📰I've written about a small, south London company called Nella Cutlery, for this week's @thetimes.com business column. 🔪They sharpen knives. Which may sound dull. But according to the wise readers of The Times it's "absolutely fascinating"....and who am I to argue with them?

Truly we live in the Age of Stupid. The press releases I get...🤦‍♂️

Burnham Government says it is cutting VAT of pubs, music venues & clubs – helping 32,000 businesses. But the British Beer and Pub Association says there are 44,650 pubs in UK. So...which pubs are missing out? Which pub is not a "pub"? Is Toby Carvery a pub? Is Wetherspoons missing out?

Why is it the Department for Business is always the one that gets a clumsy rebrand? Anyone remember the DTI? Berr, Bis, Beis or the Department for Productivity, Energy and Industry, which lasted all of a week after it was pointed out its acronym was: PEnIs...😆

Wayne Rooney – I used to think he was an overrated footballer and terrible pundit. But all is forgiven. After his wonderfully concise review of FIFA’s World Cup half time show: “I thought it was crap” 👌

Weird story in Mail on Sunday. Commodity ingredients that are incredibly light cost much more – on a per gram basis – than luxury products that weigh far more – on a per gram basis. No sh*t, Sherlock.

Intriguing Births announcement in the The Times. A daughter for descendent of a famous Titanic survivor. Congrats. But…why is it published 14 years after her birth? 🧐

New York Times – we’re going to badly fall out. How can you allow “pshaw” in yesterday’s Wordle. But not allow a standard architectural term in today’s Spelling Bee?

Fascinated that Steven Bartlett has been forced (I presume he didn’t volunteer) to print this warning on his podcast clips. Translation: I interview people purely for clickbait purposes. Not to interrogate their wacky claims.

This is *so* good. Maggie O’Farell is just brilliant. Brilliant plotting, brilliant ambiguous characters. Reads like a thriller. Top recommendation for a summer read…(yes, I know it came out a few years ago)

TV cameras at @wimbledonltc.bsky.social catch Zverev checking his phone in a break. And his password appears to be 1111. Kids, choose stronger passwords!

Times Birth column Saturday – Evelyn x2 Today – Seraphina x2 Fascinating how baby names gather momentum.

Terrific piece on @England’s epic victory vs Mexico by Martin Samuel in @thetimes.com. And, yes, I am glad my kids woke me up to watch. www.thetimes.com/article/28d1...

Completely fascinated by how Emily Maitlis has become the new Nigel Farage/Andrew Bailey on the other platform – AI rendered public figure caught in “shocking” moment. Mostly because this looks nothing like Emily Maitlis.

🍌 I’ve been exploring the amazing world of bananas. Again! Joining @edconway.bsky.social on his new (v good!) podcast Stuff Matters to explore why this is the most popular supermarket product & why it’s so cheap. We visited the Fyffes warehouse to see 13m bananas be ripened

Ben Stokes has announced – in the middle of this test match – he’s retiring from England cricket. A sad day. He’s been such a force of nature over the last few years. And good for the game (whatever his personal issues)

Last year people went loopy for the M&S strawberry sandwich. 🤷With 1m sold in 5weeks. This year it's back. Plus a new Chocolate, Strawberry & Pistachio Creme one. Which is bound to be even sweeter & strangely cake like. If I get my hands on one, I shall report back...

Very chuffed to win ‘Commentator of the Year’ at last night’s @headlinemoney.bsky.social Awards. For my @thetimes.com business column – a bit of light relief at the end of the week. A chance to poke fun at idiot bosses and champion great innovative businesses. Keep sending me ideas!

☔️ It’s absolutely p*ssing it down in Boston. Will @FIFAWorldCup nonetheless insist on a “hydration break” to keep its sponsors happy?

And here's another print advert from ChatGPT for the World Cup: "Help me stay calm during penalties." "Plan my route home from work" Really? This is what we're building vast datacentres for?

Am I the only one to find ChatGPT’s billboard/print adverts for the World Cup rather depressing? Outsourcing your imagination. Outsourcing joy.

A Swedish Meatball flavoured lollipop. A ludicrous but strangely quite tasty collaboration between Ikea & Chupa Chups. Available until June 21st in Ikea stores…

🇫🇷 Story of the day. 81-year-old pétanque player kills 68-year-old rival in small French resort of Mimizan. But wait…there’s more. Five years ago. another pétanque player stabbed a rival. IN THE SAME TOWN. (Via @thetimes.com)

Over the last decade there are 398,000 fewer people working in retail in the UK. Down to 2.79m. (via @britishretail.bsky.social). Obvs some of this is because of online shopping. But with the hospitality industry in crisis too, where do people go to get their first job?

If you like a classic, high-crunch ready salted crisp these ones from Marks and Spencer are v decent. Good taste, good nutrition (in relative terms)

I ate *a lot* of crisps. So you don’t have to. And discovered that – thanks to expertise of Bahee van de Bor – Walkers crisps are surprisingly okay nutritionally. And…

Update from Clissold Park / @hackneycouncil.bsky.social – we consulted our residents *checks notes* half a decade ago. And, well, we got too many responses. So decided to do nothing. 🤦‍♂️

Obituary of John Basinger. Who – astonishingly – memorised all 79,529 words of Paradise Lost. (Via @thetimes.com)

Denby Pottery has collapsed. Many people are – understandably – upset that 217 years of history are over. But was it, as Lord Frost, ex-Brexit minister, claimed: "killed by this government"? Or was it perennially loss making, badly run, and relying on nostalgia? 🧵1/2

I went on @goodmorningbritain.bsky.social with Dani, a cake shedder, to explain the strangely complicated laws around selling flapjacks from your front garden. 💃 But in Bromsgrove a licence to operate a strip club is £1,091. 🧁 A licence to operate a food stall is £1,600.