iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kai @kaixiang.info · 24/08/2026

I am no longer a journalist with The Straits Times! Today marks the end of my time as a professional busybody, and my return to school to pursue further studies as a PhD candidate at Stockholm University. I hope I'll have good news to share in 4-5 years!

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 23/06/2026

Boomers can’t stop using AI to create fake images of Singapore history. I write about what we're losing to the scourge of AI-generated history that's taking over Singapore's boomer-centric online spaces:

singapore-samizdat.com

Boomers can’t stop using AI to create fake images of Singapore history

The country's largest online heritage community is being overrun with AI slop.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 17/06/2026

We should all be concerned about the expansion of youth social media bans. Queer, neurodiverse kids outcasted in their own communities have always found belonging on the internet. The moral panic language of 'child safety' has long been weaponised against us and it's working.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 06/06/2026

In May, NUS's president announced to staff that AI deployment would be a "leadership KPI". Employees I interviewed say that what is happening feels at times like the university is putting AI adoption ahead of a clear vision of how AI should improve working life:

straitstimes.com

AI as a leadership KPI: Workers clash with AI mandates

"Tokenmaxxing" describes workers anxiously performing pointless AI tasks to improve AI-related KPIs. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 21/05/2026

Every day is the end of an era in Singapore. I write about how Singapore's nostalgia media is really disempowerment media here: www.singapore-samizdat.com/p/every-day-...

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 11/05/2026

This is a little late, but my second peer-reviewed journal article was published (open access) earlier this year, and looks at how civil society experiences censorship and control over data in Singapore. Read it on the International Journal of Communication: ijoc.org/index.php/ij...

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Kelly Thompson @kellythompson.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

The Circe & Diana mother-daughter relationship was not only one of the most important pillars of Absolute Wonder Woman, but also the most important to me personally. My mother is adopted and I wanted to show how powerful and beautiful that can be. Happy Mother's Day to all loving mothers everywhere.

Comic book spread -- progressive panels of a child (Diana/Wonder Woman) slowly growing up in a cave setting (The Underworld), raised by Circe. The setting slowly warming up and progressively becoming a home. Pages from Absolute Wonder Woman #1. Art by Hayden Sherman, colors by Jordie Bellaire, words by Kelly Thompson, lettering by Becca Carey.

Comic book page depicting a mother (Circe) climbing into bed with her daughter (Diana/Wonder Woman) and her monster friends after a bad dream. She talks of love being transformative and also a prison. She talks of sacrifice. From Absolute Wonder Woman #4. Art by Hayden Sherman, colors by Jordie Bellaire, words by Kelly Thompson, lettering by Becca Carey.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 05/05/2026

Why do the perpetrators behind "revenge porn" and other forms of non-consensual intimate images keep getting away with it? That's the subject of my latest story for The Straits Times, which looks at how image-based sexual abuse has morphed through the decades in Singapore:

straitstimes.com

Decades of image-based sexual abuse: How perpetrators evade tech platforms and the authorities

Explore the evolving landscape of image-based sexual abuse, from decades-old tactics to modern AI deepfakes, and how perpetrators evade detection. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitsti...

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 20/04/2026

"This Esquire interview is just the latest manifestation in the mainstreaming of AI slop in Singapore, a country that has long been an early adopter of very questionable uses of the technology."

singapore-samizdat.com

The AI slopification of the Singaporean Internet

The AI slopification of Singapore is emblematic of one of the most Singaporean of feelings: apathy and indifference.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 16/04/2026

Singapore is one of the most connected countries in the world, with more wireless broadband subscriptions than there are people. Yet, this connection is experienced very differently by Singapore's domestic workers:

straitstimes.com

‘Not allowed to use the home Wi-Fi’: How domestic workers get online in Singapore

They turn to prepaid SIM cards, which allow for greater budget control and offer flexibility. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 03/03/2026

Why is Singapore Reddit like that? In 2025, after the election, many users proclaimed that Singapore's Reddit communities are echo chambers unrepresentative of broader Singapore. The truth is more complicated: www.straitstimes.com/life/reddit-...

straitstimes.com

Reddit wars: What’s driving Singapore’s largest online communities

Explore how content moderation, prolific posters, and niche discussions shape Singapore's largest and most contentious online communities on Reddit. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straits...

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 22/02/2026

One of the depressing parts about being a journalist today is knowing how many people never read past the headline

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 20/02/2026

In my first newsletter of this lunar new year, I take a look at why Western creators keep looking at Asian cities and seeing dystopian futures:

singapore-samizdat.com

Techno-orientalism is lazier than ever

From Alien: Earth to Westworld, Western creators keep looking at Asian cities and seeing dystopian futures.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 19/02/2026

I've always believed that all good journalism is good gossip, and this is living proof of it:

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Julia Carrie Wong @joolia.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

You’re laughing. The Mellon foundation is providing grants to gender and area studies programs and you’re laughing.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 21/01/2026

It's sad but unsurprising to me that all the controversy surrounding x/twitter and grok have only made them more popular in Singapore - not less.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 05/01/2026

Much of my 2025 was spent writing about all the reasons that nightlife business operators are struggling in Singapore. Looking ahead, my prediction is that 2026 will be the year of nightlife going smaller - becoming a more niche and subcultural affair:

straitstimes.com

If 2025 was the year of nightlife closures in S’pore, 2026 will be the year of going small

Your reporter predicts a smaller and more subcultural future for Singapore's nightlife in 2026. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 22/12/2025

I've started blogging again - this time about why bad food reviews are so rare in Singapore (and the country's last honest food reviewer). Read it here: www.singapore-samizdat.com/p/the-most-s...

