iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Pretty sure I remember this Haden kettle (or one very similar) from a 1980s Usborne children's book about how to draw — there was a sketch of this shape next to a more bulbous one that looked clumsy and gauche in comparison to this one's futuristic functional elegance. I wonder who the designer was?

A very stylish angular electric kettle made by Haden

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Also have to note: the bronze-glazed abandoned former Scottish Widows HQ on Dalkeith Road (opened 1976, architect John Hardie Glover of Sir Basil Spence, Glover & Ferguson) would work very well as the setting for something. Super-Cannes meets @benpester.bsky.social's The Expansion Project.

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And then on by train from Newcastle to Edinburgh, with some nice coastal views (pictured: Alnmouth) on the way. The check-in at the halls of residence was friendlier than in 'Halls of Residence' bsky.app/profile/danl... and building different, but the room—and corridors—feel similar, somehow…

Newcastle Central Station with a pigeon waiting for the 11.02 LNER Azuma service to Edinburgh Waverley

Edinburgh Waverley station from the top of the "Scotsman" steps

Unusual cloistered courtyard design at University of Edinburgh's Holland House

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Beautiful sunrise and arrival into North Shields, then the bus into Newcastle. A couple of Dutch kids very excited to see een rood telefoonhuisje (even though it was a 1990s New World Payphones one 😅)

Bus disgorging passengers opposite Newcastle Central

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The most impressive/unexpected thing was a wildlife talk and collective watch (unsuccessful this time) for whales, dolphins, porpoises, etc, run by ORCA www.dfds.com/en/passenger...

An information panel about Marine Wildlife of the North Sea, including Bottlenose Dolphins, Minke Whale, Harbour Porpoise, Harbour Seal, Grey Seal, and White-backed Dolphin

Talk about wildlife in the ship's wildlife centre

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Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 06/06/2026

A very pleasant journey, with amazing views. These from last night. One of the wind farms off the Dutch coast is under construction.

Wind turbines in the distance, some under construction

Rainbow coming through the clouds onto wind turbines

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At IJMuiden. The lettering on the terminal building makes it look more sinister than I was expecting. The Tata Steel plant across the IJ on a rainy day has the kind of colour tint I've come to associate with my years in Pittsburgh, or 1950s colour photos of industry, somehow.

Felison Terminal building with quite distinctive lettering

Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 06/06/2026

On my way from Utrecht to #drs2026 in Edinburgh drs2026.thedrs.org — decided to try the DFDS IJmuiden–Newcastle ferry. Train from home (sunny) to Amsterdam (rainy), then coach transfer, similar to how Rotterdam–Hull works. A bit less convenient than proper train/metro connections of Hoek–Harwich.

A group of people with umbrellas waiting with suitcases, on a rainy riverside, taken from a coach window

Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 24/05/2026

New short story: Double Album, in the latest issue of Glyph magazine glyphmag.co.uk/read-glyph/ (free download). I'm not sure it's really horror horror, more like technology-mediated unease. Thanks to everyone at Glyph!

The title 'DOUBLE ALBUM' and 'Dan Lockton' on a dark background with orange and purple glints of light on it

The cover of a magazine with the title 'GLYPH' and text Issue 5, May 2026, The Horror Issue'. The background is a posterised image of a city street, looks like somewhere in Glasgow or Edinburgh maybe, with 19th century buildings, and a kind of tunnel or viaduct effect over the top.

Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 09/05/2026

Interested in how New Metaphors can help us imagine futures in new ways? Join @jochamb.bsky.social, Palak Dudani, and me at Norwich University of the Arts from 21–24 June for an intensive, immersive, and international workshop norwichuni.ac.uk/events/new-m... — please share!

A grid of photos of many different things including a caterpillar, a flower, a building being demolished, and two cats, with yellow and brown filters over. There is overlaid text 'New Metaphors for Imagining Futures: A masterclass workshop, 21-24 June 2026, Norwich UK and the logos of NUA and the ISW

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Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 29/04/2026

Enjoying my first few minutes reading this, but I'm pretty sure that comma shouldn't be there unless in an amazing coincidence, the Ballards had a chauffeur with the same name as their car.

The cover of THE ILLUMINATED MAN: LIFE, DEATH AND THE WORLDS OF J.G. BALLARD
by
CHRISTOPHER PRIEST AND NINA ALLAN

An extract from p18 of the book. The comma between "family" and "Packard" is circled. The text reads:

"Jim Ballard was attending the Cathedral School, sometimes being driven by the chauffeur in the family, Packard, his hapless White Russian governess beside him as an ineffectual protection from possible kidnap. When he was a little older he was even able to ride his bicycle to school. Every day he would pass armed soldiers and barricades, but also see street beggars, star ving children and the unburied dead. He was not directly affected by the crisis in Shanghai, but he certainly witnessed it."

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Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 27/03/2026

Our two speakers will share, via their own international work, how artistic methods and architectural practice can intersect with imagination through a critical justice lens. Please register to get the Teams link, or if in Norwich, join us in person!

