Jas

I hadn’t realised it was ‘Groundhog Day’ on Monday until I spotted the movie on television, being played back-to-back on its own cable channel here.

Still a classic, feel-good film.

The answer to the AI-ification of everything is more meaningful human connection with one another, with tech merely as the enabler rather than the “answer”.

LIVE experiences. Film. Theatre. Music. Sport. Walks. Cafes. Pubs. Lunches. Dinners. Clubs. Games. Worship.

(A)live things are so much better!

“Younger consumers… are less likely to discover new artists compared to 25-34 year-olds… you might conclude young people just don’t care about music anymore. However, one unexpected source of music discovery is quietly booming among Gen Z listeners: college radio."

— via 📝 Emily White

Nick Park, creator of the iconic Wallace and Gromit episodes and films, says he fears losing “the human touch” in stop-motion animation.

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

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. 🥊

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.

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)

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.

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.

Today would have been Tim Bergling’s 36th birthday, though his legacy lives on through his music.

Get Tim’s story by watching Avicii: True Stories (2017) or Avicii: I’m Tim (2024) – or else by listening to his songs.

This, from his memorial concert, is one of my favourites; it’s worth watching.

Catching up on WSL highlights this evening and re-living record Arsenal signing Olivia Smith’s goal on BBC’s The Women’s Football Show.

The panel talked about a journal entry she made when she was younger; more in this written interview, published a year ago, whilst she was with Liverpool FC. ⚽️

Long queues before the start of the blockbuster US Open men’s final. Delays due to the arrival of the President. The players are currently due on court at 2.37pm NY / 7.37pm UK time.

Sinner vs Alcaraz, ranked #1 and #2, meeting in their 3rd Slam final.

I can’t see this not going to 4 or 5 sets.

🎾🏆

World number 1 Aryna Sabalenka ends her year with a Grand Slam, and deservedly so. Honest and graceful on-court interviews from both athletes.

Sabalenka, turning to and addressing Anisimova:

“I know how much it hurts… girl, you’re gonna enjoy it even more after these tough losses (when you win).”

This US Open final is going to be good.

Multi-time champion Sabalenka defending her title. Anisimova in her second Slam final; after losing to Swiatek at Wimbledon this year, she won the re-match in straight sets in the QF of this tournament.

Two special players competing for a special trophy. 🎾🏆

Wow. Erin Gruwell, and the book co-written with her students, both sound remarkable.

Writing journals became a solace for many of the students, and because the journals were shared anonymously, teenagers who once refused to speak to someone of a different race became like a family."

A note on a piece I shared recently.

“Team sports & live performances (playing, participating, watching) > social isolation”

It’s useful to think of every sport as a team sport.

In each case, a team around you is needed (eg. coaches, fellow athletes); it benefits both wellbeing and performance.

Is anyone taking part in NFL Fantasy Football? The season gets underway in a few hours with Cowboys vs Eagles 🏈

I’m supporting the Cowboys, inspired by the friendly Texans I watched The Super Bowl with. 🤠

Feel free to share your team / predictions / thoughts / picks, etc.

This newbie is all ears…

ADHD is… likely not one thing. It’s currently a useful label for multiple, interacting processes that vary from person to person… The explosion of theories isn’t a failure of science but a sign of a complicated, deeply human condition we’re still working to understand.

— via Dr. Anne-Laure Le Cunff

I’ve made a couple of amendments to the article I published yesterday titled How did we get here?, looking at the factors that have coalesced to contribute to the divides we are seeing today in the UK, USA and “the West” more broadly.

The decision to move was based on instinct, not reason. I had become bored of shouting into the void, knowing that I was simply providing fodder for a media class that had zero interest in presenting ‘both sides of the story’.

— Grace Blakeley, 📝 Why I Stopped Going On TV

As of September 1st, I’m taking a 3-month break from instagram and all apps that encourage mindless scrolling.

It’s difficult to derive a net-positive effect, or even a neutral effect(!!), from social media.

The research is catching up, but our brains need rest. You can’t beat life in the flesh.