John

Wordle 1,586 4/6* ⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛ ⬛⬛⬛🟩🟩 🟩⬛🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 22 October, 2025 (yes. I walked a few kilometres with my nephew and other than slight disappointment there were no Halloween Discovery Days, or maybe one had to ask, at at the library, it was pretty successful dar away from nonsense on YouTube. We went to the park, through a spooky graveyard, he had a book voucher, and £5 spending money he could spend on whatever he wants. He bought some Halloween fake crime scene tape (£1.49 Pound Stretcher), a water puzzlle (£1 TG Jones), a small wind up duck toy with magnets (50p Ukraine charity shop Royal Victoria Place - turned out to be a pretty well made Chinese toy), and an plushy infinity cube baby toy (50p Refugease charity shop for refugees St John's road). People are generally very nice. The lady in the Imago charity shop gave him a Drumstick sweet, although he did ask her, politely, why they were there, the man in TG Jones was nice and the nice lady in the Refugease charity shop on St John's road explained to him what the coins are because, basically, at 6 he doesn't know because his world otherwise works on ApplePay. I think the reason he ended up with change is because he has other stuff and relatives and others buying him sweets and crap most of the time. I think if he had less already he'd have blown the £5 on crap. Like the criticisms of the marshmallow test. The infinity cube is a few years to young for him but he is fascinated by them because I have one with the world and geographic information on it. His new one had symbols and he can pull it around more to examine how it works. £6.99 of book voucher went on the on Bunny Vs Monkey the Gigantic Joke Fight, which he can read quite well but insists on reading with his mum. Which is pretty funny.) "Private investigator losing 50 from roulette spin" (9) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 2 under the community par (32,238 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com/ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehpd2TuSJCQ

Wordle 1,585 3/6* ⬛🟨⬛🟨🟨 🟨⬛🟩🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 21 October, 2025 (a dog nearly ate my comment. I'm fine, just a little busy today. I got a counterfeit product off Amazon yesterday which I think is a vulnerability of the way they handle third party sellers. Then bought exactly the same product from Sainsbury's for £2.50 more and it wasn't counterfeit. UNO Show Them No Mercy which is a game my youngest nephew had been playing with a childminder and he's quite fond of playing. Basically anything to show him there are better options than watching shit, and I use that word correctly, on YouTube. I think he'll basically be alright because he's got parental and loco parentis supervision most of the time, but he's six. He will rapidly grow out of it. But most of the current batch of people making videos aimed at children would not cause a disruption to the timeline if they ceased to exist. I think like my counterfeit cards and a third party seller YouTube have deferred their responsibility for the content. It's not violent, or breaking any of the rules directly, it's just maximally designed to get the maximum attention and commercial exploitation of small children or the vulnerable. The values it promotes are cargo cult like. One of the better ones, inasmuch as I don't think it'll directly lead to physical harm or psychological injury, is 'Doktor Light' from Stuttgart whose videos are dubbed in English via AI. He watched that yesterday. If you want to get with the zeitgeist. I'd encourage everyone to watch. I'm fairly sure in a year or two my nephew will be bored of such things and watching whatever AI slop has replaced The Sidemen. He is supervised. Many kids will not be. And don't get me started on how bad YouTube shorts are. A kid these days needs critical thinking skils like road safety skills*.) "So... Paul's loosely related to his wife?" (7) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 1 under the community par (32,770 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com/ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=G2swvJAAfKk * Or, the equally disturbing series of public information films when I was a kid: https://youtu.be/KryOYburlFI Except about potential child catchers and general fuckwittery of people with no educational experience or training given free reign to commercially and psychologically exploit children and the vulnerable on YouTube.

