Paul O’Brien
@ifdestroyed.bsky.social
Writes about comics at housetoastonish.com
On House to Astonish, this week's X-Axis.
House to Astonish » The X-Axis – 10 November 2025
www.housetoastonish.com
November 14, 2025 at 10:13 PM
On House to Astonish, this week's X-Axis.
Reposted by Paul O’Brien
Under new plans to be unveiled by Labour, UK citizenship test has a whole section on Northern Ireland. If you get any of them right, you don't get citizenship.
I'm forever reminded that I'm not truly British because I constantly forget to forget about Northern Ireland
What Americans don't understand is 'crassly forgetting Northern Ireland' is a core part of British culture, like cueing and only being able to communicate via laconic understatement.
November 14, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Under new plans to be unveiled by Labour, UK citizenship test has a whole section on Northern Ireland. If you get any of them right, you don't get citizenship.
Reposted by Paul O’Brien
Happy partially muscled skeleton screaming before vanishing day to all those who celebrate.
November 14, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Happy partially muscled skeleton screaming before vanishing day to all those who celebrate.
Reposted by Paul O’Brien
Thanks to months of pitch rolling, the Labour government has now effectively told anyone paying attention that income tax rises are necessary, but they’re not going to do them because they’re politically weak. Let’s see how that plays!
November 14, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Thanks to months of pitch rolling, the Labour government has now effectively told anyone paying attention that income tax rises are necessary, but they’re not going to do them because they’re politically weak. Let’s see how that plays!
Reposted by Paul O’Brien
This truly is madder than Mad Jack McMad ...
November 13, 2025 at 5:58 PM
This truly is madder than Mad Jack McMad ...
Reposted by Paul O’Brien
people are focusing on the scary part ("AI-generated") but why, why on Earth, would I want content "from users"
Bob Iger says Disney+ will soon have AI-generated short form content from users
(via THR)
(via THR)
November 13, 2025 at 5:14 PM
people are focusing on the scary part ("AI-generated") but why, why on Earth, would I want content "from users"
This is right. The download market is tiny these days. If you're listening digitally, you're streaming. If you're buying, you're doing it physically. Being number 1 on a genre download chart is meaningless.
I've been seeing this headline floating around. To be clear:
1) This is "No. 1" on a miniscule chart, The "Country Digital Song Sales" chart, as in people actually paying money to download country songs which is a tiny amount of people
2) The actual consumers are almost certainly fake
1) This is "No. 1" on a miniscule chart, The "Country Digital Song Sales" chart, as in people actually paying money to download country songs which is a tiny amount of people
2) The actual consumers are almost certainly fake
November 11, 2025 at 10:16 PM
This is right. The download market is tiny these days. If you're listening digitally, you're streaming. If you're buying, you're doing it physically. Being number 1 on a genre download chart is meaningless.
On House to Astonish, this week's chart post.
House to Astonish » Charts – 7 November 2025
www.housetoastonish.com
November 9, 2025 at 1:13 PM
On House to Astonish, this week's chart post.
Reposted by Paul O’Brien
17 years ago THIS VERY DAY, @ifdestroyed.bsky.social & I released the first episode of House to Astonish, a podcast of comic book news & reviews with a bit of mucking about at the end. To mark the occasion, I thought you might want to hear that first mildly wonky episode! archive.org/details/Hous...
House To Astonish Archive : Al Kennedy and Paul O'Brien : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
An archive of the first 51 episodes of comic book podcast House to Astonish, previously made available for free via Podomatic.com but now otherwise unavailable.
archive.org
November 8, 2025 at 8:37 PM
17 years ago THIS VERY DAY, @ifdestroyed.bsky.social & I released the first episode of House to Astonish, a podcast of comic book news & reviews with a bit of mucking about at the end. To mark the occasion, I thought you might want to hear that first mildly wonky episode! archive.org/details/Hous...
On House to Astonish, this week's X-Axis.
House to Astonish » The X-Axis – w/c 3 November 2025
www.housetoastonish.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:00 PM
On House to Astonish, this week's X-Axis.
Reposted by Paul O’Brien
BBC really burying the lede there
November 7, 2025 at 12:07 PM
BBC really burying the lede there
On House to Astonish, annotations for Laura Kinney: Sabretooth #2.
