Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 15/04/2026Dark patterns & web annoyances by Big Brands: No.436 @nationalrail.bsky.social preselects an unwanted @bookingcom.bsky.social link to open in a new tab when looking for train times. Not cool. Treat us like a customer, let us make choices, not a vehicle for your unwanted ads from your "partners". 🙄 120
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 03/04/2026When you ask Microsoft Copilot what the disadvantages of forced installation are - 😆 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 31/03/2026I work away a lot. I stay in a lot of hotels. Some nice, some meh. This one is very nice and it has what every itinerant consultant needs - a coffee table clock. 110
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 24/01/2026I've probably read it 20 times and still find something new. @janejennison.bsky.social and I were very lucky to have a guided tour inside Prospect Cottage (via the Tate) in the early 2000's and I've been slightly obsessed ever since. (Very old, low res digital photos) 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 18/01/2026Murmuration at Lackford Lakes, with (I think) a sparrow hawk on the hunt. 020
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 09/01/2026As much as I love modern coffee, sometimes an old school proper Italian espresso is what is required. Bar Italia in Frith Street never disappoints. 👌 130
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 10/10/2025I’m making a concerted effort to lose weight so I’m logging my food intake. Autocorrect has suggested logging an Espresso Machiavelli It made me laugh. 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 30/09/2025I needed headspace today so I got a Greater Anglia Ranger ticket and I’m exploring Suffolk and Norfolk. I can indulge in uninterrupted “train dreaming” as I watch the world glide by the window. Very therapeutic. 😎 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 12/09/2025This speaks to my soul. 😀 The symmetry of this bench, and the alignment with the central crack in the promenade tarmac was what attracted me to this scene. 120
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 07/09/2025I suspect the here’s too much cloud cover to see the blood moon on the east coast. The sunset offered some consolation. 020
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 07/09/2025The light on the east coast was beautiful this morning. A stiff breeze from the North Sea activated “bracing“ mode. 020
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 07/09/2025Simple pleasures. An early morning walk by the sea. 020
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 20/08/2025Continuing my series of shocking front page headlines from our local news site. It’s hectic here, I can tell you. 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 18/07/2025Bunhill Fields Burial Ground is a cool haven in a hot, sticky and factious London. Taking a few moments to escape the humidity and enjoy some quiet reflection with an old friend. 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 14/07/2025My ongoing series highlighting how sleepy my home town is. Today's headline on our local news site. 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 11/07/2025Top figure - our patio. Bottom figure. - My office. 🥵🐦🔥🥵 020
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 27/05/2025Love the book design ethos of the Penguin Archive of 90 classic works. 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 20/05/2025As a motorist I do like the design of the new LR Defender. As a cyclist, they are terrifying. It’s like being overtaken by a mobile city. 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 01/05/2025I'm 56 and I will be watching Ivor The Engine on the ITV Retro YouTube channel today. I've worked in Transport for over thirty years so it's research. Or something. #JonesTheSteam #OwenTheSignal #GrumblyGasworks 130
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 27/04/2025I'm rereading Joe Moran's 'First You Write a Sentence - The Elements of Reading, Writing … and Life.' It's just as much fun the second time around. It's a witty homage to the joy of a beautifully written sentence and the power they have when we read. Recommended. 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 24/04/2025I had an itch for some non-fiction so I have been re-reading Orwell's 'Down and Out in Paris and London' and Didion's 'Slouching Towards Bethlehem'. Both books are a masterclass in sentence construction and cadence. A reminder of the power of the English language. 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 23/04/2025There was lot of shade thrown at Apple for putting the power button on the bottom of the new Mac mini. I have had mine for 40 days, 100% uptime and it's cool to the touch at all times. You really don't need to turn it off. It's not plug and play. It's plug and forget. 000
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 13/04/20251st experiment with Al Fresco Espresso, with my Foster Jennison collective xmas present. I want to cycle more so decent coffee is a useful motivator for me and adds a mini adventure element to the ride. Espresso was good, but grind settings weren't quite right for this one. All part of the fun. 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 15/03/2025Quite the sunset in Suffolk this evening. No filters applied. 030
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 09/03/2025I have great coffee, fresh air, my notebook, a pen and this view. A good way to start our break. 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 16/02/2025I am taking a break from the news, but this from Warren Ellis chimed with me this morning. 020
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 02/01/2025Current 2025 status - flu. Trying to look at the positives, and accept that rest, time and quiet is the only solution. It has given me a chance to catch up on my reading. My recommendation from the last week. 120
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 27/12/2024… and, it is. Post Christmas escape to my favourite local coffee shop for an hour of writing and thinking time. I’m an introvert who needs time to recharge after the festive period. I love my friends and family but do need space. 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 05/12/2024Second day of culture with @janejennison.bsky.social - this time for the 'Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers' exhibition at the National Gallery in London. It was stunning and really moved me. No pictures of the paintings because it doesn't do justice to the intensity of the originals. Get a ticket! 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 04/12/2024@janejennison.bsky.social and I went to ‘The World of Tim Burton’ at the Design Museum in London today. Fabulous exhibition, but I’m slightly overwhelmed by his prodigious creativity. 010
Andrew Foster @blacknotebook.bsky.social · 20/11/2024It’s been awhile since we’ve had a power cut. 010