Wordle 1,584 5/6* (difficult one but also unlucky inasmuch as I could have tried 5 on 4) ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛ ⬛⬛🟨🟨⬛ 🟩🟩⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 20 October, 2025 (got this one straight away-ish but it's a good clue. A somewhat interesting day. I had a whole thing typed out about Oasis but I've deleted it because it was snide.) "Uproar from little brother texting you "LOL"" (8) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 3 under the community par (30,795 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=81d9ulPttIg

parklife

Wordle 1,583 4/6* ⬛🟨⬛⬛🟨 🟨🟨🟨⬛⬛ 🟨🟨⬛🟨⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 19 October, 2025 (yeah. It's one of those days where I seem unable to write something on the spur of the moment because the things I want to write about are complicated enough to require more diligence than tapping a phone thinking about a delicious breakfast. So I think I'll just write what I was thinking about and let other people think about it, should they choose. What, artistically speaking, separates concept from pretension and is an unpretentious artistic concept one that is generally regarded as successful and the pinnacle of concept one that is praxis without a conscious theory? It's those two, I think, historically, that last, at the centre or at the fringes.) "Tender letters shared by pub maid and boyfriend?" (3) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 1 under the community par (33,420 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com/ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=a19ZdtPgnSc

Wordle 1,582 5/6* (🤷‍♂️ an occasion where changing starting word continuously let me down. The most common letters, in English words, are something like etaoinshrdlu so I try to get as many of those per guess informed by previous answers and intuition about the choice of words. That's breaking down a bit now they're using up common words.) ⬛🟨🟨⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛🟨🟨 🟨🟨⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 18 October, 2025 (took me a little while, I think lots of people got it faster than me. I was watching Celebrity Traitors on the BBC last night - it's basically a reworking of the Moscow University game of Werewolf (or Mafia) with reality TV twists. Which makes it sound basic, which it isn't and it's a good show, with all of the caveats that apply to any TV with a semblance of reality against the need of narrative form. In Mafia, or Werewolf, or Traitors there is an informed minority of traitors (or mafioso or werewolves) whom know who the the other traitors are and the rest are uninformed. The informed minority keeps their roles secret from the uninformed minority, in the case of Traitors called 'the faithful' or in mafia/werewolf villagers. There are two phases, at night, in game time, a member of the informed minority can kill a member of the uninformed majority. During the day, in game time, the uninformed majority can vote, and discuss among themselves, on eliminating a suspect. Naturally the informed minority can sabotage discussions but also risk becoming suspects by doing so. As a general observation I think the Faithful, or villagers, seem to spend too much time on epistemological questions of how they know something versus ontological questions of what there is to know. My strategy, and TV is different so I can't really say what my strategy would be if I was under those pressures, as both a villager and a Traitor/Werewolf would be to eliminate randomly and I'd let other people know that. As knowledge of the threats (to me from the Traitors/werewolves or villagers) accrues I'd switch to choosing and back without saying (fellow Traitors would think it's their choice rather than me not objecting). The people nominated unfairly don't matter if I'm a Traitor or Werewolf and categorically it's nothing personal if I nominated them as a villager/Faithful (it could be, because I hadn't told them I switched from random nomination). Any plan needs to be adaptable in light of new information. Maybe watching people reinvent logical positivism wouldn't make for good TV and people's pattern seeking and projections of their narrative onto things is a modern TV parable of why and how things go wrong for villagers tactically. Plus maybe it'd just be a good way of getting myself eliminated by villagers. Maybe I'd have to act dumber to blend in, which is a lot of TV TBF. Real life is not a game. Not checked for grammar or spelling because of breakfast being more important to me.) "Close messy garden shed outside" (4) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 1 under the community par (29,415 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com/ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=qTrmyoc_lAw

