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🌸 Here comes the sun. Our Spring 2026 newsletter is out, with focus on inspirations: the books we read, places we travelled to and podcasts to guide us. Who's afraid of AI? It's triggered the renaissance of handcraft and experience economy.

🫖 A cup of tea, amazing football teams, summertime tennis, Pantone 186 C Red and raincoat weather. Which country is this? Please answer in comment below. See what we do. 👨‍🎓 alohaglue.com/case-studies

In today's interconnected world, a country's image can shape its prosperity. Nation branding is a strategic process that helps countries manage their reputation and attract tourists, investors and talent. How does your country stand out? #NationBranding #GlobalReputation #Investment

Read about the pop culture hotspots we visited in London, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo. 📕 The Yin to tech’s Yang: AI fuels the renaissance of handcraft and experience economy. By @zarinaholmes.bsky.social storyofbooks.co.uk/2026/02/04/t...

Lo-fi in Tokyo 👾 The New Year through a different lens. I traversed the streets of Tokyo with a compact, no-label toy camera with limited settings and an obvious lens distortion. I've never been happier. 📝https://zarinaholmes.com/2026/01/19/lo-fi-in-tokyo/ #zarinaholmesphotography #tokyo

📝Fast forward to 2025; post-Brexit, post-Covid and in the middle of the AI era, I dug through my hard drive for the RAW images. In 2013, I’d used a lower spec camera for casual outings and an older version of Photoshop, so I wasn’t able to edit the badly exposed photos easily.

I edited unpublished Winter Wonderland photos with the help AI-assisted software. Back when I photographed them, the imaging technology wasn't good enough to fix badly exposed photos. However, I'm keeping the happy accidents and out-of-focus shots for the warm memory. 📷 London, UK.

I’m hearing from photography colleagues beautiful memories and anecdotes about Magnum Photographer, Martin Parr. It’s heartwarming. In the UK, many of the notable photographers we came across were supportive and compassionate people themselves. That’s how they became great.

Gothic horror has moved on a bit since Mary Shelley's days. We discovered femgore, a new horror sub-genre led by female authors that embraces the dark and unhinged energy from a female lens.

It’s December 🥁Time to get new illustrated calendars.

We were back in London to cover the strange and wonderful world of pop culture.

Loving being back in London with friends. But I’m also feeling concerned listening to the cost of living crisis in the UK. A dear friend with experience in tech and journalism, plus two Masters degrees had applied for over 400 positions before getting his job.

We’re excited to meet creators and fandom again @mcmcomiccon.bsky.social London next week. Looking forward to hear the latest of adaptation news, comics and new releases. Now which anime t-shirts should we wear this year? 🍁🎃🇬🇧 #mcmcomicconlondon #storyofbooks

“Although I miss my roses in London, I haven’t considered growing them in Perak. My gardening practice is about living in the present and I want to understand the plants that are growing around me.” My note on acceptance and letting go. Meditation on Nest. aftertherainproject.com/2025/09/26/n...

Oh, the world. I normally post pop culture here but, can’t help despairing over Global Sumud Flotilla interception and the terror attack in Manchester. Why is it so hard to feed starving humans today. Why are some people absolute suckers to antisemitism and hateful ideology.

Ever since the US TikTok taking over, my TL keeps showing this guy Hegseth. We're not on TT for boring propoganda: we're here for blokes that sell makeups, pop culture memes and cat videos.

“Although I miss my roses in London, I haven’t considered growing them in Perak. My gardening practice is about living in the present and I want to understand the plants that are growing around me.” My note on acceptance and letting go. Meditation on Nest. aftertherainproject.com/2025/09/26/n...

Excited to receive a new brand guidelines from a major sports organisation, only to scroll down and think, “Oh dear I hate that font…” “Ugh rounded corners for images” Also, not-so-secretly delighted than I’ve produced better guidelines.

Is it just a fandom craze? No. Pop culture is a reflection of the simplest public sentiment. It's not influencing the future, but a symbolic tool for the masses to communicate their current feelings. This is the mood of 2025.

I’m on Thread. Not promising anything there; some roses from the garden maybe.

I knew this day would come, but I was never ready 💔 The original Great Gatsby. I love his work the most in The Way We Were. A prolific activist too. Rest in power, Robert Redford.

The establishment should listen to digital anthropologists more, because the digital space is its own universe with its own demographic. Interesting that Nepal elected new PM via Discord’s vote. The only time I use Discord is to train for Midjourney. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

Let’s hope after what happened to Hyundai, the Asians would smell the macha before accepting this terrible ideology export. It’s barbaric that he was murdered like that. Yes, he died in the world that he wanted; but our job is to try to improve it. asia.nikkei.com/politics/day...

Just tried Google Nonabana. I think Stable Diffusion is cooked. Photoshop is clinging on dear life. If it’s not for the SVG export capability I’d been gone for Adobe system.

Doha attack. OK what the fuck, world. Doha is an important flight hub connecting the East and the West. Why attack a friendly and hospitable country like Qatar.

