Sign in

Chris Rand

@chrisrand.com
724 followers 322 following 18K posts

Ipswich, England. "In a Venn Diagram of one" – The Guardian. • "Chris The Site Owner" at the Half Man Half Biscuit Lyrics Project. #hmhb • Supporter of Ipswich Town FC. #itfc • Expect to see mainly stuff that amused me. chrisrand.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 28/09/2026
Playing with the ChatGPT voice interface, I accidentally left it on, with a St Etienne album playing. So it dutifully transcribed the lyrics for an hour, pausing every few minutes to try to "answer the question". There's pages of this.
280
Reposted by Chris Rand
Bylines Network @bylinesnetwork.co.uk · 25/09/2026
M&S Custard Cream Spread: Britain has completed food One jar of M&S Custard Cream Spread has caused us to question civilisation, breakfast, mashed potato and the limits of human restraint @willyandbill.bsky.social
centralbylines.co.uk
M&S Custard Cream Spread: Britain has completed food
One jar of M&S Custard Cream Spread has caused us to question civilisation, breakfast, mashed potato and the limits of human restraint
2220769
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 27/09/2026
Final UK gig of the final UK tour by St Etienne, after 36 years. What a class act. Balloons. Tunes. And so much love in the room.
120
Reposted by Chris Rand
Tom Jenkins @tomoljenkins.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Here is the trailer for Alex Gibney’s ‘Musk’ launch on 9October that has been banned by YouTube, TikTok and Meta, citing “political” content. X won't even take Bleecker Street's calls. The distributor is appealing. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFTf...
youtube.com
MUSK | Official Trailer HD
YouTube video by Elevation Pictures
24028
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 25/09/2026
One point off the win in the quiz tonight. We got the year of the Gunpowder Plot correct, then changed it at the last moment. NEVER OVERRULE YOUR FIRST GUESS.
040
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 25/09/2026
Wait… no.54?
030
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 25/09/2026
See? Al those datacentres are worth it.
Comic strip by ChatGPT illustrating (very vaguely) the Half Man Half Biscuit song "McCalliog and his hens".
141
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 25/09/2026
ChatGPT has asked me 20+ times today if I want to advertise. I didn’t the first time. I certainly don’t now. For a product with access to every marketing lesson ever written, this is spectacularly moronic.
ChatGPT message asking me to advertise with them.
120
Reposted by Chris Rand
Disappointed Optimist @disappoptimism.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I don’t believe for a second that Xi didn’t make this Thucydides trap reference fully knowing that Trump wouldn’t begin to understand it. Xi is mocking America & its clown president on camera. America is so cooked
36215
Reposted by Chris Rand
Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 24/09/2026
[1965] A Hard Day’s Night - Comedy version of The Beatles song in which Peter Sellers recites the lyrics in the style of Laurence Olivier in the film Richard III. It became a UK Top 20 hit in 1965.
04425
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 24/09/2026
In our film review chat, my son concluded that "The Uprising" was "fairly terrible, all things considered". He particularly couldn't get over "The priest with a ridiculous Gen Z broccoli haircut". To which @fenlandgent.bsky.social quickly sounded the "new Half Man Half Biscuit song title" klaxon...
"A priest with a ridiculous Gen Z broccoli haircut"
090
Reposted by Chris Rand
Dan Snow @thehistoryguy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
England is a made up thing. It has no basis in the ineluctable laws of nature. Its extent is defined by Edward II getting his arse handed to him. Athelstan conquering York. The Welsh of Cumbria were incorporated, the Welsh of Gwynedd were not. It is a political idea, an aspiration - not taxonomy.
761731492
Reposted by Chris Rand
Joel Morris @gralefrit.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Is it time to post that paragraph from The Road To Wigan Pier? The one about how the desperate, pleasureless poor will always refuse to just spend their pennies on cabbage no matter how much you try and insist. This isn’t a thing you can make people do. It’s not how humans work.
1213543
Reposted by Chris Rand
Stardust 🌏🎬 @stardustbluepr.com · 22/09/2026
Warning: "Don't Download the White House App: It's a Privacy Nightmare The new White House App shipped with dormant location tracking and phones home to a marketing company on every launch among other problems. Don't install it."
onlinesafety.substack.com
Don't Download the White House App: It's a Privacy Nightmare
The new White House App shipped with dormant location tracking and phones home to a marketing company on every launch among other problems. Don't install it.
17185145
Reposted by Chris Rand
TW @twesq.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
this is fantastic and I learned something new
562672412
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 22/09/2026
It would have been my late parents’ 70th wedding anniversary today. Celebrating as they would, I'm going to have a Chinese takeaway with my brother. I've read that only 1 in 1000 marriages in the UK make it to 70 years, which makes it all the more remarkable that Her Maj and Phil the Greek made it.
120
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 21/09/2026
I know it's a day old and you've probably seen it, but this really has lifted the nation's mood. I'm not alone in having been watching it on repeat all day, and I just can't stop.
010
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 21/09/2026
This series seems to have passed me by completely.
130
Reposted by Chris Rand
Stephen Collins @stephencollins.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

1
Wide shot of the BRITISH MUSEUM. There are suggestions of fascism around the streets - tanks, barricades, an Orwellian 'Big Brother'-style poster on a wall. A voice of a TOUR GUIDE emanates from the museum:

TOUR GUIDE:
So the Tapestry tells acrucial chapter of our nation's history...

