“Dogs” came out in 2007 on Rice’s second album 9, the first release after he and Lisa Hannigan split, and you can hear the space where she used to be. Two characters give everything and get nothing back. A woman with an orange tree who picks up dead fruit. A man on a hillside who cleans up his brother’s mess. Meanwhile, the dogs run free in the morning sun, unbothered, full of energy, and that’s the contrast. The dogs just exist. The people are stuck, trapped by their own goodness.

“The day it ends, and there’s no need for me.”

That’s the whole thing. Nothing lasts. Not even being needed. Classic Rice. Small domestic details carrying enormous emotional weight. The simplicity is the point.

Listen to it here.

“The ability to be wrong is one of the most important virtues, and it is extremely difficult. It should be emphasised in families and schools alongside standard virtues like honesty, sharing, and kindness, starting as young as possible.”

– Alan Levinovitz

Thanks, Tina @ swissmiss

A beautiful article by Colin Nagy, not to mention his mention of Nick Cave.

On urban magic, timing, and coming together. Cities have moods. This shouldn’t surprise — a metropolis operates on collective human energy, right down to the cellular level. Weather, politics, sport, labour negotiations, traffic: all of it mingles into something that is either working or it isn’t. What’s interesting is how macro forces shift the whole organism. Worth reading here.

The actual insight: exclusivity isn’t about aspiration, it’s about distance. People who already have status don’t want more people let in, they want fewer. He calls it “economic racism” and backs it with sharp comparisons: LVMH lost cachet in China when it opened stores in lower-tier cities. Bentley lost long-time buyers once rappers started driving them. For anyone doing brand strategy, the line that lands hardest is this: research tells you what people are willing to say, not what they actually believe, and those two things often pull in opposite directions.

Read about it more here. He’s quite brilliant is Rob.

A night of ten-minute talks where the one rule is this: it can be about something that fascinates you, but it can’t be about you. No selling. No personal brand. Just people being properly into things. A talk format with almost no rules. No rehearsal, no slides sent in advance, no filming, change your mind at the last minute if you like. Make it that easy, and you get the people who never normally speak. That’s the whole trick. Read more about ‘INTERESTING’ here.

Celery is the king of vegetables. Most people treat it like packing material, the thing you fish out and leave on the plate, but Deb Perelman’s “Chicken Salad for Celery Enthusiasts” finally gives it the crown. Half the bowl is celery. Cool, crisp, loud with crunch. The chicken plays support: roasted on the bone for juice, seasoned early, bound with just enough Dijon and mayo to hold, never to drown. Then the trick that wins doubters is crisped chicken skin in strips on a buttered, toasted roll. Australians never warmed to chicken salad. This is the version that changes minds.

Get her recipe here.

As a woman over fifty, ambition has not left me — it has become clearer, quieter and far more discerning. Being back out there, working for myself, has reminded me that I no longer need to prove my value in every room or measure success by someone else’s ladder. What matters now is the quality of the work, the people I choose to work with, and whether my energy is being used meaningfully. That is not stepping back. It is choosing more carefully.

Great article on LinkedIn by Lucy Kemp, you can read it here.

Workshops give a space for voices to be heard. Ideas to be formed and shared. Concepts to be positively challenged. They allow people to be heard. They allow people to speak. Allow people to be educated. Allow people to build and contribute. Allow people to define a common language. Allow inspiration and passion to be experienced. A good workshop should synthesize thinking and motivate future action.

Great article from Matt Davies. You can find it here.

In the digital landscape, the rise of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) experts has transformed online life into what some describe as a “search-optimized hellhole.”

I’m not sure that I’d entirely disagree. As dissatisfaction with the quality of Google search results continues to grow, the spotlight turns to the individuals who exploit algorithms to manipulate online visibility for profit. The allure of traffic and profit has led to the evolution of SEO techniques, shaping the internet into a space inundated with commercialized content. Designed to help us as consumers? Absolutely not. It’s only designed to help us spend money. Amidst criticisms and stereotypes, these professionals are depicted as modern-day pirates, navigating the murky waters of online and sometimes making a whole lot of money through unscrupulous practices. (The Verge)

Thanks to Rosie Yokob for this.