Recently updated blogs

“Swedenborg’s visions were not events imposed upon him by some outside agency. They were the agency that he had always, from the beginning, solicited with his eyes wide open.”—Iain Sinclair ... The post SWEDENBORG’S LUSTHUS first appeared on Iain Sinclair.

Sometimes, I’ve just felt a meeting or pitch slipping away from me. In desperation, I start to thrash around for a way out – throwing new ideas or angles into the conversation, trying to dig my way out of the hole in the hope that something – anything – lands and gives me firm ground […]

Short post for you all today. Notes on Lancelot (T.H. White) Fifteen Questions and Ten Principles (Dieter Rams) 128 Things about the City (Edwin Heathcote) What Every Kid Should Be Able to Do by Age Sixteen (Audrey Sutherland) The Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowlege (Borges) The Catalogue of Ships (Homer) 250 Things an Architect Should Know (Michael Sorkin) Reading lists. Bibliographies and syllabi in general Joan Didion’s packing list Vignelli’s …

Kamakura, where I lived from 2020 to 2024, is a beautiful coastal town less than an hour south of Tokyo. Its temples, gardens, and beaches attract tourists from across Japan and the world, but what became evident even in the short time there is that development is concreting over much of the green space that makes it so attractive. Source This is not a new phenomenon; a substantial reduction in …

I tried some absolutely outstanding ice cream yesterday that reminded me of yet another reason I feel lucky to be part of Generation X: We are living in the golden age of ice cream. In the 1970s, we had a few basic flavors to choose from: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, chocolate chip, mint chocolate chip, and rocky road. There were a few shops like Baskin Robbins that marketed some scary stuff …

I can't remember how I first came across these near-ultrasonic 'beacons' ubiquitous in PA systems. I might have been scrolling through the audio spectrum while waiting for the underground train; or it might have been the screeching 'tinnitus-like' sensation I would often get near the loudspeakers at a local shopping centre. Whatever the case, I learned that they are called pilot tones. Many multi-loudspeaker PA systems (like the Zenitel VPA …

I haven’t posted over here for ages. It’s a drizzly day here on the coast of Maine, so it seems like the perfect time to get caught up. You might know that I have two blogs now. This one, where I’ve always wanted to show and share my process; and the newer blog over at Holdfastbespoke.com, where I try to be more “professional”. Sadly, this one has suffered, as I’ve …

Often when we are researching new tours, an unexpected nugget of information will pop up its head. Michael Duncan had just such an experience while researching his new walking tour Aldwych – before and beyond. You can join Michael for his tour in 16th June at 10.30 am, booking details are here. When I was researching my new walk exploring the Aldwych, I came across a long lost London drink …

I was driving to Birmingham - that’s Birmingham in the middle of England, not in Alabama. I stopped for a rest, got some bad coffee, clicked up Facebook on my phone. A post from Lindsay Hutton: RIP Scott Cornish. My first thought was that this was not possible, but that was wrong, because with Scott anything was possible. I was swept up in a jumble of thoughts and emotions. One …

All I’m doing is waiting for the sky to fallThat’s all I gotThe only reason at allAll I’m doing is waiting for the highest tideI know what’s waiting for meOn the other sideIf I remember it right we kissed Before you said goodbye If I remember it wrong, wellWho’s gonna call me a liar?Do you remember the night We passed out on the basement floor?Do you remember the hell We …

[Taken From Tunwéya‘s notebooks:] The time we spent in the Modron outpost has proven extremely valuable, and – while I still need to review some of the information provided by The Historian in order to bring it up to something like publication standard, I think it is fair to say that the expedition was ultimately a success. (Memo: rather pleasant to be able to say something has been a success …

This zine is for anyone interested in 'love tokens', both historic and contemporary, and capital as theoretical subjects. The author uses key cultural studies critique from political and psychoanalytical theories in order to analyse and compare the two subjects.Both these theories cover, amongst many other things, the way objects are fetishised and hence how they are removed from their ‘true’ origins. Here the author looks at desire (sex/romance) and capitalism …

I had a teacher in high school who’s biggest pet peeve was the phrase ‘first annual’, because, she said, if it was the first, then there was no way for it to be annual. An annual event, in her mind, was something that happened over and over again, every year. So first annual was something of an oxymoron. That said, I’m not sure she was right. It’s not wrong to …

As leadership, Q+A serves several important functions. The first, obviously, is to answer questions people have. No matter how well we communicate (and let’s be honest, how well do we really communicate?) there will always be questions that haven’t been addressed. Often there are questions you never even imagined. Q+A is an escape hatch as a leader for not being perfect. The second is to cultivate a culture of engagement. …

In my last post, I debunked the myth of the "reserve pool" of British workers. In this post, I discuss three more labour force myths that refuse to die: the myth of the "tide of unskilled immigration"the myth of the falling participation rate, and the myth of the "workless yoof". There's also an update about my charity walk in the Lake District last Saturday, and a couple of pics. Read …