{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"Micro.blog - Martin McCallion","home_page_url":"https://micro.blog","feed_url":"https://micro.blog/posts/devilgate","_microblog":{"about":"https://micro.blog/about/api","id":"424","username":"devilgate","bio":"Writer. Software developer.","pronouns":"","is_following":false,"is_you":false,"following_count":262,"discover_count":0},"author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2022/424.jpg"},"items":[{"id":"89910879","content_html":"<p>📚 Books 2026, 11: Bright LIghts Big City, by Jay McInerney: <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/11/books-bright-lights-big-city/\">devilgate.org</a></p>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/11/books-bright-lights-big-city/","date_published":"2026-05-11T06:31:42+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"06:31","date_timestamp":1778481102,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"89881327","content_html":"<p>The security at this rally says something about the state of Britain today: metal detectors, bag searches… the police are being lovely, though.</p>\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/10/the-security-at-this-rally/","date_published":"2026-05-10T11:37:03+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-10 11:37","date_timestamp":1778413023,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"89879127","content_html":"<p>Off into Central London for the <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/may/10/downing-street-rally-asks-silent-majority-to-fight-antisemitism\">rally against antisemitism</a>.</p>\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/10/off-into-central-london-for/","date_published":"2026-05-10T10:14:34+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-10 10:14","date_timestamp":1778408074,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"89864727","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/mmetcalfe\">@mmetcalfe</a> Mostly Lea Bridge, where we live. That’s a good analysis.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/89864727","date_published":"2026-05-09T22:14:57+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-09 22:14","date_timestamp":1778364897,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"89864688","content_html":"<img src=\"https://micro.blog/photos/100x/https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Fw154%2FxT15D124pyoq3HWDpuhoJTqLfFM.jpg\" class=\"mini_cover\"><p>Watched <a href=\"https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/34388\">Funeral in Berlin</a> 🎥 last weekend.</p>\n<p>After <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2025/04/01/the-ipcress-file/\">enjoying The Ipcress File a year ago</a> (where <em>does</em> the time go?) it was good to see more of what Harry Palmer was up to back in the Cold War.</p>\n<p>In this he’s sent on a slightly confusing mission to West Berlin — and, inevitably, into the East — to get out a...</p> <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/09/watched-funeral-in-berlin-last/\">devilgate.org</a>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/09/watched-funeral-in-berlin-last/","date_published":"2026-05-09T22:13:05+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-09 22:13","date_timestamp":1778364785,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"89864461","content_html":"<p>There is a petition to parliament asking for UK civil service software to be made open source by default. This comes after (and at least partly in response to) a move by the NHS to make the opposite move: to make all their existing open-source repositories closed-source.</p>\n<p>Please <a href=\"https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/766230\">sign it here</a> if you can....</p> <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/09/there-is-a-petition-to/\">devilgate.org</a>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/09/there-is-a-petition-to/","date_published":"2026-05-09T22:04:21+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-09 22:04","date_timestamp":1778364261,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"89844900","content_html":"<img src=\"https://micro.blog/books/9781408889398/cover.jpg\" class=\"mini_cover\">\n<p>📚 You are reading <a href=\"https://micro.blog/books/9781408889398\">Bright Lights, Big City</a> by Jay McInerney. You are finding it hilarious. This book was published when you were 20: why have you not read it till now?</p>\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/09/you-are-reading-bright-lights/","date_published":"2026-05-09T11:27:29+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-09 11:27","date_timestamp":1778326049,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"89842349","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/mmetcalfe\">@mmetcalfe</a> I’m not sure I do. From what my partner was hearing on the doorstep, the main reason for the swing to the Greens was, ‘Gaza’. Which, well… what the fuck has it got to do with the Mayor of Hackney? Or Hackney council?</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/89842349","date_published":"2026-05-09T09:52:36+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-09 09:52","date_timestamp":1778320356,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"89771583","content_html":"<p>I used to wonder if the Greens had any policies other than the environment. Now I see they have no policies at all. Not <em>even</em> the environment. (Based on literature I’ve seen for the local elections, and the fact they’re <em>still</em> opposed to nuclear power.)</p>\n<p>And some of them are showing distinctly worrying...