2 
[Cut to interior of museum. A long Bayeaux-style TAPESTRY is on display, and the Tour Guide is speaking to a tour group]

TOUR GUIDE [smiling]:
How modern fascist Britain was created. 

3
TOUR GUIDE:
The Tapestry begins here with the 2008 Crash, then austerity, then the AI Crash...

4
TOUR GUIDE:
...and by the end of the room it's just full-on fash. 

5
CHILD IN TOUR GROUP [gesturing to the tapestry]:
What's this middle bit?

TOUR GUIDE:
This is the 2026 Battle of Legitimate Concerns 

6
TOUR GUIDE:
[show a reporter standing next to the Dover protests]
Here's the media saying the government have got to do something about the legitimate concerns...

7
CHILD:
...About the failure of capitalism?

TOUR GUIDE:
No about brown people on boats

8
CHILD:
[pointing at boats crossing the sea on the tapestry]
Are these boats the mega-dinghies?

TOUR GUIDE:
Not all of them

9
[we see one of the boats  is a giant yacht]
TOUR GUIDE:
That one's a superyacht,
carrying money from the American fascists to the British ones.

10
TOUR GUIDE:
You see really it's as much a story of convergence as it is of conflict.

[An alarm sounds in the museum]
DING DING DING DING 

11
TOUR GUIDE:
Ok, tour over everyone 

12
TOUR GUIDE:
It's time for the Two Minute Hate!

[They all leave the museum]

[ends]
12720281
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 20/09/2026
Ed Sheeran apologising before his gig last night (Instagram). ➡️ www.instagram.com/reel/DdfY7JY...
Ed Sheeran issuing a tearful apology to fans at his Philadelphia concert Saturday night
000
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 20/09/2026
youtu.be/qnaZwFrEi24?... This is really good if you want a thoughtful discussion of the threat from A.I. – and what we can do, now. YNH says the market is pricing in that A.I. will become godlike in its capability but then the gods will become willing slaves. This simply does not make sense.
youtu.be
The Greatest Threat Humans Just Can't Stomach | with Yuval Noah Harari
YouTube video by The Rest Is Politics
010
Reposted by Chris Rand
Ambassador Ken Fairfax (ret) @portlandken.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The accounting is in: In Oregon there are 111 data centers. The TOTAL number of people employed at data centers is just 2,630, or 0.1% of the labor force. Those 100 data centers consumer 23% of all electricity used in Oregon. Meanwhile, electricity rates skyrocket as more centers are built.
opb.org
Oregon data centers by the numbers: 111 facilities consume nearly one-quarter of state’s power, according to new report
A first-of-its-kind report details the footprint of the controversial facilities.
8030831809
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 19/09/2026
Premier League image of the weekend.
Spurs fans leaving the ground on 80 minutes.
150
Reposted by Chris Rand
Mike Goodman @themlg.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Launched it on 9/11 no less. Just a bang up job all around.
4616
Reposted by Chris Rand
Joel Morris @gralefrit.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Brilliant. And in that same lovely back-footed Scandi-English key as Norsemen, which is blissful.
17328
Reposted by Chris Rand
__________ @jenbren.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Fucking love this. And if it happened now, Bill Drummond would be murdered by security
2247
Reposted by Chris Rand
Cambridge Diary @cambridgediary.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
16th September 2022 The Waterman’s Arms, a derelict 19th-century pub, stands by the Little Ouse river, accessible only by water. Built in 1861 to serve passing bargemen and riverside locals, it closed its doors in 1956 and has since been slowly sinking into the soft Fenland soil.
1237
Reposted by Chris Rand
Everyone Hates Elon @everyonehateselon.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
we do bins now #bins
418161
Reposted by Chris Rand
The New Statesman @newstatesman1913.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Vinted Brain: How Britain lost its mind to online shopping addiction, by Kate Mossman
newstatesman.com
Vinted Brain
How Britain lost its mind to online shopping addiction
0132
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 14/09/2026
When the replies make a great post greater.
000
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 14/09/2026
Such a sensible move. Although East Midlands Railway "will ...not be immediately included due to its ongoing mass cancellations and shortages of seats." 🙄 www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Rail passengers get automatic right to switch operators for free when trains are cancelled
‘Commonsense change’ looks to end current confusion and put ‘passengers first, not shareholders’ when services are disrupted
030
Reposted by Chris Rand
The Content Apologist @contentapologist.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
27 years since them slags blew the Moon out of Earth orbit. Still freaks my nut out to this day. #Space1999 #NevetForget
static.klipy.com
Space1999 Breakawayday
ALT: Space1999 Breakawayday
2215
Reposted by Chris Rand
Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
If you feel like donating to the RNLI, here’s a link. I just have. Their minimum donation is £2: I think it might be nice for them to receive a lot of donations this week, even if they’re mostly very modest. Just so they know a lot of people out here appreciate their work. rnli.org/support-us/g...
rnli.org
Donate to the RNLI and help save lives at sea
Your donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here.
4920921247
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 10/09/2026
Months ago, I said he would do this. They think they can buy anything. Maybe they can.
120
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 10/09/2026
When did the “x” when used to signal “times” start becoming pronounced as the letter “x”? It seems to be universal in the tech world now, but really grates to these ears. Apple’s presentation yesterday mixed both, some speakers saying “2 times”, others saying “two ecks”.
230
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 09/09/2026
Well that was a splendid few hours’ play.
England v Pakistan, EdgbastonEngland captain Joe Rooooot
020
Reposted by Chris Rand
Martin Calladine @uglygame.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Nine to the ten largest unsecured creditors are players. You love to see it.
FINANCIAL TIMES

