If you're in London next Sunday to see Atarashii Gakko! at the Roundhouse for their 11th anniversary gig, I hate you. No, I don't, but I am furiously envious. We saw them in '24 for their first UK gig and they were astonishing: maximum energy, zero chill. If you can go, have fun! You jammy bastards.

Ah, flip, no Alt text (do Alt, people). I put it in for this copy of the image.

Donald Pleasence VO: The looksmaxxers are easy...

The Charles Gray iteration of Ernst Stavro Blofeld. He's funny, urbane, self-aware enough to know how contrived his schemes may appear to others, and possessed of an appreciation of the absurd. He's also the only version of Blofeld who seems to really like his cat.

Uh... what? "Ah, Watson, mon ami! Ze little grey cells 'ave done zerr work and the conclusion is evident and, dare I say? Élémentaire! Soon, ze little affair of le Chien des Baskerville shall be concluded. eh?"

*Smiles knowingly*

... usually much more so than the final version. In fairness, PINOCCHIO cost a fortune exactly because it swung for the bleachers, while ALICE IN WONDERLAND disappointed even Disney himself because it was forced to simplify due to budget. So many great visions that never reached the screen.

It's that day again!

Hadn't played a city sim for a while, so I picked up SOVIET REPUBLIC (snappy subtitle "Workers & Resources") in the Steam sale. It's... well, it's pretty dense. I've got almost two hours of play time in and I've barely scratched the tutorials (of which there are many).

If anyone can figure out how to make Brexit work, it's a panel of top political and economic genii. None were available, however, so they got this clown show in instead.

Remarkably after all of this time, Scott had just released two (2!) new remixed versions of the album "The Official Secrets Act - Amplified" and "The Official Secrets Act - Classified." They're good, too. I hope this all gets the core album some belated appreciation.

MCA didn't know what to make of it, so they fumbled it. Despite the massive success of "Pop Muzik" from the previous album, TOSA received very little promotion, and neither of its singles were given videos. It quietly died, a crying shame because it's a great album, one of my favourites of all time.

Almost 46 years ago M (i.e. Robin Scott) released a second album after the success of "New York, London, Paris, Munich." It was not, to MCA's horror, a dance album, but an experimental album using innovative electronics and production methods. It was called "The Official Secrets Act."

@premeemohamed.com Look who I bumped into!

Mah merch.

Enjoying the British Library anthology THE HAUNTED LIBRARY. Only read "The Tractate Middoth" before. Everything else has been new to me.

2000AD pre-empted E.T. with the Alan Moore/Jim Baikie strip SKIZZ, which is essentially "What if E.T. but in Birmingham?" and, in all honesty, it knocks spots off E.T.

Don't want to go much into why the denouement landed so effectively for me as it's a bit of a spoiler, but if you've got 100 minutes to spare, you may find this interesting not least for how the narrative grows teeth as it proceeds.

Watched PER ASPERA AD ASTRA (2026) last night. Interesting film. Very high end production values, but not the film it presented itself as at the beginning. It kicks off as a "silly schmuck in space" movie with strong READY PLAYER ONE vibes, but then turns into something very pertinent at the climax.

This seems rather unfair. Can't you give her a little jetpack or something? I'm sure she'd never misuse it.

European leaders, amongst others, seen here interacting very warmly with the President of the United States.

Oh, no! Comrades! We are discovered!

Even as a kid, I realised that the Lunar Bug was just recycling unused JOE 90 "Jet Air Car" chassis. You can't fool kids.

Favourite Dynamic Duos: Arnold "The Ventriloquist" Wesker & Scarface Alan Grant & Norm Breyfogle

Is me.

Cigar smoke, but it has to be from one of this brand. It makes ghost nuns re-apparate at the nearest nunnery, and nobody knows why. 'Tis a mystery.