This is a review of two of the best books I've read more or less recently on the currently digital moment ('best' meaning 'most useful for things I am thinking about right now'). I should admit I haven't got round to many of the flood of academic/popular books on AI yet, though I'm looking forward … Continue reading The Smartness Mandate + The Ordinal Society = 2026(primer)
sci fi novel recommends from my 2025 reading
I read (and watch) quite a lot of science fiction - mostly new, or new-ish. Here are sci fi novels I would recommend from what I read in 2025 - there are actually ten, so I guess this is yet another 'top [fill in the blank] of 2025' list, albeit a bit late: Sierra Greer, … Continue reading sci fi novel recommends from my 2025 reading
new paper featuring pre-wedding photographs, glasshouses, orchids, air conditioning and reproductive techno-futurism
I'm very happy to see this paper published open access in Gender, Place and Culture. It's based on a dissertation authored by Rachael Chan, and it was wonderful to work with her to craft a peer-reviewed paper. This is the abstract: This paper examines how the production of photographs can enact heteronormative, gendered and national … Continue reading new paper featuring pre-wedding photographs, glasshouses, orchids, air conditioning and reproductive techno-futurism
Learning from the mess in social media elicitation interviews – new paper alert!
Really happy to have been a small part of this new paper in Qualitative Inquiry, called 'Learning from the mess in social media elicitation interviews.' It's available open access here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10778004251346741 and this is the abstract: The article examines what happened during 50 semi-structured interviews that were designed to focus on the visual content of … Continue reading Learning from the mess in social media elicitation interviews – new paper alert!
participatory visual research in digital times
I was part of a panel event a few weeks ago discussing two long-term participatory research projects, both working with visual imagery to give voice to the inhabitants of marginalised housing estates in London and Paris. This is the text of that talk, which offers a few reflections on the implications of that kind of … Continue reading participatory visual research in digital times
TFW Dr Who does your book argument about 3D animation…
Though I still think the David-Tennant-era of Dr Who was the best, I am enjoying the new Doctor. And especially the recent episode called Lux. Lux tells the story of a cartoon character in a movie, who absorbs moonlight in order to become real, leaves the screen surface to enter the cinema, and becomes more … Continue reading TFW Dr Who does your book argument about 3D animation…
on criticising AI-generated images for not looking photographic
I've just read Roland Meyer's admirably clear critique in the journal Rrrreflect of the imagery generated by OpenAI's Sora (Roland has developed an extensive critique of Midjourney's images too). Sora generates video from text prompts. There's lots to say about AI-generated imagery, and I've learnt lots from Roland's work. Here I just want to make … Continue reading on criticising AI-generated images for not looking photographic
the job interview
A few weeks ago, I had a conversation about preparing for job interviews with my excellent colleagues Beth Greenhough and Ivin Yeo. They helped me to develop this, my third post on the job selection process. (I've posted previously about the job application and the job presentation. All my remarks in all three posts are … Continue reading the job interview
screens, spectacles and urban sociality
This post is a response to an essay by the architecture critic Edwin Heathcote, writing in the Financial Times on 22 May 2024 on how "digital surfaces took over the modern city's buildings." His topic is the large LED screens that cover some urban surfaces and interiors, and his claim is that they herald the … Continue reading screens, spectacles and urban sociality
Being Human In Digital Cities
Being Human in Digital Cities is the title of Myria Georgiou's excellent new book, which is a must-read for anyone interested in digital technologies, cities and humans. Which would be most of us, you'd think, though the book's starting point is that much academic writing on digital technologies pays too little attention to 'the human'. … Continue reading Being Human In Digital Cities
visual/method/culture 