![\"\"](\"https://micro.blog/photos/50/https://eu.uploads.micro.blog/89068/2026/img-9571.jpg\")
: devilgate.orgGod, there are a lot of Scots in Boston! Listen to that!
\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/06/19/god-there-are-a-lot/","date_published":"2026-06-19T21:54:57+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":"2026-06-19 21:54","date_timestamp":1781906097,"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/3moodh7oeds26"]}},{"id":"92448153","content_html":"@manton Thanks, will do.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/92448153","date_published":"2026-06-18T19:38:45+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":"2026-06-18 19:38","date_timestamp":1781811525,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92417932","content_html":"@manton I installed the latest version on my Mac and now I can’t run it. I also can’t post a photo in an @-reply, so here’s the generated alt-text of the screen grab:
\n> A notification indicates that the Micro.blog.app cannot be used with macOS 13.7.8 and requires macOS 14.0 or later to run.
\nI’m on an old Mac, so I can’t go up to 14. No biggie, but it probably shouldn’t have let me install it.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/92417932","date_published":"2026-06-18T09:11:29+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":"2026-06-18 09:11","date_timestamp":1781773889,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92412420","content_html":"Selfish Genetics but No AI : devilgate.org
@alexwolfe What fun! I look forward to Ada’s further adventures.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/92380488","date_published":"2026-06-17T19:37:42+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":"2026-06-17 19:37","date_timestamp":1781725062,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"92354679","content_html":"Going to see Richard Dawkins at the Barbican tonight. The title of his talk is ‘Genes & the Meaning of Life’. It’ll be interesting to see — among other things — if his beliefs about the aliveness of ‘AI’ have changed.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/06/17/going-to-see-richard-dawkins/","date_published":"2026-06-17T12:29:52+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":"2026-06-17 12:29","date_timestamp":1781699392,"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/3moicwfkmfc2k"]}},{"id":"92271000","content_html":"@JohnPhilpin LiveJournal had that distinction two decades ago. Other sites too, probably. Slashdot? Maybe. It’s a good one.
\nPS: You’re welcome. You are.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/92271000","date_published":"2026-06-16T07:50:25+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":"2026-06-16 07:50","date_timestamp":1781596225,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91747127","content_html":"![](\"https://micro.blog/photos/100x/https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Fw154%2F6x7MzQ6BOMlRzam1StcmPO9v61g.jpg\")
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 🎥 is a lot funnier and also more compact than I remembered.
\nMore compact, because in my memory the business of trying to decode ‘POE’/‘OPE’ etc, went on for much longer than the few seconds it actually takes. And trying to get through to...
devilgate.org","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/06/03/watched-dr-strangelove-or-how/","date_published":"2026-06-08T10:22:06+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":"2026-06-08 10:22","date_timestamp":1780914126,"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/3mnrhpi2hpy2d"]}},{"id":"91596132","content_html":"Sad to read of the death of Anthony Head (or Anthony Stewart Head, as he always used to be credited).
\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/06/05/sad-to-read-of-the/","date_published":"2026-06-05T17:56:22+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":"2026-06-05 17:56","date_timestamp":1780682182,"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/3mnkplla7ok2j"]}},{"id":"91348066","content_html":"@manton Ah, yes, I should have thought of that:
\n> Bluesky: Error refreshing token.
\nI’ll try removing and re-adding. Thanks.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/91348066","date_published":"2026-06-01T19:34:05+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":"2026-06-01 19:34","date_timestamp":1780342445,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91344316","content_html":"@manton I’ve just noticed my posts having been crossposting to BlueSky since the middle of April.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/91344316","date_published":"2026-06-01T18:34:34+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":"2026-06-01 18:34","date_timestamp":1780338874,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91343058","content_html":"![](\"https://micro.blog/photos/100x/https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Fw154%2FkNOFPQrel9YFCVzI0DF8FnCEpCw.jpg\")
We watched: North by Northwest 🎥 a week or two ago. Somehow I’d never seen it before.
\nLet’s discuss the famous, poster-worthy, famous scene. Clearly if you believe someone is a government agent about to bust your soviet spy ring, you have to assassinate them. And what better way to do that than trick them...
devilgate.org","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/06/01/we-watched-north-by-northwest/","date_published":"2026-06-01T18:18:47+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":"2026-06-01 18:18","date_timestamp":1780337927,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91286567","content_html":"@manton Looks like I had the same problem. There’s no ‘Send now’ button, just a ‘Sent’ notice.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/91286567","date_published":"2026-05-31T21:11:23+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":"2026-05-31 21:11","date_timestamp":1780261883,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91285810","content_html":"@JohnPhilpin Thanks. Feel free.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/91285810","date_published":"2026-05-31T20:57:16+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":"2026-05-31 20:57","date_timestamp":1780261036,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91037386","content_html":"@JohnPhilpin Seemed to work.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/91037386","date_published":"2026-05-27T21:42:21+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":"2026-05-27 21:42","date_timestamp":1779918141,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"91021494","content_html":"We are in strange times when the Pope makes more sense about technology than Richard Dawkins. From Pope Leo’s encyclical, as quoted by Kottke:
\n\n\nIt is not possible to provide a single, comprehensive definition of AI. What can be stated, however, is that we must avoid the misconception of equating this type of “intelligence” with that of human beings. These systems merely imitate certain functions of human intelligence.
