My book Wasteland is out in paperback tomorrow. It took about four years of my life, and some quite staggering people (the New Yorker! The Economist! Private Eye! etc) say it's good. I hope you'll buy it/borrow it/recommend it to a friend.

non aesthetic things Photo shooting tactics

There will never be a morning when getting nice emails from book readers doesn't lift my spirits. It's such a kindness. Like a book? Email the author! Writing is hard, and lonely, and you never know how much it might lift their spirits or help them through a tough moment.

News! Just received my first copy of the paperback edition of WASTELAND, complete with a new colour and dizzyingly lovely praise. Out 11th April!

Photographs taken in the right place at the right time, intentionally or by chance - a thread 🧵

1. Wilma Hurskainen

Waste researchers, students, authors: I have a lot of research material left over from Wasteland that is now after a new home. If you see something you want/need, DM me!

As you perhaps crack open the first bottle of your festive break, why not watch this talk from drinks innovator Mark Wong 🍺🔄 who spoke at this year's Bright Ideas Gathering about his journey to create an alcohol free beer with a difference.

youtube.com/watch?v=y7KFl3…

If you loved Lumiere Durham as much as we did, you'll want to watch this. Producer Kate Harvey joined us last month on the Bright Ideas Gathering stage to give us an insider’s view of the production of the epic Lumiere Festival.

youtube.com/watch?v=0CXT3A…

We are constantly bombarded with attempted to manipulate us – ads, news, social media, all vying to get a piece of our mind.

Watch former Cambridge Analytica psychologist Patrick Fagan show how widespread the manipulation is, and what you can do about it.

youtube.com/watch?v=GYdiwm…

We know solitude can be good for us, so why do so many of us resist it? Watch this talk from our 2023 event with Thùy Vy T Nguyễn, PhD ☕️💻📄🪷 to find out more about how our perception of it is shaped by the society we live in and what is can be good for in our lives.

youtube.com/watch?v=4KZp3o…

Many people think music is a particularly powerful cue for bringing back memories from our lives. In her Bright Ideas Gathering talk, Kelly Jakubowski sought to explain why, based on her research Durham University. Worth a watch to see how true this is for you!

youtube.com/watch?v=zhoaU3…

Another share from 2023 Bright Ideas Gathering archive - Anne-Marie Lister from Atom Bank!

Anne Marie Lister talked about the culture that underpins the success of Atom, the role of innovation & thinking differently and the poeffect of the 4 day week.
youtube.com/watch?v=rIoTKQ…

Another video from the 2023 archive of talks, this time a brave and compelling talk about how we recover from traumatic experiences from Dr. Abbie Maroño

*Trigger warning: this talk contains references to sexual assault.

youtube.com/watch?v=KixihM…

Also talking in November was acclaimed writer & journalist Oli Franklin-Wallis. Oliver shared the inside story of his book Wasteland, exploring what happens to stuff after we throw it “away” – the places it goes & the people who deal with it when it gets there.

youtube.com/watch?v=tOrKza…

Also available to watch on our YouTube channel is engineer and Great British Bake Off contestant Andrew Smyth.

Watch Andrew explore the links between engineering and baking - or 'bakineering' as he likes to call it in this funny, thought provoking talk.
youtube.com/watch?v=Tqddfh…

The videos of all the 2023 Bright Ideas Gathering talks are now online! We are going to be sharing them with you over the coming days, starting with this from Bobby Duffy who came to talk to us about the myths around generational thinking. youtube.com/watch?v=IzeWH2…

Did a public talk on music and memory at The Bright Ideas Gathering. Don't love watching videos of myself, but it's quite well produced and hopefully of interest to some: youtube.com/watch?v=zhoaU3…

I participated in The Bright Ideas Gathering last month. I talked about the history of how solitude has been perceived, the data, and some takeaways from the research.
The video is up and shared to my family; this will at least get me 100 views in Vietnam 😆 🥳

youtube.com/watch?v=4KZp3o…

Aurora tonight over ⁦Durham Cathedral⁩ from the roof of the physics building

Starts Monday! 🗑️🌍