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RIP Jeffrey Archer
From an obit on the BBC website:
As many have observed, Jeffrey Archer, who has died aged 86, led a life as colourful as the plot in one of his novels.
He was, at one time or other, a senior Conservative politician, a best-selling author, a peer of the realm, and a convicted perjurer.
Possessed of huge drive, vast wealth and immense personal charm, Archer bounced back from disaster and, more than once, rebuilt a shattered life.
But for all his talents, he will be remembered as a man affected by a defective moral compass, whose public humiliation was entirely self-inflicted.
Few critics praised Archer's prose style, his sense of humour, or the emotional depth of his characters.
But none could match his talent for relentless, aspirational, rags-to-riches plots that, once started, could not be put down.
Lord Archer often appeared incapable of separating autobiographical fact from fantasy in his continuing drive for public recognition.
He died a wealthy man, albeit one whom very few trusted.
From an obit on the website of India’s The Statesman:
In his novels, the hero is usually wronged and then wins. In his own life, Archer often did the wronging. And yet he kept winning back an audience. That says something about him, and something about us.
RIP Singeetham Srinivasa Rao
A small sample of the man’s genius in the scenes that he visualised for his silent masterpiece.
Pushpak Vimana (1987)
—Love at a Funeral Viewing
—The Beggar — scenes compilation
RIP Eva Marie Saint
North By Northwest (1959)
—‘A nice face’
—‘A big girl’
On CBS Sunday Morning in 2014 (includes archival footage of her memorable Oscar acceptance)
Couch on wheels
From a post by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, North Carolina, following a traffic stop of two men ‘driving’ a couch atop two electric scooters:
Well, this was certainly a first... our EDU Officers encountered quite the situation this weekend when they stopped two gentlemen traveling down S. Tryon Street on a couch... Yes, an actual couch. We had questions too.
While we appreciate the creativity, we do have to remind everyone: no matter what you’re “driving” (using that term extremely loosely
), please think about safety first. Ask yourself: Should this be on a road… with actual cars… will the sheer shock of seeing this on the road cause other drivers to lose focus and drive unsafely? If the answer feels even slightly like ‘yes,’ maybe rethink the ride.
As a rule - probably best to leave the mobile furniture displays to IKEA.
Experience Your First Spray
A new spot for bidet brand Tushy portrays what the ‘first time’ might feel like.
Scam-pocalypse
From Australia: a new spot for Telstra has Steve Buscemi back as an alien warlord, looking ‘twice’ as ridiculous.
Urge to F***
From Argentina: condom brand Tulipán has a new campaign to counter an unexpected challenge —its customers are not having enough sex. As explained in a news release:
Tulipán, the condom brand that holds around 40% of the Argentine market, has spent 37 years persuading people to use protection. This week it admitted it has a different problem: its customers are not having sex.
The brand has marked Students' Day, the start of the Argentine spring and the busiest date in its calendar, by wiping its Instagram account, replacing its bio with the line “we don’t know what else to do to get you to have sex”, and issuing a public apology to younger Argentines. It then launched a fragrance.
‘The Urge to F***’ is the brand's first fragrance, created by Zurda, the independent Buenos Aires agency behind the campaign. It is real, it is on sale, and it comes with a product demonstration film that follows the conventions of every perfume advertisement ever made while describing none of the usual notes. A fictionalised documentary treats the whole thing with the seriousness of a public health emergency.
Driver crashes into store to use restroom
To quote from a police report out of Texas:
Suspect Intentionally Drives Through Grocery Store Entrance
On Sunday, September 27th, at approximately 0428, a known male individual intentionally accelerated into Kroger, causing extensive damage to the pharmacy entrance.
Further investigation revealed the driver needed to use the restroom and was upset the doors were locked.
I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go but we strongly advise finding a store open for business…to do your business.
Fax to get a fleece
I’ll let this post by Columbia Sportswear explain:
1991 was a big year. Gas was $1 a gallon, the Internet hadn’t yet been invented, and the Helvetia Fleece was created.
We’re celebrating 35 years of our iconic fleece by giving away 91 Helvetia Fleeces, the 90s way.
To enter, send us a fax.
No app. No QR code. No swipe-up.
Yes, an actual fax
Link to video with creator-influencer Kennedy Eurich
Woman’s forehead flesh bitten out in hate crime attack
To quote from a Seattle Police Department report:
The victim told police that she was walking to the convenience store at 3rd Avenue and Marion Street, near her work, when a random woman threw a food wrapper at her as she walked past. The victim asked the woman why she would do this and the woman yelled at her “You’re the inferior race” then called her a homophobic slur. The woman then stood up and spit on the victim before grabbing her and pulling her to the ground. While the two women were on the ground, the suspect sunk her teeth into the victim’s forehead and bit out a chunk of flesh about 1 inch in diameter, causing significant bleeding.
Officers who responded to the scene found a bloody sidewalk and a piece of the victim’s flesh that the suspect had spat into a grate.
