Hands up who had ‘actual flippin’ blizzard, ICE murder in Minnesota and a potential annexation of Greenland’ on their scorecards for the first week of 2026. The soap opera of life in the second quarter of the 21st century doesn’t look to be any less balls-out crazy than the last. Honestly, if half of this went into a science fiction novel written in the late 70s, you’d accuse the author of hoarding all the good drugs for themselves.
If I switch my feeds away from the news, this last five days has not been too brain-twisting. The workload has been gentle but steady. I’ve been cooking up a storm, to C’s evident delight, and although little actual writing has been done (apart from the foolishness below, of course), ideas are percolating. A story which brewed up in November now has an ending which, although still absurdly violent, is no longer quite as bleak, nihilist or cannibalistic. Just in case you had any doubts as to my state of mind over the last two months of the year…
Aaanyway. Come get your lovely links and let’s huddle up against the storm together.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
The first of your two doses of Middle English this week. If you get the chance, find a quiet spot and five minutes and declaim the whole poem at full throat. There is a nasty but somehow inevitable twist at the end.
Rob is watching…
Resident Alien, which has popped up on Netflix. Of course, the main draw is Alan Tudyk’s wildly self-centered ET out of water, but a gleefully eccentric cast of supporting oddballs and telenovela-grade twists and turns make the show an utter delight. We’ve on episode 8 of season 2 which, like all the best bottle eps, neatly weaves most of the dangling threads from the year’s storylines into a lasso which drags everyone into a whole different configuration. Oh, and there’s a carnivorous spit-quick alien baby on the hunt for sweet sweet human flesh. I mean, come on, how can you even resist?
Rob is listening…
To a bit of Batman. Does anyone remember when Dirk Maggs’ Big Signal productions used to have serialised episodes of superhero stories on Radio One in the 90s? in an era when audiobooks and podcasts are such big business, the time is ripe for more of this stuff. And remember, the special effects are amazing because you think them up yourself!
Rob is eating…
Pasta carbonara for breakfast. Look, I’ll regularly reheat curry and noodles from Friday night’s takeaway on Saturday morning without apology or care for other people’s feelings. This flex from Alton Brown isn’t that big a stretch.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
See how long it takes you to figure out what the native English person is trying to tell you. I was taught Chaucer in the original Middle English for A-Levels. What a lovely, twisty eccentric language it is.
Various panoramas of Star Trek interiors including most of the Enterprise A and D. Don’t forget to check out the different viewpoints. I spent far longer than I’d care to admit noodling around on this site.
A good excuse for a nose around
Great piece on one of the earliest literary hoaxers, where the story of the writer is wilder than the tale they choose to tell. The key, it seems, is an unapologetic approach which takes being found out as simply part of the process. Shrug, smile, make a joke, move on to the next payday. Well, it seems to be working for a certain ex-PM now raking in millions from the Daily Mail as a columnist…
Never mind the truth, print the myth
British-born comics writers, artists and creators are an absolute mainstay of the world’s Ninth Art scene, and it’s typical of our national character that we don’t should loudly enough about it. The connection drawn in this passionate presentation between darts and comics may be a bit laboured, but I stand firmly behind the sentiment.
70mm film is notoriously difficult to shoot, process, print and project. Why do it? Well, the quality of the pictures speak for themselves, which is why A-list film-makers like Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler, Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve all choose to work in the format. Just spare a thought, whydoncha, for the poor projectionist.
As the volume grows in the argument post Grokgate that Elmo’s broken social platform should be banned, the counterpoint—we should move away from externally-controlled networks altogether—starts to make more sense. The fediverse is one option but the obvious one is to knit your own internet presence and present to the world in the way you choose, and a way you control. It’s a bit more work than slapping a selfie on the ‘gram, but doesn’t that make it even more worthwhile?
More politics than I’d usually post, but this seems relevant to The Swipe’s general interest vector. An exploration in The Atlantic on how the phrase ‘free speech’ has become weaponised and frequently now means the opposite of what we think.
Freedom Of Speech (Just Watch What You Say)
If you watched One Battle After Another, did you spot this disturbing detail? It goes to show, your obsessions can map onto just about anything.
Did you make resolutions for the new year? How are they going? If your resolve is already crumbling in the face of—well, everything—try not to let it get you down. For one thing, you’re in very good company. For another, intent and inaction don’t necessarily equate to failure. It might just take you a bit more time than you thought to get going. Just because your dream hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it’s never going to.
I love comic hunk Chip Zdarsky’s collection of original artworks, which work as a very personal yet broad overview of the Ninth Art. Names you may recognise, some you won’t. Every pic a winner. This inspires me to do something similar with the wall of our stairwell.
One last thought.
MTV Outroed this week, finishing music operations in the same way they started—playing Buggles ‘Video Killed The Radio Star.’ Sad times obviously for those of us who found their taste and tribes through the endless stream of glorious noise. Thank goodness then for the folks at MTV Rewind, who have effectively rebuilt the whole network with clever links to YouTube content. You can relive the Headbangers’ Ball, MTV Raps! Or 120 Minutes of your youth whenever you want. This is what I call public service and should be applauded and supported.
See you in seven, fellow travellers.
EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS 