Ed Hosey

Exiled Scot, Temporary Man of Kent.

[Pulp Librarian @PulpLibrarian]

The Machine Stops is a short story by E.M. Forster from 1909, voted one of the best short stories in science fiction.

It describes a world where humans live in isolation underground in identical pods, communicating with each other through an early internet, fearful of travelling any distance.

All the needs of the people are met by a giant machine. Over time they begin to worship it as God, forgetting it was built by people. Direct experiences of the world are shunned by the subterraneans as unnecessary and dangerous. Instead they use social media to communicate and to experience life, never leaving their solitary cell-like rooms.

The story focuses on two characters, Vashti and her son Kuno, who live on opposite sides of the world. Vashti is happy with her contemplative life and her virtual communications with others. However her son Kuno rebels and travels to the forbidden surface to see people living there in the wild. The Machine threatens Kuno with homelessness for his actions, but later he is moved closer to his mother where he prophesises the end of their world: "The machine... stops."

And then, of course, it does.

One of the few filmed versions of Forster's story was made in 1966 for Out Of The Unknown, the BBC2 science fiction anthology series. It was extremely challenging to produce, requiring a number of complex sets as well as a working monorail. However the result was intriguing: a futurism that also harked back to the Edwardian period - a fitting motif for Forster’s tale.

[Muriel Gray @ArtyBagger]

Small note re this Times review today. Eriska is not ‘private’. There are no private islands, or beaches in Scotland. If you follow the country side code you can go where you like.

[Lost Glasgow @LostGlasgow]

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose...

A Sunday Post article, from April 1975, bemoaning the state of Sauchiehall Street.

[Gina Miller @thatginamiller]

If you haven't listened to this incredible man that called @ShelaghFogarty @LBC - LISTEN!

The best call I've heard in years - every word a gem. Britian's real heart and soul, and what he says about his children.... felt so proud that I live in the same country as this man

[Ed Hosey @EdwardHosey]

@real_shirelass This is shocking. Another example of how the poor the BBC have become. I’m ashamed.

[Bill Cruickshank @BjCruickshank]

Can any British nationalist tell me how this is 'failure'?

[Keith Burge @carryonkeith]

There now follows an Election Broadcast on behalf of the Conservative Party.

[Ed Hosey @EdwardHosey]

@JaneyGodley Bad Company

[Andrew Neil @afneil]

The Spectator’s new digital cover. Brilliant.

[The Rest Is Politics @RestIsPolitics]

🗣️ @RoryStewartUK : "Have you got any idea why he (Sunak) is doing this?"

Rory's former colleagues are speculating as to why an election has been called....

[Ed Hosey @EdwardHosey]

@RestIsPolitics @RoryStewartUK Not a Tory, but I think someone might have seen President Bartlett’s announcement that he was running for re-election and advised that, that’s how it’s done. Only thing missing was Mark Knopfler playing in the background.

That’s how you do it in the rain.

[donald friel @cnocfola]

The debt of gratitude we owe to to Prof. Jason Leitch is being traduced by other leaches in the Scottish media. On behalf of my family, @jasonleitch my sincere thanks for your prodigious efforts during a most difficult time. We all of us should say thank you to this good man.

[Escape Velocity.you can't stop it.. @albageekgirl]

@paulhutcheon You really are a poor excuse of a man Paul..hang your head in shame...

[Ed Hosey @EdwardHosey]

Just unpleasant.

[MSM Monitor @msm_monitor]

Circulation figures going the same way as the journalism ... down the drain.

[Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal]

This video is heartbreaking for me.

And what makes it crazier is the reason WHY the US is airdropping aid.

Have you asked yourself why don't they just send aid through trucks as usual?

Israel, which is heavily funded by the US, is limiting aid and blocking access to a lot of it.

How does this make sense?

[Ed Hosey @EdwardHosey]

@BBCScotlandNews Oh that’s a surprise

[Jim Hamilton @jimhamilton4]

I mean, Holy Sh!t.

[Jim @lanpark98]

Oh dear Dougie
@Douglas4Moray

[The National @ScotNational]

🔴A charity boss has schooled a Tory MSP on minimum unit pricing

🗣️: “I think you’re possibly the only person in the room... who doesn’t believe the evidence”

[Mhairi Hunter 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 @MhairiHunter]

The quarter of Scots who believe devolution has been bad for Scotland are all on twitter.