Category: that’s a bit mad

A little premature?

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That thing I did on the drama of the Doomsday clock.

Awful. But then, this also suggests that we could keep going at the frankly horrendous rates of killing each other and destroying the environment that we’ve been working so hard upon for the last 12 months for at least another 88 years, and we’ll still be ok. Just.
See, they’ve gone in all too dramatic, and now they have no wiggle room at all.

And the follow up post, a year later.

Once again, I am calling for a reset of the Doomsday Clock. Think of it like decimalisation hitting the UK in 1971, or the introduction of the Euro in 1999 (and 2002). Because at the moment, the Doomsday Clock is pointless. The constant attempts to drag the time down as low as possible for dramatic purposes means that it not longer has any value.

I stand by both of those posts, but I’m also very willing to admit that they might have a bit of a point if they were to chop and extra minute or so off any interim update in the very near future.

The US has launched “major combat operations” in Iran, designed to eliminate “imminent threats” from the country’s regime, Donald Trump announced on Saturday.
The operation is “massive and ongoing”, the US president said in a video on social media, pledging to use “overwhelming strength and devastating force” to destroy Iranian missiles and ensure it cannot develop a nuclear weapon.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks aimed to “remove the existential threat” posed by the Iranian regime, as he urged the people of Iran to topple the government.
A short time beforehand, Israel said it had launched “preventative” strikes on Iran.

‘No red lines’ in Iran’s response to attacks, says official
A senior Iranian official said there would be “no red lines” to the regime’s response to the Israeli and US strikes on Iran.
“We are telling Israel clearly to prepare for what is coming,” the official told Al Jazeera.
“Our response will be public, and there are no red lines… All American and Israeli assets and interests in the Middle East have become legitimate targets.”

And yes, we’re only a couple of hours in and already Iran, Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE have been attacked by one side or the other.

Russia has condemned the US/Israeli attack, but wants to keep Trump onside. The UK is trying not to get involved. South Africa hasn’t woken up properly yet after a bit of a bender last night.
China is just sitting there laughing…

…at least, for the time being.

Me? Big concerns over the 15:25 at Kenilworth this afternoon, and also whether United can bounce back away at QPR after a somewhat disappointing result midweek.

Oh – and also the potential end of the world thing as well.

Yeah. Also that.

Oh. But don’t forget about the Epstein Files.

The hotel coffee machine row

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This cartoon…

…was published before the sh1t hit the fan – or kettle? – when a so-called “influencer” revealed her repulsive hack of washing her dirty underwear when away from home:

Tara Woodcox, an influencer and fitness coach, is speaking out after an earlier video of hers went viral, in which she suggested to her followers that they clean their dirty underwear in hotel coffee makers.

In the original video — which she posted to TikTok on Nov. 9, 2025 — Woodcox described what she called “one of the coolest tricks ever.” For those who didn’t pack enough underwear during a trip, she suggested using the hotel room’s coffee maker and placing the dirty garment where the grounds would normally go.

“You close it, you press brew, and it puts scorching hot water through it,” she said, adding that one could use the blow dryer to dry them off after. “You got yourself a cleaner pair of underwear to wear! I did not realize how many people already knew this hack.”

I think that it was Bob Mortimer who joked about peeing in hotel kettles when on tour.

“Still do! As the kettles get better, I can see a little measurement on the side.
They’ve got a little counter. They used to be ever so basic.”

But that was clearly a joke. And so that’s actually fine.

Tara Woodcox and her “coolest trick ever” doesn’t appear to be anything more than an admission of one of her disgusting habits.

If the rumours (and apparently they are just rumours) that she is being sued for $1million by the hotel chain in question are true, then good.

More of this keeping people accountable for their stupid behaviour, please.
Because now, everyone has to take their own kettle on holiday.

More great Asian signs

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It was quite a while ago that I (possibly) introduced you to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in India.

They are the ones putting up signs like this one:

…with the sole intention of keeping you safe while on their roads.

I’ve been sent a couple of other Asian signs since then, in much the same vein.
In fact, the first one is even a BRO sign. And it’s a classic:

This should be part of a set including other spirits.

Driving dumb,
After rum.

You’ll drive crapper,
After two shots of grappa.

Driving’s a sin,
With a skinful of gin.

Drive after brandy,
And you might meet Gandhi.

Is that last one a bit ambivalent. Might that consequence actually be a bit of an honour?

I don’t know.
But if there’s any psychology that proves that amusing warning signs somehow hit home, then I reckon that the research must have been done in India. Because here we go again:

This is part insulting, part amusing and probably just very well aimed. It’s not like the “No Smoking” signs aren’t all over the petrol pumps already. It’s just that people take no notice of them. This sign refreshes the customers’ memories, while gently(?) nudging them that the proprietor cares a whole lot more about his product than stupid people.

And then there’s this one from just over the border, by the Nepalese Police. And it’s actually pretty deep.

This is right up there with “Real Eyes Realise Real Lies”. But more threatening.

It’s so deliciously straightforward and could easily be used in any (English-speaking) country.

I’ve never upset the police in Nepal, so I’m safe for the moment, but this sort of honest, easy to remember warning would probably keep me on the right side of the law on every visit.

You have my email address. Bring on more Asian warning signs, please.

Nice guy

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Valentine’s Day tomorrow. Commercialism gone mad, preying on the young lovers of the world, or the Feast Day of St Valentine who lived in the 3rd Century.

How about both?

Busy guy, too. Aside from his caring for the poor and weak during his brief time on the planet, he’s also got himself a number of sponsorship deals Patronages. in the afterlife. He does Terni – a somewhat nondescript city in Southern Umbria in Italy. And he does Lesvos – the Greek island famed for featuring a diverse, mountainous landscape with olive groves, medieval castles, and a rich, traditional culture, and offering a quieter, non-commercialized alternative to popular Greek destinations. 

His other gigs? Well, happy marriages and affianced couples, obviously.

And then… Epilepsy, Beekeepers, Plague and “against fainting”.

I never knew that you could have a Patron Saint “against” a bad thing. And if you can – and you clearly can, because he is – then why not add (in this case, at least) “against” Epilepsy and “against” Plague to the list? Because this dichotomy does make it look like he’s actively supporting those two afflictions.

And while we’re at the whole “religion is a bit weird” thing, how is St Valentine depicted? What are his Attributes? As in – when you see an image of him, how can you identify that it’s him and not some other random 3rd Century clergyman/martyr?

The list starts off fairly routinely: Birds. Roses. A priest giving sight to a blind girl.

We move on to more specific things: A bishop with a crippled person or a child with epilepsy at his feet

Some modern day social media stuff: A priest holding a sun.

And then (perhaps somewhat predictably), it goes a bit nuts:

A bishop with a rooster nearby.
What sort of radius are we looking at here. Is it a small rooster, or is it far away?

A bishop refusing to adore an idol.
How do you even begin to depict that?
Is looking away really the same as “refusing to adore”?
Or does the audience have to do a lot of hard work connecting the dots?

A bishop being beheaded.
A priest bearing a sword.
I feel that we need to know if these two are connected. Is this some sort of Christian coup?

And if it is related to his actual martyrdom, well, they’ve missed a bit:

Valentine was arrested and dragged before the prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. The sentence was carried out on February 14, on or about the year 270.

Yeah. Probably not something you want to see at your local art gallery.