A Christmas carol service in North London this evening. Classic carols, a sermon, and a medley of Christmas classics to finish.
This was the first Church I was a member of but I haven’t been to carols here for a few years.
The quality of performance and production seems to get better every time 🎸🎶
A brilliant conversation + Q&A at Cambridge’s E-Lab this evening, with Kevin McDonnell and Coco Newton.
Kevin is a healthtech founder and adviser, and Coco is doing research and work in the dementia space. More here.
I had some good conversations with other attendees, too. Lots of notes taken.
If you’re fascinated by space and lunar missions, my friend Jatan has been working in this area for years.
I learn something new every time I read his writing, especially when it comes to Indian Space — which continues to move along, fast.
Find him at: https://jatan.space/about and his blog here 🌙
“How to help left behind regions and workers” @ LSE this evening, with Gordon Hanson
A presentation on how automation, technological advances and hyper-globalisation have created ‘left-behind regions’ globally — and what the potential solutions might look like.
To date, Wikipedia is one of the best examples of mass, open-source collaboration and building trust at scale. Founder Jimmy Wales releases his book today.
I wonder whether something similar could be done with crowdsourced local news or student-run campus news.
The potential in this space is vast 🌐
British-born The Singh Twins have an exhibition on at Kew Gardens until April 2026.
They share cross-cultural perspectives of migration through immersive digital media — with lots of research behind it.
It’s an impressive example of blending art with history to tell nuanced and balanced stories.
An open-mic night in SE London this weekend.
The entire history and practice of modern medicine is built on the finding of patterns in data. Ever since Hippocrates founded his school of medicine… observation, experimentation and the analysis of data have been fundamental to the fight to keep us healthy.
— Hannah Fry (📖 Hello World)
And because we had laid the groundwork for respectful conversation through shared memories… No one had to agree, but everyone was able to share and be heard. That’s when I knew we were building something sturdy.
— Lola Harmon-Ramsey (📝 Creating Differences Across Discord in Newaygo County)
An extensive international study conducted by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), shows that “AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory”.
45% of answers had at least one significant issue; 20% had major accuracy issues. More on the study here.
Daniel Gilbert did a study where he asked people how happy they were before, during, and after a vacation. The happiest day? The day before the vacation. They were still at work but mentally already on the beach… Anticipation triggers real joy.
We know from other studies that depression is… plaguing our young…
The hollowing-out of high streets, the death of the local pub as a meeting place, even the demise of the faithful postie as a daily point of human contact is exacerbating the problem.
— Sonia Purnell (via Byline Times, October 2025)
On such fundamental subjects as human dignity, the common good… poverty, peace, work and the environment, Catholic social teaching offers the wisdom of faith informed by reason or, as it is sometimes described, reasoning within faith.
📖 Catholic Social Thought, the Market and Public Policy
So I applied my mind to understanding wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly, and I came to see that this too is a chasing of the wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation; the more knowledge, the more suffering.
— Ecclesiastes (REB translation)
“But we are not destined to live in a world where truth is no longer distinguishable from fiction… We must be vigilant in order to ensure that technology does not replace human beings…”
— Pope Leo XIV, speaking this week to media representatives on journalism, communication, AI & algorithms
I’ve not experienced a performance venue quite like this one; a beautiful and spacious building in the midst of the countryside.
I’d thoroughly recommend a visit to Snape Maltings, a place with lots of good things to do and see — the photo inside the Concert Hall, below, doesn’t do it justice.
Wind and solar undoubtedly have their part to play in helping our planet (see last post).
Another renewable source of energy, clean and very efficient, is nuclear energy.
Nuclear has enormous energetic potential, and projects like Sizewell can help create jobs and wealth for our communities.
The fall overall of fossil may be small, but it is significant. This is a turning point when we see emissions plateauing.
This is a big deal!
For the first time, renewable energies combined have generated more power than coal. There is more that could be done, but this is worth celebrating. 🌎🌊☀️
Social media was built on the romance of authenticity. Early platforms sold themselves as conduits for genuine connection… Contemporary social media content is more often rootless, detached from cultural memory, interpersonal exchange or shared conversation.
— 📝 The Last Days Of Social Media
Scallop, Aldeburgh Beach
In my wrestling and in my doubts
In my failures you won’t walk out
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
— 📹 ‘My Lighthouse’ by The Rend Collective, 14m views
TRC performed in a sold-out UK venue last month (Corn Exchange) and are currently touring North America.
Jimmy Lai, serial entrepreneur, pro-democracy champion and founder of the newspaper Apple Daily, was first arrested in 2020 and has spent more than 1700 days - most of that in solitary confinement - in a Hong Kong prison.
More on this story here, with a timeline of his trial here.
They’ve got catfish on the table
They’ve got gospel in the air
And Reverend Green be glad to see you
When you haven’t got a prayer
But, boy, you’ve got a prayer in Memphis
— 📹 ‘Walkin’ in Memphis‘ by Marc Cohn, 51m views
… programmes across the Surrey Hills are helping them (farmers) to diversify…
The SHCFl is one… example. Young people visit local farms to help herd cows, build pens, collect eggs and tag cattle, gaining hands-on experience while nurturing their mental wellbeing.
— via 🗞️ Richmond Magazine (Oct ‘25)