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Alun Jones

@alun.pw
161 followers 43 following 2.9K posts

On some other platforms, I've been ftp_alun. Still love XSS and "-prompt()-"'-alert()-'//">'><marquee>'"

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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 07/10/2026
And now I want to find a course that will teach me how to draw using the pen on my Surface Pro, so that I can do some minimally-acceptable art of my own, rather than ask AI to do it for me. Let me know if you have any suggestions. I can kind of draw/copy, but not on a computer (yet).
A pencil drawing of an elephant, which I did as part of a class on pencil drawing over a couple of weekends.Drawing of a fox, from the same class as the previous elephant drawing.Drawing of an owl, from the same class as the fox and elephant.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 06/10/2026
AI boosters who are constantly saying things that boil down to "Are you incompetent to do the thing you're supposed to be doing? Ask AI!" are really souring me on the concept of even basic use of AI, because it makes me feel like if I use it, I'll be asserting my own incompetence by doing so.
The tag line from a Google advert on Reddit, reading "No time to read long, complicated parenting advice? Gemini in Chrome can help."
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 06/10/2026
I feel like Pokemon's lawyers will want a word.
A Pokemon card for "Lechonk", a pig-like Pokemon.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 27/09/2026
Looks like an OnlyFans episode of Diddy Dick & Dom.
Diddy Dick and Dom, sitting on a couch. The "Diddy" bit is that, while their heads are normal size, their bodies are small puppets.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 20/09/2026
Maybe speeding a little.
Dashboard display showing the car is travelling at 63 mph, while the car alleges the limit is 5.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 19/09/2026
Minecraft pansies.
A plant pot full of light purple pansies. Pansies always look like they have a face, but these look particularly like Minecraft creepers.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 04/09/2026
Image of two progress bars - one, the standard 2d view, the other a 3d representation where the stutters and pauses are explained by journeys of the progress bar into and out of the page, rather than across it.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 29/08/2026
How do I get to the ferry terminal? 1. Get on the ferry 2. Turn around at Vashon Island 3. Get back on the ferry
A Google Maps screenshot, showing it will take forty minutes to go from the ferry line to the ferry terminal, because it expects you to get on the ferry, go out and back, to get to the terminal.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 11/08/2026
If there's one thing I know about juggling balls, it's that these are totally inappropriate. Balance is eccentric, they're too heavy, and large enough that you can't hold two in one hand, let alone three. Also, when dropped or they collide with their brethren, they tend to chip and get sharp edges.
Sponsored advert, title "Best Juggling Ball Reviews - 5 Juggling Balls - 5 Juggling Balls of 2025", with a photo of a hand releasing a wood (from lawn bowls) onto grass.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 08/08/2026
A gift for you. I bet it's run by a groomer.
A store in Surbiton, with the title "Doggy Styling".
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 27/07/2026
Never seen this before in the wild.
A lock with a handle, and ten digit buttons from 1 to 0. Across the top of the lock is a label that reads "Code 1,2,3,4"A door labelled "ELECTRICAL ROOM". There are three lock-boxes stuck on the door in a column. The top box has a hole for a standard key. The middle box has a dial with letters around it, as does the bottom box. On the bottom box, someone has written "R" and "S" with a black Sharpie pen.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 21/07/2026
That sounds ominously threatening.
The Wired website warns "You've read your last free article".
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 19/07/2026
Maybe if they'd paired him up with Qui-gon it wouldn't have been so bad.
Scene from the movie Krull, with Liam Neeson and Bernard Breslaw (who is playing a cyclops, under prosthetic makeup).
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 14/07/2026
"Entertainment"
King5's news website collects two items under "Entertainment" - the headlines are:
"UAE says Iran attacked two tankers in strait, killing and injuring crewmembers"
"Cyclosporiasis outbreak: Michigan officials identify leading suspected source of 'explosive' diarrhea parasite"
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 02/07/2026
Screenshot of the "Got any Os?" portion of the Two Ronnies "Four Candles" sketch.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 01/07/2026
Very low resolution image of a page from Playhour comic, titled "Meet the Beans". Among other bean family members across the top of the page are "Jumping Bean" (wearing a sombrero) and "Broad Bean".
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 24/06/2026
Legitimate and timely advert in the Private Eye that arrived today. aquaplancton.co.uk
Aquaplancton.co.uk - web site screenshot showing a "Before" image of a green pond, and an "After" image of a dark clear pond with carp (goldfish) swimming in it.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 19/06/2026
Cuisinart's web page has an icon for a "shopping bag" that looks a little too like a raised middle finger. Particularly since I can't find the part - or even the grill model - I'm looking for.
Small section of a screenshot of a web site, with the usual "ball balanced on a hill" icon for account information, and a "shopping bag" icon that looks like a cartoon hand (three fingers) with a raised middle finger.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 11/06/2026
England aren't even due to play here, and already, the unofficial decorations begin. The dragon on the lamppost did nothing, don't know why we put them there, if they don't scare off the vandals.
