{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"Micro.blog - Roger Christian","home_page_url":"https://micro.blog","feed_url":"https://micro.blog/posts/soutpiel","_microblog":{"about":"https://micro.blog/about/api","id":"7002","username":"soutpiel","bio":"'Invoking posterity is like making speeches to worms.'","pronouns":"","is_following":false,"is_you":false,"following_count":48,"discover_count":0},"author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/avatar.jpg"},"items":[{"id":"16746033","content_html":"

9 January 2023: speechestoworms.blog

","summary":"","url":"http://www.speechestoworms.blog/9-january-2023","date_published":"2023-01-09T00:00:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2023-01-09 00:00","date_timestamp":1673222400,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"14049220","content_html":"

Reading notes: Coetzee’s Diary of a bad year: speechestoworms.blog

","summary":"","url":"http://www.speechestoworms.blog/reading-notes-coetzee-s-diary-of-a-bad-year","date_published":"2022-11-15T00:00:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2022-11-15 00:00","date_timestamp":1668470400,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"11843732","content_html":"\n“Do you dream in color?”\n\n“I think everybody dreams in color,” I told her.\n\n“Why do you say that?”\n\n“I say that because before the mid-nineteenth century and the invention of photography, no one ever thought about anything being in black and white. There was no concept of the world bei... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2021/08/21/do-you-dream.html","date_published":"2021-08-21T14:00:43+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-08-21 14:00","date_timestamp":1629554443,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"11732633","content_html":"“We don’t normally think of it as such, but writing is a technology, which means that a literate person is someone whose thought processes are technologically mediated. We became cognitive cyborgs as soon as we became fluent readers, and the consequences of that were profound.”\n\n– Ted C... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2021/07/24/we-dont-normally.html","date_published":"2021-07-24T09:04:29+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-07-24 09:04","date_timestamp":1627117469,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"11608981","content_html":"“In one week in April, a leaked document from inside the Dunfermline warehouse showed more than 124,000 items marked ‘destroy’. To repeat, that’s just for seven days.\n\n[…]\n\nWhy are hundreds of thousands of products being destroyed in this way? The answer is Amazon’s hugely successful bu... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2021/06/22/in-one-week.html","date_published":"2021-06-22T18:05:10+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-06-22 18:05","date_timestamp":1624385110,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"11580463","content_html":"The US isn’t the only country with this problem.\n\n\nFrom its founding, the United States has cultivated a national mythos around the capacity of individuals to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, ostensibly by their own merits. This particular strain of individualism, which valorizes... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2021/06/15/the-us-isnt.html","date_published":"2021-06-15T13:30:59+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-06-15 13:30","date_timestamp":1623763859,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"11240648","content_html":"

@herself Many thanks!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/11240648","date_published":"2021-03-28T19:25:17+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-03-28 19:25","date_timestamp":1616959517,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"11240447","content_html":"

A year ago, I began taking walks. I’m lucky: from our house I can get out into the open countryside in just a few minutes, usually without encountering anyone…

\n\n

www.speechestoworms.blog/26-march-…

\n","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2021/03/28/a-year-ago.html","date_published":"2021-03-28T18:05:58+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-03-28 18:05","date_timestamp":1616954758,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"11230875","content_html":"

26 March 2021: speechestoworms.blog

","summary":"","url":"http://www.speechestoworms.blog/26-march-2021","date_published":"2021-03-26T00:00:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-03-26 00:00","date_timestamp":1616716800,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"11154286","content_html":"I’m juggling three things as I write this, the other two being clearing out my work email inbox, and listening to a fascinating interview with Percival Everett on the LARB Radio Hour podcast. I’ve not yet read any of Everett’s books, but five minutes into the podcast I’m desperate to re... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2021/03/12/im-juggling-three.html","date_published":"2021-03-12T11:31:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-03-12 11:31","date_timestamp":1615548660,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"11116280","content_html":"

So what are they doing with all that data?