\n
While Dawkins seems to have fallen completely into a vat of kool-aid:
\n\ndevilgate.org","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/27/we-are-in-strange-times/","date_published":"2026-05-27T18:00:42+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":"2026-05-27 18:00","date_timestamp":1779904842,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91020924","content_html":"I gave Claude the text of a novel I am writing. He took a few seconds to read it and then showed, in subsequent...
\n
📚 Books 2026, 13: Keep the Giraffe Burning, by John Sladek: devilgate.org
","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/26/finished-reading-keep-the-giraffe/","date_published":"2026-05-27T17:45:57+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":"2026-05-27 17:45","date_timestamp":1779903957,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"90993327","content_html":"@johnnydecimal How do you tell if a website is vibe-coded?
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/90993327","date_published":"2026-05-27T07:38:25+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":"2026-05-27 07:38","date_timestamp":1779867505,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"90889141","content_html":"@acct:imyke@myke.social I’m looking forward to listening to this one. But I’ve also realised: I’m kind of missing CGP Grey.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/90889141","date_published":"2026-05-25T18:00:48+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":"2026-05-25 18:00","date_timestamp":1779732048,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"90785165","content_html":"![](\"https://micro.blog/photos/100x/https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Fw154%2Fv9niLQWVzVPB1cP1ThNdEaLZG1Q.jpg\")
More nonsense and more ‘Naked Gun’ fun last night: The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear 🎥. I couldn’t honestly tell whether I’d seen this before or not. I think I probably saw it back in the day, but the jokes are so spot-on and predictable (and the plot matters so little) it’s hard to be sure. Just what you...
devilgate.org","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/23/more-nonsense-and-more-naked/","date_published":"2026-05-23T18:31:37+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":"2026-05-23 18:31","date_timestamp":1779561097,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"90783539","content_html":"I just discovered a feature in Apple Music for iOS. I had lyrics scrolling and I touched the screen to dismiss them. The song jumped back to the point in the lyrics I touched.
\nCould be useful when you want it, though it’s mildly annoying by accident. I’m surprised I’ve never heard of it before.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/23/i-just-discovered-a-feature/","date_published":"2026-05-23T17:57:19+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":"2026-05-23 17:57","date_timestamp":1779559039,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"90782986","content_html":"![](\"https://micro.blog/photos/100x/https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Fw154%2F8ziUp2q71vCmMgYY2MRCwI3mSs5.jpg\")
An American Pickle 🎥 is a strange, daft, fun wee movie, in which Seth Rogen plays Herschel Greenbaum, a refugee from a Polish stetl in the 1920s. A freak accident at a pickling factory means he is pickled for 100 years. Waking up in 2020s Brooklyn, he meets his great-grandson Ben (also played by Rogen).
\nBut...
devilgate.org","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/23/an-american-pickle-is-a/","date_published":"2026-05-23T17:39:14+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":"2026-05-23 17:39","date_timestamp":1779557954,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"90643517","content_html":"@JohnPhilpin My memory! And searching. It was used in a TV ad in the UK maybe ten, fifteen years back, focusing on the shapely rear end of the car. ‘I see you baby, shaking that ass’!
\nYouTube link. Also people complained, according to The Guardian.
\nWhich can’t possibly be right, because it says it was 23 years ago. I remember my daughter singing along with it, and she wasn’t doing that when she was 2!
\nI guess maybe they revived it? Anyway, that’s what I was talking about, so I’m playing <cite>Vertigo</cite> now.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/90643517","date_published":"2026-05-21T16:07:37+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":"2026-05-21 16:07","date_timestamp":1779379657,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"90617627","content_html":"@JohnPhilpin I meant the ass-shaking one that was advertised with the Groove Armada track. Which turns out to be the Renault Megane.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/90617627","date_published":"2026-05-21T07:46:55+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":"2026-05-21 07:46","date_timestamp":1779349615,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"90583288","content_html":"@manton I hate to say this, but I found a typo! The ‘Penn Station’ chapter starts with a quote that refers to the ‘Qual d’Orsay’ in Paris. It should of course be the Quai d’Orsay.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/90583288","date_published":"2026-05-20T19:21:45+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":"2026-05-20 19:21","date_timestamp":1779304905,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"90478195","content_html":"@JohnPhilpin I see what you did there (shaking that ass). Couldn’t tell you what car it was advertising, though.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/90478195","date_published":"2026-05-19T11:46:48+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":"2026-05-19 11:46","date_timestamp":1779191208,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"90359974","content_html":"@andrewhickey.500songs.com Just trying to understand this. So the hyphenated form with the capital ‘S’ is the dog whistle version? Two questions, then: why? And who is being whistled at or to?