Wordle 1,581 3/6* ⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛ ⬛⬛🟨🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 17 October, 2025 (enjoyable clue. I had a dream last night about middle-aged gigging, which is a growth industry because of demographic and cultural shifts, and it was pretty much the same as teenaged gigging but more boring, there were babysitting arrangements and an even greater emphasis on cosplay. What distinguishes cosplay from fashion is that fashion is now. There can be retro fashions but the fashion is that it's rearranged for now. I don't think I'd like to dress like any of the fashions from my youth. I think if I went to see any of the bands I liked in my youth I'd dress uncle casual - expensive enough to last but tolerable of wear because it's comfortable. Gigging in the middle ages was a whole different thing and shouldn't be confused with middle aged giggling because despite Oasis' ticket prices, and in the spirit of fairness - inflationary effects/interest/Noel's house parties/Liam's collection of fancy Warhammer themed wooden kitchenware etc, you will get mocked by geography teachers with Paul Weller haircuts for wearing a chaperon.) "Seizes £1million" (8) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 3 under the community par (30,440 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com/ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wn8-OMlPhY

My current Gnome desktop background that I made. I didn't design the logo but I took the picture and used several feathered layers to lighten the borders so the logo popped, then, IIRC, some vignetting to make it look natural. Soon to be replaced because I like designing my desktop backrounds. That is a great, relatively inexpensive, small DAB+/FM radio. The clock is badgering me to update it.

Wordle 1,580 3/6* ⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛ ⬛🟩⬛🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 16 October, 2025 (I found this clue really difficult. I dipped in and out of it for about half an hour. I would have been much faster with a clue or letter filled in. I think I have problems when there are multiple things that could reasonably be interpreted as indicators. Totally fair, and well designed clue, so I'm not griping. The problem, in this case, is me.) "“Heads, Shoulders, Knees & Toes” wraps up one little performance" (4) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 1 under the community par (40,465 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=AqS6Ijl6EPw

(although the answer for most people is Ubuntu or Fedora & Fedora spins. I mostly run Fedora Silverblue and it's derivatives. In many situations I'd be better off with vanilla Fedora for tinkering, or even Arch.) For older computers: https://www.bodhilinux.com/

Really depends on the distro, use case and how technical the user is. I'm not up to date with what's what, but Bodhi Linux used to be the most friendly for users with old kit. AntiX for more technical users and I used to use OpenBSD on older gear but that required far more mucking about than most users would be comfortable with (and didn't run Rust at the time) plus *BSDs CPU ticks were not efficient power savers for an old laptop. For most users, who aren't compiling, rendering or other CPU intensive task a ten year old laptop with a decent CPU and 16GB+ memory beats a newer laptop with 8GB because that seems to be well utilised by Linux now. Although I don't know Mac well at all. I am well out of date on such things so OP is likely a safer bet than my 2p on it. nostr:nevent1qqswx7t8dfhzfyur9n539hum7c0mkktyrxgllpavuv2awydkdwrr6pspzpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezumt0d5hsygzxpsj7dqha57pjk5k37gkn6g4nzakewtmqmnwryyhd3jfwlpgxtspsgqqqqqqsqfugy6

Wordle 1,579 4/6* ⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛ 🟨⬛⬛🟨⬛ 🟩⬛⬛⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 15 October, 2025 (I kept thinking this was a double definition and then got it but thought of a funnier answer. The thing about politics is one is forced to take sides. I fundamentally believe most politics is an abstraction from the underlying mechanics of an evolved local and global system of rules, structures, money and power that exhibit some degree of self similarity but there is no plan, no overall control, and as a result it is necessarily simplified because otherwise nothing could get done. The plus side of voting for people dealing with that underlying complexity is that we can essentially vote on the basis of vibes in the form of values. When there is a significant gap between the vibes or values of politics and what is actually happening people lose faith. The gap between what was promised from Brexit and what was delivered is as big as the gap on what was promised on immigration and what was delivered. In reality leaving the EU had significantly complicated effects which are going to take decades to work out. Immigration is among the main reason we're not suffering a massive skills gap, precipitous birthrate decline, and even lower growth - the small boats and inevitable, and frankly occasional, wronguns are being used on the basis of vibes. Politics is not being honest about the complexities and is falling back on all of the familiar tropes. Essentially they're for Good Things and against Bad Things tailored to whatever particular vibes appeal to whichever group appeals to them. I'm going to vote for whoever and you should vote for whoever too. There is no Gordian Knot and Brexit has significantly fucked the prices of some things. Not checked for typos or spelling - I'm not a politician and I'm in a bad mood.) "Volatile element or source of vitamin C?" (5,4) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 2 under the community par (37,040 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com/ https://youtu.be/aeF1ZvA2IEQ

