π₯ Thought Shrapnel: 20th July 2025
Thought Shrapnel continues in low-power mode over the summer: 10 interesting things each week with minimal commentary βοΈ

- Timelines, deadlines and lifelines (Temporal Imagination) β The above image, which I think is fantastic, comes from a workshop by Keri Facer and Harriet Hand and “explores some of the habits we have of thinking with time that are inherited and powerful.” You can purchase a limited-edition, hand-pressed portrait version of the above image at The Department of Small Works.
- Sixteen and 17-year-olds will be able to vote in next general election (Sky News) β It was in their manifesto, but you never know with this Labour government. It means my daughter, who will be 17 at the time of the next UK General Election, will be able to vote!
- Treating beef like coal would make a big dent in greenhouse-gas emissions (The Economist) β If you care about the climate emergency and want to do something about it, you should stop eating beef (and preferably all meat).
- The new solar: what colour panel would you like? (The Reengineer) β After having a heat pump installed last month, we’re getting (standard) solar panels in a few weeks' time. These coloured solar panels, though, look very cool and are likely to help with uptake.
- A first-party data reality check (OLDaily) β I agree with Stephen Downes' take on advertising here. I hate it, and believe its pervasiveness in society to be antithetical to human flourishing.
- How culture is made (Metalabel) - I love this from Yancey Strickler: “A metalabel is a release club where groups of people who share the same interests drop and support work that reflects their point of view.” I am absolutely up for this approach, especially after reading the Adam Curtis quote he cites.
- βThe perfect accompaniment to lifeβ: why is a 12th-century nun the hottest name in experimental music? (The Guardian) β I used an illustration by Hildegard of Bingen, 12th century nun, to illustrate a post about migraines last year. What I didn’t know was how influential her music was, and how much of her creative outpouring happened in her forties. Inspiring.
- There is No Meritocracy Without Lottocracy (Assemble America) β Given how much of life is down to serendipity and chance (including where and to whom you were born) I think we should lean into this a bit: “With random selection, no action or investment can meaningfully improve one’s chances, rendering efforts to manipulate the system worthless. This nullifies political capital and ensures that authority is not seized by those adept merely at influencing outcomes through charm, money, or connections.”
- How GLP-1s Are Breaking Life Insurance (GLP-1 Digest) β It looks like the class of drugs better known by brand names such as Ozempic and Mounjaro are likely to have the same kind of effect as statins on the general population.
- How much does your road weigh? (The Architectural Review) β “Today, there is an average of 37 tonnes of road per inhabitant of the planet. The weight of the road network alone accounts for a third of all construction worldwide, and has grown exponentially in the 20th century. There is 10 times more bitumen, in mass, than there are living animals. Yet growth in the mass of roads does not automatically correspond to population growth, or translate into increased length of road networks.” π€―
π Until next week! Iβm still around so feel free to comment / hit reply on this, and let me know what you enjoyed reading.
β Doug