Saudi Arabia-backed league LIV Golf has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing liabilities between $500mn and $1bn, with nine professional golfers owed millions of dollars among the company's top-10 unsecured creditors
2192
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 08/09/2026
"...with amounts owed to players and other creditors addressed through the court process..." Good. Let's hope it leaves them well out of pocket for this year at least. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/a...
bbc.co.uk
LIV Golf: Players free to leave after competition files for bankruptcy protection
LIV Golf intends to starts its new league early next year after filing for bankruptcy protection in the United States.
020
Reposted by Chris Rand
Brandy @3dogz.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Someone else said it for him. Love him. Miss him.
659246515563
Reposted by Chris Rand
Chandan Devireddy, MD, MBA @drdevireddy.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
As a parent, a physician, and a global citizen...these charts and thread should terrify all of us. This is how we embark upon longterm civilizational decline, strife and chaos
021
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 07/09/2026
Had to stop myself after the first four episodes. No way am I blowing a whole series in one night. It’s every bit as good as I’d hoped.
051
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 07/09/2026
Acquired a 13-year-old Macbook. Fired it up. Almost unuseably slow, as feared. Clean reinstalled the latest MacOS it could run, but still slow, and the OS not really supported anymore, so security concerns. Took up suggestion to wipe it and install free Linux instead. New lease of life! Lovely.
080
Reposted by Chris Rand
Parody Nigel Farage @parodypm.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
"It was at this point that an oyster went down the wrong way and blocked my ear canals, meaning I missed the whole conversation where I agreed to a foreign donor illegally giving us £500,000..."
201696519
Reposted by Chris Rand
Tommy Mackay @tommyreckless.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
The first album in the world about the first Half Man Half Biscuit book. Form an orderly queue but keep 2 chevrons apart.
dailyreckless.com
2 Chevrons Apart | Daily Reckless
Steve Hill's book about Half Man Half Biscuit, 'Friday Night Fever,' soundtracked by Half Bam Half Whisky aka the first man in the world to buy a Half Man Half Biscuit book. Tracks: Accosting Robert F...
061
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 06/09/2026
"And we're excited that Australia will be home to a shit ton of new Ai data centres!" youtu.be/kON2ZI2BNj8?is=EiRyYSueFnz…
000
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 06/09/2026
One of those pieces where you think: "it's surely not going to get any worse, is it?" ...but it does. doctorow.medium.com/https-pluralist…
063
Reposted by Chris Rand
Craig Hamilton @craighamilton.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Natalie Portman / Tanguy Destable sounds like a UEFA Conference League fixture you’d probably not tune in for at 5:45pm on TNT.
163
Reposted by Chris Rand
🗽LOLGOP🗽 @lolgop.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Still can't believe she won the auction that allowed Thomas Pynchon to name her boyfriend.
1977384
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 05/09/2026
Love the announcement that the UN is adopting the excellent “Equal Earth” map projection. Only the world’s most mental country objected. Here’s the conference presentation where the map was introduced. youtu.be/m5Te3JZfPDM?...
youtu.be
Introducing the Equal Earth Projection
YouTube video by NACIS
020
Chris Rand @chrisrand.com · 05/09/2026
A reality check for Ipswich supporters optimistic about the investment in our newly promoted team. I’m glad we’re only really in a mini-league of 6–8 clubs at the bottom, and the rest is just for the LOLs. #itfc
060