\n\n

COVID-19: Test and Trace barely used check-in data from pubs and restaurants - with thousands not warned of infection risk - Science & Tech News - Sky News

\n","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2021/03/05/so-what-are.html","date_published":"2021-03-05T07:20:11+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-03-05 07:20","date_timestamp":1614928811,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"11074424","content_html":"\n“We are in, at last. The cottage in Kent, with its shabby textured wallpaper and dated bathroom, is finally our home. What’s more, I have left London after nearly twenty-five years – half my life.”\n\n\nI’m doing things a bit differently on my blog. This entry goes all the way back to 201... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2021/02/25/we-are-in.html","date_published":"2021-02-25T16:07:26+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-02-25 16:07","date_timestamp":1614269246,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"11010361","content_html":"“You know what happened? Roughly 500 years ago, these small, aggressive maritime powers on the shores of Europe went across the world with their technology and created their empires by sea.\n\n“And I think what we are seeing now can all be interpreted in the light of the post-imperial [ag... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2021/02/13/you-know-what.html","date_published":"2021-02-13T09:06:47+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-02-13 09:06","date_timestamp":1613207207,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"10984283","content_html":"

@AlanGMarz It looks a lot more sinister in the pic than it actually is!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/10984283","date_published":"2021-02-08T10:02:28+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-02-08 10:02","date_timestamp":1612778548,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"10984278","content_html":"

@schuth Great quote. And great article. Thanks for linking to it.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/10984278","date_published":"2021-02-08T10:01:07+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-02-08 10:01","date_timestamp":1612778467,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"10980750","content_html":"

@V_ Thank you! That’s pretty much the look I was going for.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/10980750","date_published":"2021-02-07T16:22:38+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-02-07 16:22","date_timestamp":1612714958,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"10980215","content_html":"

Mud and snow

\n\n

\"\"

\n","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2021/02/07/mud-and-snow.html","date_published":"2021-02-07T13:26:55+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-02-07 13:26","date_timestamp":1612704415,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"10966178","content_html":"
\n

The truth is, you can’t say anything anymore without someone else saying something about what you just said. And that’s censorship. There’s no two ways about it.

\n
\n\n

Spot-on bit of satire from McSweeney’s.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2021/02/04/the-truth-is.html","date_published":"2021-02-04T19:01:04+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-02-04 19:01","date_timestamp":1612465264,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"10798816","content_html":"\nYet even with hindsight no disquiet comes to me from these memories; they are reassuring, I can find shelter within them. Only later were we to become a phantom family — a host of lives lived, then unlived. The disquiet comes when I realise there’s no one left to help me reconcile the ... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2021/01/01/yet-even-with.html","date_published":"2021-01-01T18:36:01+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2021-01-01 18:36","date_timestamp":1609526161,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"10684619","content_html":"\n\n‘And so it was that, “in the era before refrigeration, freeze-dried vaccines, and jet aircraft,” writes medical historian John Bowers, “the successful circumnavigation of the globe with the vaccine…rested on a single medium — little boys.”’\n\n\n[…]\n\nThe three-year expedition was success... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2020/12/07/and-so-it.html","date_published":"2020-12-07T09:18:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2020-12-07 09:18","date_timestamp":1607332680,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"10359032","content_html":"\nIn a sympathetic reflection on Metternich’s political thought, Kissinger identified what he called ‘the conservative dilemma’. Conservatism is the fruit of instability, Kissinger wrote, because in a society that is still cohesive, ‘it would occur to no one to be a conservative.’ It thu... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2020/10/04/in-a-sympathetic.html","date_published":"2020-10-04T07:30:42+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2020-10-04 07:30","date_timestamp":1601796642,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"10262702","content_html":"Malcolm Gladwell, talking to Jon Ronson:\n\n\nYou know, I sometimes fall in love with particular theories. And then you learn subsequently that it just wasn’t as neat and tidy as you thought. […] I would love to redo the chapter about crime in The Tipping Point just because I feel like we ... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2020/09/15/malcolm-gladwell-talking.html","date_published":"2020-09-15T10:33:35+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2020-09-15 10:33","date_timestamp":1600166015,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"10218264","content_html":"‘Each decision we make to reduce risk helps. Each time we wear a mask, we’re throwing some safety on the pile. Each time we socialize outside instead of inside, we’re throwing some safety on the pile. Each time we stay six feet away instead of sitting closer together, we’re throwing som... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2020/09/06/each-decision-we.html","date_published":"2020-09-06T07:18:09+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2020-09-06 07:18","date_timestamp":1599376689,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"9799235","content_html":"Racism is Death:\n\n\nI do not have the expertise or desire to wade into the often-contentious debate about what racism is or is not (see here for instance), but what I like about Gilmore’s take is how it explicitly includes the consequence of racism as an integral part of the definition.\n... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2020/06/14/racism-is-death.html","date_published":"2020-06-14T06:42:38+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2020-06-14 06:42","date_timestamp":1592116958,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"9788384","content_html":"I’ve just read an outstanding essay called ‘The American Virus’ by Eliot Weinberger in the latest London Review of Books. The title is an echo of the current habit of US Republican politicians to call the coronavirus ‘the Chinese virus’. The piece is a collection of impressionistic frag... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2020/06/11/ive-just-read.html","date_published":"2020-06-11T09:32:21+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2020-06-11 09:32","date_timestamp":1591867941,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"9739839","content_html":"
\n

