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Richard_Littler

@Richard_Littler@mastodon.social

Writer, graphic artist, creator of @scarfolk. "This guy, who apparently saw the future" - Edward Snowden. Neurodivergent (ASD/ADHD).

Banner image: A selection of Scarfolk books & merchandise.
Avatar image: Black & white photo. Me: bald, bearded, bespectacled, and seemingly unaware of the enormous arachnid with the face of a malevolent baby, and the plague doctor, behind me.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

Richard_Littler , to random
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A typical tale...

The clinic charged me for forgetting to turn up for my ADHD assessment, during which they would have assessed me for ADHD behaviours, such as forgetting to turn up for appointments. I had to make a new appointment and during the rescheduled session they asked me if I could recall any instances of me having time management problems, such as missing appointments. And I completely forgot that I had forgotten my previous session, so I said 'no, not that I can recall.' Two weeks later, I received a letter confirming that I have ADHD, but I can't remember all the details because I lost the letter.
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    • Richard_Littler , to random
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    With the UK coming up, politicians are in full spin (lie) mode. Consequently, misinformation, and its evil twin, disinformation, are rife online.
    To save me having to point out each and every time an untrue claim is made, I've created my own lttle response graphic.
    "You are wrong again. Check the facts.

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    Them: "Hi, how are you today?"
    Me: "Fine."*

    *Easier to say 'fine' than 'I feel like I'm living in a time in which mass psychosis is ravaging at least half the population; like I'm a passenger in a car being driven at 120mph toward a cliff edge by an unhinged driver who has never driven before but, in his derangement, a) believes he's Cowboy Jesus riding a tamed dinosaur, and b) has convinced other demented passengers of this, and they are now willing to shred and eat anyone who opposes him.'

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    If humans were the result of intelligent design, we'd be able to detach our arms when we go to bed. They just get in the way. It's like sharing the bed with two insomniac geese.

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    I see Russell Brand has tapped into that inexplicable and absurd demographic that comprises fervent American Christians who will bend over backwards to endorse convicted fraudsters, perjurers, sexual predators, and felons of all creeds, whose actions are all explicitly denounced in their holy book.

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    Sex Pistols playing at the Lesser Free Trade Hall, Manchester, on 4 June 1976, has gone down in history as a legendary gig that inspired attendees to form Buzzcocks, The Fall, The Smiths, Joy Division, & others.
    I lived nearby.
    But that night I was at home watching It's a Knockout.
    And The Wombles.

    The Wombles band

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    I've been hunting for this specific typeface/font/lettering for ages, but can never find it. It was used for cinema light box/marquees in the UK in the 1960s-1980s. It's close to some of the usual suspects (Gill Sans, Human521, Futura, DIN, Century, etc ), but no cigar. Any ideas?

    Cinema light box marquee
    Cinema light box marquee
    Cinema light box marquee

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    Really sick of these big tech companies.
    Absolute parasites.
    "You have the right to object to Meta using your personal info to train AI..."
    [BUT]
    "...We may still process information about you to develop and improve AI at Meta, even if you object or don’t use our Products and services"

    We may still process information about you to develop and improve AI at Meta, even if you object or don’t use our Products and services. For example, this could happen if you or your information:

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    I still find it utterly absurd that is a mandatory part of all news broadcasts. For someone with zero interest in sport, it has sounded like this to me for 50+ years: "Those were the main news headlines... Now, rodent news: Manchester Zoo has loaned Señor Fluffi, a Spanish gerbil, from Zoo Aquarium de Madrid for £20 million. They have also expressed interest in acquiring a squirrel..."

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    I've been thinking about the King Charles portrait for a few days, but I still can't decide whether the painting style reminds me more of old Puffin, Pan Horror, or Mills & Boon cover illustrations.

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    "Although I'm no longer with you in person, my darling, I love you so much. I remember the day we met as clearly as if... You can now make purchases in Bitcoin; visit our storefront now... it were yesterday. The yellow dress you wore was so... Get 10% off the new Apple iPad. Say 'PADOFFER' after this memory..."
    #AI #dystopia

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    Jack Dorsey is furious that #Bluesky has attracted "very very common" people. He also doesn't like the idea of moderation tools facilitating the banning of racists.

    All these tech billionaires are like a version of the movie Big, in which a pre-adolescent boy wakes up in the body of an aging Howard Hughes. Or Colonel Kurtz. Or a sardine.
    #JackDorsey

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    "Mike, my beloved husband of 40 years died two weeks ago and I used to write his eulogy. I inputted a few biographical details, which were then transformed into a lengthy, heartfelt tribute. I had no idea, however, that he'd also been an electrical device for amplifying sound. He'd kept that to himself. A humble man. I'm so proud."

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    It's #AlienDay. Here are my photos of the bar that H R Giger designed. It jars enormously with its location - a little, picturesque Swiss village.

    Photo of the bar tables and seats designed by HR Giger
    Photo of the bar ceiling designed by HR Giger. Looks like spines.
    Photo of the bar wall designed by HR Giger. Looks like dead babies.

