So I’m going to preface with the fact that I don’t hate Christmas. I thought I did for a long time but forced to actually stop and consider it, that’s not an accurate statement.

However, I do object to a lot of how Christmas is portrayed and celebrated now (UK if that make a difference)

• it’s a family affair: every TV program, every billboard, every commercial on the radio is telling you that this is a family occasion, a coming together. For those of us that are divorced or otherwise alone, it’s a really fucking lonely time of year precisely because you’re effectively being told from all angles that if you’re not at the centre of a massive family celebration, you’re a sad loser

• too long: it’s one day, maybe one week if you can extend it all. For this we have to have 3 months of build up? It’s too much, builds all the stress and makes the actual day unlikely to live up to the hype

• Music: saccharine Christmas music from November onwards. I have a playlist of music that I can stand and I listen to it occasionally (I’m listening to it now). So sorry to anyone working in retail who has to listen to it on repeat

• competitive: did you have the most lights? Most people round? Fanciest meal? Tell us all about it. Please, call in to the radio because we really care

• unchanging tradition: people who have to have it exactly as it was when they were young and force everyone else to conform to that singular vision

So over the last couple of years I’ve had time and space to focus on what do I want it to be and I’ve decided that for me Christmas is about: light and warmth and love.

I don’t need anything else but pretty lights to look at, a warm house and the love of my family and friends. I now see Christmas cards as a little present, a bundle of love. I send them with a message because I’m saying that I love you with each one.

I’ve told my boys they don’t need to buy me anything, just their presence is all I need to make me happy.

I make sure to focus on seeing my friends and making sure they know that I appreciate them.

This has all helped massively. I still get the lonely feeling - tonight I’ll be by myself on Christmas Eve and that’s hard, but I can concentrate on what it means to me and that helps loads.

Hans, are we the baddies?

I think you’re still missing the point but I’m going to assume that it’s intentional now.

It’s been real, chatting with you. Have a good life.

I’m not using the same fuel as other vehicles? Isn’t that kind of the point?

Look, in the end, the tax regime is there to encourage and discourage behaviour in line with overarching government strategy. If the strategy is to stop burning stuff, that should be encouraged and enforced through multiple channels including taxation.

We already pay vehicle tax, same as all other vehicles? If it’s about taxing vehicles per road mile, let’s do that for everyone.

But let’s also put in place an overall tax regime which contributes to the strategic goal of carbon reduction, a multi-faceted aim.

Well, the oil and gas subsidies to private companies that are making record profits currently stands at 18bn, so that makes a big impact in your figure.

I suppose the other thing I’d ask is how much you think climate change is going to cost the UK on an annual basis in pure economic terms

Strategy: let’s stop burning oil which the planet can not afford

Things that support strategy:

• end oil and gas company subsidies
• don’t drill for more oil or start fracking
• invest in and promote public transport
• promote EVs for personal transport

You see how this goes? We decide on the macro level aims and then come up with a range of policies which support those goals

Same here

It’s a really interesting point and I hadn’t thought about street parking as an uncosted benefit before. I suppose the suburban semi with a drive also has street parking, which means that they get the benefit too, it’s a public good, but they’re only using it for visitors or n+1 cars. No easy solution for that.

The key point I was making though, before we get too distracted by the parking argument, is that for those of us driving electric without home charging it’s already very expensive and it would be nice to rebalance that if we’re going to move to per mile road pricing.

It is also strange to move just one vehicle fuel type to per mile taxation, rather than all of them.

I’m in a first floor flat, I park on the road outside. On street parking would be sensible but as you say, not mandated at present.

I’m not sure where you’re based, but here in the UK about 60% of urban homes don’t have off-street parking - much of our housing infrastructure was built before cars were a thing.

The complaint is that without off street parking, there is nowhere to put an EV charger, so you have to use public charging infrastructure. Public charging has higher costs, by about 6x.

If the government really had an aim to reduce UK carbon emission, which is its stated position, then encouraging use of public transport and electric transport would be a strategic choice which this new road tax and the increased tax levels for public charging don’t seem to support.

There are many ways in which this could be resolved, none of which are being pursued by this government.

For those of us who can’t charge at home, who are already paying sky high rates for electricity, this is just another kicking on top of the kicking that we’re already getting for the crime of not having big enough houses for charging ports.

Another short-term, non-strategic, ill thought through policy. Yay.

I’ve just started into a pixel art journey for a game I’m making, currently using LibreSprite. This looks like it’s going to be that on steroids, am I right? I’m guessing that what I lose in simplicity I gain in toolset power?

What kind of psycho would run it along the diagonals?

If this is good it could be very very good

I wonder which was which

Porns

Why is it not symmetrical though?

It’s really odd because quite often his artwork gets protected with perspex by the council because it’s iconic. I wonder what’s different here.

Got to rule 14 but Malaysia as the country made it impossible to get the Roman numerals to multiply to 35