2026-03-23 17:29:03
I have a dilemma;
I wholeheartedly object to companies scraping my website for content to train their generative engines.
I also firmly believe that, if a person wants to use a Large Language Model to synthesise my content, that's their right. Who am I to dictate how you "consume"1 it?
I write in a very particular style. It's full of idioms, slang, pop culture references, and long convoluted run-on sentences in places. I don't kid myself it's the easiest thing for everyone to read!
For some readers (perhaps you), this is the point. You understand the language and you nod at the pop culture. If you can stomach my blog, we'd probably get on in real life.
But if someone is a non-English speaker or has special educational needs or simply has different cultural references to me, I wouldn't blame them wanting to "translate" my writing. LLMs are good at this; they will explain all those obscure TV references, rephrase my most purple prose, and decode my likely out-of-date and/or misused slang and idioms.
I can have my writing translated but it's unlikely to be able to explain who Jade Goody is, for example. That requires an understanding of British culture from a certain point in time.
The value of LLMs in general is notoriously overinflated; half of the things promised will never happen but they can make the arduous task of reading interesting content from other cultures better.
And therein lies my problem, there's no real way to differentiate between an LLM stealing my words to sell them back to me and a dyslexic South American UX designer genuinely curious about my website.
The primary distinction between the two is intent; one is extractive and the other is accessibility, and I can't determine intent programmatically.
How might I go about preventing “scraping” but allowing “retrieving”?
My initial thought was to use referrers; crawlers all pretend to be Chrome on Windows but, if the referrer says "ChatGPT" that's almost certainly a human. It's not a magic wand or silver bullet, humans using APIs might have different referrers for example. Plus there's no surefire way to block crawlers effectively.
Do you have any thoughts? Do you have a solution‽ Get in touch by email, hit me up on the Socials™, or elsewhere online.
1: revolting term
2026-03-22 15:59:13
6:11am. The birds are having full blown conversations. The weather says Spring but the cold dew under my bare feet reminds me Winter is not that long ago. I pad back to the house to put shoes on leaving wet footprints on the flagstones.
| Common Name | Scientific Name |
|---|---|
| European Robin | Erithacus rubecula |
| Eurasian Blackbird | Turdus merula |
| Common Woodpigeon | Columba palumbus |
| Mistle Thrush | Turdus viscivorus |
| Eurasian Wren | Troglodytes troglodytes |
| Common Chiffchaff | Phylloscopus collybita |
| Greylag Goose | Anser anser |
| Carrion Crow | Corvus corone |
| Eurasian Blue Tit | Cyanistes caeruleus |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus |
| Song Thrush | Turdus philomelos |
| Rook | Corvus frugilegus |
| Common Pheasant | Phasianus colchicus |
| European Greenfinch | Chloris chloris |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | Dendrocopos major |
| Pied Wagtail/White Wagtail | Motacilla alba |
| Canada Goose | Branta canadensis |
| Eurasian Siskin | Spinus spinus |
| Goldcrest | Regulus regulus |
Some things cannot be avoided forever!
I saw the first bumblebee of the season, bumbling around the garden, interfering with the flowers, then trying to get into the conservatory. Fuzzy little freeloader.
I booked all my holidays for the 2026—2027 financial year. Booked them all in one go like a maniac. Given the level of pressure we are all under at the moment, it truly felt like an act of rebellion to claim time for myself.
Spent a big chunk of this week organising all of the recommendations we identified in our audit into working tickets. We're going to work lean and agile (with a little 'a') so we're a little sparse on detail at the moment but sessions are in early doors next week to flesh them out some.
Since the weather has taken a turn for the Summery. I've been forced to switch from whoopie beanie to fuzzy bucket-hat a little earlier than usual but it's doing wonders for my heating bill!
The spirit of a misplaced childhood is rising to speak his mind to this orphan of heartbreak, disillusioned and scarred — a refugee.
Marillion, "Pseudo-silk Kimono"
2026-03-21 17:26:18
Spoilers
Minor backstory spoilers in the first paragraph
Our heroine, Zélie, has suffered immensely; her mother is dead, killed by the tyrant king's soldiers for the crime of having magic, her father beaten for the crime of being married to her mother, and her own latent magic stripped away leaving only the characteristic white hair that marks her as "other" from the rest of the villagers.