A poster for the event. The text reads:
Designing Sustainable Worlds

Edition 2
Art and Architecture of Reimagining Futures

Josie Chambers
Urban Futures Studio, Utrecht University

Sarah de Villiers
Norwich University of the Arts

Thursday 2 April 2026
15.00-16.00 BST

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Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 19/03/2026

The obscure rabbit deity Augustus Honeybun was worshipped in the wild south-west extremities

Gus Honeybun, a grey rabbit puppet, in this case wearing a dark blue sailor's outfit

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Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 15/03/2026

I've only ever seen black-and-white versions of the BNOC logo in old newspaper job ads, but I'm guessing it was red/white/blue much like Britoil later was. Not the most exciting—definitely not up there in the pantheon of the best British nationalised industry logos.

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Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 07/03/2026

Interesting that the misaligned fog/spot lamps on what looks a bit like a Williams & Pritchard-nosed Sprite www.sebringsprite.com/williams-pri... aren't considered a mistake. In this era often one was a fog-light (to be seen) and one a spot-light (to see), so it didn't necessarily matter, but still…

A black-and-white period photo of 5 WW, an Austin-Healey Sprite with modified bodywork: "John Sprinzel's Sebring Sprite with Williams & Pritchard aluminium Coupé bodywork" from https://www.sebringsprite.com/williams-pritchard.html

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Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 23/02/2026

How can playful creative activities help teams from different disciplinary backgrounds collaborate? We’re launching our Library for Transformative Play at Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands, tomorrow, 24 February, 16.00–17.00 CET. It's one of the outcomes of Playing with the Trouble...

A banner for the Library for Transformative Play launch, with photos of people and games and the logos of the universities involved

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Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 19/02/2026

For anyone familiar with New Metaphors imaginari.es/new-metaphors/ this is the same daymark, near Coleton Fishacre maps.app.goo.gl/M1x5qTUjibE5... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingswe... featured as a possible metaphor in the card deck.

One of the New Metaphors cards, showing a frustrum-shaped tower in a field with the sea shining visible behind, and the sun in the sky causing lens flare. The text "A lighthouse or 'daymark'" is on the image.

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Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 10/02/2026

Fascinating to read the (AI?) description here—including that the DwI cards are "a widely respected behavioral design and UX strategy tool used by designers, researchers, product managers, and innovation teams." www.ebay.com/itm/19797979... $135 (download them here imaginari.es/wp-content/u...)

A screenshot of an eBay.com listing for the Design with Intent toolkit, on sale for $135 Buy it Now

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Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 25/01/2026

Many thoughts about this, but as @apiln.bsky.social has detailed so well over the years, "fury at X" has become the default pattern for what was once proper local journalism. Also, imaginaries of real places as slogans/utopias/dystopias are fascinating to see in practice, from NL to Baltimore.

Screenshot of "EDP 24" (former Eastern Daily Press) Facebook feed item with photos of people and roadworks and the headline "'They are trying to make our country into the Netherlands' - fury at cycle lanes work". One person has a yellow top with the words BALTIMORE U.S.A. on it.

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Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 08/01/2026

I sit, silent, cold, and armless, on the edge of my seat as the poltergeist once again levitates the mysterious laptop, book, and headphones all around me

The window of an NS DDZ train, looking out over a snowy landscape. A sticker is lettered STILTE, silence, and above it a circular sticker depicts a figure sitting with a laptop, book, and headphones floating above.

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Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 05/01/2026

These birds (in snowy #Utrecht this afternoon) all eat invertebrates, such as Keir Starmer they also understand twitter better

A blue tit, perched on a snowy branch, looking right at you

A robin with a seed in its mouth, on a bird feeder

A jay diving from a snowy branch towards some worms on a snowy bird-feeder

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uh oh, looks like 5G finally got her 😬

A screenshot of Naomi Wolf's tweet "I got pretty far along in the hiring process for a wonderful position teaching at a NY state university before a dean in the department told me I couldn’t go any further because I was white" with the five letter gs in her tweet circled in pink

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two from the classic era

a red fire extinguisher propping open a blue door

a laminated notice—discarded on the ground—with the text

DO NOT USE

FIRE EXTINGUISHER

AS DOOR STOP

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There once was a fire door in Norwich For which no-one could find a door wedge But perceiving that this old lighter Could be rammed in just a bit tighter Was a little too ironic, I really do allege

a grey fire door wedged open with a plastic disposable lighter

Dan Lockton @danlockton.com · 01/12/2025

I didn't really like Kingdom Come at the time it came out—it seemed not strange enough, somehow, too familiar. But of course, he had spotted underlying trends.

The Simpsons bus driver "Don't make me tap the sign" meme but the sign is a tropical synthwave meme with "J.G. Ballard was right" text

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An Amoco staff uniform "fashion brochure" from c.1972–3, showing Town Centre Service Station in Feltham, Middlesex (which I think was about where the car park is outside Matalan). Is that a Triumph 1500, or a Dolomite? More info here: www.flickr.com/photos/danlo... #petrolstations #petrocultures

Four double-page spreads of an "Amoco Fashion Brochure" from the early 1970s, showing Amoco-branded uniforms for petrol station staff. Two men and a woman are shown, wearing various combinations of uniforms, on a garage forecourt, Town Centre Service Station