</p> <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/07/i-used-to-wonder-if/\">devilgate.org</a>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/07/i-used-to-wonder-if/","date_published":"2026-05-07T16:30:28+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-07 16:30","date_timestamp":1778171428,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"89771204","content_html":"<p>Voting day today, for most of us in the UK. All those local councils and mayors aren’t going to elect themselves (luckily).</p>\n<p>Vote for the ones who are going to make sure the bins get collected, the schools are good, social housing gets built… OK, Labour, I mean vote Labour.</p>\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/07/voting-day-today-for-most/","date_published":"2026-05-07T16:20:56+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-07 16:20","date_timestamp":1778170856,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"89602054","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/JohnPhilpin\">@JohnPhilpin</a> Right. I saw a banner on one of your recent posts saying ‘Created by a human in Scotland.’ But maybe that was a screengrab of something you were quoting? Hard to tell sometimes.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/89602054","date_published":"2026-05-04T22:59:58+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-04 22:59","date_timestamp":1777935598,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"89601194","content_html":"<p>📚 Books 2026, 10: The Lost World, by Arthur Conan Doyle: <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/04/finished-reading-the-lost-world/\">devilgate.org</a></p>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/04/finished-reading-the-lost-world/","date_published":"2026-05-04T22:21:31+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-04 22:21","date_timestamp":1777933291,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"89551746","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/JohnPhilpin\">@JohnPhilpin</a> Are you in Scotland now? Whereabouts? Weren’t you in New Zealand?</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/89551746","date_published":"2026-05-04T08:30:41+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-04 08:30","date_timestamp":1777883441,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"89533635","content_html":"<p>Crucial Track for 03 May 2026: (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais\" by The Clash: <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/04/crucial-track-for-may/\">devilgate.org</a></p>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/04/crucial-track-for-may/","date_published":"2026-05-03T23:22:18+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-03 23:22","date_timestamp":1777850538,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"89345242","content_html":"<p>Must be time to link to Nick Cave’s The Red Hand Files again. The <a href=\"https://www.theredhandfiles.com/40-questions-no-6/\">latest episode</a> had me laughing aloud many times, both from Nick’s answers and his questioners' questions.</p>\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/30/must-be-time-to-link/","date_published":"2026-04-30T21:30:19+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-30 21:30","date_timestamp":1777584619,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"89256149","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/JohnPhilpin\">@JohnPhilpin</a> <a href=\"https://x.com/tribunaltweets/status/1750117804693451000\">Here’s a tweet with the basics</a>. The X-man has broken Twitter so you can’t see the thread without the app, it seems, but the whole context is on <a href=\"https://archive.is/2024.01.24-114623/https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1750093233370112299.html\">this page</a>, I believe. It’s from Tribunal Tweets, citizen journalists who live-tweet employment tribunals.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/89256149","date_published":"2026-04-29T17:12:48+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-29 17:12","date_timestamp":1777482768,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"89182176","content_html":"<p><a href=\"http://ass.golf\">@ass.golf</a> Hell, yes, it sure does.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/89182176","date_published":"2026-04-28T16:35:59+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-28 16:35","date_timestamp":1777394159,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"89167132","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/JohnPhilpin\">@JohnPhilpin</a> Absolutely! I’m not a <em>speaker</em>, but I know enough to know that, and have also heard it was once asked and answered in a court. That may be apocryphal, though.</p>\n<p>Anyway, you could make an argument that it depends on the <em>sex</em> of the person, rather than their gender.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/89167132","date_published":"2026-04-28T12:54:32+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-28 12:54","date_timestamp":1777380872,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88974209","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/mmetcalfe\">@mmetcalfe</a> Oh no, that sounds very bad. Hope you’re getting the help you need.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/88974209","date_published":"2026-04-25T07:11:42+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-25 07:11","date_timestamp":1777101102,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88848352","content_html":"<p><a href=\"http://bugshaw.bsky.social\">@bugshaw.bsky.social</a> That was fortuitous!