Yeah I believe in human revolution but burning things to cinders isn’t always the answer. Isn’t ‘the only’ answer. Remember, when you smash things you must rebuild just as fast. Otherwise you’re no different to the Year Zero fanboys that set our region back decades.

📕 Get ebook: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BK754VZ...

The Night of the Flying Blades. Part 3 of #TheConstantCompanionTales by @salinachristmas.bsky.social Ebook available on Kindle.   Included in #TheKeeperOfMyKin novel, available online and at major book outlets worldwide. Reel: vm.tiktok.com/ZNd4pnFbP/ #horror #witchcraft #fantasy

Dead to Rights: 5⭐️ A historical film about the brave people who smuggled incriminating Nanjing massacre photos that put an end to WW2 Japanese occupation. If you love Godzilla Minus One, please watch this for balance. Not a dry eyes at the Kuala Lumpur cinema just now. youtu.be/hn1LRaks6S4?...

Interview with the Vampire, the female gaze, BL or yaoi influence and Mary Shelley. Our Creative Director has an opinion on the series. #iwtv @storyofbooks.bsky.social storyofbooks.co.uk/2025/09/02/i...

Brilliant adaptation. It doesn't make sense that Interview with the Vampire gets no Emmy nomination for Directing, Writing or Acting. It interprets Anne Rice's works so well. #iwtv storyofbooks.co.uk/2025/09/02/i...

What an eventful summer of pop culture 🍿📚

🇬🇧Conference: Comics & AI: Critical prompts. A multi-disciplinary conference on the future of comics, technology and creativity. At @citystgeorges.bsky.social London, UK. Thank you @ernestopriego.com for the heads up. #ComicArt #AIart #copyright comicsandai.org/schedule-abs...

Solidarity with Indonesia 🇮🇩🙏🏼 I cannot believe I’m living in a time when plain murders are committed by the authorities in front of smartphone cameras. Truly disgusted with the corrupt and the unjust. May we find a peaceful end to this.

📕 Get ebook: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BK754VZ...

The Tiger-Man and His Constant Companion. Part 2 of #TheConstantCompanionTales by @salinachristmas.bsky.social Ebook available on Kindle.   Included in #TheKeeperOfMyKin novel, available online and at major book outlets worldwide. Reel: vm.tiktok.com/ZNd4pKATC/ #horror #witchcraft #fantasy

📕 Get ebook: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BK754VZ...

The Red-Haired Gurkhas. Part 1 of #TheConstantCompanionTales by @salinachristmas.bsky.social Ebook available on Kindle   Also included in #TheKeeperOfMyKin novel, available online and at major book outlets worldwide. Reel: vm.tiktok.com/ZNd4pGgvc #horror #witchcraft #fantasy

📆Today in 2018, London: I wrote “Found this tangled tape inside my retro radio while cleaning out today. Probably not played for two decades. Guess what? I played it - Sex Pistols “God Save the Queen” came out blasting. Sick 🤟🏼” What’s your great #retrotech moment?

Did you see Google’s Nano Banana? Omg. I’ve been working with Adobe Firefly, AI in graphic imaging gone leaps and bounds. Stock image industry is cooked. We still need art directors because somebody still need make things. But you better be very good at art history to prompt.

We just saw this episode. Both genius and barmy. After the Symphony No. 9 scene, @storyofbooks.bsky.social looked at each other and said, well just another crazy night with #Dandadan They won’t be in trouble with Beethoven at least. Do watch it. Also, I’m Team Jiji. Come on, underdog.

The NUJ has renewed calls for global action to end the Israeli government’s war on journalism and truth after at least 20 people, including five journalists, were killed in strikes on Nasser hospital on Monday. www.nuj.org.uk/resource/pal...

Morning. don’t usually like ads (and I have a degree in one. Ha!) but I like the Milkshake dance tutorial by GAP jeans on TikTok. So healthy and body positive. I saw various tutorial versions in different speed and style. So much fun. Let’s all try it. vm.tiktok.com/ZNd4h9B25/

I think I need a rock garden. Inspired by this beautiful Japanese-Malaysian garden with pretty bougainvilleas. Nice balance of positive and negative space. #mindfulness

Dancing pain = kendo pain. Exactly the same, except you don’t rip your feet skins like kendo battodo IYKYK Tutor: Do you know Jennie? Class: (Mostly tomboy girls) *silence* So, obscure hiphop tracks to memorise it is. No K-pop bruh. Pain is weakness leaving the body.

Just finished watching #Andor S2, the serious Star Wars franchise that’s a blueprint for rebellion storytelling for years to come. Firstly, stellar acting by Diego Luna, Denise Gough, Skarsgård, ENTIRE CAST. Secondly, excellent writing and character development, providing context to Rogue One. 1/2

I am watching Andor and yes, you were all right about Andor.

#DemonSlayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle – Part 1: Akaza Returns: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ So many kata, so little time. Eye-watering fight scenes. My poor boy Zenitsu 😭 Powerful story of how poverty and social injustice beget evil. Book your ticket early.

Nerding etiquette.