Scrapbook

DD #374

The question isn’t whether AI will change us, but whether and how we’ll fight for any say in how.

Dense Discovery #374

St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul’s Cathedral rising above riverside buildings in London, with a sightseeing boat on the River Thames in the foreground under a cloudy sky.

St Paul's Cathedral from the Tate Modern. London, January 2026.

Drummers' Return

Abstract painting of four elongated figures seen from behind, each holding a round drum, painted in layered teal, blue, and muted pink tones against a textured turquoise background.

Drummers' Return (1983–99), Yusuf Grillo.
Oil paint on board. Tate Modern, London.

Colourful building in Islington

White brick building facade with colourful geometric mural shapes, two windows, and a pink gated doorway under a blue sky.

51.53790° N, 0.09884° W

Freewriting

In his last newsletter, Oliver Burkeman writes about the concept of freewriting. I've always found writing challenging because I tend to focus on the “perfect” output. For a while now, though, I’ve been journaling on paper, setting a timer and just letting my stream of consciousness go, without editing, until the time is up. This forces me to be less precious. And it helps me to release anxiety and find clarity when I feel stuck or confused.

Active rest

If we rest sooner, we notice that rest is more active. Rest then is going for a walk or spending some time with some friends. It's a different kind of rest because we've still got capacity to do something at all which we actually break completely when we [wait to the extremes until we rest]

Katherine May in Today in Focus: How to fall in love with winter

Dos cafés en València

Overhead view of two espresso cups on saucers with sugar packets on a brushed metal table, positioned diagonally with space between them.

Dos cafés en València.

Riviera Française

https://clementbenosa.squarespace.com

Lovely photography by Clément Benosa.

Tall pine tree overlooking a calm blue sea with yachts in the distance, framed by greenery and hazy mountains in soft sunlight.

Oliver Burkeman on human connection

…there’s a promising future for anyone willing to double down on the role of conscious human connection in their work. And even if I’m wrong in terms of earning a living – even if the AI Evangelist Podcast Men of early 2025 turn out to be right, and it’s all over for human creativity – I still think that anyone who proceeds on this assumption will experience a more meaningful and vibrant life, a life filled with more aliveness.

Oliver Burkeman, The Imperfectionist: Four thoughts about living in reality

Untitled (c. 1981), Emily Kam Kngwarray

Batik on silk by Emily Kam Kngwarray (c. 1981) showing stylised arlewatyerr (sand goannas), ankerr (emus), small insects, and their tracks, rendered in pale pink and white forms over a dense red and ochre patterned background.

Untitled (c. 1981), Emily Kam Kngwarray. Batik on silk. Tate Modern, London.

Small talk

This was the first in a series of conversational fly-swats that the pair of them did to each other. Someone would float a topic in the air that could open up at least five minutes of pleasant chit-chat, and the other would whack the plastic swatter over it, killing small-talk potential in seconds.

Dolly Alderton, Ghosts.

Primrose Street

A cyclist rides past red barriers blocking a footpath, with a “No entry – footpath closed, please use alternative route” sign in the foreground and a large building under construction behind green fencing.

Primrose Street.

Strike a Pose! 100 Years of the Photobooth

A row of six vintage Portuguese Photomaton photobooth tickets displayed on a wall, each with a portrait photograph and printed text. The tickets vary slightly in size, colour, and typography, ranging from beige, pink, green to brown tones. Each card advertises photobooth services, showing formal black-and-white headshots of men and women in mid-20th-century attire. The designs feature decorative borders, studio addresses in Porto and Lisbon, and information about photo enlargements, passport photos, and rapid processing times.

Pic from the exhibition Strike a Pose! 100 Years of the Photobooth at the Photographers Gallery in London.

Watercolor

Watercolour illustration of a person in profile with long, flowing hair. Their head is slightly tilted downward with a calm, introspective expression. The background features soft gradients of purple, blue, and pink, blending into the hair and face, giving the artwork a dreamy, ethereal atmosphere

Watercolor drawing. Thursday evening.

Paseo en bicicleta

https://etorrespatron.wixsite.com/esthertp

Beautiful collage by Esther TP. I discovered her in through the newsletter Collé.

A collage featuring a vintage black-and-white photograph of two people riding bicycles side by side through a park. The image is fragmented into vertical and horizontal strips, creating a disrupted, slightly misaligned effect. The riders wear casual clothing and headscarves, and the bicycles have bags attached to the back. Behind them, a landscape with trees and grass appears, while the top portion of the collage is overlaid with torn paper in muted pink tones, adding contrast and a textured, handmade feel. The artist’s name, “Esther TP,” appears in small text at the bottom left corner.

Today in Focus: ‘Enshittification’: how we got the internet no one asked for

There's a reason rich people want you to vote with your wallet. It's because they have thicker wallets than you do. Agonizing about your consumption choices is a waste of time. […] If you want to shop at your corner bookshop, I applaud you for doing so. And my book is available in finer bookshops everywhere. But don't kid yourself that that's going to deprive Jeff Bezos of his next penis-shaped rocket launch. These are systemic problems, not individual choices.

Corey Doctorow, interview on Today in Focus: ‘Enshittification’: how we got the internet no one asked for

Lemony Chickpea Soup

https://rainbowplantlife.com/lemony-chickpea-soup/#recipe

My new favourite soup ❤️

A large green pot filled with creamy chickpea and vegetable soup garnished with fresh dill, with a ladle resting inside.

Mikkeller Bar

Mikkeller Bar, London.

DD #364

In a recent opinion piece, [Louise Perry] describes our collective longing for community – specifically, the kind of village-style child-rearing we claim to want but rarely attempt to build. She argues that modern Western families have splintered into different locations, chasing careers and nuclear family dreams, leaving us spectacularly unprepared for the dependency that bookends human life.

Dense Discovery #364

Squirrel in Lewes

50.87060° N, 0.00780° E

Autumn leaves

Autumn leaves in Lewes.