Won’t take you long at all. I encountered it here, and you can too.

It made me lol and maybe it will make you lol too. Or maybe just smile a bit. Or not, even if you do quite like it. Or not, because you don’t like it. The decision is yours.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

Spurs favourite Son scores first

I follow Tottenham Hotspur on Twitter, and for once, the hysterical tweeting whenever Spurs score a goal (often in a game they lose (which they don’t tweet about the rest of)) was justified. This time the fuss concerned the very first goal scored for Spurs in their new stadium, by Son Heung-min.

Spurs beat Crystal Palace 2-0.

Here’s what the new stadium looks like, with added fireworks:

It says there: “Just incredible.”

I’m not a real Spurs fan, because I don’t think it looks “just incredible”. I just think it looks like a football stadium, and a rather bland and boring one. But, that’s fine. It’s a big old machine for people to play and watch football in. Also American Football and pop music, apparently, which makes sense.

I also like this photo:

In the distance, the Walthamstow Wetlands, i.e. various reservoirs. Here is a photo I took of the stadium from next to those reservoirs.

This was not just an important occasion for Spurs; it was also an important game for Spurs. Had Spurs lost to Crystal Palace this evening, it would have put a severe damper on the rest of their season. As it is, they will return to their new home for the next game they play there in very good spirits.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

All the bearings are moving in a straight line

Here (via him).

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

New London

Matt Kilkoyne:

The growth of London’s Isle of Dogs is beautiful. More please.

What I like about this is the way the Big Things in the background are all blue-grey glass, while the little things in the foreground are all the same reddish brick. It’s almost as if they knew beforehand what plans would be allowed and what plans wouldn’t! These Big Things are totally unlike the City towers, in mostly being individually banal and un-“iconic”, yet they add up to something that is indeed, to me anyway, rather impressive. The bigger it all gets the more impressive it will be. London – this bit of it at least – has learned from New York.

This is all part of the relentless shift of London’s centre of gravity down river.

Down river towards London Gateway, about which the internet still has amazingly little to say. My take on that? There will be the grandmother of all grand openings, if only to accommodate all the reporters on that project who have been persuaded to say nothing about it for now. (Or: Do reporters truly not care? If not, more fool them.)