I take photographs of food, she said, instead of eating it.

\n
\n\n

— Rachel Cusk, Transit

\n","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2020/05/29/i-take-photographs.html","date_published":"2020-05-29T07:14:34+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2020-05-29 07:14","date_timestamp":1590736474,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"8804288","content_html":"

@colinwalker I think, of your two options, it's the latter. I'm not sure the science is conclusive, but there are plenty of science-types (WHO, for example) saying the UK isn't doing enough. My office (I'm in London) has just told everyone to work from home from Monday, despite the government still dragging its heels on the issue.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/8804288","date_published":"2020-03-13T14:43:01+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2020-03-13 14:43","date_timestamp":1584110581,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"8755793","content_html":"\nAll writers, Julian went on, are attention seekers: why else would we be sitting up here on this stage? The fact is, he said, no one took enough notice of us when we were small and now we’re making them pay for it. Any writer who denied the childish element of revenge in what they did ... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2020/03/10/all-writers-julian.html","date_published":"2020-03-10T18:49:33+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2020-03-10 18:49","date_timestamp":1583866173,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"3715702","content_html":"

@macgenie A few years ago, some friends and I took a driving holiday around Croatia and Slovenia. We spent just a couple of days in Bled – I wished it had been longer. The lake is captivating. Highly recommended.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/3715702","date_published":"2019-05-24T09:39:32+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2019-05-24 09:39","date_timestamp":1558690772,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"3702462","content_html":"
\n

Cockle. The word rolled about in my head: round, hinged, opening and closing like the creature it described.

\n
\n\n

– George Monbiot, Feral

\n\n

📚

\n","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2019/05/23/cockle-the-word.html","date_published":"2019-05-23T16:39:50+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2019-05-23 16:39","date_timestamp":1558629590,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"3654768","content_html":"In a recent Guardian article about Robert Caro (who has been writing a multi-volume life of Lyndon B Johnson since the 1970s):\n\n\n‘What about facts? Does he fear for those in the age of Trump? The truth no longer seems to matter to some. “Of course it’s dangerous. People who believe ther... soutpiel.micro.blog","summary":"","url":"https://soutpiel.micro.blog/2019/05/20/in-a-recent.html","date_published":"2019-05-20T11:06:22+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2019-05-20 11:06","date_timestamp":1558350382,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"3307703","content_html":"

@schuth Fascinating article. Have you read any of Caro's books? I'm interested in his assertion that ‘the more facts you collect, the closer you come to the truth’. Ostensibly, he seems to be saying that, in writing, meticulous research and strict adherence to facts are paramount. That a writer has a duty to tell the truth, to hold a mirror up to reality, etc. And, given Caro's career as a journalist, this makes complete sense. But does his writing – particularly the LBJ books – observe this strictly? Does he 'fictionalise' at all?

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/3307703","date_published":"2019-04-26T10:24:19+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2019-04-26 10:24","date_timestamp":1556274259,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"2006391","content_html":"

@jack I agree entirely with your point about M.G. Siegler. Seems like pretty wooly thinking on his part.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/2006391","date_published":"2019-01-24T13:01:43+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2019-01-24 13:01","date_timestamp":1548334903,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"741329","content_html":"

@donmcallister Welcome!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/741329","date_published":"2018-07-25T06:47:12+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-07-25 06:47","date_timestamp":1532501232,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"739973","content_html":"

@ayjay Yes! I've loved that song for twenty years or more. I used to play it for friends but they would just look at me sort of puzzled.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/739973","date_published":"2018-07-24T18:29:10+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-07-24 18:29","date_timestamp":1532456950,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"398291","content_html":"

@adders Thanks!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/398291","date_published":"2018-03-13T14:55:44+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-03-13 14:55","date_timestamp":1520952944,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"398283","content_html":"

@adders This one passed me by. Intriguing. Is there more info anywhere?

