Paul Robert Lloyd @paulrobertlloyd@mastodon.social

The Crown, season 4. An incredible cast let down by lacklustre writing and perfunctory plots too often propped up by lazy exposition. Such a wealth of material available, yet it seems Peter Morgan has lost all interest in this series as it dutifully marches on.

A ride along Brighton’s Undercliff Walk.

The last #AppleEvent of 2020 was worth watching, if only for the John Hodgman cameo at end. A reminder perhaps, of when Apple events were far less slick and much more fun.

Back to the 50s for this week’s classic movie, Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. This might just be my favourite period in cinema and this film is an exemplar: crude yet stylish, straightforward yet captivating. They really don’t make ’em like they used to.

An enjoyable Sunday afternoon spent playing tennis with @fofr. Was comprehensively beaten 9-3, but seeing as this was the first time I’ve held a racket since about 1992, think I can live with that scoreline! 🎾

If I’ve got this all set up correctly, this post will be saved to the Internet Archive, thanks to Indiekit’s new syndication feature. 🤞 https://getindiekit.com

This year has ended up bookended by colleagues moving onto “exciting opportunities” at Facebook. I honestly fail to understand how talented, empathetic people can make such a decision given Facebook’s adverse impact on human rights, democracy and information literacy. Fools.

A Guy Walks Into an Apple Store:“Yes, removing the charging brick from each iPhone box will reduce waste […] But if you expand your view just a bit, you can really see how none of their other marketing backs up this goal, and in fact runs counter to it.” https://birchtree.me/blog/a-guy-walks-into-an-apple-store/

This week’s film was certainly not a classic – which goes without saying given it stars Gerald Butler and Jay Baruchel. How to Train Your Dragon. What can I say? Vikings are Scottish, apparently.

Incredible evening sky over Brighton, albeit far too brief.

Bought myself some house plants. Assuming I can keep them alive, should help brighten things up during a gloomy winter.

Another milestone reached in the rollout of our service means another excuse to design a mission patch. https://dribbble.com/shots/14399943

This week’s classic movie: The Prestige. Very much consistent with Nolan’s other work, and bolstered by a star-studded cast – including a typically eccentric David Bowie – but not sure what to make of it. Too clever for its own good, perhaps?

The tree at the end of my street whose bright red plumage brings me so much joy around this time every year.A Day In The Life: Brighton, United Kingdom, 14 October 2020 at 17:45 BST. https://micro.welltempered.net/2020/09/24/a-day-in.html

Could only manage 5 minutes of hyperbolic rhetoric before needing to turn the damn thing off. #AppleEvent

“We urge consumers to think about whether they really need to make that purchase on Amazon Prime Day and instead how they can use their money in way that benefits society and the environment.”Boycott Amazon and support small businesses instead. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/oct/13/uk-shoppers-urged-to-shun-amazon-prime-day-to-support-small-businesses

Finally, an acquisition I can wholeheartedly endorse. Congratulations, @clearleft! https://clearleft.com/posts/meet-the-new-owners-of-clearleft

A bit left field for this week’s classic movie: winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1998, Life Is Beautiful. Set in a Nazi concentration camp, this Italian comedy-drama is hard going – the last scene is a real punch to the heart – yet still so much to adore.

The view from my window.

Something for the weekend.