But Zélie is powerful in other ways. Her determination, powered by rage, and her stick fighting abilities make her the ideal candidate to bring down the corrupt monarchy and restore peace to Orïsha.
Despite Adeyemi having said she was inspired by Harry Potter, this doesn't appear to have anything in common with Rowling's series.
It feels like it has more in common with Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games or Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen series. Strong female leads in epic fantasy with a dystopian authoritarian bent where emotion and the power of a woman are just as important as swords and sorcery.
We uncover the story through the eyes of three characters in largely alternating chapters which adds flavour to the narrative.
The plot isn't hugely original; a ragtag bunch of young misfits must have all their wits about them as they go on a magical quest to overthrow a tyrannical monarch, but Adeyemi steeps the whole world in West African culture.
Adeyemi explains in the Author's Note about the rage and the tears of helplessness she shed writing this love letter to Black culture as a direct response to anti-Black police brutality and the named victims behind the headlines.
This is where the magic lies, for me at least — a white British man; this is a familiar story in a completely new outfit. There's enough I recognise to not get lost but so much new that it feels like a completely fresh take on the genre.
Now to binge the other two books in the series!
2026-03-21 14:38:45
I didn't really follow Brendon's career post-Buffy but he made a lasting impact on me as Xander.
The role of the only non-magic member of the "Scooby Gang" allowed for some amazing storylines ably acted by a young man in an acclaimed breakthrough; from the hyena mind meld to abandoning his fiancée at the altar, complex narratives about belonging and outsiderness.
All cleverly written (usually the one magic person is the outsider!), what made them truly special was Brendon's approach. His goofy smile and sardonic phrasing were Xander.
RIP Nicholas Brendon (1971—2026)
2026-03-20 22:02:34
"Eurythmics meet Chappell Roan in a Big Top" is my pithy one-liner to describe Haute and Freddy, the LA clown duo making some amazingly nostalgic synth pop.
Their debut, "Big Disgrace", is an entire album of bangers from this Probably Sane Clown Posse; my only gripe being I wish some of the songs were longer so there was more to enjoy.
I am so happy that Mclusky are back! I honestly can't think of another band like them; chaotic post-punk indie grunge punk. New EP, "i sure am getting sick of this bowling alley", is six short tracks of lyrical genius underpinned by incredible use of noise and genre-fuck. If you need an introduction, "fan learning difficulties" should be your go-to.
Channelling Lana del Rey and Alannah Myles at the same time takes a level of skill that only Nessa Barrett could pull off without sounding derivative. "Moulin Rouge" from new EP "Jesus loves a primadonna" is down tempo, sparse, lush, and dark. Which is exactly how I like my pop music. Mad props for the Buffalo 66 reference!
LA emo band and hater of capital letters, never easy have dropped their Sophomore album, "i still care", consisting of 10 Deftones-flavoured tracks. That kind of whiny American emo singing grates after a while (personal opinion) but can't fault the tunes; the blend of shoegaze and metal and pop evokes a particular era of emo. If they ever release an instrumental version of this album it'll go on rotation but, as it is, I'll probably just listen to Deftones.
Any regular readers will know I'm a slut for female-vocal symphonic metal bands. You're probably also aware how much I love Eurovision. Well, thanks to Alexandra Căpitănescu I get both! Nothing stunningly original in the music for her 2026 entry, "Choke Me", but, by Jove, those Plava Laguna operatic fills breaking up her growl are 🔥! I'd love for this to win; let's find out this May! 😍😍😍
2026-03-20 16:39:06
I received some rare SPAM today offering web design services
Hello,
I noticed your website and thought a modern redesign could enhance its impact.
We focus on clean layouts, faster loading speed, and mobile-friendly designs.
Shall I share some samples?
Warm regards,
[REDACTED]
Nice try!
I have near perfect scores on PageSpeed Insights, my design is clean and minimal, my pages are static and lightweight, and the whole site is designed "mobile-first".
Perhaps I could offer you some advice?