Well done UCL and Guardian.
Uncategorized
-
The crisis whisperer: how Adam Tooze makes sense of our bewildering age
The Guardian long read this week: Whether it’s the financial crash, the climate emergency or the breakdown of the international order, historian Adam Tooze has become the go-to guide to the radical new world we’ve entered.
Source: The crisis whisperer: how Adam Tooze makes sense of our bewildering age
-
Ryanair doesn’t want Starlink…
…and the camps are divided 😉 Informative bit on how Ryanair works. And how Musk may or may not get it. Wonder what the outcome will be in 5 years’ time?
-
There he goes!
It’s with a full heart and bittersweet emotions that I sent out my “so long, and thanks for all the fish” email today (if you know, you know). The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, and truthfully, it’s been hard not being able to share this transition the way I’d hoped—with the time, space, and words it deserves. But such is the nature of change—it rarely arrives on our terms.
If you received that message, please know it wasn’t just a formality. It was my way of saying thank you—for your presence, your support, your impact, big or small. You’ve been part of something that meant a lot to me, and that stays with me.
I’ll be sharing more soon—some overdue reflections, maybe a few stories. For now, I just hope we stay in touch. The door is always open, and the coffee’s always on (figuratively… or literally, if you’re nearby).
-
The horse and rider
Lovely little illustration on how best to approach seemingly invincible habits. From Unwinding Anxiety by Dr Judd Brewer.
There’s a relief on the Parthenon in Greece — one of these ones I think he’s referring to — from like 450AD or something, a very very old relief that depicts a horse and a rider, and the horse denotes our passions, cravings, desires, urges; the rider resembles our reason and willpower, and appears to be taming this horse. Well, ‘appears to’…
The problem is that our willpower is rooted in our relatively young orbital-frontal cortex (OFC. Like Colonel Sanders but not.) and is an easy pushover when presented with choice, especially if the habit is well-rooted and your behaviour is conditioned to follow the path of least resistance. Some good research is being done the past few decades with the help of fMRI and other sorcery about how this OFC part just plainly goes offline if the going gets tough, read about it in the book (Chapter 5 I think).
The better way of approaching habits, and by extension, addictions, would be to think of the horse-rider interaction as more of a dance. If you’re outgunned by a beast use your head and make the relationship work to your advantage.
More about it in the book, or have a glimpse of what Dr Judd talks about in podcasts like this one.
-
Illusionaries | Experiential Art Hub
Running through March ’25, Canary Wharf. Let’s go!
Welcome to Illusionaries, a captivating experiential art hub nestled in London’s vibrant core, where contemporary digital art breaks new ground. Immerse yourself in a realm where the lines between reality and illusion fade as light, sound, and motion unite to create an awe-inspiring spectacle.
-
War
War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography — oft mis-attributed to Mark Twain.
-
Rembrandt’s Amsterdam – walking the Amstel River 750 years after the city’s birth
To celebrate this significant milestone, our writer follows the flow of the artist’s inspiration, taking in sights that would have been familiar to the Old Master (Source: Rembrandt’s Amsterdam – walking the Amstel River 750 years after the city’s birth)
It’s Amsterdam’s 750th birthday in October wow! Let’s go celebrate! 🎉👏👏
21 June, maybe? Because…
ON THE RING!
The A10, Amsterdam’s highway ring, where thousands of cars pass every day, where thousands of Amsterdammers cross the city. On their way to work, to school, and back home. For one day only, it is the place where Amsterdammers come together to celebrate the 750th anniversary of the city. To have fun, to meet old friends and new faces, to experience exciting adventures and make new memories. For one day only, nobody cares whether you live ‘Inside the Ring’ or ‘Outside the Ring’. We will all be ‘On the Ring’.