Alex Celeste

an update nag screen on a PS5: DualSense Wireless Controller Device Software A new version of the DualSense wireless controller device software is available. This update will be quick and your console won't need to restart. Some features might not work properly if you don't update to the latest controller device software. To update later, go to Settings, Accessories, Controller (General), DualSense Wireless Controller Device Software. Notify After 24 Hours Update Now

you have to be fricking kidding, updating _the controller_ is a thing now?

> This experiment burned outrageous amounts of resources doing it with an LLM, when it's a well-known problem with far better existing solutions.

100% of the things LLMs do are like this! they have no practical use except for increasing the amount of slop in the world […]

sunset peeks below the footbridge at Clapham Junction, lighting up the train sheds and sleepy trains in gold, projecting light from the far side through the windows of the bridge into little golden squares on the facing windows, a massive lens flare streaking the trains with brass

sleepy trains

anyway a delightful thing that happened earlier, while i was on the train (standing against one of those "leaners" at the end of the carriage), someone walking by suddenly squealed out "OMG such cool shoes!" and like pointed at them for her mildly-embarrassed friends

was very ☺️

yes i think i would like to buy some `void`, sounds lovely

the train side wall of the Northern Line platform at London Waterloo fron left to right are: the northbound route map, the TfL roundel for Waterloo, and a huge torn up mouldy and filthy square of wall where a billboard evidently used to be, but isn't any more hint of tracks below

finally, an ad that speaks to me on a personal level

Pearls of Functional Algorithm Design, by Richard Bird, in front of a shelf of books in Oxfam

Engineering a Compiler, Second Edition, by Keith Cooper and Linda Torczon held in front of a shelf of books in Oxfam

cool finds for £3.50!

i left the second one, mostly because it's heavy (though also a sense that i "shouldn't" need it... even if i probably do lol), so - still there for now!

#letsGoThrifting

seffie pic of Luna's face, with me (Alex) behind her taking the actual photo with my human thumbs

closeup of CC's face, brushy tail wrapped right up over her nose, one eye visible and slightly open to tell me to kindly leave her be

meanwhile CC and i are stuck with boring mom

#caturday #CatsOfMastodon

Rayne's hand tickles Kaiju, a stripy tortoiseshell cat, under the chin, as he sits amid towels and plushies contentedly

mom is catsitting for whoever this is

#caturday #CatsOfMastodon

maybe i should save effort pressing backspace and just start intentionally signing everything as "A;ex"

i mean, it's visually distinctive and still basically readable

london eye catches a glimmer of sunset above the food market outside festival hall

seffie on a train im wearing my usual getup but have a new face covering, the "65 roses" pattern from Cambridge Mask replacing the usual "Ada"

two empty platform piers at Waterloo, from a train getting ready to leave, in the background an arriving red train disgorges passengers, harsh electric lighting above makes the empty platforms dreamy and mysteriously magical

then inwards for food

hey look also the post fairy finally brought me one of that purple one with the roses that Sy had all those years ago and looked ✨super cool✨ in

anyway trains are good and stations are lovely

view south from the waiting area of NHSBT Twickenham, on a beautiful sunny and clear day, well above horizon height and with visibility for many miles into the blue distance

zoomed in to the max my phone would allow, clearly visible are Kingston University, Royal Quarter, and that weird wedge shaped building in Canbury next time i should bring my proper camera with the high magnification

looking across at Richmond and Richmond Hill House, about 90 degrees around from the angle towards Kingston

anyway we were passing that area for some Social Responsibility and this time it was clear enough to see Kingston from the windows which was super neat

other side also has a great view north over much of London but is unfortunately not as accessible for taking photos

a sign above a storefront somewhere in Twickenham; shutters are down but the name is visible as "C GOODE PHA..." (it's a pharmacy) strong colour contrast between the deep blue shop and the sandstone and brick building above

well this pharmacy reckons C is Goode, actually

ayyy finally, was in time to get a 65Roses Pro when they were on sale

International Convention Centre Wales - Wikipedia

my lot aren't currently registered to go to HISC but i kinda want to now, _just_ to see that dragon statue holy shit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Convention_Centre_Wales

".. actually no, you're clingier than the cats" - @SheButch, 2025

Following Rishi Sunak and Nick Cleggs' move to advising tech companies, let's all wish Liz Truss well on her first day at Amazon Web Services.

_but what if_ instead of a proper solution, we did this barely-related other thing that also doesn't address the underlying problem?

that way, we can say a proper solution is unnecessary _and_ continue being broken, win-win!

side view of Luna curled up on a red blanket heaped at the end of the bed, eyes closed, bug pile of floof

top view of Luna sleeping on the red blanket, forming a nice croissant with all four paws together at the focal point

perspective view from CCs position of Luna at the end of the bed, they're actually pretty close together but CC is right up by the camera and giving some false depth she's looking left while Luna is on the right, creating a perspective effect like she's going to swallow a tiny cat whole

CC sits lazily on the bedspread at the back of the frame, Luna still visible and sleeping

zzz

#caturday

weird experience earlier

cracking headache all morning and afternoon, felt like my eyes were going to pop, blurry vision in one eye, really started to worry id got sick...