</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/88848352","date_published":"2026-04-23T12:14:57+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-23 12:14","date_timestamp":1776946497,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88832700","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/JohnPhilpin\">@JohnPhilpin</a>  <a href=\"https://micro.blog/bradleyandroos\">@bradleyandroos</a> According to Websters Bituminous is an adjective, meaning ‘Having the qualities of bitumen’. Which is what I understood it as. I’ve never heard of ‘bitumous’, which does sound more like a noun. But I can’t find a reference to that spelling anywhere.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/88832700","date_published":"2026-04-23T06:18:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-23 06:18","date_timestamp":1776925080,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88799218","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/manton\">@manton</a> Ha! You know, I get mildly annoyed on the odd occasion I want to do something book-related on iOS and it’s not there. I have to go to the web. <em>Completely forgot</em> Epilogue is right over there!</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/88799218","date_published":"2026-04-22T18:40:13+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-22 18:40","date_timestamp":1776883213,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88798923","content_html":"<p>I suspect <a href=\"https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/64c7cbc4-6aa9-42aa-970c-7bde5fd0403d\">this StoryGraph review</a> of the book I just posted <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/22/finished-reading-disappear-doppelgnger-disappear/\">my own thoughts on</a> captures what’s going on:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>… a character who has agency but really doesn’t, which subverts the western idea of conflict that pivots around a main character always having to make the choice, do the thing, that runs the story. Here, no matter what Matt Kim does, the world affects him, does whatever it wants to him. Disappear him even. The ‘looseness’ of the story, as in, ‘I don’t get this book’, is imo holding up eastern cultural expectations of writing …</p>\n</blockquote>\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/22/i-suspect-this-storygraph-review/","date_published":"2026-04-22T18:30:44+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-22 18:30","date_timestamp":1776882644,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88797333","content_html":"<p>📚 Books 2026, 9: Disappear Doppelgänger Disappear, by Matthew Salesses: <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/22/finished-reading-disappear-doppelgnger-disappear/\">devilgate.org</a></p>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/22/finished-reading-disappear-doppelgnger-disappear/","date_published":"2026-04-22T17:37:11+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-22 17:37","date_timestamp":1776879431,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88688444","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/canion\">@canion</a> Utter bollocks, to my mind. At best it feels like an act of surrender to the machines. And it looks ugly and would be annoying to write (‘a thought am- a parenthetical thought am- and back’). And when you render your text in another typeface, what then?</p>\n<p>It suddenly occurs to me that the whole thing is a joke.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/88688444","date_published":"2026-04-21T07:44:36+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-21 07:44","date_timestamp":1776757476,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88655558","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/JohnPhilpin\">@JohnPhilpin</a> “Piqued”. Unless your interest has reached its highest possible level!</p>\n<p>(Sorry, call me a pedant if you will, but I sometimes fear we’re in danger of losing words.)</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/88655558","date_published":"2026-04-20T19:25:02+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-20 19:25","date_timestamp":1776713102,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88598623","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/JohnPhilpin\">@JohnPhilpin</a> Or why not drop the silly cluttering hyphens and just use spaces?</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/88598623","date_published":"2026-04-19T22:07:50+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-19 22:07","date_timestamp":1776636470,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88191027","content_html":"<p>📚 Books 2026, 8: The Spirit of Science Fiction, by Roberto Bolaño, Translated by Natasha Wimmer: <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/13/finished-reading-the-spirit-of/\">devilgate.org</a></p>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/13/finished-reading-the-spirit-of/","date_published":"2026-04-13T21:36:13+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-13 21:36","date_timestamp":1776116173,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:52p6ext57v3b2wc6xa5s4xui/post/3mjftbzfbzn2c"]}},{"id":"88184869","content_html":"<p><span class=\"h-card\"><a href=\"https://micro.blog/siracusa@mastodon.social\" class=\"u-url mention\">@siracusa</a></span> <span class=\"h-card\"><a href=\"https://micro.blog/jonschwenn@hachyderm.io\" class=\"u-url mention\">@jonschwenn</a></span></p>\n<p>Same for me.  Been like that for a few weeks, on different networks.