Freelance journalist | tech & media trainer | Chair, NUJ Paris Branch | Montpellier | Find me on Bluesky as alidabbs

Montpellier, France
Joined May 2010
To avoid my tweets being deleted, I shall not write a single word about Elon Musk.
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The video interviews that we run in 'Reporting from Paris' magazine are also available as audio podcasts. You can play them in Substack, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Overcast and probably elsewhere too. Here's our latest on Spotify. open.spotify.com/episode/5UT…
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Tech-dictatorial dystopia isn’t as interesting as I had hoped. This week's 'Autosave is for Wimps' features a sperm cosplayer, smashing up a printer with a baseball bat, writhing robo-Maria (in colour!), and Ultra Vomit at this year's HellFest. autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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It is most gratifying to learn that 'Autosave is for Wimps' is 29th in Substack's Rising Best Sellers list in France this week. And it's not even in French (well, *most* of it isn't). autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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If British actor and TV presenter Mark Curry was subject to an attempt on his life by an unidentified ne’er-do-well, you would regret that night you staggered out of a pub in Castleford and tweeted to the world: “I COULD MURDER A CURRY”. autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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I am accompanying a colleague at a mandatory training session for which even a 6-year-old would be overqualified. But I promised to be there as a human witness to his attendance, “just in case”. In case of what? Ah, now that would be telling. autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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After-work drinks at the Domaine de la Tour in Montpellier with le Club de la Presse Occitanie. National trade unions for journalists are important, and so are local press clubs! @londonpressclub
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Apps that ask if you are still alive are all the rage. And now my team-leader has got in on the act, sending notifications to check whether or not we’ve dropped dead at our desks or just having “a slow day”. [Con in 60 Seconds] autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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In 2008, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi called for Switzerland to be abolished. In 2025, Elon Musk called for Europe to be abolished. [Autosave is for Wimps] featuring an AI that reckons weather forecasts are woke. autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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Paranoid? Moi? Or should I say: “Moi, toi et eux if they happen to be listening?” [Con in 60 Seconds] autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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I have just read some posts here on Twitter, for the first time in ages. Fucking hell, what a shit-hole of pea-brains.
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Aircon controls make no sense whatsoever. The button icons and handset LCD interface were designed by a maniac. Everybody else in the meeting room has already had a go before you turned up, and they all failed. Now it’s your turn... [Con in 60 Seconds] autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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You have to hand it to these junk mailers: they know how to grab your attention. Especially the sphincter-loosening devil doll who springs from your computer display as effectively as Sadako from a Japanese television. autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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The latest on the Angoulême Comics Festival shitstorm, explained in detail by comics journalist Dean Simons. Les dernières nouvelles sur la polémique autour du Festival International de la BD d'Angoulême, expliqué en détail par le journaliste Dean Simons. comicsbeat.com/angouleme-202…
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There’s nothing a South Korean football fan loves more than to dress up in full England national kit, head to Sangam stadium and chant: “Ingerland, Ingerlaaaaand…” FREE POST from [Autosave is for Wimps] featuring five David Beckham haircuts. autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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A few years ago while visiting St Albans cathedral, I took a couple of photos of St Albans' shrine and added a GPS co-ordinate for the precise location to Google Maps. This evening, Google emailed me to say it had attracted half a million views. maps.app.goo.gl/fp5fQrezyBDw…
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"When the AI gets embarrassed by gaps in its knowledge, it bullshits. It does it not to deceive but to win your acceptance. And what harm is there in a little embellishment? Look at your own LinkedIn profile, for example." [Con in 60 Seconds] autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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Wednesday's FREE post from [Autosave is for Wimps] featuring the least scary mask you will see this Halloween plus a swimsuit model on a rug. autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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"At our coworking place there's an ancient PC that nobody else will touch, let alone try to install anything clever on it. It’s my favourite PC. To my horror, tech support has just upgraded it to Windows 11..." Audio fun with [Con in 60 Seconds] autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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"While we’re looking at his face… why is that all the weirdos portrayed in Korean spam are westerners? Almost certainly Americans? (Don’t bother, I think I’ve answered my own question.)" Free Korean Spam on Wednesdays! autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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Mme D has one of those fitness apps that switches into nag-nag-nag mode. “Keep it up!” it tells her. “You’ve reached your sixty-second goal!” – which makes no sense as Mme D doesn’t play football. [Autosave is for Wimps] featuring Wolf Alice. autosaveisforwimps.substack.…
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