Andy Cameron
@andcam.bsky.social
Father of two, husband of one.
The “parallel societies” argument has always sickened me. If you are not willing to welcome immigrants into your community, is it any wonder then that they have no option but to gather together elsewhere. People who criticise parallel communities are, to some extent, the reason for them.
November 11, 2025 at 12:39 PM
The “parallel societies” argument has always sickened me. If you are not willing to welcome immigrants into your community, is it any wonder then that they have no option but to gather together elsewhere. People who criticise parallel communities are, to some extent, the reason for them.
I mean, the U.S. only accounts for about 16% of our exports, the EU is a much larger export market for us. But yes, the extent of the reliance on the import of U.S. tech is a worry from a leverage point of view. Which needs to be addressed collectively by Europe, rather than country-by-country.
November 10, 2025 at 7:44 PM
I mean, the U.S. only accounts for about 16% of our exports, the EU is a much larger export market for us. But yes, the extent of the reliance on the import of U.S. tech is a worry from a leverage point of view. Which needs to be addressed collectively by Europe, rather than country-by-country.
Only thing I recall ever reading about the effects work was a reference to Jim Danforth doing uncredited matte paintings. Managed to dig up one example here: nzpetesmatteshot.blogspot.com/2014/04/matt...
Mattes Go High Definition: The BluRay Experience
PINEWOOD POSTSCRIPT - Just prior to journeying through this month's article on BluRay high definition matte imagery I first must includ...
nzpetesmatteshot.blogspot.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Only thing I recall ever reading about the effects work was a reference to Jim Danforth doing uncredited matte paintings. Managed to dig up one example here: nzpetesmatteshot.blogspot.com/2014/04/matt...
The lack of curiosity is also a notable feature. Every single person saying you’re not qualified to comment clearly couldn’t be bothered taking 10 seconds to check your profile before responding.
November 9, 2025 at 7:19 PM
The lack of curiosity is also a notable feature. Every single person saying you’re not qualified to comment clearly couldn’t be bothered taking 10 seconds to check your profile before responding.
Getting it from 2 sides there. First, people whose fandom is their entire identity, so anything that doesn’t fully back that fandom up is a personal attack. And second, that most ancient of traits where confidence is conflated with competence - say something confidently and you must be right!
November 9, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Getting it from 2 sides there. First, people whose fandom is their entire identity, so anything that doesn’t fully back that fandom up is a personal attack. And second, that most ancient of traits where confidence is conflated with competence - say something confidently and you must be right!
This is also giving me nostalgia for the good old days of ASCII art.
November 9, 2025 at 7:00 PM
This is also giving me nostalgia for the good old days of ASCII art.
Not condoning China’s behaviour, but need to avoid the trap of absolving the U.S., who pretty much wrote the playbook after WW2, but just using the IMF, World Bank and “development aid” instead of the BRI. China’s doing it more openly and recently, but not necessarily on a bigger overall scale.
November 7, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Not condoning China’s behaviour, but need to avoid the trap of absolving the U.S., who pretty much wrote the playbook after WW2, but just using the IMF, World Bank and “development aid” instead of the BRI. China’s doing it more openly and recently, but not necessarily on a bigger overall scale.
And also conflated aid with reducing influence and enabling a potential future competitor. Because what’s the point in saving lives and improving people’s living standards if it means you have less control over them and might even have to compete with them [sigh]
November 7, 2025 at 2:40 PM
And also conflated aid with reducing influence and enabling a potential future competitor. Because what’s the point in saving lives and improving people’s living standards if it means you have less control over them and might even have to compete with them [sigh]
Groundhog Day: Again, with Murray and MacDowell.
Shanghai Lights, with Chan and Wilson.
The Walking Stick of Zorro, with Banderas and Zeta Jones.
Shanghai Lights, with Chan and Wilson.
The Walking Stick of Zorro, with Banderas and Zeta Jones.
November 7, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Groundhog Day: Again, with Murray and MacDowell.
Shanghai Lights, with Chan and Wilson.
The Walking Stick of Zorro, with Banderas and Zeta Jones.
Shanghai Lights, with Chan and Wilson.
The Walking Stick of Zorro, with Banderas and Zeta Jones.
I mean, there’s a reason that most western militaries see instability caused by climate change as their biggest long-term threat. That the poorest nations who contributed least to climate change are generally those going to be affected the most, and how destabilising that will be.
November 7, 2025 at 2:16 PM
I mean, there’s a reason that most western militaries see instability caused by climate change as their biggest long-term threat. That the poorest nations who contributed least to climate change are generally those going to be affected the most, and how destabilising that will be.