Lamp post in Seattle's International District. A sticker with the England colours is visible. Badly focused, hastily taken picture of the sticker, which has for pictures of a man, one in each quadrant, and the caption "SHAGGING DANI DYER"
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 11/06/2026
This guy.
A Lexus with the licence plate "BEANZ" A Lexus with the licence plate "BEANZ"
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 08/06/2026
What sort of absolute <> thinks that it's appropriate to make an advert that emphasises that they're the sort of <> who would ruin your day at a beach by running a boat billboard in front of your ocean view?
Screenshot of an Amazon Prime ad showing a group of people enjoying a day at the beach, when a floating billboard drifts by obscuring their view of the beauty of nature. Presumably this is AI, because nobody's throwing things at the boat, and the boat is close enough that it's surely dredging the beach with its propeller.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 08/06/2026
I know I don't actually understand the electronics, and that's why articles like this one are so irritating, because I get half way through before I realise, from trying to understand the circuit diagram, that it's probably written by AI and contains confidently incorrect content.
Image of a circuit diagram. The '+' is on the wrong end of the cell, the symbol for "NPN" is wrong, there's a "Flyback diode" that's obviously a resistor symbol, and I'm sure there's much more wrong than that.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 07/06/2026
At circus. Love circus. Visit circus!
The performers' entrance curtain of the Shoestring Circus, currently in Bellingham WA.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 07/06/2026
Tell no-one of our secret rocket fleet.
Silos, probably, but they look like rusted 1950s sci-fi space rockets. Bellingham, WA. Silos, probably, but they look like rusted 1950s sci-fi space rockets. Bellingham, WA.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 04/06/2026
I guess we're expecting World Cup visitors to look at this sculpture and marvel at how whimsical we are.
A multicoloured sculpture of apparently random forms, some striped, some spotted, in blue, yellow, pink and gold, red and purple, etc. Vaguely looks inflated, but it's solid. About ten foot tall and twenty to thirty feet across.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 03/06/2026
After many years of searching to try and discover who came up with the phrase "a gentleman is someone who says thank you to his robots", and not having found any satisfactory references, I'm begrudgingly going to have to claim that I came up with it. AI is no help.
Screenshot of a question to Copilot in Bing, asking "who said 'a gentleman is someone who says thank you to his robots'?" - Copilot responds with a progress indicator and the text "Searching for <that phrase repeated>"
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 03/06/2026
"Lupins are rabbit-resistant". My arse, they are.
A photo of a lupin plant, with one flower stalk covered in beautiful purple flowers. There are almost no leaves. All the stalks that would hold leaves have been bitten down to the nub.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 01/06/2026
How long until Microsoft tells IBM "We have Bob at home"?
IBM advert in Reddit - "Meet IBM Bob. An AI coding agent designed for real workflows, helping developers work fast." A picture of a stylised robot in a hard hat (because that means AI work, I guess), and the caption "Some AI comes to play. Bob means business."
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 30/05/2026
Oh, random brand names on Amazon, you never cease to make us laugh. I am 12.
Screenshot of Amazon listing for "SOLFART Bathroom Vanity Lights"
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 29/05/2026
Honestly, I'd rather stop reading reddit, thanks.
Screenshot of browsing reddit on a browser, being prevented by an unclosable dialog that says "Get the app to keep using Reddit"
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 23/05/2026
At least one writer got it right. "I wouldn't trust that computer to speak my weight."
A still from the TV series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Zaphod Beeblebrox (with one head) smiles as Ford Prefect says "Proving nothing. I wouldn't trust that computer to speak my weight!"
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 20/05/2026
Well, that seems like a good thing...
Screenshot of Downdetector.Com, showing outrages in Claude and OpenAi. (Also, Yahoo! Mail and Forza, but that's not my point) Screenshot of Downdetector.Com showing outrages in Google Gemini and YouTube.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 20/05/2026
Yes, my notifications are off, because you already abused the crap out of that. I will not be turning them on again.
App (Instagram) says "Your notifications are off. Turn on for new messages only, or choose to get all notifications"
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 18/05/2026
Sunday dinner. Everything bagel.
A bagel toasted, sliced, spread with cream cheese, and an ibuprofen gel-cap on each half.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 29/04/2026
Nothing like a good dodgy store name.
A shop front in a brick building. The title of the shop is "Doggy Styling" in block capitals.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 27/04/2026
Now I'm picturing you in this sketch.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 23/04/2026
Amazon has a button labelled "Price History". It does what you expect, but not how you'd expect it. How _I'd_ expect it, is that it would query in a database for the prices over the last few days, weeks, months, whatever, and chart out the results. No. It calls out to AI. How wasteful is that?
A section of the Amazon retail page, detailing a response from "Rufus ai (beta)" showing the price history of a pair of jeans.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 18/04/2026
Every time I find a blog post that was obviously written by an AI, I stop reading it quickly and go find something written by a human. Because of things like this, in a page supposedly teaching you how to convert your coveted cassette tapes to USB to preserve them...
