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.

If the AI evangelists are right and AI replaces art for consumers, you might not have a way to make a living doing your writing in the future.

Would you still sit down and put words on the page anyway?

I will.

No AI company can take that away from me.

— Audrey Knox, 📝 Why I’m betting against AI

President Carter brokered peace in the Middle East by negotiating with leaders, one at a time. This is how sensitive, diplomatic relations are done.

Around 3 hours after shaking hands on the tarmac in Anchorage, AL, Presidents Trump and Putin are soon to address the world media. Live coverage here.

A company’s culture is a reflection of its external brand.

I believe it’s good to lead with creating a healthy company culture, and thinking about your marketing efforts from that foundation. I’m interested in bringing the two together (culture and brand), and suspect it’ll be a life-long journey.

I’ve spent several years on sales, marketing and community engagement.

When it comes to physical spaces (eg. a gym, sports club), slower, steady growth leads to healthier and more engaged community in the long run, vs social media virality.

We can focus on creating ripples, not engineering a storm.

Two fighters dying from brain injuries at a boxing event in Japan.

It’s a sad day for boxing and the families and loved ones of these men.

In all of these combat sports — whether you call them an ‘art’, the ‘sweet science’ or a ‘sport’, — athlete welfare simply has to be the highest priority. 🥊

I loved Freakier Friday.

Family, friendship, sisterhood, interweaving stories and so many hilarious moments.

You could tell Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis & co had a lot of fun making this.

Long live the chick flick. Something for all the family (all ages), especially for mums and daughters.

To save on taxi travel, there’s Uber Pool. You’ll share a ride with a passenger or two, or you might even get to travel alone - for less.

And you might get to meet someone interesting. After an event a few years ago, I shared a ride with Keith Idec, long-time boxing journalist and v. down-to-earth.

Jonathan Haidt has been studying social psychology for years (he was active in positive psychology back in 1999 during its infancy) and he has authored 4 books.

His peer, professor and author Kara Alaimo, writes that “social media is disproportionately hurting girls”. Her book is a much needed one.

I got on the wrong replacement bus this morning… the saving grace was driving past The Church Inn and seeing the outdoor stall being set up.

I also went past the below, what looks like an old converted building. There’s lots of history about if you look for it.

Oh, and the sun is out. Good times.

We’re living in an exciting time as entrepreneurs and creatives.

However, based on my own experience and that of others (for example, a friend of mine who is a stand-up comedian), it’s also an overwhelming time with so much online noise.

I’m thinking about how we can optimize results with balance.

“… studies have indicated that parental support can enhance or mediate athletes' self-esteem…

It has been argued that an individual’s perception of support, rather than simply the presence of support, that may have the great influence on wellbeing.”

— Developing and Supporting Athlete Wellbeing 📖

I’m encouraged to see the BBC focus on farmers and their plight. Not only is farming hard work, but Labour’s recent IHT changes have not been helpful to farmers. Folks are still complaining about Brexit but the fact is we will be much better off producing our own food – and helping our farmers! 🚜

30 years ago today, Jonathan Edwards broke the world record for the triple-jump and is surprised that it still stands:

“When you think of all the developments in sports science, nutrition, training methods… I don’t think it necessarily speaks to a really healthy and thriving sport, if I’m honest."

”Once you’re a Christian, you’ve accepted Christ as your saviour. You’re not gonna perish, but you’re gonna have everlasting life. That belief is pretty much the only thing that is real to me."

— Terry Gene Bollea, aka Hulk Hogan

A poster at a train station, spotted on the way into London today

Thanks to a social post by San Antonio Missions, I’ve learned that today is ‘World Ranger Day':

"…celebrated worldwide on July 31st to commemorate Rangers killed or injured in the line of duty and to celebrate the work Rangers do to protect the planet’s natural treasures and cultural heritage."

A tsunami warning is in effect for the Pacific and parts of the US after an 8.8 earthquake close to Russia.

“Any earthquake with a magnitude greater than 7.0 poses a tsunami risk even thousands of miles away from the epicenter”

— Dan DePodwin @ Accuweather.

More info. on this developing story here

”I define fundamentalism as a group of invariably male leaders who consider themselves superior to other believers… their beliefs are inherently correct… and anyone who disagrees with them are, first of all wrong, and second inferior, and in extreme cases even subhuman.”

— Jimmy Carter (2005)

“Our culture is constantly trying to fit you into its mold. When you have a confused and unclear identity and aren’t sure who you are, it makes you more vulnerable to the culture’s influence."