Wordle 1,578 3/6* 🟩🟩🟨⬛⬛ 🟩🟩⬛🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 14 October, 2025 (Good clue. ) "Townswomen wanting directions turned up for debate" (4) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 2 under the community par (36,050 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com/ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=T-P5obF8v4s

Wordle 1,577 3/6* ⬛🟨🟩🟨🟨 ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 13 October, 2025 (yep. There was an interesting, ish, logic puzzle on crotkid whom I follow on Instagram. I'd recommended critkid for parents and parent adjacent people like teachers. It goes "There are three crates, one with apples, one with oranges and one with both apples and oranges mixed. Each crate is closed. They were labeled with one of three labels: "Apples", "Oranges", or "Apples and Oranges", but a prankster came and switched all the labels. Now every crate is incorrectly labe led. How could you pick just one fruit from one crate to figure out what's in each crate?" It relies on a literal reading and the assumption there must be an answer. if every label has been switched each box no longer has the correct labels, so the box labelled A&O must now be A OR O. The puzzle can be answered by checking the crate labeled A&O . If the crate labelled A&O contains O, then the crate labelled O must contain A. The crate labelled O must contain A because every crate is incorrectly labelled. If, when checked, the crate labellef A&O contained A the crate labelled A must contain O - because the box labelled O can't contain O. There are only three boxes and three types of things in those boxes. The key with those kinds of puzzles, the drill, is a literal reading and asking oneself what information is in the question. I'm terrible at them and have to try‡, but occasionally scrape by because I know there must be an answer. I could be wrong my eyes are bleary. I haven't checked for typos or logic. Good morning. Follow critkid*. AFAIC the correct answer to a lot of puzzles is swearing.) "Crew from vet centre follows possum without hesitation" (5) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 1 under the community par (34,290 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com/ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=K4sBWNkrmBw * https://critikid.com/ ‡ https://youtu.be/NxEuAM-d9hY

Wordle 1,576 5/6* ⬛⬛⬛🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛🟩🟩 ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 12 October, 2025 (one of those clues where it is easiest to us their interface to solve it. Yesterday I had to take a nephew to a Saturday, basically recreational, lesson and thought I'd use it as an excuse to sit and read. Which I did, successfully for 45 minutes and 60 pages. There is something about being forced into to sitting down with few distractions and a book. It's why I always take one to anywhere I'm being forced to waiit. They're a good do not disturb notice too. When put and about I've very occasionally heard teenagers and young people play music on their phone in public. Having once being a teenager I can tolerate it a bit. Like low level anti-social behaviour. Yesterday I observed, or rather heard, a grown up playing what sounded like a reasonable thriller as an audiobook. My guess is that they left headphones at home and were stuck in the same situation - waiting. I was squatting on a low step outside a 1950s church like an east Asian reading a book and I'd guess they thought they had it low enough I couldn't hear and they were inside. Or maybe they wanted attention. The equivalent of someone saying "hey, that music's really cool and I think you're really cool too" or "peng, six seven, you like books by Manning Hoobs, we're Audible roadmen bro". Also, in the one place in town people have hung St George flags someone, or some people, have climbed up and stenciled "welcome" on them. I'm not sure that makes them more, or less, potentially threatening. And in some ways it shouldn't be threatening - traditionally the Stars and Stripes, even the Swedish or Danish flags, haven't been associated with nationalism and beating up foreigners and hurting foreigner adjacent people and hate/fear.) "Antique rocking chair in empty attic" (7) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 1 under the community par (27,603 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com/ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=XPIUkDhPRMc