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    Me: "I'm starting work on a simple story idea. Shouldn't require any research..."
    3 weeks later
    Me: "I'm researching ontology/epistemology, astronomy, politics, mass sociogenic disorders, psychology, etc. I understand <1% of it and I can't write the story because I don't possess all human knowledge"

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    AI 'art' is metastasising through the internet. I just looked up Hieronymus Bosch and there were more AI imitations than I expected (or recall seeing on previous searches). I tried three browsers: Google, DuckDuckGo, and Brave. At a glance, Google seemed to be the worst offender, which shouldn't surprise me, given that its functionality & quality seem to have plummeted in recent months...
    #AI #art #history #internet

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    I learned that the German word for raccoon is Waschbär. In English: 'Washing Bear'. I thought That's ridiculous; washing is not unique to raccoons, nor are they bears. And then I discovered they have a similar name in many languages and they're always being photographed in the bath, shower, etc...
    Then I learned that the etymology of raccoon is Algonquian and means 'he scratches with his hands.' And I thought, That's ridiculous; scratching is not unique to raccoons. And so 'Washing bear' it is.

    Raccoon in a bath
    soapy Raccoon in a bath
    Raccoon washing in a sink

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    🧵 I'm browsing 'Zivilverteidigung,' the Swiss national defence book from 1969.
    The Swiss took their nuclear defence very seriously. Many buildings (my own included) are still built today with nuclear bunkers in the cellars.
    The UK's own 'Protect & Survive' booklet was 30 pages, whereas, the Swiss 'Zivilverteidigung' is 320 pages.
    Great graphic design, too. Here's a thread of random images.

    Pencil illustration of a nuclear/atomic mushroom cloud

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    #NowPlaying
    I've said it before: Gentle Giant were such a woefully overlooked group at the time. So musically inventive and clever. Musicians' musicians.

    #progrock #vinyl

    Richard_Littler OP ,
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    'WAS such'. Silly singular/plural shift. I don't think I've ever been entirely been sure if group (or band) is plural or singular. I realise that, technically, it's singular, but the rules can change depending on whether or not the word is a collective noun, or the band name is plural, eg, Beatles

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    🧵 Recently, I set out to create new digital artwork that can't be replicated/imitated by . AI's Achilles heel seems to be its failure to deliver true details, or rather that its complex imagery is actually specious - the illusion of detail that often doesn't stand up to scrutiny.
    With this in mind, I came up with this artwork called 'A Drawing of the Shelf Unit Beside My Desk on February 27th 2024 at 2:35pm'....

    Richard_Littler OP ,
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    Part still life, part Pop Art, part exhaustive archive, it was ludicrously time consuming. In the artwork, I've recreated all verifiable, visual information: publisher logos, record & CD spine album info, typefaces, multi-language packaging instructions. Comics are in individual plastic sleeves with their backing cards, and I've even included the product batch code on a small pot of lip balm...

    My illustration: close-ups of packaging instructions
    My illustration: close-ups of book spines
    My illustration: close-ups of CD spines and lip balm

    Richard_Littler OP ,
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    As far as I am aware, AI can't reproduce this level of factual detail.
    My drawing is also print-proof. If the smallest imagery and texts are to remain legible, the print would need to be a few 100 metres tall. Imagine the cost of ink cartridges.
    Just how small is some of the imagery/texts? Well, there is, for example, an image of my reflection in the lens of the camera...

    My illustration: close up on my reflection in the camera lens
    My illustration: wider shot of my camera on the shelf

    Richard_Littler OP ,
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    ...And on the spine of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, on the middle shelf, I have embedded the entire text of the novel...

    My illustration: close up of the book spine containing the complete text of The War of the Worlds
    My illustration: slightly wider shot of the book spine containing the complete text of The War of the Worlds

    Richard_Littler OP ,
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    Here's a quick, illustrative (silent) video. Apologies when it pixellates during one section - my graphics card was struggling!
    Also viewable on my site:
    https://www.richardlittler.com/post/ai-can-t-create-this

    short video showing close ups of my illustration

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    After god knows how many years of work, the people behind the 4K project have released the final installment. For those who don't know: a group of dedicated restorers, unhappy with the reworked Special Editions, hunted down, scanned and restored the original 35mm theatrical prints of the first Star Wars trilogy in Ultra High Definition. They're better than the official blurays. Incredible work, not only in terms of authentic content but even the picture quality is superior.

    Empire Strikes Back BBFC certificate
    Return of the Jedi BBFC certificate
    Screenshot comparison of Star Wars Bluray vs Project 4K

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    I can't resist picking up old Fabers if I come across them in secondhand shops, as I did today.

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    "Man [with the insights & emotional maturity of a below-average 9 year old; who was given far too much money by mummy & daddy; who thinks that liberals are witches who make foreigners in a magic cauldron] wants to put something in your brain [for the lolz when he's not funding risible rockets/cars]"

    https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-68137046

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    Religious people just came knocking which reminded me of when it last happened a few years ago.

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    I stumbled across this blue-tint-deteriorated photo of 52nd Street in New York in 1948 by William P. Gottlieb and thought that it deserved restoring. No colours added; they're all in the original photo.

    52nd Street jazz clubs signage: Club Carousel, 3 Deuces, etc, featuring Charlie Parker and others. Photo colour corrected

    Richard_Littler , to random
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    Well, it's not every day that, out of the blue, your heartrate goes through the roof and you end up on your back attached to an ECG with a needle in your arm. I'm fine now; it's as if nothing happened.
    But wtf.

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