laniball
@laniball.bsky.social
Here I am now, entertain me. If you would be so kind.
MP Chain 🏛️
I recognised 8️⃣ MPs in a row. This is either astonishing luck or my subconscious has registered a *lot* more MPs than me.
How long is your chain? toys.jamesomalley.co.uk/mpchain/
I recognised 8️⃣ MPs in a row. This is either astonishing luck or my subconscious has registered a *lot* more MPs than me.
How long is your chain? toys.jamesomalley.co.uk/mpchain/
MP Chain — How many MPs can you recognise?
Pick the named MP from two portraits. One wrong answer ends your chain.
toys.jamesomalley.co.uk
September 25, 2026 at 4:59 PM
MP Chain 🏛️
I recognised 8️⃣ MPs in a row. This is either astonishing luck or my subconscious has registered a *lot* more MPs than me.
How long is your chain? toys.jamesomalley.co.uk/mpchain/
I recognised 8️⃣ MPs in a row. This is either astonishing luck or my subconscious has registered a *lot* more MPs than me.
How long is your chain? toys.jamesomalley.co.uk/mpchain/
Oddest thing. An ebook on sale, clearly a retitling of a book by a long-dead author with a second author added, the synopsis is just the first few paras of the book, and the genres it's supposedly in are nonsense. I can only think it's copyright theft or similar, done without due care or attention?
August 7, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Oddest thing. An ebook on sale, clearly a retitling of a book by a long-dead author with a second author added, the synopsis is just the first few paras of the book, and the genres it's supposedly in are nonsense. I can only think it's copyright theft or similar, done without due care or attention?
Reposted by laniball
Enough “what would you do on the commune questions”
If you got sent back 100 years and were given your grandparent’s job, what are you doing?
If you got sent back 100 years and were given your grandparent’s job, what are you doing?
July 29, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Enough “what would you do on the commune questions”
If you got sent back 100 years and were given your grandparent’s job, what are you doing?
If you got sent back 100 years and were given your grandparent’s job, what are you doing?
Reposted by laniball
Mad fact... 42% of Labour Prime Ministers have had to fire Peter Mandelson.
April 21, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Mad fact... 42% of Labour Prime Ministers have had to fire Peter Mandelson.
Reposted by laniball
Really good piece this on an avoidable, but usefully illustrative public policy failure: 'student housing' multiplied because it is exempt from a number of regulations on, you know, housing. If we just let housing be built on the same terms, would have more resilient housing stock:
The hangover from Britain’s student housing boom
Concerns about affordability and community impact are mounting, even as purpose-built accommodation gains traction elsewhere
www.ft.com
April 8, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Really good piece this on an avoidable, but usefully illustrative public policy failure: 'student housing' multiplied because it is exempt from a number of regulations on, you know, housing. If we just let housing be built on the same terms, would have more resilient housing stock:
Reposted by laniball
Agree that behavioural science still has a lot of insight for governance. Uber's big innovation wasn't making the taxis arrive any faster, it was just reducing the uncertainty about when it would arrive. A simple tracker for your position on a NHS waiting list would reduce a lot of frustration
New post just out:
"Troubleshooters"
How fixing the many small frustrations - that make up most of our interactions with the state - can give people faith in goverment's ability to make things work.
And help create a different Whitehall culture.
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...
"Troubleshooters"
How fixing the many small frustrations - that make up most of our interactions with the state - can give people faith in goverment's ability to make things work.
And help create a different Whitehall culture.
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...
Troubleshooters
How to get people believing in the state again
open.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Agree that behavioural science still has a lot of insight for governance. Uber's big innovation wasn't making the taxis arrive any faster, it was just reducing the uncertainty about when it would arrive. A simple tracker for your position on a NHS waiting list would reduce a lot of frustration
Reposted by laniball
"Raising the cost of driving EVs discourages people from adopting the more sustainable option."
Cool, now do public transport.
Cool, now do public transport.
It'd be cool if the "increasing the cost of motoring hurts poor people" people cared anything like as much about cost to people who rely on public transport - who are disproportionately likely to be poor and disabled, and who consistently face far greater increases in cost.
November 27, 2025 at 11:20 AM
"Raising the cost of driving EVs discourages people from adopting the more sustainable option."
Cool, now do public transport.
Cool, now do public transport.