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Ursula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

The end justifies the means. But what if there never is an end? All we have is means.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 10/11/2025

As the unique financial risks of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) become apparent, we're seeing tightening regulations from governments across the globe. And yet, BNPL is making a comeback in Singapore, increasingly embraced by the platforms that define commerce here. Here's why:

straitstimes.com

‘Spend first, worry later’: Why Buy Now, Pay Later is making a comeback in 2025

Once a novelty, Buy Now Pay Later firms are now almost ubiquitous in Singapore's financial landscape. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 07/11/2025

If you've ever wondered how pig-butchering or love scams begin, here's how. Made all the more timely by that recent Reuters report published yesterday on how Meta's internal research estimated that its platforms were involved in a third of all successful scams in the US.

straitstimes.com

‘Are you single, old man?’: Scam artistry has never been easier

Going down the rabbit hole of online scams and exploitation, one finds an audience eager to believe the lies. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 27/10/2025

In 2006, Mr Pillai paid just $3 for his late-night journey home to Yishun from the city centre. Back then, the NightRider buses operated from 11.30pm to 4.30am, covering that stretch of the early hours when the MRT lines cease to run (...)

straitstimes.com

Is Singapore a 24-hour city without the NightRider bus?

Singapore's revellers and nightlife workers are wistful for the bygone era of the NightRider bus. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

How Ruby went off the rails: A deep dive into the ownership and governance drama of some of the most important open source projects in the world www.404media.co/how-ruby-wen...

404media.co

How Ruby Went Off the Rails

What happened to RubyGems, Bundler, and the Open Source drama that controls the internet infrastructure.

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Kat Tenbarge @kattenbarge.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

The real generational divide is people who refuse to watch a video if it could be an article versus people who refuse to read an article if it could be a video

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 26/09/2025

"What happens when a mall grows old? According to tenants at one of Singapore’s longest-operating malls, it exists in a sort of commercial purgatory. Not quite dead or alive, but still necessary."

straitstimes.com

When a mall grows old: How Katong Shopping Centre went from ‘shopping paradise’ to maid agencies

Tenants at one of Singapore's oldest malls say it feels like a commercial purgatory. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 24/09/2025

Drama in the cake world! As someone who's long followed the cake picnic trend over TikTok (and the many successful and not so successful iterations around the world), I was surprised by the furore sparked by Singapore's own cake picnic:

straitstimes.com

Singapore’s take on viral ‘cake picnic’ trend draws criticism over $170 fee for bakers

Social media has popularised the trend of cake picnics, events where amateur bakers gather to share sweet treats. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 09/09/2025

Do Singapore's Gen Zs still know how to party? After speaking to dozens of Singapore's youngest generation of partygoers (and party sceptics), I came away with a strong impression that more needs to be done to ease the barriers faced by organisers and businesses for making a good time possible.

straitstimes.com

Do Singapore’s Gen Zs still know how to party?

No longer a universal rite of passage, Gen Z party culture is unlike that of previous generations. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 04/09/2025

Just got my hands on the latest issue of meantime magazine and I am in awe of the design

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 24/08/2025

"Feels like the end of an era." Yesterday, fans said goodbye to the Projector one last time during a farewell party held at the beloved independent cinema. Reporting on this story, I saw many teary eyes, toasts to the end of independent cinema and hopeful pondering about what comes next.

straitstimes.com

‘Feels like the end of an era’: Fans say goodbye to the Projector one last time

The party was organised by four music collectives. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 17/08/2025

Find it fascinating how filmmakers see Asian cities as a visual shorthand for vaguely dystopian sci-fi futuristic modernity

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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

www.reuters.com/investigates...

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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

love this new york times clip. they recently did a story about how sesame street's set has changed over the years, along with our urban politics. IG nytimes

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Alex Hern @hern.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

Discovered today that not everyone considers this nine year old viral tweet a seminal text in the field of social media studies but I do

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 04/05/2025

In today's edition of the straits times, I write about what it's like to be diagnosed with ADHD later in life - and why it made me so so angry at our schools and attitudes towards mental health: www.straitstimes.com/life/hear-me...

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 02/05/2025

If you're at all interested in buying or renovating a home in Singapore, chances are you've come across Stacked Homes. How did it become one of the island's leading sources of property advice and home inspiration? I spoke to the founders behind it to find out: www.straitstimes.com/life/home-de...

straitstimes.com

Stacked Homes: They tried to cut out property agents, but created one of S’pore’s top blogs instead

Stacked Homes aims to de-mystify real estate for Singaporeans. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 30/04/2025

Who made this BL edit for the PAP??! Identify yourself!

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Kai @kaixiang.info · 30/04/2025

Singapore has a world-class education system. So why are we spending so much on tuition and out-of-school help? Find out more in my story taking a behind-the-scenes look into the lives and work of Singapore's tutors here:

straitstimes.com

‘Over 800 messages on A-level day’: Enter the emotional support tutor-therapist

Singapore's tutors share what makes them stand out in the country's billion-dollar shadow education system. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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