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/88184869","date_published":"2026-04-13T19:37:56+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-13 19:37","date_timestamp":1776109076,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88071018","content_html":"<p>📚 Books 2026, 7: Raven Black, by Ann Cleeves: <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/07/finished-reading-raven-black-by/\">devilgate.org</a></p>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/07/finished-reading-raven-black-by/","date_published":"2026-04-11T20:20:22+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-11 20:20","date_timestamp":1775938822,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:52p6ext57v3b2wc6xa5s4xui/post/3mjassm6kum2l"]}},{"id":"88064888","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/JohnPhilpin\">@JohnPhilpin</a> Thanks. I could, of course, have googled if myself, but I thought it was more fun to speculate.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/88064888","date_published":"2026-04-11T19:48:02+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-11 19:48","date_timestamp":1775936882,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88059426","content_html":"<p>If You Hail Mary, Will She Stop to Pick You Up? <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/11/if-you-hail-mary-will/\">devilgate.org</a></p>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/11/if-you-hail-mary-will/","date_published":"2026-04-11T17:29:29+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-11 17:29","date_timestamp":1775928569,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:52p6ext57v3b2wc6xa5s4xui/post/3mjaes5ajcq22"]}},{"id":"87724511","content_html":"<p>📚 Books 2026, 6: The Twenty Days of Turin, by Giorgio De Maria, Translated by Ramon Glazov: <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/06/finished-reading-the-twenty-days/\">devilgate.org</a></p>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/06/finished-reading-the-twenty-days/","date_published":"2026-04-06T21:25:33+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-06 21:25","date_timestamp":1775510733,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:52p6ext57v3b2wc6xa5s4xui/post/3miu7u5wle722"]}},{"id":"87498714","content_html":"<p>I’ve posted here every day so far this year. That’s unusual for me — unprecedented, in fact. I might take a break now , though. Except… hello.</p>\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/02/ive-posted-here-every-day/","date_published":"2026-04-02T22:27:10+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-02 22:27","date_timestamp":1775168830,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:52p6ext57v3b2wc6xa5s4xui/post/3mikauqmq7p2z"]}},{"id":"87490010","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/manton\">@manton</a> OK, thanks. Strange, because it seemed to be ok the few previous days. Sorry for disturbing your holiday.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/87490010","date_published":"2026-04-02T20:16:21+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-02 20:16","date_timestamp":1775160981,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87465217","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/manton\">@manton</a> There’s something up with my blog. The <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/01/full-of-grace/\">post from last night</a> is linked on the home page, but if you click through you get the ‘still being published’ message. I’ve tried a couple of full rebuilds, and there are a load of errors in the logs.</p>\n<p>On further checking, <em>all</em> my posts have that message!</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/87465217","date_published":"2026-04-02T13:31:10+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-02 13:31","date_timestamp":1775136670,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87468032","content_html":"<p>Full of Grace: <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/01/full-of-grace/\">devilgate.org</a></p>","summary":"I just realised as I wrote that title, why the lead character has that surname. Huh.","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/04/01/full-of-grace/","date_published":"2026-04-01T18:19:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-01 18:19","date_timestamp":1775067540,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"87468034","content_html":"<p>Off to see <em>Project Hail Mary</em> in Leicester Square. Time to find out what these astrophages are made of.</p>\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/03/31/off-to-see-project-hail/","date_published":"2026-03-31T17:12:59+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-31 17:12","date_timestamp":1774977179,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"87306497","content_html":"<p><a href=\"http://andrewhickey.500songs.com\">@andrewhickey.500songs.com</a> That use of ‘<em>original</em> Alvin Stardust’: was there more than one Alvin?</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/87306497","date_published":"2026-03-31T07:58:35+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-31 07:58","date_timestamp":1774943915,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87468035","content_html":"<img src=\"https://micro.blog/photos/100x/https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Fw154%2FhRTbfR27xghnVMs3ZJ3EhK3zzud.jpg\" class=\"mini_cover\"><p>Watched <a href=\"https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/8764\">Top Secret!</a> 🎥 a couple of nights ago. A 1984 film by the makers of Airplane, I have to wonder why on Earth I haven’t seen it till now. It’s pretty funny. A rock star visits a weird East Germany, which is just as oppressed as the real one, but the authorities are still the Nazis. <em>Wehrmacht</em> and SS...