Wordle 1,575 3/6* ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 11 October, 2025 (I found this one difficuilt and I'm in a hurry because I've got to take a kid to a class. Song unrelated to the clue.) "Brunette’s first two AirPods Pro lost in hair, possibly?" (6) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 2 under the community par (31,903 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com/ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=EFiyIrWj9i0&si

Wordle 1,574 3/6* ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟩 🟩⬛⬛🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 10 October, 2025 (a bit tricky. Took a little bit of a risk because I woke at about 5 unable to sleep and although this didn't take me longer than a couple of minutes there was a chance it would if I didn't use hints. Song barely related because at this moment it takes me about three or four minutes to write any kind of accompanying comment and upwards of ten minutes to think of a track that abuts it. I'd genuinely be faster writing a musical accompaniment but am limited somewhat by my voice being in the octave that tells people to fuck off from the top of a beanstalk. And the worst thing about being up this time of morning, in the absence of anything personal, even worse than suppressing all of the "I should check that and whatabouts and remembers" is that it is too early to eat breakfast and not an appropriate time for caffeine or a filler snack. It's the hinterland. There are people waiting at the train station and preparing for their day, and, potentially, in a grimmer situation and that deserves recognition. Many of whom have also had breakfast.) "Critic rewound stream featuring female, sheepishly?" (8) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 3 under the community par (16,910 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com/ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=-J1SBKQjOfA

Wringer.

Wordle 1,573 3/6* ⬛⬛🟩⬛⬛ ⬛🟨🟩⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 9 October, 2025 (Song unrelated. My brain is divided between Tinder matches and breakfast. I think I'm going to be courteous, because it's a weird enough thing as it is, anything online, like verbal and pictorial holographic projections of aspects of our souls. It's hard to put oneself out there. Dad's been, mostly, smoke for nearly a year, my head is together, even if I feel like I've been through a ringer physically today, time to get back into the world. I am basically a loser. Of sorts. So the only way is up. Or sideways. And preferably not down, outside of certain circumstances. I'll be fine after some stretching.) "Me? Doing bad, kind of blue" (6) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 1 under the community par (36,370 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com/ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=pn_iptcWGUI

Wordle 1,572 5/6* (very mildly.) ⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛ ⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html Minute Cryptic - 8 October, 2025 (I got this by guessing then got it got it. I hear people my age go on about how much worse they feel than when they were younger and it has never rung true for me because I had bouts of severe juvenile arthritis and continuing bouts of spondyloarthritis. So I've generally felt about the same or better most of the time. Or, at least I have worse reference points to how bad one can feel, or something like that. I think going on a skateboard would probably not be a good idea without practice and I definitely get fatter quicker. However there is an accumulation of grief dreams. When one has a dream about someone or someplace that directly or indirectly isn't there any more. I had three last night - dad, Peter the mechanic visiting and realising dad wasn't there to talk to him, one of two gramdads being a bit mad but in a nostalgic way, and a deaf great aunt, at a house that had been demolished in a town where my family no longer lives and I'd now visit as a tourist not a guest, all made cameos. On the other hand, I am still amused by someone having "Send flowers over dick pics anyday!" in their Tinder about info, last night, because I thought about the types of flowers that could cover genitals and the logistics of taking the selfie*. What a wonderful age of technology.) "Spain's and France's and Italy's earliest hairy humanoid" (4) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 2 under the community par (34,120 solvers so far). https://www.minutecryptic.com/ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Np_NsRgb4Eg * for reference I wouldn't do this for fear of them turning up at a later date on a website for, the albeit probably tiny, community of women with a fetish for flowers over dick pics. Plus solicited dick pics are less foul than unsolicited ones but also a bit of a red flag. I don't think the flowers over dick pics were solicited. I could send a picture of Morrissey but that's maybe a niche joke.