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/398283","date_published":"2018-03-13T14:51:35+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-03-13 14:51","date_timestamp":1520952695,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"335569","content_html":"

@chipotle if you did, I’d read it.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/335569","date_published":"2018-02-14T07:47:27+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-02-14 07:47","date_timestamp":1518594447,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"334465","content_html":"

@schuth Thanks so much for the Micro Monday recommendation!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/334465","date_published":"2018-02-13T19:05:05+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-02-13 19:05","date_timestamp":1518548705,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"333658","content_html":"

@schuth Thanks for the recommendations. Some of my favourites are there, but also a few that are new to me. I feel compelled to mention Heavyweight, in case you'd not yet discovered it. It might also be a 'big one', but it's exceptional storytelling, and feels to me like it's pushing forward what can be done with a podcast.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/333658","date_published":"2018-02-13T11:31:30+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-02-13 11:31","date_timestamp":1518521490,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"333482","content_html":"

@jeremycherfas Thank you!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/333482","date_published":"2018-02-13T09:30:42+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-02-13 09:30","date_timestamp":1518514242,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"333469","content_html":"

@schuth The folks are fine, many thanks! I think Cape Town ultimately will come through the crisis without too much damage along the way.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/333469","date_published":"2018-02-13T09:21:35+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-02-13 09:21","date_timestamp":1518513695,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"333468","content_html":"

@schuth fascinating, incisive and very timely post, many thanks. Really interesting to hear this alternative perspective on the American historical/cultural narrative. Oh, and ‘gimcrack’ — great word!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/333468","date_published":"2018-02-13T09:16:52+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-02-13 09:16","date_timestamp":1518513412,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"316647","content_html":"

@solari @johnphilpin Yes, indeed, the water reserves are drying up, and Day Zero is what they’re calling that day when residents no longer have running water.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/316647","date_published":"2018-02-05T16:41:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-02-05 16:41","date_timestamp":1517848860,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"316557","content_html":"

@nicholaslash I enthusiastically recommend WG Sebald. His last novel, Austerlitz, is his most 'conventional' and might be a good starting point.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/316557","date_published":"2018-02-05T15:58:01+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-02-05 15:58","date_timestamp":1517846281,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"309327","content_html":"

@schuth All good points. There are so many ways to manage badly, and so many reasons for it. I suppose what interests me is that if there's no structural reason to stop (eg. if favoritism and manipulation don't actually impede business decisions, the values of the organisation, etc) then the whole thing just keeps on rolling along. And I take your point about the public sector. I work in the public sector myself, and it makes no difference – the business model is still built into the culture, people still talk about 'business decisions' even though profit isn't a motive.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/309327","date_published":"2018-02-02T11:55:31+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-02-02 11:55","date_timestamp":1517572531,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"307581","content_html":"

@manton Good to know, thanks

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/307581","date_published":"2018-02-01T15:33:57+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-02-01 15:33","date_timestamp":1517499237,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"307325","content_html":"

@manton Is there any way to edit micro.blog hosted blog them templates? (To add something to the header/footer, change the individual post template, etc) If not, any plan to add this feature?

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/307325","date_published":"2018-02-01T11:33:41+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-02-01 11:33","date_timestamp":1517484821,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"305451","content_html":"

@Miraz Lovely pics, too.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/305451","date_published":"2018-01-31T10:20:04+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-01-31 10:20","date_timestamp":1517394004,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"305445","content_html":"

@jack I approve of the choice of glass. Some people get too precious about using only a classic martini glass.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/soutpiel/305445","date_published":"2018-01-31T10:09:12+00:00","author":{"name":"Roger Christian","url":"http://speechestoworms.blog","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fsoutpiel%2Favatar.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"soutpiel"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2018-01-31 10:09","date_timestamp":1517393352,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}}]}