</p> <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/03/30/watched-top-secret/\">devilgate.org</a>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/03/30/watched-top-secret/","date_published":"2026-03-30T19:00:45+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-30 19:00","date_timestamp":1774897245,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"87468036","content_html":"<p>How can it be that I only realised <em>today</em>, with the clocks going forward for summer, that we don’t have a six-month summer/standard time split. We have <em>seven</em> months of British Summer Time.</p>\n<p>All the more evidence that BST should be the standard, if not the permanent state.</p>\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/03/29/how-can-it-be-that/","date_published":"2026-03-29T16:09:46+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-29 16:09","date_timestamp":1774800586,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"87468037","content_html":"<p>What Exactly are we For and Against? <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/03/28/what-exactly-re-we-for/\">devilgate.org</a></p>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/03/28/what-exactly-re-we-for/","date_published":"2026-03-28T23:37:40+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-28 23:37","date_timestamp":1774741060,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"87100496","content_html":"<p>Against the Far Right but not Against Antisemitism? <a href=\"https://devilgate.org/2026/03/27/against-the-far-right-but/\">devilgate.org</a></p>","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/03/27/against-the-far-right-but/","date_published":"2026-03-27T20:45:21+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-27 20:45","date_timestamp":1774644321,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:52p6ext57v3b2wc6xa5s4xui/post/3mi2yg3nydj25"]}},{"id":"87040166","content_html":"<img src=\"https://micro.blog/books/9781631492297/cover.jpg\" class=\"mini_cover\">\n<p>I’m currently reading <a href=\"https://micro.blog/books/9781631492297\">The Twenty Days of Turin A Novel</a> by Giorgio de Maria. 📚</p>\n<p>It’s a very odd work, which in part slightly prefigures (because it’s set in the 1970s) some of the negative effects of social networks. But it’s about a lot more than that.</p>\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/03/26/im-currently-reading-the-twenty/","date_published":"2026-03-26T23:27:55+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-26 23:27","date_timestamp":1774567675,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:52p6ext57v3b2wc6xa5s4xui/post/3mhyqyrdzuc2c"]}},{"id":"86895821","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/jarrod\">@jarrod</a> I’m surprised they’re going on with it even into this fifth season. The end of season four felt to me like it was done. But I suppose there are always more tales to tell.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/86895821","date_published":"2026-03-24T23:55:48+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-24 23:55","date_timestamp":1774396548,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"86586901","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/aaronpk\">@aaronpk</a> What’s going on with that cat’s back legs?</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/86586901","date_published":"2026-03-20T07:09:59+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-20 07:09","date_timestamp":1773990599,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"86209670","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/jsonbecker\">@jsonbecker</a> I’m not totally convinced by that argument. Software development is about a lot more than generating lines of code. Just as lines of code has never been a good measure of programmer productivity, the ability to generate massive amounts may not result in more productive teams.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/86209670","date_published":"2026-03-14T19:14:41+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-14 19:14","date_timestamp":1773515681,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"85620822","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/flotisserie\">@flotisserie</a> That’s an interesting set of instructions. I wonder what kind of writing you’re using Claude to generate, since you’re obviously able to write yourself.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/85620822","date_published":"2026-03-06T08:01:51+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-06 08:01","date_timestamp":1772784111,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"85468919","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/patrickrhone\">@patrickrhone</a> If it helps (and why should it?) I’m on a 2017 Intel MacBook Pro. Still does most things fine. Though I can’t install some newer applications, which is a shame.</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/85468919","date_published":"2026-03-04T07:45:12+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-04 07:45","date_timestamp":1772610312,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"85437322","content_html":"<p><a href=\"https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn\">@ReaderJohn</a> She had a hit single in the UK with ‘O Superman’, back in 1981. I had to check the year, I admit. It got to number 2!</p>\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/85437322","date_published":"2026-03-03T20:35:06+00:00","author":{"name":"Martin McCallion","url":"https://devilgate.org/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2022%2F424.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"devilgate"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-03 20:35","date_timestamp":1772570106,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}}]}