Author: Ross Wintle

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2026-07-07 23:24:46

I actually hate that I had to write this. But really it’s just too much right now and it’s making ME stressed.

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2026-07-07 23:17:20

I have the greatest respect and love and admiration for teachers and school employees. They are true heroes.

But please can you stop making having a school child such immensely hard work?

I have a job, and it’s not reading all the emails and taking random time out several times a week to be present at events.

It’s relentless right now & I’m exhausted.

Also, many smart kids are neurodivergent, struggle with executive function and need help with planning and prioritisation. Please learn this!!

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2026-07-05 13:07:16

I swear that somehow my kids have wired every “play” button on my phone – YouTube, Podcast, etc – to send them a notification. Because pressing play seems to summon them with their “Daaaaaddd???” EVERY time!

(Of course, like everything, this does not work when I actually DO want to summon them)

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2026-07-03 07:59:40

The crazy thing about not-sitting being good for health is that healthcare places are the WORST! Sure, many (maybe most) people waiting for health care need to sit.

But they expect you to sit for hours waiting. They come and take your vitals but there’s zero encouragement to move around.

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2026-07-03 07:53:13

Normalize standing and anxious pacing around!!

I always feel like such a freak for wanting to stand up.

“Take a seat”
“Can I get you a chair?”
Etc.

Thanks, but I spend all frickin day being sedentary and I’m not at work now and I’d like to stretch out and move around.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/j

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2026-07-02 21:53:58

An app search for “ohot” shows one result: “Google Photos”

I will never understand how the various search functions work on iOS.

App search is kinda fuzzy? Accidental “ohot” matches “gOogle pHOTos” perhaps?

Spotlight search is just wrong most of the time. There is a built-in app that I use all the time called “weather” and you can’t find it?

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2026-07-02 21:27:22

Also: I’ve been getting a load of cold, personal upsells recently. More than usual and more direct. Is this product companies that have over-spent on AI trying to correct?

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2026-07-02 21:01:57

A stupid observation: I’m struggling to see how AI companies get their money back.

The cost/benefit is already too hard to justify. Maybe the benefit is hard to measure. Maybe the benefit is too low.

So either:
– existing models need to get cheaper to stimulate use
– models will need to get better – but better models cost more to train and use – higher costs harder to justify
– more efficient models come along with lower inference costs and higher margins – is anyone perusing this?

Posted on

2026-07-01 20:15:30

In retro-tech news… I have a Soda Stream!!

I’ve been drinking a fair bit of Pepsi Max lately.

A combination of:
– someone saying how bad it was that we ship flavoured water around;
– an annoy amount of recycling;
– my daughter’s persistent nagging,

led us to do the maths and – device aside – it works out 5p/l cheaper than bulk-bought cans. And there’s no cans.

I’ll need to make 1000+l of pop to pay off the cost of the machine (buuuuurrppp), but we’re loving it.

And we have all the cordials!

Posted on

2026-06-27 19:41:32

A series of small circles connected by pathways to form one big circle.

The other day someone asked “What your low-stakes conspiracy theory?”

And I knew I had one but could NOT remember at the time. It’s this:

The famous crop circles of Wiltshire are Swindon’s transport planning dept trying out new roundabout layouts!

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2026-06-27 15:28:07

Today I am at Bletchley Park. Home of the WWII code breaking effort. Fascinating place.

But I note that geese weren’t even valued in the 1940s!

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2026-06-27 08:31:51

Content warning:Rant. Minor spoiler for Connections puzzle.

NO Connections. I know you’re in the “New York” Times, but you are WRONG!!!