... discovered id mistakenly been drinking _decaffeinated coffee_ , ptui

one cup of normal coffee later, right as rain

[ukpol, trans issues, mostly femme bias]

something i noticed when at the film on Sunday was that the venue - the PCC - was the first place i have ever seen to have the ⚧️ icon on the door to _both_ the lads' and the ladettes' bathrooms

other venues i have been in recently, i have noticed, put […]

Rayne (the original Celeste) holds up a 2kg iron meteorite, in front of a market stall selling various geological treasures

celestial being meets fragment of heaven

zooming in on some lanterns in front of a gate, revealing that the design on the side is the LNER logo (London North Eastern Railway)

wait a minute
zoom in on those lanterns -

...i mean _clears throat_ "enhance"

the lanterns are secretly TRAINS

red paper lanterns fill the space above the street: on the corner of a building, a break in the lanterns reveals two signs, one proclaiming "London's best cinema, as voted by [unreadable]", and right next to it a poster for Tommy Wiseau's The Room

Rayne and me in the cinema grab a seffie in the dark before Alien (1979) begins. because it is a crowded room, i have a face covering on

alien 1979, but on a big screen!!

interesting combination of signs there though

front view of my "kombat tactical" satchel as it sits in my lap, slightly favouring the top area, showcasing the pin collection, top left to bottom right: sex machines museum A CELESTE nametag "yes homo!" rainbow button Raktajino to go "lawful evil" skull with Ace pride D20 blue butterfly like Life is Strange AC/RC (wedding pin) a goat head in a pentagram on a black circle starbucks pride cup Adora's Force Captain badge a black blm fist small rainbow button Rosetta stone big Valefor pin "full time feminist" heart ATREIDES! ATREIDES! ATREIDES! "no gods, no technofascists" logo with three arrows but doing a kinda USB thing Kojima Industries flag (big) Ace button My Body My Choice Surbiton Community Forge (as in anvils) an eye? something illuminati? idk moth with cat's head "free mom hugs" on a heart with rainbow and trans colours "who needs boys when you have books and cats" (cat sleeping on books) museum classical facade with the rainbow and progress chevrons embedded between the columns and pediment U-BETCHA Minnesota state plate SCP Foundation big One Flesh, One End button round Commodore logo with the 64 flash Supernatural pentagram Czechia shield "she/her" on blue Naruto headband to the left, an Umbrella Corp flight tag rests over my purple cane folded up in a pistol holster

front view of my "kombat tactical" satchel as it sits in my lap, slightly favouring the bottom area, showcasing the pin collection, top left to bottom right (same text as before): sex machines museum A CELESTE nametag "yes homo!" rainbow button Raktajino to go "lawful evil" skull with Ace pride D20 blue butterfly like Life is Strange AC/RC (wedding pin) a goat head in a pentagram on a black circle starbucks pride cup Adora's Force Captain badge a black blm fist small rainbow button Rosetta stone big Valefor pin "full time feminist" heart ATREIDES! ATREIDES! ATREIDES! "no gods, no technofascists" logo with three arrows but doing a kinda USB thing Kojima Industries flag (big) Ace button My Body My Choice Surbiton Community Forge (as in anvils) an eye? something illuminati? idk moth with cat's head "free mom hugs" on a heart with rainbow and trans colours "who needs boys when you have books and cats" (cat sleeping on books) museum classical facade with the rainbow and progress chevrons embedded between the columns and pediment U-BETCHA Minnesota state plate SCP Foundation big One Flesh, One End button round Commodore logo with the 64 flash Supernatural pentagram Czechia shield "she/her" on blue Naruto headband to the left, an Umbrella Corp flight tag rests over my purple cane folded up in a pistol holster

alright alright there's _always_ room for one more pin

ran into my MP in the wild earlier today!

not at an event, just commuting

he was friendly and willing to say hi, which... idk just improves my faith in Things Generally

(i didn't ask any questions or anything, mind was blank)

at the point of actively hating computers

the outside of a Cambridge Mask Co "Admiral" FFP3 face covering with a plastic vent, held up against a neutral background

the inside of the face covering, showing a 10p coin perfectly snugly fitting inside the ring of the vent

(two weeks ago, on a train)

me: uhh can you smell metal?

Rayne: no it's just you

me: blech this is gross i can't breathe properly - _removes face cover_ you have to be fucking kidding

(pics are a reconstruction)

someone recently was like

"ok but C++ names don't _really_ get that big, right?"

meanwhile

_single type name in a GCC error casually exceeds entire vertical scroll of the console_

a scale model dalel pokes its face around a corner, in the YA section of Waterstones Gower Street

around the back of the dalek, it is revealed to be wearing a progress pride flag as a cape

unsure what message is being sent here