EXT week it is Rianne’s birthday and we plan to celebrate somewhere nearby. Technically we’re still on holiday for 15 days to come and we’re enjoying every moment of it. We spend more time offline and go to the park to feed many birds amid a worrying drought.

We predict that later this week some thugs in London will try to bully us again; it would be a giant own goal if they attempted to do so.

Yesterday I discussed with a friend how Web search is getting worse over time, maybe by intention (intent would be difficult to prove though).

Is there any in “Tech” that is actually still improving?

recognise that Joji in performing in Manchester tonight and my neighbour knows him. I had never heard of him until he was listed here and I checked his weird style. I didn’t know a thing like “Trip Hop” even existed.

Today’s music has become so strange. Who chooses winners and losers? How?

Simple and bland music is a shoddy form of art.

Mountains of debt as “economic activity”

think Rianne and I share the feeling that many companies (not just GAFAM) hide their true debt, fire people in secret, and basically bluff their way in this increasingly fake economy where “everyone is doing it!” (Cheating)

We spoke about this with Rianne’s parents today. It’s too easy to be critical of the likes of Amazon, IBM, and Google. Rianne brought up Microsoft as well.

It seems like legal action is heading IBM’s way now.

T seems like my suspicions or gut feelings were right and Manchester City will start the league (PL) with lowered morale after a devastating defeat on the first “Enzo match” which truly ‘counts’.

Arsenal did not do all too well in the friendlies, but today it’s having a Day Field in the field. Arteta no longer plays against his teacher and it starts to seem possible Arsenal can win another season.

The media might be brutal with speculations about Enzo’s future in the club. He’ll need to work hard to recover confidence.

HIS morning I finally (belatedly) began pavement-cleaning season. It’s a hard, tiring task, using metal brushes to remove a ton of dirt, moss, and sometimes birds’ poo. It’s almost done now (I’ll do a second – and hopefully final – pass some other day).

Today we’ll go visit the birds again. We nearly forget that we promised ourselves to do this. The birds at the park seem hungry and across the whole region I see them struggling to find food. They seem frustrated and desperate.

The struggle isn’t limited to humans, flora and fauna too can feel climate change. The lack of resources is a priority issue (competition), it seems like GAFAM and energy-wasting plutocrats are hoarding all the scarce resources while shattering the environment.

Cruelty comes in many forms.

oday I spoke with my in-laws (in their native tongue; I speak over 3 languages already, some better than others) and as elderly people, one of whom turns 80 in less than a year, one who never experienced old age is reminded about the hardships of old age (my own parents are younger, they are both 70).

When you are under 40, you might count how many years it has been since becoming adult or studying or working or marrying. At some point later in life the count refers to “time to live” or “time until retirement”, i.e. the numbers become smaller each year. After retirement it’s almost always just “time to live” (depending on one’s physical health).

More religious people think in terms like “afterlife” or “time to Heaven”, but superstition is not a harmless, victimless fantasy. Some people exploit this fantasy to work people to death, to make themselves richer. Some offer them alcohol (to sedate them) – that damages their body and kills them sooner.

find it hard to believe we’re just hours away from the start of “real time” for football (or “showtime”).

Rianne finished her crate of Carabao drinks (the ones Carabao Cup is named after) only 2 days ago and today there’s a “cup” or “shield” up for grabs (3PM BST this afternoon).

For Enzo’s confidence (and others’ confidence in him) it’ll be important to win this.

We still have 15 days left in this vacation.