A timelapse, a lighthouse, and a brilliant tattoo.
25th August 2025
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Hello!
An update on filming: I am tired! Still, the internet
doesn't stop, much as that might seem like a good idea from time to time. So let's start the newsletter with this week's Lateral, as the folks from Morning Brew face questions about dangerous deliveries,
cranky clocks and genius gravestones on our 150th episode.
And I make an appearance on a different podcast! Jarvis and Jordan from Sad Boyz have been on Lateral before: well, now, I'm on an episode of their podcast, for a casual conversation that runs through shopping malls, the UK's new online age-verification mess, and -- briefly -- game shows.
What's been good on YouTube this week?
- If I'd spotted it in time, I'd have linked to the Kiruna church being moved in one piece last week: but instead, I'll give you the three-minute timelapse and a news report and interview with the lead architect about how it was done!
- I wanted to link to this next video last week, after several people sent it over, but it was briefly set to private. As I write this it's live again, so for those who haven't already seen it: a video diary of a maintenance visit to the remote Wolf Rock Lighthouse! This is several days of work condensed down into 20+ minutes, with a well-told story. It's a really interesting glimpse into a job that very few people think about.
- I can't tell you why American Psycho (wet) made me laugh so much, but it did: a minute and a half of surreal comedy that delivers exactly what it promises and which I couldn't stop giggling at. (And which, if you don't know the original movie scene, will seem even more bizarre.) I have a little inside-baseball thought about the Shorts algorithms, though: the channel,
"Everything Now Show", now has a problem. It's a good problem to have, but: they're in the shorts business. There's very little audience loyalty there. So do they pivot entirely into ever-more-surreal, ever-more-effort, ever-more-damp recreations of other movie scenes, and become the Wet Movie Guys? If they do that, people will recognise them and maybe they can string the joke out for as long as possible. Or, do they accept they've just picked up a few fans from this, keep on going with their
other sketches, and avoid being typecast? Either way: good luck to them.
And around the rest of the web:
- The Lost Stones of Asda got sent around several of the circles I'm in this week, for good reason: as a publicity stunt, a British supermarket chain engraved a slogan onto large, heavy stones and placed them outside stores. Can you help the blog linked in that post to find more of them?
- When does this shape become a circle? Click to add a side to the polygon (on mobile, you'll need to avoid double-tapping because it'll zoom), enjoy debating with your friends. I've put my answer at the bottom of the newsletter if you want
to compare.
- You are extremely unlikely to guess what the food was contaminated with.
And finally, on Tumblr: an incredible tattoo. (A little strong language; some bare skin but, I reckon, nothing unsafe for work.)
All the best,
— Tom
(PS: 38 on a small mobile screen; 53 on a large desktop.)
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