Week Notes // 25th September 2023
Reading (Watching, Listening)
Enjoying Naomi Klein’s Doppelganger. It raises interesting questions about the splintering nature of online content and community as well as the question of identity in an environment fueled by ‘surveillance capitalism’.
Started listening to Adam Morgan’s new podcast on the topic of ‘Interesting’. Some neat concepts for anyone involved in the business of influence, either personally (for presentations for example) or professionally (recommending how our clients communicate their products).
The Ryder Cup. Saturday was thrilling, with everything set up for an even more thrilling Sunday. Europe has a serious advantage, but with US gaining momentum late on Saturday I think there is a amazing day of sport to come.
Doing
Spent twenty four hours in Dublin for work, having never been before. Reminded of the fact that James Joyce envisaged Ulysses as a route to rebuilding the city should it ever disappear. Interesting conversation with Taxi driver who described the effect on the city of big tech and how the right-sizing that many of the these organisations are currently undergoing is impacting the local community - the bars, the shops, the restaurants, the taxi drivers and the property prices. This in the same week Meta pays £149m to exit London property.
Ate lunch at 64 goodge Street, the new restaurant from the people behind Clipstone, Portland and Quality Chop House. As good as you’d imagine. Simple, focussed menu. Good wine list, which wasn’t quite as french as I’d imagined it might be
Played Golf badly. But better than last week. Not practicing enough at the moment and need to lower expectations, especially when it comes to competitions where the course is set up at it’s most difficult. The game that felt remarkably easy this summer is not feeling quite so easy now.
Introduced my son to Monopoly. Amazing how he’s willing to actively engage in reading, arithmetic and logic (negotiation, strategy and planning) when contextualised within the environment of a game rather than the context of ‘homework’.
Working
Week mainly occupied by presentation in Dublin on Thursday.
Reminded of the impact and effectiveness of ‘long-media’ ideas. Not the most radical idea by any stretch, but always enjoy Burberry’s long term holding of Outdoor sites within Heathrow’s luggage reclaim hall. Such a simple idea, but a powerful one. The first thing you see on arriving in London. On coming home. Every single time.
