This week’s editorial musings from magpie’s nest<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The quote:<\/mark><\/strong> Do not topple their idols in anger: pulverize them in play\u00a0Marquis de Sade<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n DDW 2025 Open Call<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Dubai Design Week<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0runs 4\u20139 November at d3, and an open call has just been announced \u2013 submissions sought for Abwab, Urban Commissions, installations, workshops, talks, the Marketplace (maker sales), and of course \u201cactivations\u201d. We\u2019ll have more details shortly in our\u00a0Opportunities<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0pages; in the meantime,\u00a0here\u2019s more info<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Love your city<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0The inaugural\u00a0Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(theme: \u2018Future Cities: Rethinking Infrastructure for Better Lifestyles\u2019) took place earlier this week. Lots of heavyweight presentations, especially aimed at demonstrating how Abu Dhabi wants to \u201clead globally in both economic competitiveness and quality of life through world-class infrastructure\u201d. The quote we liked came from\u00a0Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa<\/strong>, Chair of the Dept of Municipalities and Transport: seems Abu Dhabi is striving to be not just liveable, but \u201clovable\u201d too \u2013 \u201ca 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\u201d. Who could argue with that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turn off the Google fluff<\/mark>\u00a0<\/strong>There are a couple of Chrome extensions which claim to remove all of the extraneous AI and other unwanted crud from Google searches.\u00a0This one<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0seems to work as promised \u2013 it hides any or all of nine Google \u2018features\u2019, like \u201cpeople also search for\u201d and \u201cfeatured snippets\u201d. Assuming that you haven\u2019t already abandoned Google in favour of\u00a0DuckDuckGo<\/strong><\/a>(a good move) you can find it\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n New ways with news<\/mark><\/strong><\/strong>\u00a0The National<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is inviting young would-be journalists to join its annual\u00a0graduate training programme<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 two salaried openings, a four-month placement in the newsroom, no awkward in-depth investigations required. Apply by 30 June; details\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technews reader<\/mark><\/strong> Bloomberg tech reporter Dave Lee has produced a webplace which aggregates a collection of\u00a0tech news<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0outlets and newsletters (mostly US, but that\u2019s where a lot of the tech news happens) and lists the stories. It\u2019s filterable, searchable, and genuinely useful. Find it\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pottering about<\/mark><\/strong> The world tour of\u00a0Harry Potter: The Exhibition<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0arrives at the Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi on 25 July, so \u201cprepare yourself for the most extensive touring exhibition ever created that celebrates the enchanting world of Harry Potter and beyond\u201d. There\u2019s a waitlist for tickets\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>;\u00a0no word on what the price will be, but elsewhere (the exhibition is running in Krak\u00f3w, Melbourne, Milan and Salt Lake City) it seems to be the equivalent of AED 90 to AED 120. We\u2019re promised \u201cthe perfect place for fans and families of all ages to experience the magic of the Wizarding World\u201d and \u201ca journey filled with iconic moments, authentic props, and interactive magic. We\u2019d guess there won\u2019t however be a chance to register an opinion on\u00a0JK Rowling<\/strong>\u2019s views about gender and sex …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psyched up<\/mark><\/strong> Talking Heads\u2019\u00a0Psycho Killer<\/strong>\u00a0now has a better-late-than-never video marking\u00a0nearly 50 years<\/em>\u00a0since the song\u2019s 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\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turner’s blind<\/mark><\/strong> Sedar<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0The Met<\/strong>\u00a0are collaborating on putting art on to \u201cwallpaper, blinds, curtains, cushions, and more\u201d. The limited-edition Summer 2025 collection includes JMW Turner\u2019s Venice, \u00a0Van Gogh\u2019s 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 \u201cWe 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\u201d.\u00a0Shop here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discounted Louvre<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> The\u00a0Louvre Abu Dhabi<\/strong>\u2019s new\u00a0UAE Residents Summer Offer\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>gets you a 30% discount on admission for online purchases \u2013 so AED 45.50 instead of AED 60. Mind you, the\u00a0Membership<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0deal (AED 465 for a year) still looks a good bet \u2013 many goodies, plus free admission any time to the Louvre Abu Dhabi and four Paris museums (inc the parent Louvre, assuming it\u2019s open now following the strike action by staff, and the Pompidou, which is actually closed for renovation).\u00a0Buy tickets here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something for the weekend<\/mark><\/strong> Snake on a globe<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is another geography game. Navigate the snake around the globe to the specified cities, collect points as you reach them.\u00a0Try it here\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things we didn\u2019t know no.94<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0It took until\u00a02015<\/strong>\u00a0for the British government to finally pay off the loan it took out in 1833 to\u00a0recompense slave owners<\/strong>\u00a0who lost out when the\u00a0Slavery Abolition Act\u00a0<\/strong>was passed\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earworm of the week<\/mark><\/strong> Cardinals : Big Empty Heart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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