This week’s editorial musings from magpie’s nest
The quote: Do not topple their idols in anger: pulverize them in play Marquis de Sade
DDW 2025 Open Call Dubai Design Week runs 4–9 November at d3, and an open call has just been announced – submissions sought for Abwab, Urban Commissions, installations, workshops, talks, the Marketplace (maker sales), and of course “activations”. We’ll have more details shortly in our Opportunities pages; in the meantime, here’s more info …
Love your city The inaugural Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit (theme: ‘Future Cities: Rethinking Infrastructure for Better Lifestyles’) took place earlier this week. Lots of heavyweight presentations, especially aimed at demonstrating how Abu Dhabi wants to “lead globally in both economic competitiveness and quality of life through world-class infrastructure”. The quote we liked came from Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chair of the Dept of Municipalities and Transport: seems Abu Dhabi is striving to be not just liveable, but “lovable” too – “a place where residents feel truly at home, supported by world-class infrastructure and inspired by a shared sense of belonging and ambition shaped by visionary leadership”. Who could argue with that?
Turn off the Google fluff There are a couple of Chrome extensions which claim to remove all of the extraneous AI and other unwanted crud from Google searches. This one seems to work as promised – it hides any or all of nine Google ‘features’, like “people also search for” and “featured snippets”. Assuming that you haven’t already abandoned Google in favour of DuckDuckGo(a good move) you can find it here …
New ways with news The National is inviting young would-be journalists to join its annual graduate training programme – two salaried openings, a four-month placement in the newsroom, no awkward in-depth investigations required. Apply by 30 June; details here …
Technews reader Bloomberg tech reporter Dave Lee has produced a webplace which aggregates a collection of tech news outlets and newsletters (mostly US, but that’s where a lot of the tech news happens) and lists the stories. It’s filterable, searchable, and genuinely useful. Find it here …
Pottering about The world tour of Harry Potter: The Exhibition arrives at the Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi on 25 July, so “prepare yourself for the most extensive touring exhibition ever created that celebrates the enchanting world of Harry Potter and beyond”. There’s a waitlist for tickets here; no word on what the price will be, but elsewhere (the exhibition is running in Kraków, Melbourne, Milan and Salt Lake City) it seems to be the equivalent of AED 90 to AED 120. We’re promised “the perfect place for fans and families of all ages to experience the magic of the Wizarding World” and “a journey filled with iconic moments, authentic props, and interactive magic. We’d guess there won’t however be a chance to register an opinion on JK Rowling’s views about gender and sex …
Psyched up Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer now has a better-late-than-never video marking nearly 50 years since the song’s release (in 1977). It’s directed by Mike Mills, features Saoirse Ronan, offers an interesting take on the song’s meaning, and can be seen here …
Turner’s blind Sedar and The Met are collaborating on putting art on to “wallpaper, blinds, curtains, cushions, and more”. The limited-edition Summer 2025 collection includes JMW Turner’s Venice, Van Gogh’s The Flowering Orchard, irises by Monet, and even a touch of Delacroix on blackout blinds at around AED 630. A suit from The Met said “We are thrilled to continue our successful collaboration with Sedar Global and inspire art lovers in the Middle East to bring highlights from The Met collection into their homes”. Shop here …
Discounted Louvre The Louvre Abu Dhabi’s new UAE Residents Summer Offer gets you a 30% discount on admission for online purchases – so AED 45.50 instead of AED 60. Mind you, the Membership deal (AED 465 for a year) still looks a good bet – many goodies, plus free admission any time to the Louvre Abu Dhabi and four Paris museums (inc the parent Louvre, assuming it’s open now following the strike action by staff, and the Pompidou, which is actually closed for renovation). Buy tickets here …
Something for the weekend Snake on a globe is another geography game. Navigate the snake around the globe to the specified cities, collect points as you reach them. Try it here …
Things we didn’t know no.94 It took until 2015 for the British government to finally pay off the loan it took out in 1833 to recompense slave owners who lost out when the Slavery Abolition Act was passed …
Earworm of the week Cardinals : Big Empty Heart
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