Campaign for public rudeness... to prevent cyber scams
It’s a new campaign by Swedish police. To quote from one report:
Swedish celebrities will front a national campaign encouraging the public to exercise their rudeness in an effort to drive down rates of cyber scams.
According to Polisen, Sweden’s police authority, the country’s cybercriminals profited 5.7 billion SEK ($579.9 million USD) in 2025 alone, and their scams are especially successful when targeting the elderly.
“The message is simple: Dare to be rude – it could save you from being scammed,” said the Polisen this week, announcing a relaunch of the campaign with four new faces.
Actors Suzanne Reuter, Lennart Jähkel, and Christina Schollin are joined by journalist Claes Elfsberg in the public awareness campaign, which will run through October 11 across print media, social media, and television.
“I am part of the police campaign because it is a terrible crime that affects so many people,” said Reuter. “If I can use my voice to help someone not to be scammed, then I want to do it.
“Many of us are raised to always be polite and accommodating, and there are many in my generation. But today you have to dare to be a little more questioning. It's not rude – it's self-protection.”
Spider seeks ‘hot date’, gets one
To quote from a post on the subreddit r/Denver:
My beloved boy Asmodeus has reached adulthood. For those of you unfamiliar with tarantula biology, this means he will essentially stop eating/drinking & will devote all his energy to finding a lady tarantula to mate with. He will die in ~6-12 months. It’s breaking my heart to watch him ceaselessly wander, looking for love in a terrarium that definitely doesn’t have any sexy single lady spiders for him to woo.
The update:
I connected with a breeder at Wild West Inverts and will be taking Asmo to them this Thursday! He will get to know the lady tarantula & will hopefully return to me in a few weeks!! Local news (Denverite) has picked up the story & are doing an article that I’ll post once it’s out!
I’m absolutely blown away by all the kindness & support I’ve received for my little spider friend. They’re really misunderstood creatures & it’s really nice to see Denver being so lovely towards Asmo ❤️
Aldi has a wearable bag
Aldi UK is giving away a limited-edition jacket that can be quickly switched into a shopping bag. To quote from the offer webpage:
Ever wish your bag for life could do a little more? Hate the feeling of starting your weekly shop only to realise you’ve forgotten your shopping bag?
Aldi is putting a stylish spin on this everyday essential. Meet the limited-edition Swag For Life Jacket, and here’s your chance to win one!
Designed to be worn as a jacket and transformed into a reusable shopping bag, this clever creation is made for shoppers who like their fashion practical, their outfits unexpected and their weekly shop with a little added Aldi flair.
Whether you’re heading to the middle aisle or popping in for everyday essentials, the limited-edition Swag For Life Jacket is ready to go from outerwear to carry-all in seconds.
A sound system ‘to puncture your calloused soul’
That’s from a new spot for audio equipment firm Sonos.
Dyson’s $499 AI toothbrush with a camera
As summarised in the news release:
Dyson CameraJet™ technology
- Dyson CameraJet™uses imaging, machine learning and precision fluid dynamics to identify gaps between teeth and deliver a targeted precision jet.
- The 100k pixel micro camera works with light and camera strobing at 257Hz, just out of sequence with the brush head movement.
- The brush head moves nearly 1,000 times per second, supported by variable sonic, non-stall brushing technology.
- The dual brush head combines different bristle types to support surface cleaning and gentle gumline cleaning.
- Each brush head contains an RFID tag, enabling the product to recognise when a brush head is connected and alert users when it needs replacing.
- Dyson CameraJet™ is Wi-Fi connected at 2.4GHz, enabling users to watch as they brush through the MyDyson™ app.
Design and engineering
- Six years in development
- 661 Dyson engineers worked on Dyson CameraJet™.
- Dyson has filed 38 patents for Dyson CameraJet™.
- Dyson developed and validated proxy plaque in collaboration with the National University of Singapore.
- Dyson worked with 30 dental professionals globally during development
- Dyson CameraJet™ runs on 16 million lines of code.
- Over 470,000 dental images were collected in the development of the machine learning system.
Finland’s ‘overcrowded’ prison system
Excerpts from a report that Finland is considering sending prisoners abroad to ease overcrowding:
Justice Minister Leena Meri said the option requires further examination because transferring prisoners abroad raises constitutional questions over Finland’s responsibility for enforcing sentences imposed by its courts.
“I consider it important that, because of overcrowding in our prisons, we examine what such a model would require in practice from the perspective of our legislation,” Meri said at a press conference in Helsinki.
Finland has about 3,900 prisoners, according to figures from the Prison and Probation Service cited by the ministry. Around 950 are foreign nationals.
The number of foreign prisoners has risen by 76 per cent over the past decade. Their increase accounted for about four-fifths of the overall rise in Finland’s prison population during the same period.
Meet Asstra
A new spot for flushable wet wipes brand, Goodwipes, finds inspiration in the launch spot for OpenAI’s Astra, and laces it with irreverent humour.