Read Before Monday

The longest month of the year is here, but there’s no shortage of fascinating stories to learn and get into! From the ongoing IPv4 vs. IPv6 debate and the privatisation of social life in America, to Teddy Blanks’ transformative typography for films, each reveals how innovation, culture, and connection shape our world. Adding to that, the UK’s first link to ARPANET in the 1970s, a milestone in internet history, and Earth’s alarming breach of the 1.5°C temperature threshold in 2024 - a stark reminder of the urgency of climate action. All of these remind us that progress, whether technological, social, or environmental, hinges on collaboration and urgency, even more in 2025.

Welcome to 2025! This is the first #RBM edition of the year and what a year 2024 was, right? So, lets keep that momentum for '25 and make it better for everyone! This week it's all about innovation, nostalgia, and the messy intersection of tech and humanity - so each story I’ve read recently shows how much our tools shape us. From the forgotten brilliance of the Unisys ICON in 1980s Ontario to Intel’s infamous Pentium FDIV bug (a $475M lesson in quality control), the past keeps on teaching. Then, the PlasticList report underscores that solving plastic pollution is about systems, not just individuals. William Shockley’s lab reminds us that even Silicon Valley’s roots were built on workplace drama, and Riley Walz, a GenZ artist-hacker, is turning data and nostalgia into art with projects like “IMG_0001.” Whether it’s tech innovation, environmental responsibility, or just seeing everyday data in new ways, these stories make me think: how can we do better with the tools - and history - we’ve got.

It starts to look a lot like Xmas… Isn’t it? :) It’s been 41 weeks since I restarted #RBM - Read Before Monday, and it’s been quite amazing to hear people saying how much they like following up on the themes I bring up. For the next two weeks, I’ll stop publishing the newsletter. It’s my only break of the year, but I’ll be back with fresh topics in January :) before Mondays!This week’s lineup of stories has been a blend of the fascinating, the thought provoking, and the timeless. From the scrappy strategies of cold emails outreach to the uneasy evolution of WhatsApp as a business juggernaut, each topic reflects a common theme: transformation, for better or worse, either we want it or not... So, whether it’s reading and reshaping our brains, grappling with the ethics of AI, or revisiting the metaphorical “gremlins” haunting both WWII aircraft and today’s technology, I hope these pieces offer you insights into how we navigate change - and what gets left behind in the process. And that could be about bananas or the high-stakes debate over GenAI... I’ll admit, writing this newsletter is a bit like weaving together these threads every week - it’s not just information; it’s my own reflection on what I read and want to bring to you. Hope you enjoy this issue and take a moment to pause, reflect, and recharge over the holidays. See you next year!

I don't have a lot of nostalgia to share this week, but it's an interesting edition, as this week has been quite full for me in terms of speaking events, in particular the one for Financial Services where I discussed how can we move from Intent to Operational Trust and Comprehensive Governance. So.... we start with a lawsuit between two influencers over a “neutral, beige, and cream” aesthetic is pushing legal boundaries. Then, remember cyber cafes? They were the internet’s answer to coffeehouses, where you’d surf, sip, and - shockingly - actually meet people. Do you know the latest Google’s research into multimodal models that visualise time-series data? Feels like a “why didn’t we think of this sooner” moment. And what about sci-fi body armour’s missed opportunities? Where cool aesthetics win over function - classic sci-fi! Finally, network topologies aren’t exactly cocktail party material, but HammingMesh might deserve an invite.

This week we have a wonderful mix of fascinating stories! From the nostalgic rise of Atari’s FaSTer digital magazine, a groundbreaking yet ill-fated pioneer in digital publishing, to the analog charm of rotary mixers making a boutique comeback in DJ culture, it’s clear we’re still drawn to retro simplicity even in modern tech. On the flip side, we’ve got AI therapy bots, promising mental health accessibility but falling short on nuance, and the “Dark Forest” of digital spaces that contrasts safe havens with systemic online issues. And finally, the story of Pepijn Van der Stap, a cybersecurity prodigy whose obsession with data led him to hacking and redemption - just the proof that brilliance can be both a gift and a curse.