Has our history department been infiltrated by geographers or something? Because this is not convincing me a history A-level is a good option if I want my career to proceed beyond 'assistant'.
November 6, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Has our history department been infiltrated by geographers or something? Because this is not convincing me a history A-level is a good option if I want my career to proceed beyond 'assistant'.
Reposted by laniball
What thing do you own that has lasted for decades, and still works perfectly?
We all have things - clothes, electronics, furniture - that has unexpectedly lasted for decades. But most of our stuff falls apart annoyingly quickly.
So is it possible to buy only stuff that lasts? And how? www.ft.com/content/aff9...
So is it possible to buy only stuff that lasts? And how? www.ft.com/content/aff9...
The anti-Shein manifesto — my quest to buy better, buy less
What if, instead of being surprised when an item survives a few years, we shopped only for things that will last?
www.ft.com
January 25, 2025 at 8:22 AM
What thing do you own that has lasted for decades, and still works perfectly?
Kids' school calls me, lengthily apologetic for daring to postpone a non-urgent meeting for a week due to staff illness and expressing deep gratitude and clear surprise that I responded civilly.
So this is me, bemused, considering the decline of society and fearing for all public-facing workers.
So this is me, bemused, considering the decline of society and fearing for all public-facing workers.
December 6, 2024 at 2:55 PM
Kids' school calls me, lengthily apologetic for daring to postpone a non-urgent meeting for a week due to staff illness and expressing deep gratitude and clear surprise that I responded civilly.
So this is me, bemused, considering the decline of society and fearing for all public-facing workers.
So this is me, bemused, considering the decline of society and fearing for all public-facing workers.
1,600 away...
excited and curious to be 1,700 followers away from entering our Bluesky Celebrity Era
Having 30,000 followers makes you a celebrity, UK advertising watchdog rules
The one time it might be ok to obsess over your follower count
www.theverge.com
November 18, 2024 at 9:13 PM
1,600 away...
It seems that on Sunday I will be entertaining a dozen 14 year olds. For 5 hours. Not sure how to do that.
June 21, 2024 at 6:30 PM
It seems that on Sunday I will be entertaining a dozen 14 year olds. For 5 hours. Not sure how to do that.
Sometimes different parts of my life overlap, and that's normal if slightly disconcerting at times, but the medieval reenactors and Sadler's Wells was not one I was expecting. www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/kid...
January 25, 2024 at 9:20 AM
Sometimes different parts of my life overlap, and that's normal if slightly disconcerting at times, but the medieval reenactors and Sadler's Wells was not one I was expecting. www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/kid...
Logic puzzle: My laptop casts to my TV, but subtitles don't cast. My headphones pair with phone and laptop, but only run audio from my phone. I can wire my laptop to a second monitor, but not my TV. My phone pairs to my laptop, but it doesn't do anything. Can I youtube with headphones AND subtitles?
October 5, 2023 at 9:22 PM
Logic puzzle: My laptop casts to my TV, but subtitles don't cast. My headphones pair with phone and laptop, but only run audio from my phone. I can wire my laptop to a second monitor, but not my TV. My phone pairs to my laptop, but it doesn't do anything. Can I youtube with headphones AND subtitles?
Q: do these leaves have "yellow or purple tints" (=potassium deficiency: give potassium) or are they "yellowing with reddish brown tints" (=magnesium deficiency: soil has too much potassium)?
I am confident it is an unhappy plant needing either more or less potassium.
I am confident it is an unhappy plant needing either more or less potassium.
July 15, 2023 at 6:39 PM
Q: do these leaves have "yellow or purple tints" (=potassium deficiency: give potassium) or are they "yellowing with reddish brown tints" (=magnesium deficiency: soil has too much potassium)?
I am confident it is an unhappy plant needing either more or less potassium.
I am confident it is an unhappy plant needing either more or less potassium.
https://rss.org.uk/membership/volunteering-and-promoting/statisticians-for-society-initiative/ This is one of the things I've been playing at recently: free loans of statisticians to good causes. Any charities out there that need some numbers wrangled?
July 11, 2023 at 10:17 PM
https://rss.org.uk/membership/volunteering-and-promoting/statisticians-for-society-initiative/ This is one of the things I've been playing at recently: free loans of statisticians to good causes. Any charities out there that need some numbers wrangled?