— Rick Warren

I previously used Podlink as a shortener/hub for my podcast episodes and I’m encouraged to discover that it’s been acquired from Spotify by its original founder and designer, Nathan Gathwright, who advocates for “open podcasting”.

He has shared this update on his blog: 📝 Podlink’s Next Chapter

As well being a day for Cowboy culture, today marks Carl Jung’s birthday; “his work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philosophy, psychology, and religious studies” (via wiki).

MBTI came from his work; the below is from 'The INFP Writer' 📖:

Today is National Day of the Cowboy 🤠🇺🇸

You can find out more here and here, and COTW’s words, below.

~

“In Wyoming, we commit to following the Cowboy Code: living a life of honesty, hard work, and integrity. The American cowboy symbolizes the spirit, values and traditions that we cherish most”

~

Should traffic wardens be paid on commission vs (purely) a salary? 🤔

I suppose it incentivises them to cover more ground (roads), faster. I also suppose it makes no difference if everyone follows the rules — and can keep track of them(!).

Lots of no-parking zones and speed cameras about these days.

Folks in the US: you might be able to see the ISS this evening, if the clouds are kind.

I would use a tool the ESA’s website as a kid to see when it would pass by our town.

The advice I recall being given was: “look out for a non-flashing object, moving faster than an aeroplane across the sky.”

I was in London today for History Lab, which I discovered after someone mentioned a different event they were going to at the Institute of Historical Research (IHR).

This part of London is a hive of academic activity, with UCL, Birkbeck and SOAS universities all yards from the University of London.

Reuters is reporting that Rwanda & the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in conflict since 2022, have signed a peace deal in the US 🙏

Edit: the above wiki page appears to have been updated to reflect the above:

”A peace agreement between Rwanda and the DRC was signed on 27 June 2025.”

RIP Bill Moyers, Press Secretary to President Lyndon B. Johnson. He started out as Senator (at the time) Johnson’s summer intern.

The rest, as they say, is history.

He won “many awards and honorary degrees for his investigative journalism and civic activities” ~ more here on his Wikipedia page.

I’ve recently been watching a film I’ve not seen in a while, Road to Perdition 🎥

It seems to get missed from the “great movies” lists and conversations; the cast is spectacular, not to mention its soundtrack. I think it’s a masterpiece.

~

”This is not our home anymore… it’s just an empty building”

With reports of recent Facebook group closures (nightmarish for many), my plea to any creative, freelancer or entrepreneur person is this:

~ have your content on your own website, with an email list

~ use platforms for distribution

aka:

be in control of the relationship you have with your audience

I’ve been watching Will Nigel Farage Be PM? Dispatches on Channel 4 this evening. 📺

A couple of points on Farage:

~ He has 1.3M Tiktok followers, more than all other MPs combined

~ When asked about ‘race-baiting’ as a tactic: “You can go through 25 years of (my) speeches, and you won’t find it”

A chance encounter (house-sitting a dog) led to my in the theater & movie scene in DFW, Texas.

Enter KD Conservatory. It felt special the night I arrived, & only more as I returned as a prospective student and met such beautiful staff.

With God’s grace, I’ll be back. A very special place 🫶

I was in central London this evening, supporting a long-time friend and her marketing meetup.

Market Halls in Oxford Street is somewhat of a hidden gem; good drinks, tasty food, lots of space, reasonable prices.

In the toilets, I came across a poster for Ask for Angela - such a brilliant idea. 💡🙏

In other news, today — Tuesday 24th June — is Midsummer Day for several countries.

Over to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, in existence since 1792 & the oldest continuously published periodical in North America, to share more with us:

📝 Midsummer Day 2025: Why (and How) is Midsummer Celebrated?

There are few men who would, being invited onto stage in a victory speech by the US President, put the focus back on said President.

That same speech, Dr. Ben Carson was mentioned; his book, referenced in this article (and below) is now on my reading list.

As per usual, this is steadily growing 🙃

”Issues? The local media are interested, all right, but the national news media have absolutely no interest in issues at all… What they’re looking for is a forty-seven-second argument between me & another candidate or something like that.”

President Jimmy Carter in a 1976 interview. 📖

Goodness me.

Somewhere along the line, some of us thought we could break into private property, damage equipment, then expect to get away with it with no consequences (?!) …

This group needs to find a different way to exercise their right to protest.

