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samradford.com
Husband, father, lover of #books, #writer, #tech geek, armchair sports fan, and #whisky enthusiast from Sheffield, UK. #Arsenal, #ArsenalWomen, and #LeicesterTigers fan. 🔗 samradford.com
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Imogen is 13!: https://samradford.com/2025/05/23/imogen-is.html

The pause between scrolls: https://samradford.com/2025/05/22/the-pause-between-scrolls.html

The loss of curiosity in pursuit of convenience: https://samradford.com/2025/05/21/the-loss-of-curiosity-in.html

Golden ages thrive on openness: https://samradford.com/2025/05/07/golden-ages-thrive-on-openness.html

“Mental Load – the Movie”: https://samradford.com/2025/05/03/mental-load-the-movie.html

Fabulous win for #ArsenalWomen! Champions League final here we come!!

Our cover this week.

My heart is not happy with me watching this #Arsenal game, but I’d have absolutely taken 0–0 at half time prior to kick off. Especially as we’ve look more like scoring (and should have scored that penalty).

People are saying #Arsenal should play it safe tonight, focus on protecting the 3–0 lead. That doesn’t sit right with me. We shouldn’t be careless, but our mindset should be to take this game by the jugular and kill it off. Go for it. Don’t invite them onto us by sitting back and playing safe.

🔗 Have we been thinking about ADHD all wrong? This is a long—very long!—article, but well worth the time.

Screen usage and back and neck pain: https://samradford.com/2025/04/13/screen-usage-and-back-and.html

“Trump’s latest approval rating dropped this week to just 43%.” What does it say about America that nearly half the country is still on board with him? After everything? I’m glad it’s dropping, but how is it still this high?!

Age and forgiveness: https://samradford.com/2025/04/03/164349.html

📚 I gave All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton a solid shot—made it about 30% through—but it’s just not clicking for me. No matter how much I try, I can’t seem to get into it, so I’m moving on to something that grabs me more!

Enjoying a relaxing spa day at Champneys Springs in Leicestershire with Rachel. Spent a blissful hour and a half making my way through FT Weekend—there’s still something uniquely satisfying about a leisurely newspaper read on a we... https://samradford.com/2025/03/08/enjoying-a-relaxing-spa-day.html

📚 Finished reading The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose last night. Very enjoyable! The socially awkward yet endearing main character works well. In the best sense of the word, it’s just a really nice book!

#Arsenal just not nearly threatening enough. Not enough guile. Not enough pace. Not enough potency. Disappointing. There’s reasons, but still…

Great to see that Apple’s AirPods Pro hearing aid feature is now available in the UK. 🔗 You can now use AirPods Pro as hearing aids in the UK

🏉 Didn’t really deserve that, and a really inconsistent, bitty performance, but not going to complain about finally beating Scotland again!

There’s a reason the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” has stood the test of time.

I am not sure what the “row“ is. This is basically Apple saying “screw you” to the UK government in response to their draconian, abhorrent request to undermine the privacy and security of millions of users. 🔗 Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row

📚 Currently reading: The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose. As with the first in this series, it’s an easy, comfortable read with just enough intrigue to keep me hooked.

⚽️ That was a tough game, but a fantastic win for #Arsenal! Who needs a striker when we’ve got Merino?! As for Sterling, it’s time to move on—sad to say, but he just can’t cut it at this level anymore. And Nwaneri… there aren’t enough superlatives. What a talent!

📚 Finished reading Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly late last night. As always with the Lincoln Lawyer series, it’s the perfect mix of the familiar and the unexpected that keeps me hooked. A gripping crime read—loved it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A deprivation of our inner world: https://samradford.com/2025/02/15/a-deprivation-of-our-inner.html

📚 Started reading The Great Search by John Philip Newell. Always appreciate Newell’s thoughts and insights. Looking forward to diving into his latest reflections.

⚽️ I don’t usually watch much football that doesn’t involve Arsenal, but I’ve got the Man City vs Real Madrid game on tonight. The best part? Both teams take throw-ins straight away! Wish Arsenal wouldn’t slow the game down so much.

📚 Switching gears! After the gentle-yet-gripping Intermezzo, I’m diving into Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly. Time for some classic crime, sharp twists, and a dose of legal drama—looking forward to seeing where this one takes me!

📚 I’ve finally finished reading Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. That it took me the best part of a month is no reflection of my enjoyment—quite the opposite. This is a novel to be savoured, and savour it I did. The richnes... https://samradford.com/2025/02/11/ive-finally-finished-reading-intermezzo.html

🏉 There’s plenty of positivity in the media and online after England’s win over France on Saturday—I share it! But if we don’t back it up with a win against Scotland, have we really progressed? That’s the key game that will show if we’ve truly turned a corner.

🏉 Finally! England win a close game against a top team! Could have been very different if France took some of their chances, but the way we hung in there meant we deserved things to go our way for once. Hope this turns a corner for this side.

A stark exposé in The Economist on the rise of online scams like “pig-butchering,” now rivaling the drug trade. None of us are safe. 🔗 The vast and sophisticated global enterprise that is Scam Inc

This is a dangerous overreach. And it isn’t just about criminals—it’s about everyone’s privacy and security. The fact that it’s happening behind closed doors, without public debate, makes it even worse. 🔗 Home Office orders Apple to let it snoop on encrypted files

Molly: https://samradford.com/2025/02/07/molly.html

💭 A great reminder from designer and community builder Eso Tolson: Our work isn’t just what we get paid for—it’s what we contribute to the world: "We think our “work" is the job we go to or the place we get a check from. No. Y... https://samradford.com/2025/02/07/a-great-reminder-from-designer.html

A good reminder from Jason Fried: "Be curious about what’s new, sure. That’s expected. But it’s more interesting to be curious about what’s old. What stood the test of time? What worked before and still works now? What survived th... https://samradford.com/2025/02/06/a-good-reminder-from-jason.html

⚽️ Gutted for #ArsenalWomen to lose right at the death tonight. Hard to argue that Man City didn’t deserve it, though. Apart from a questionable penalty, we never really looked like scoring.

Sad to see Dan Kelly leaving #LeicesterTigers. Hope the move to Munster helps him find his best form again. When he first broke through, I really thought he’d become an England regular, but injuries and form got in the way. Still time for him to shine! 🔗 Dan Kelly to depart Tigers at season’s end

I enjoyed Martin Robbin’s post on why we should probably stop following the news so closely: "Following all this [Trump} chaos is stressful and exhausting and feels largely pointless given that, again, if I had fallen into a bl... https://samradford.com/2025/02/05/i-enjoyed-martin-robbins-post.html

⚽️ Nice article by Tim Stillman providing an in-depth profile of Renée Slegers, detailing her journey from a small town in the Netherlands to becoming the head coach of #ArsenalWomen. 🔗 The making of Renee Slegers

My friend, Dean Sharp, shares another remarkable ‘closing thought’ on his radio show The House Whisperer. We can’t always control what life throws at us, but we can control who we become through it all. 🔗 It doesn’t get better, you get better

A great day for both the Arsenal men’s and women’s teams. Always satisfying to cut Man City down a notch… or five. Whatever happens this season, the emergence of Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly might just be the biggest takeaway.

Excellent piece from Matthew Syed in The Times today. He’s written extensively on aviation safety, so he knows his stuff. Trump’s handling of this week’s crash has alarming implications for all of us. 🔗 Trump’s scapegoating threatens the entire basis of aviation safety

Did well to salvage a losing bonus point. But why didn’t we play like we did in the last five minutes for the rest of that half? Our second half levels are consistently so poor.