Tl;dr - garden variety aspie goth-ish turbogeek seeks similar for Reddit or real-life poops and giggles. Really not looking for anything too specific other than some more e-friends (it's bloody impossible to make more at my age, and Covid killed my desire to go out to clubs and such – apart from those odd “Catty, aye?” moments, Glasgow goth kids will know what I mean).

To try something different, I'm not gonna write some big essay on myself (my profile should speak for itself, do feel free to e-spy on me and judge). Instead, here's some... let's call them talking points to spark a conversation (either from agreement, or "oh my god how can you say that").

What I miss most is actual engaging conversation people right now, so come praise/attack me for my views on any of the below. I just love to talk about everything and nothing. If I ever find something I don't have a divisive opinion on I'll let you know.

1. Irn Bru is the greatest soft drink known to man. I mean, it's just like... how do you even explain it to non-Scots? The only answer to "what does it taste like" is "like Irn Bru". It's an enigma.

2. Iain Banks is one of the best science fiction writers ever to put pen to paper. He creates epic 70's "space opera" settings that'd make Frank Herbert crap his pants. I've rarely read stuff by an author where I'm just like "damn, I feel like I know this guy". I wish he were still with us.

3. Being a civic nationalist and a socialist is not the same as being a National Socialist, and anyone who touts the "bUt ThE nAzIs WeRe SoCiAlIsT" line is either easily-led or a deliberate right-wing agitator.

4. Despite being largely whiny self-indulgent trash, 90's and 00's nu metal had a number of sparks of originality in shaking up the traditional rock/metal song form and bringing in new ideas that often get forgotten about.

5. Margaret Thatcher can burn in hell, but she made the right call over the Falklands and that war was the finest hour of the British armed forces. It was that one time (until Ukraine) that all the bollocks the government feed us about the military being the last-resort force that ride in and smash the bad guys was true.

6. Ukraine deserves and is going to win the current war. Any support of Russia is bootlicking for a fascist regime and there is no lower form of life than a bootlicker.

7. South Park is far more clever than it's critics give it credit for. For a start, the whole concept guarantees and infinite amount of material, and second, it's a great example of using hyperbole to create extreme situations that let you put your point across. The episode where Randy drops the N-bomb on Family Fortunes is still one I use to explain to people how appropriation of a dialogue works. Admittedly Parker and Stone are somewhat just born contrarians, but someone has to play Devil's Advocate.

8. "Woke" is just a new word for "having the mindset of a teenager who can only think in black and white solutions". My generation were the same and I'm sick of everyone acting like we don't all go through it. Any boomers who say different should be reminded of what life was really like in the 60s and 70s, especially if they're American and can recall the words Kent State Massacre.

9. Stephen King gets way more shit than he deserves. People forget sometimes he writes more to make a living than to produce a real literary work. If you think King isn't a "proper" writer, go read all the Dark Tower books and I assure you you'll change your mind on that.

10. Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty Four aren't big political statements, they're George Orwell processing his trauma from the Spanish Civil War sub-conflict between the CCP and the POUM (read Homage to Catalonia, you'll see), and giving that bastard Stalin the middle finger. If I could meet one person from history, it'd be him. I get how he thinks, the cynical bastard.

11. Chris Morris is the greatest living Englishman working in film and TV, and Limmy is his Scottish clone.

12. All human behaviour is about controlling a situation to feel secure. Non-constructive behaviour is basically someone saying they're freaking out about not being able to control the situation to a favourable outcome.

13. Brutal Doom is the greatest thing to ever happen to id Tech 1. It's like Doomguy and Ion Maiden had a baby then gave it to Lo Wang and Duke Nukem to raise (obvious gay dad couple). I don't buy the "Sarge Mk V is a racist" myth. He's certainly very crass, edgy and insensitive, but I don't smell the stink of a racist.

14. We'd have a lot less problems with pronouns if you made all gender-specific form inputs freetext rather than dropdowns.

15. Isn't it weird how the number three crops up in like, everything? Christian/Hindu/pagan trinities, pi, classic matter states, "start middle and end" in storytelling, traffic lights... almost like we're programmed for tertiary affinity, right? Reject binary, embrace tertiary.

16. All art is art for art's sake, but there are divisions of effort and technical complexity that should be respected when you badge yourself as an artist. Redefining the terms and shifting goalposts doesn't change that some people are just better at it, and that's okay. You don't have to be the best at everything.

17. Virtue signalling is the true definition of cultural appropriation. "Ooh what a nice protected characteristic, can I have some?". Call yourself an ally if you like, but did the people you're allying to actually ask for your opinion? Seek value in your own life, rather than living vicariously through others.

18. I would totally have vibed with Beethoven. You ever notice how most of his work is actually just simple elements laid in such a way as to appear complex? Master of using dischord too. Ma boi Luddy van B on fire with that Ode An Die Freude banger.

19. Making miscellaneous Youtube content when you're a jack of all trades creative is the best thing. You get to use audio, video, image and programming skills at once, an enginseer's dream. Mind you, I did say in 2005 re Youtube, "nah that'll never last, how would they make the money to offset the running costs?". Egg on my face.

20. People who fanboy over Erwin Rommel forget the key lesson of Erwin Rommel is that he lost. Great infantry officer but a shit general who got lucky for a while, and a hypocritical coward for not standing against Hitler with the July Plot.

Congratulations if you made it all the way to the end. The codeword is "Knightsbridge".

This post will now self-destruct.