With their tanks and their bombs and their bombs and their guns In your head, in your head, they are cryin'.
📹 ‘Zombie’, 1.7bn views
~
Written by the lead singer of The Cranberries, Dolores O’Riordan, about the young victims of a bombing in England during the Troubles in Northern Ireland — via wiki
“You have to talk, you have to tactically be right, go and revive people when they get killed and it was a massive part of our success”
~
Wayne Rooney says Manchester United’s success during his playing days was down to the communication they built up playing video games on the team bus – via BBC
There is an episode of The Office where Jim “pranks” Dwight by throwing a snowball at him, and Dwight retaliates (several times) over the course of the episode.
This reminds a lot of current political divides.
Meanness being countered with meanness. It’s unpleasant for all. There are no winners.
As Chamath Palihapitiya, a former Facebook executive, said in a 2016 interview… ‘The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops we’ve created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth’
— 📖 Understanding Social Media (2nd edition, 2019)
Someone told me about Suno earlier and, wow, this is a game-changer.
Create a song with as little as a prompt, or add your own lyrics and let Suno do the rest.
This is a great example of the power of how AI/tech can be used to aid creativity.
PS. There will never be a replacement for live music. 🎸🎶
I’m fortunate to have met many Christians, each carrying their own stories.
This week I’ve attended Catholic Mass, witnessed a presentation by a Pastor friend planting a church overseas, spent time with someone from a Pentecostal church, and someone from a Ukrainian church plant.
It’s been good. 🙏✝️
I had an interesting conversation today; I am realising that it is an untruth to make generalisations about any group of people.
Whether it’s an age demographic, an ethnic group, or a migrant population, we can’t make generalisations — tech/algorithm bubbles have encouraged this, to our detriment.
Costco isn’t doing anything to make me feel less excited about Christmas ❄️
In 2007… Susan Greenberg gave the name slow journalism to describe storytelling that gives equal value to narrative craft and factual discovery, taking “time to find things out, notice stories that others miss, and communicate it all to the highest standards”. // via wiki
A comprehensive analysis of OpenAI’s users has found that women comprise 52% of its user population, in comparison to its early days when ~80% of its users were men.
E-sports is also experiencing a growth in female participation; this article suggests women make up ~1/3 of viewers (per 2024 data).
I’ve been sellin' my soul, workin' all day
Overtime hours for bullsh-t pay
So I can sit out here and waste my life away
Drag back home and drown my troubles away
It’s a damn shame what the world’s gotten to
For people like me and people like you
— 📹 Rich Men North of Richmond (200M+ views)
Ricky Hatton’s passing is cause to, again, ask why? He’s been described as the most-loved boxer in this country, ever.
Ricky’s a big reason my interest in boxing and UFC started; a student at the time, I was glued to the Mayweather v Hatton storyline and devoured the 24/7 HBO series.
Gone too soon.
Computer games… are a defining technology of the contemporary digital confirmation age.
… In many respects, these computer-based entertainments represent a point of generational division between those brought up in recent media contexts… and those who are older.
— 📖 Gameplay Mode
Terence Crawford… wow.
Years ago, Mayweather had given Canelo his only defeat. Crawford stepped up in two weight classes for this fight, on a big Mexican fight weekend, and did it comfortably. Many commentators think the scores were even wider.
The world has watched a man from Omaha make history. 🥊
Sarah Mak is a narrative designer and writer based in Singapore who has won awards for her work.
One of her interactive fiction games, To Be You, is a first-person experience that allows you to engage with and understand others whose beliefs are likely different to yours. What a brilliant idea! 👏
We’re putting our time, energy and resources into space and planetary exploration, which is fascinating.
But we also ought to look closer to home. 🌍
The diminishment of our ability to understand others’ perspectives, within our homes and our communities, is one of the biggest issues of our time.
Here’s something I wrote when I was in Year 8 in England (equivalent to 7th grade).
More on 9/11’s anniversary here
~
“It’s one of those things where any kind of grief, I don’t think it ever goes away. Finding the joy in that grief, I think, has been a huge part of my growth with this."
Some statistics on gun violence in the US…
– 128 people die from gun violence every day
– 39% increase in gun deaths between 2014 and 2023
– firearms are the leading cause of death for ages 1 to 19
– annual estimated cost: $280 billion (incl. medical care, criminal justice, long-term trauma)
I’ve just been on a co-working call and found out that 31-year-old Charlie Kirk, political commentator, has been shot at a rally in Utah. AP, CNN and others are reporting that he is dead.
This is a sad day for us all, no matter who you are and what you believe in.
How on earth did we get here?
WSL enthusiasts, I recently stumbled across WSL Analytics – offering rich analysis, insights and visuals on the Women’s Super League, eg:
📝 WSL 2025–26 Matchweek 1 Recap
I’ve not come across anything quite like this for the women’s game in England. It’s great to see more of this stuff emerging. ⚽
In a move welcomed by the Office for Students (OfS) a UK “super-university” is to be created “under the proposed name of London and South East University Group”, the BBC has learned.
~40% of the English universities are thought to be in debt, according to the latest OfS report; some analysis here.
I just needed time alone with my own thoughts, Got treasures in my mind, but couldn’t open up my own vault.
My childlike creativity, purity, and honesty, Is honestly being crowded by these grown thoughts.
Reality is catching up with me, Taking my inner child…
— “Power”, Kanye West (2010)
Notes from a project I was working on in Mexico City earlier in the year
Reflecting on this article, I’m questioning how useful the terms “left” and “right” are.
They lack crucial nuance, and so have lost their usefulness in 1) our conversations and, 2) our analysis/understanding of voting demographics.
In other words, they have become (too) broad, generic and divisive.
📹 BJK on meeting Leah Williamson in 2023:
"…you can tell she’s a leader… she was smart enough to understand that the more you know about history, the more you know about yourself.
But, more importantly, it helps you shape the future… I read everything on tennis I could read, and it helped me lead"