Ian Whitney

I've been in such a foul mood all day I'm seriously considering pitching a piece to the Graun about how I like icecream.

Ok.

Oh you are right. I thought it had changed. It still sucks then.

An immensely cheering visitor

Opera Australia's 2026 season? Woof.

I still have not managed to actually speak to any hotel in Wagga about 60 room nights I am trying to book. This is not helping my general mood today.

To be clear, I do not wish to yell at staff. But this should not have to be signposted at every public interaction point.

Grumpy today but the thing I hate most post-Covid is all of these signs and recorded messages asking me not to yell at staff. It's a symptom of some deep, societal unwellness.

An extension of the 'society walker'

In 2nd semester 2019 I taught a class predominantly Chinese and they were VERY aware of how Australian society viewed them and it was very upsetting not just personally, but also for the complete missed opportunity for Australian soft power.

Something which has always stuck with me about the international student gravy train everyone was addicted to, is that for many years international students were explicitly excluded from concession Opal cards.

Because they'd rather keep milking the middle classes of Asia (and, increasingly, Brazil) than fund universities.

In cheerier news, for some reason when I woke up this morning I had a weird flashback to Jake Cruise, the hugely successful porn mogul of the early 2010s who somehow thought he could feature in the videos with his models and also remain a major backer of Miss America. A simpler time for Online.

BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen has confirmed that the entire Al Jazeera team in Gaza City has been killed.

Not just mastheads.

how many conference calls involving how many stakeholders do you think were held concerning Buttigieg growing a beard

Always good to see

Discovered exercise fairly late in my 30s and furious, absolutely steaming, that all those people talking about how it does wonders were right.

I love the sponsor bit so much (I forget what they call it to make it sound more respectable lol)

Have they seen the uniformed Grab bit yet

I'm so conflicted by this.

Teens SHOULD have access to public spaces- yay!
That access being sold as a venue for hyped up all-hours studying for HSC?- boo!

There is going to be so much litigation as minimally paid and trained staff have to confront any vaguely butch looking woman in a 'respectful manner'.

The Times article also has this extraordinary extract. Basically, trans men can get fucked according to UK Labour.

Someone- maybe @joanwestenberg.com can't remember- about 3 months ago wrote a really good piece about how the biggest danger with generative AI is the anthropomorphism (?), and that they have ingratiating programming to keep people using it and forgiving its errors. I think about it a lot.

Far away from home, I fell in love with Australian music again Living in the US, reminders of home are all around, even if a decent flat white is hard to find.

What is the point of this. Was there nothing else for Ninefax's US correspondent to write about this week. www.smh.com.au/world/north-...

Oh good, I'm not losing my mind. It is that weird panel next to the oven, and the proximity of the sink. I loved that spot.

Every time I see your plancha (complimentary) I am convinced that the kitchen looks identical to the one I had when I lived in DC almost 20 years ago. I don't want to be creepy about it from the other side of the world, but I lived near Dumbarton Bridge.

I've just realised the face model is the same in every image, they've just changed the hair, glasses. Julia Gillard is Bob Hawke in a red wig lmao

Has anyone ever seen Keating or Abbott in the same room together....?