Things (the personal & professional)
Design Otherwise: Transforming Design Education in the Arab Region is available for purchase online, or order it at your favourite bookstore).
The second print of Designerly Ways of Knowing is available with a new cover (big up Pali!). Order here.
Sarona and I wrote a chapter about Countless Palestinian Futures for the book Producing Palestine: The Creative Production of Palestine Through Contemporary Media. Order here.
***If you have photos from any of my book events, please do send them to me.***
Thoughts, or something like it.
I was gutted to hear Joseph Nye – the man who coined the term ‘soft power’ – died last week. I came across his work while writing my PhD, and his soft power theory was a perfect explainer to design initiatives propping up worldwide. I had the pleasure of meeting Joseph in Petra (of all places) almost 10 years ago, in what can only be described as a diplomacy like tour with a handful of American pensioners. Best part of the tour: I paid 1 Jordanian Dinars (JD) entry while every foreigner paid 45 JD. The only time I proudly whip out my Arab passport because it gives rather than takes away. Turns out Joseph was still writing, and Monocle published a piece of his to be printed in the June issue online.
Stumbled on this gem of a video showing Harry Bowling discussing the changes in Bermondsey. If only Harry were around today…I’ve lived in the area just under three years and the changes have been insane. Borough High Street, a shabby and underwhelming high street, still sucks, but now, just flooded with student housing, chains, pubs and breweries (mostly in the arches sold by National Rail), junkies, and entitled out of town people who don’t know how to behave in cities. Does London deliberately make zone 1 unliveable? It was not always populated by mediocre chain restaurants and transience.
I’ve never used WeWork but I received a free pass and I did not want to work from the office so I decided to try it. The receptionist asked me if I wanted a keycard and if I had any ID on me. I replied “no, why would I have ID in a country that does not [yet] provide ID? I would need to carry my passport!”. She said nothing (no surprise). Insidious ways of making everyone feel like they should re-enact border control. Being here, I see the appeal of the concept, if it was used in a way that is not just about individual working (and there’s a mother’s room which is very convenient!), but the douchery, my goodness!
People who voted for this government are regretting their decision, as though you could not see these were their policies and intentions all along. If you want to know what someone is really like, just know their views on Palestine. It is – as Angela Davis has said – the litmus test. Fuelling stranger danger works: Nigel Farage is likely going to be PM in four years.
Surely, buggy rentals is a business and should set up shop at the airports? When I read these headlines, I think about how amazingly wasteful we are as a human race. Despite its flaws, I’m glad we bought a YOYO pram – lightweight and easy to travel with. Also, baby banks are a great idea, but I cannot understand why some (Camberwell I’m looking in your direction) make it impossible to actually donate anything.
Should I turn comments on?
visual roundup of things I liked/made me happy/laugh or tsk this month.
this new section was the most popular (according to three people).
Be well,
Danah (The Pessoptimist)
read//check out//listen//watch
An article that sums up the sloppiness of the internet (the world is now sloppy to me). The internet is only about shopping or subscribing to someone who will give you recommendations on what to shop for and they get paid because of affiliate links. I won’t ask how it came to this, I know. There is a surge of accounts providing non-AI recommendations and pleasure lists and likes and dislikes, things I enjoy reading, but they are now becoming same same.
The above article reminded me of “Are People Bad At Their Jobs....or Are The Jobs Just Bad?” which is a more nuanced topic than prioritising convenience leading to bad jobs but also the crisis of sloppiness.
I don’t know Lena Dunham personally, but I assume she falls under the category of people I refer to as an acquired taste. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed reading her latest article Why I broke up with New York.