House to Astonish » Laura Kinney, Sabretooth #2 annotations
www.housetoastonish.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:29 PM
On House to Astonish, annotations for Laura Kinney: Sabretooth #2.
On House to Astonish, annotations for Binary #2.
House to Astonish » Binary #2 annotations
www.housetoastonish.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:51 PM
On House to Astonish, annotations for Binary #2.
On House to Astonish, annotations for Amazing X-Men #2.
House to Astonish » Amazing X-Men #2 annotations
www.housetoastonish.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:53 PM
On House to Astonish, annotations for Amazing X-Men #2.
Um… I think for that point to work the city has to have defeated him before at some point. Did I miss the bit where that happened?
Mamdani: "We can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves. After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him."
November 5, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Um… I think for that point to work the city has to have defeated him before at some point. Did I miss the bit where that happened?
Reposted by Paul O’Brien
Wow. In another huge upset, Mesmero, the Master of Mentalism, has been elected mayor of Chicago. Political pundits are shocked - he’s a first-time candidate who barely spent anything on advertising, and there wasn’t even an election scheduled for today
November 5, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Wow. In another huge upset, Mesmero, the Master of Mentalism, has been elected mayor of Chicago. Political pundits are shocked - he’s a first-time candidate who barely spent anything on advertising, and there wasn’t even an election scheduled for today
Reposted by Paul O’Brien
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
November 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
My bet is that she and her family will cope by using the conventional oven which is clearly visible to the right of the photo.
Maybe the Telegraph should consider paying its staff better?
November 2, 2025 at 9:23 PM
My bet is that she and her family will cope by using the conventional oven which is clearly visible to the right of the photo.
On House to Astonish, this week's chart post.
House to Astonish » Charts – 31 October 2025
www.housetoastonish.com
November 1, 2025 at 11:42 AM
On House to Astonish, this week's chart post.
The Radio 1 chart show isn't a well produced show at the best of times, but playing the entire instrumental version of "WGFT" by Gunna & Burna Boy without noticing is quite something. It has a looped background vocal (now clearly audible) of "We getting fucked tonight."
October 31, 2025 at 6:50 PM
The Radio 1 chart show isn't a well produced show at the best of times, but playing the entire instrumental version of "WGFT" by Gunna & Burna Boy without noticing is quite something. It has a looped background vocal (now clearly audible) of "We getting fucked tonight."
Reposted by Paul O’Brien
Good news, though with two important caveats: 1. "Winning" in the current Dutch context means "being the tallest Hobbit in Hobbiton" - D66 won 17% of the vote and has 26 seats in Parliament - with 76 needed to govern. 2. Far right vote didn't fall overall, it just split between three parties
🚨🚨Breaking and welcome news: Rob Jetten’s centrist-liberal D66 party has won the #Dutchelection according according to the national press agency ANP, toppling #GeertWilders’ far-right Party for Freedom (PVV). 🧵
www.politico.eu/article/rob-...
www.politico.eu/article/rob-...
Centrist D66 beats the far right to win Dutch election, national press agency announces
Rob Jetten is in pole position to become the new prime minister.
www.politico.eu
October 31, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Good news, though with two important caveats: 1. "Winning" in the current Dutch context means "being the tallest Hobbit in Hobbiton" - D66 won 17% of the vote and has 26 seats in Parliament - with 76 needed to govern. 2. Far right vote didn't fall overall, it just split between three parties
Reposted by Paul O’Brien
On the blog, this week's X-Axis.
House to Astonish » The X-Axis – 30 October 2025
www.housetoastonish.com
October 30, 2025 at 10:24 PM
On the blog, this week's X-Axis.
On House to Astonish, annotations for Expatriate X-Men #1.
House to Astonish » Expatriate X-Men #1 annotations
www.housetoastonish.com
October 29, 2025 at 10:09 PM
On House to Astonish, annotations for Expatriate X-Men #1.
I think what we have to admire here is that the Dutch political system has not run out of colours.
October 29, 2025 at 8:56 PM
I think what we have to admire here is that the Dutch political system has not run out of colours.