It’s the smell of a neep with a burning candle in it that I remember most vividly.
November 7, 2025 at 1:45 PM
It’s the smell of a neep with a burning candle in it that I remember most vividly.
Fair, some large BRI infrastructure deals have led to debt problems. But the smaller solar projects in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia are often built with local, private, or development aid financing and far less dependence on Chinese debt.
November 7, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Fair, some large BRI infrastructure deals have led to debt problems. But the smaller solar projects in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia are often built with local, private, or development aid financing and far less dependence on Chinese debt.
Not with solar though. The solar manufacturing capacity that China now has (allowing them to install more solar in the first 6 months of this year than the U.S. has installed in history) means they are incredibly cheap in the grand scheme of things. Certainly compared to fossil fuel usage.
November 7, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Not with solar though. The solar manufacturing capacity that China now has (allowing them to install more solar in the first 6 months of this year than the U.S. has installed in history) means they are incredibly cheap in the grand scheme of things. Certainly compared to fossil fuel usage.
Has been suffering through the slow decline of the UK oil & gas industry, which had been such a boon to the local economy from the 70s through the 00s, but there’s lots of redevelopment going on now, and lots for families to see and across the city and the Shire.
November 7, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Has been suffering through the slow decline of the UK oil & gas industry, which had been such a boon to the local economy from the 70s through the 00s, but there’s lots of redevelopment going on now, and lots for families to see and across the city and the Shire.
Ah, carving one of those as a child was character building! 😀
November 7, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Ah, carving one of those as a child was character building! 😀
That’s what you have with your haggis once a year on Burns night!
November 7, 2025 at 12:56 PM
That’s what you have with your haggis once a year on Burns night!
And you, your village, and your country are also then decoupled from reliance on fossil fuels, so also suddenly have much more agency in how you conduct your affairs and a more stable footing in which to do so.
November 7, 2025 at 12:53 PM
And you, your village, and your country are also then decoupled from reliance on fossil fuels, so also suddenly have much more agency in how you conduct your affairs and a more stable footing in which to do so.
“Look, we’re now a for profit company heading for a monster IPO, so as long as we can privatise those proceeds amongst a few of us, we know it actually goes without saying that we can socialise any losses”
November 6, 2025 at 10:26 PM
“Look, we’re now a for profit company heading for a monster IPO, so as long as we can privatise those proceeds amongst a few of us, we know it actually goes without saying that we can socialise any losses”
Also, is the implication here that an effective system of law is somehow “masculine”? (whatever the hell that means)
Notwithstanding that the majority of the over-wrought, emotional rhetoric on the justice system notably comes from male politicians.
Notwithstanding that the majority of the over-wrought, emotional rhetoric on the justice system notably comes from male politicians.
November 6, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Also, is the implication here that an effective system of law is somehow “masculine”? (whatever the hell that means)
Notwithstanding that the majority of the over-wrought, emotional rhetoric on the justice system notably comes from male politicians.
Notwithstanding that the majority of the over-wrought, emotional rhetoric on the justice system notably comes from male politicians.
It’s usually not just to hate it I think, it’s to be seen to have an “edgy” take, with a side order of trying (and usually failing) to appear clever, or trying to police what people are allowed to like. God forbid you just experience a movie without an agenda.
November 6, 2025 at 11:41 AM
It’s usually not just to hate it I think, it’s to be seen to have an “edgy” take, with a side order of trying (and usually failing) to appear clever, or trying to police what people are allowed to like. God forbid you just experience a movie without an agenda.
Also, there’s the modern situation where the education of the student body is largely now a sideline for major universities, who are now more like financial institutions and corporate R&D centres (not commonly the most “liberal” domains) than they are seats of learning.
November 5, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Also, there’s the modern situation where the education of the student body is largely now a sideline for major universities, who are now more like financial institutions and corporate R&D centres (not commonly the most “liberal” domains) than they are seats of learning.
People’s opinions have become their entire sense of identity for some reason. Meaning any opinion that differs from their own (particularly for someone in the public eye) is an existential threat, and so obviously there must be some shenanigans involved.
November 3, 2025 at 11:21 PM
People’s opinions have become their entire sense of identity for some reason. Meaning any opinion that differs from their own (particularly for someone in the public eye) is an existential threat, and so obviously there must be some shenanigans involved.
Sorry, what? The reverse chronological feed of those you follow is the default.
November 3, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Sorry, what? The reverse chronological feed of those you follow is the default.