Phil Adams

Photograph of terraced vineyards in the sun. Green hills and dark clouds in the distance.

Fabulous bike ride into the hills of the Duoro Valley. A bucolic weekend to break up our train tour of Iberian cities.

Please do.

Photograph of quaint riverside buildings in the sun. There are small boats on the river in front of them.

Bye Porto. You are insanely pretty. And the food… oh my.

Now that IS funny.

Photograph of people surfing on big waves.

Basque surf off Donostia/San Sebastian yesterday.

Photograph on a typical Parisian street under a clear blue sky.

Spring has definitely sprung in Paris.

Photograph of a theatre auditorium.

First visit to the Bridge Theatre for Into The Woods. It’s an impressive space.

Katherine Priddy | Seirm 2026 | BBC ALBA YouTube video by BBC ALBA

Watched this last night and you deserve to watch it, too. Just stunning: youtu.be/H3yD78bYXjs

@katherinepriddy.bsky.social’s new album is out tomorrow, btw. Here’s a review from @louderthanwar.bsky.social

louderthanwar.com/katherine-pr...

Wonderful songwriting. Beautiful voice. Thanks Simon.

Nick Cave - The Red Hand Files - Issue #356 - Nick, I’m writing songs again. They’re fucking pouring out of me. It’s been 8 years since I wrote songs. But here’s the thing. I’m struggling to write abo... Dear Nathan, Through The Red Hand Files I have made some rather sketchy attempts to express the nature of consciousness, as I perceive it...

Cave 10 : Altman 0

www.theredhandfiles.com/pouring-out-...

The brandrunner Feel the zeal Not every CEO is a leader. The ones I’ve worked with who are, they all obsess about culture. They fixate on culture with the same zeal that a...

"The tone of a TV show, the culture of a business, the style of a brand; these are soft things that you have to be hard about."

Why CEOs can learn a lot from TV showrunners. The effective CEO is a "brandrunner".

newsletter.lowfalutin.co.uk/archive/the-...

Screenshot of a section of a Powerpoint presentation window. A pop-up message on the right hand side says, "Copilot isn't included with your account."

You make it sound like a problem...

Refugee status becomes temporary in asylum shake-up Adults and accompanied children claiming asylum will only receive refugee status for 30 months under the changes.

Abysmal, immoral, cruel, small hearted, tiny minded, ineffective, undemocratic, and just generally utterly indecent. What a bitter godforesaken disappointment these people are.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Feet In — Martin Weigel How many brands and businesses I wonder, perform the promise rather than keep it, satisfying themelves instead with sending a double to the hard moment and hoping the audience won't notice the substit...

Fabulous post by Martin Weigel, who isn't on here as far as I can tell. He's had some fun and learned a lot down a Buster Keaton rabbit hole.

www.martinweigel.org/mrweigelgmai...

The brandrunner Feel the zeal Not every CEO is a leader. The ones I’ve worked with who are, they all obsess about culture. They fixate on culture with the same zeal that a...

"The tone of a TV show, the culture of a business, the style of a brand; these are soft things that you have to be hard about."

Why CEOs can learn a lot from TV showrunners. The effective CEO is a "brandrunner".

newsletter.lowfalutin.co.uk/archive/the-...

Photograph of two women addressing a crowd of people inside an art gallery.

A special Creative Mornings Edinburgh event today. Sophie Jones introducing Jenny Martin RSW (Royal Society of painters in Watercolour) and her talk about the society's work and its 145th annual exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy. Followed by a private view of the exhibition.

GUEST POST: Blumenkohl on the board pack HERDspotting in the seminar room

There is much truth here, exposed by the erudite savagery of Mr Earls.

You might like this @pd.pkm.social.ap.brid.gy

markearls267269.substack.com/p/guest-post...

Apologies to all of Hannah's customers!

Something exciting is happening. Be a part of it ⤵️

It's lovely. Thanks. But Talking Heads are one of my all-time favourite bands, so I can't love this more. Sorry.

Name a cover of a song that you love more than the original.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZko...

@buttondown.com

He eviscerated the use of AI for any kind of non-scientific creative endeavour. "It's the hu-man-it-ies."

Photograph of two people sitting on a stage. Behind them is a sign with the branding of The Portobello Bookshop. On a table in front of them is a copy of the book, VIGIL, by George Saunders.

George Saunders in Edinburgh last night, hosted by my local independent book shop. He's as good on stage as is he is on a *typewriter*.

Talking about the oil industry, he described his work as an "expro" engineer in Sumatra:

"Even the lunkhead I was then could see that we were oppressors."

Guy on the train talking about a “top top secret” pitch for a Scottish soft drink to make TV commercials for the Scotland World Cup team. Schoolkid error. Scotland is a village when it comes to things like this.

Okay, this is quite outstanding from Bedford Council.

The complete opposite when I was in Japan in November. And the conductors bow as they enter and leave each carriage.

Heffernan's post was prompted by reading Vigil, the latest book by George Saunders. I shall finish Vigil this evening, ahead of seeing him talk about the book in Edinburgh tomorrow.

Money Messes with Your Mind Watching it happen is unforgettable

"Today I think of wealth as a test. Unless you can answer the question ‘How much is enough’—and act on that answer—money will change who you are. What you do. Who you love. It’s when you can’t answer the question that you know you’re in trouble."

heffernanm.substack.com/p/money-mess...

Well argued. Well written. And generally useful for anyone who sells expertise for a living.

Available on iPlayer (BBC4)