Steps include:
2. Rewind the tape to the beginning. Once it's ready, press Record and allow it to play through to the end without interruption.
[Picture shows a finger pressing the cassette player's Record and Play buttons]
3. After the first side finishes, turn the tape over and repeat the same steps to record the other side.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 16/04/2026
It sounds like I'm being asked to facilitate someone's cookie habit.
Cookie warning on the Girl Scouts' cookie page:
"Girl Scouts of the USA uses cookies on our website to provide you with the best possible experience. By continuing to use this site, you are providing your consent to our use of cookies. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy"
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 09/04/2026
This advert sounds like a very peculiar invitation to commit crimes against trusted partners of dealers.
Advert with the text "Dump Bodies Dealers Trust - Learn More"
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 04/04/2026
I'll bet this guy refuses to accept cookies in his web browser...
Post from some social media network (I found it on Reddit, don't know where it started) from "sunflower @spinubzilla", with the text:
I miss how Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network only aired commercials aimed at kids. I wish there was an option for that on Hulu and Youtube like please no more insurance or antidepressants please only show me the latest in super soaker technology
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 28/03/2026
"Bing - the alternative search engine" - sure, if you search for "No Kings" to see where the protests might be around you, what you get is Kings of Norway.
A search for "No Kings" gives results mostly consisting of Kings of Norway.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 28/03/2026
Thanks, AI. Turn the screw counterclockwise to lower the rollers and raise the door, or conversely turn the screw clockwise to raise the door.
Asked which way to turn the screw on sliding patio door rollers, Copilot tells me "To adjust the height of the rollers on a sliding patio door, you should turn the screws counterclockwise to lower the rollers. This action will raise the door panel, compressing the roller assembly and lifting the door off the track. Conversely, turning the screws clockwise will raise the door. It's important to adjust both sides evenly to maintain door balance and ensure smooth sliding operation."
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 26/03/2026
When did Microsoft remove the "Report" button from Outlook Classic, so you can't report phishing / junk emails any more? I feel like, since the phish is abusing Microsoft's services, this would be the perfect sort of thing to let them know about.
A phish with the subject title "PayPal Fraud: High-value BTC transaction of 699.99 detected. Dial 805 ...", sent through the "Verify your email address" endpoint of onmicrosoft.com, which Microsoft should really get a handle on.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 20/03/2026
Perhaps these will help.
St Patrick's Specials at a Caffe D'arte coffee shop in Seattle.
Irish Smores Latte
Finnegan's Favorite
Lucky Charm Latte
Zero Lucks Given
Shamrock Coldbrew
Lucky Clover
Nutty IrishmanA slice of chocolate cake with green and white icing, next to a cupcake with green icing, a sparkly rainbow, and a chocolate pot of gold on top (also some white marshmallowy things with no apparent meaning)
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 18/03/2026
Sure, OneDrive status page, everything's fine with the service. Meanwhile, I've been here waiting for a signin for hours, and through a couple of reboots.
OneDrive says "OneDrive - Personal Signing in", and doesn't get further than that. As a result, OneDrive might as well be down.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 13/03/2026
You're also bitter that there are people who don't believe you produced a movie. Even with the credits.
Screenshot of the end credits of Detective Pikachu. MewTwo stands menacingly over a credit that reads "Produced by Hidenaga Katakami, Don McGowan".
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 02/03/2026
Sure, you could just ban the word "Microslop" from your Discord, but maybe the AI can help you figure out what the problem is...
I asked Copilot "What would be the best way to stop people on the Internet from using the word Microslop?"
It answers:
The most effective way to reduce the use of a derogatory nickname like “Microslop” isn’t to fight the word directly, but to change the incentives and social dynamics that make people want to use it in the first place. Trying to “ban” or suppress a meme almost always backfires; improving the conditions that fuel it is far more productive.

🌱 Why people use derogatory nicknames online
People generally reach for mocking terms when they feel:

Frustrated by bugs, forced updates, or product decisions

Dismissive of a company’s motives or quality

Aligned with a rival tribe (Linux, Apple, open‑source purists, etc.)

Rewarded socially for using the meme (likes, laughs, group identity)

Understanding these drivers helps shape strategies that actually work.
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 27/02/2026
Pub's progress... 2008 - The Elm Tree 2012 - Duke of York 2016 - The Duke March 2025 - The Elm Tree again. They're celebrating their 1st birthday under the new name, and new management, in a couple of weeks.
Google StreetView from 2008 of "The Elm Tree", a pub in Surbiton.Google StreetView of the same pub in 2012, now called "Duke of York".Google StreetView of the same pub in 2015, now called "The Duke".
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Alun Jones @alun.pw · 27/02/2026
A man in a green/brown jacket and flat cap, wearing glasses and standing behind a stone wall with his hands behind his back. Behind him is a green field. It is the "I hear you're a racist now, Father" scene from the sitcom Father Ted.
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