The RAF has protected British skies for over 100 years.

Does anyone have any recommended resources to help with mid-year / Q3 planning?

I’m keen to put some of these dreams into tangible goals as I think about life post-sabbatical.

Any and all suggestions are welcome… digital, paper, hybrid… I’m all ears (well, eyes) :)

Thank you!

I just searched ‘Juneteenth’ on the Discover tab on micro.blog, and I came across this gem of a post from @KimberlyHirsh, shared in 2024.

It’s helpful & encouraging to see a real-time repository of excellent, searchable content being produced on this platform — thx for this feature, team MB. 🙏

Midweek thoughts, partly inspired by a school-friend of mine who happens to be a comedian, Harry Pereira.

What actual purpose do voicenotes serve?

Calls for speaking to people. Texts/WhatsApps for short, sharp communication around said calls.

Casually questioning my whole digital existence here.

The play that might keep me in England.

I’ve not seen a production that’s spoken to me so profoundly — portraying the multi-generational experiences of a British-Punjabi family.

To Sathnam Sanghera, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Iqbal Khan, cast, crew, Lyric Theatre & all involved in this ~ THANK YOU.

Whilst reading Jimmy Carter: The Last Interview, I’ve learned a new word today:

Walking along the riverside path yesterday, I stopped by this rock.

The plaque revealed that it marks the boundary between the London Boroughs of Richmond-upon-Thames and Kingston-upon-Thames.

I’ve walked along this path for years… there.ms always something new to discover out there.

“The addiction to the approval of others that I had to dissolve, it was brutal.”

— Will Smith, in an interview 3 years on from that moment at the Oscars

Classic Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

A picture is worth a thousand words…

Wow. An emotional Kamaru Usman holding it together after an impressive win against the young, hungry and talented Buckley.

He gets the “monkey off his back”, and mentions his daughter, his family and his coaches in victory.

The Nigerian Nightmare is back — and the fire is very clearly still there.

After my last post about the Queen’s final , I’ve learned that 2025 is the first time women have competed there since 1972 — more than 50 years ago.

37-year old mother Tatjana Maria made history today. 🇩🇪🏆

I’ve long enjoyed women’s sport — this is why.

Two inspirational athletes, both smiling.

~

I’ve not been inclined to follow a news story minute-by-minute for awhile, but this Israel/Iran scenario is significant for us all.

In the interest of consuming as thorough & objective coverage as possible, I’ve been following the developing story this morning on Al Jazeera.

Again, please pray.

My body still being on US time, I have struggled to sleep this evening & have just seen news on Israel/Iran.

AP is reporting that air-raid sirens are ringing out in the Holy Land.

I will be praying deeply over the coming days for Israel, for peace, and for the safety of all in the Middle East 🙏

Spare a thought, better yet a prayer, for the man who the AP is reporting has survived.

If this is true, it is nothing short of a miracle that he continues to have a pulse after such a horrific incident.

Thoughts and prayers also for the lives that have been lost — as well as the families affected.

As I kicked back and watched one of my favourite shows on TV last night, I cast my mind towards the current administration in the US.

Where you and I might have our own concerns, we do not have the pressure of running a nation — unlike President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 🇺🇸🇬🇧

Dad, Mum & made it safely to Austin, TX. A couple of views from the ride, below.

It’s supposed to be hitting 40°C/100°F here… many folks have warned me about the tenacity of these Texan summers!

I’m just happy to be here with my parents, celebrating my Dad’s birthday. It means the world.

I’m doing some ‘tools’ admin this morning. I’ve been using Porkbun for email domains, which I came across through the realnice guys (Matt + Aaron).

I’m about to purchase Porkbun email hosting for $24 dollars, and Kit has a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers. I can’t really argue with that.

I spent an afternoon in Dallas with a friend, taking the TRE railway from Fort Worth Central to EBJ Union ~ two of the three busiest Amtrak stations in Texas.

We had tacos and strolled in the sunshine, before I got the train back and headed to Church, via Albertson’s supermarket. A nourishing day.

Keeping a watch on the tornado warnings here in North Texas, whilst watching Friends on DVD with a fun-sized screen, thanks to friends and neighbors here in Fort Worth.

R Men N of R… is a country song that expresses deep frustration with the struggles of the working class in the United States. The lyrics describe the hardships of working long hours for low pay, rising costs of living, and feeling left behind by politicians and the government

-via Perplexity