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/90359974","date_published":"2026-05-17T16:37:18+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":"2026-05-17 16:37","date_timestamp":1779035838,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"90316799","content_html":"What’s with this ‘You can vote ten times’ nonsense? Is it even a vote, then?
\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/16/whats-with-this-you-can/","date_published":"2026-05-16T21:29:13+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":"2026-05-16 21:29","date_timestamp":1778966953,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"90315227","content_html":"This isn’t going to work, I’ve got three tens already (Finland joining the UK and France).
\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/16/this-isnt-going-to-work/","date_published":"2026-05-16T20:42:59+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":"2026-05-16 20:42","date_timestamp":1778964179,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"90314599","content_html":"And then France go and better it!
\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/16/and-then-france-go-and/","date_published":"2026-05-16T20:28:10+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":"2026-05-16 20:28","date_timestamp":1778963290,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"90314504","content_html":"Best song we’ve sent from the UK in decades! My fave of the night so far.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/16/best-song-weve-sent-from/","date_published":"2026-05-16T20:25:13+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":"2026-05-16 20:25","date_timestamp":1778963113,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"90314170","content_html":"I mean, it’s the Eurovision Song Contest, not the Eurovision Dance and Dramatic Staging Contest.
\nMaybe I should listen to it on the Radio.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/16/i-mean-its-the-eurovision/","date_published":"2026-05-16T20:16:04+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":"2026-05-16 20:16","date_timestamp":1778962564,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"90312518","content_html":"I sometimes think, with Eurovision, they should have to perform standing on a plain stage, with no fancy stuff. I mean Greece, tonight!
\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/16/i-sometimes-think-with-eurovision/","date_published":"2026-05-16T19:48:23+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":"2026-05-16 19:48","date_timestamp":1778960903,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"90207884","content_html":"📚Books 2026, 12: Just One Damned Thing After Another, by Jodi Taylor: devilgate.org
","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/14/finished-reading-just-one-damned/","date_published":"2026-05-14T15:26:01+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":"2026-05-14 15:26","date_timestamp":1778772361,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"90163276","content_html":"@manton I hope you’re able to fix the paragraph breaks in descriptions. That’s always been slightly annoying.
\n","url":"https://micro.blog/devilgate/90163276","date_published":"2026-05-14T15:22:06+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":"2026-05-14 15:22","date_timestamp":1778772126,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"90163227","content_html":"How did I not know till today that the vocals on Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop’ are by Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins?
\n","summary":"","url":"https://devilgate.org/2026/05/14/how-did-i-not-know/","date_published":"2026-05-14T15:21:07+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":"2026-05-14 15:21","date_timestamp":1778772067,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"89910879","content_html":"📚 Books 2026, 11: Bright LIghts Big City, by Jay McInerney: devilgate.org
","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":"2026-05-11 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":"The security at this rally says something about the state of Britain today: metal detectors, bag searches… the police are being lovely, though.
\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":"Off into Central London for the rally against antisemitism.
\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":"@mmetcalfe Mostly Lea Bridge, where we live. That’s a good analysis.
\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":"![](\"https://micro.blog/photos/100x/https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Fw154%2FxT15D124pyoq3HWDpuhoJTqLfFM.jpg\")
Watched Funeral in Berlin 🎥 last weekend.
\nAfter enjoying The Ipcress File a year ago (where does the time go?) it was good to see more of what Harry Palmer was up to back in the Cold War.
\nIn this he’s sent on a slightly confusing mission to West Berlin — and, inevitably, into the East — to get out a...
devilgate.org","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":"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.
\nPlease sign it here if you can....
devilgate.org","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":"![](\"https://micro.blog/books/9781408889398/cover.jpg\")
\n📚 You are reading Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney. You are finding it hilarious. This book was published when you were 20: why have you not read it till now?
\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":"@mmetcalfe 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?
\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":"89602054","content_html":"@JohnPhilpin 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.
\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":"89551746","content_html":"@JohnPhilpin Are you in Scotland now? Whereabouts? Weren’t you in New Zealand?
\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":"89256149","content_html":"@JohnPhilpin Here’s a tweet with the basics. The X-man has broken Twitter so you can’t see the thread without the app, it seems, but the whole context is on this page, I believe. It’s from Tribunal Tweets, citizen journalists who live-tweet employment tribunals.
\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":"@ass.golf Hell, yes, it sure does.
\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":"@JohnPhilpin Absolutely! I’m not a speaker, 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.
\nAnyway, you could make an argument that it depends on the sex of the person, rather than their gender.
\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":"@mmetcalfe Oh no, that sounds very bad. Hope you’re getting the help you need.
\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}}]}