iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Inspiring to see @weareravenous.com emerge: it's run by "award-winning journalists fed up with the conversation around food being reduced by AI slop, 'best of' lists, and influencer-driven trends" I especially liked what @jayasaxena.com was doing at Eater and bet Ravenous will be brilliant.

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

When I interviewed a Sydney cafe owner who showcases Viet coffee culture in inspired ways (exhibit A: his iced brûlée-style egg coffee!), I didn’t expect him to tell me he was repeatedly blown up in Furiosa and also battled alongside Michelle Yeoh in Shang Chi. www.smh.com.au/goodfood/syd...

Review: Try Vietnam’s viral egg coffee at Canley Vale’s coffee-fuelled Tina & Po

Michael Tang was repeatedly blown up in Furiosa, but now torches his popular beverage until brulee-like.

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Paris Marx @parismarx.com · 15/02/2026

OpenAI ”acknowledged in its own research that LLMs will always produce hallucinations due to fundamental mathematical constraints that cannot be solved through better engineering, marking a significant admission from one of the AI industry’s leading companies.” You can’t trust chatbots.

computerworld.com

OpenAI admits AI hallucinations are mathematically inevitable, not just engineering flaws

In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limi...

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

David Chang called it back in 2018: “The best pizza in the world is in Tokyo.” And one of its best pizzerias opens soon in Sydney. PST (run by “one of the most talked-about pizzaioli in the world”, according to @nytimes.com) arrives here in May. My story here: www.smh.com.au/goodfood/syd...

One of Tokyo’s best pizzerias, Pizza Studio Tamaki, is opening in Sydney’s CBD

It’ll be its largest global location to date and will sell its famous five-cheese pizza sweetened with honey, plus local-inspired options.

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

I cheered when I recognised @praddenkeefe.bsky.social in Industry’s S4 finale (finally, some sound journalism on the show!); it led me to his new book, which aptly shares the murky, false glitz of Industry’s universe. Say Nothing was unputdownable, am excited/impatient for London Falling’s release!

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

“To plant is to believe in tomorrow,” my father said, as he pressed them gently into the soil. Taqwa Ahmed al-Wawi on gardening in Gaza as bombs fall. Corn is a highlight: "30 kernels, bought as popcorn seeds, grew into proud green stalks up to my chest" www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

As the Israeli bombs fell, my family committed an act of rebellion: we planted a garden in Gaza | Taqwa Ahmed al-Wai

Amid constant danger, each planted seed was a tiny act of resistance. As they grew, they offered us food – and a sense of achievement amid the devastation, says Taqwa Ahmed al-Wai, a writer, poet and ...

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Diversity Arts Australia @diversityartsau.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

We stand in solidarity with all those who are calling for accountability, transparency, and the reinstatement of Dr Abdel-Fattah to the Adelaide Writers’ Week program: diversityarts.org.au/diversity-ar...

Diversity Arts Australia’s
Statement on the Removal of
Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah
from Adelaide Writers’ Week

Festivals are a core part of our civic infrastructure, providing forums for exchange, disagreement, and critical public debate.

The removal of Dr Abdel-Fattah from Adelaide Writers’ Week undermines these principles, and the widespread withdrawal of writers signals that this breach has been clearly understood by the cultural community.

Diversity Arts Australia
stands unequivocally
with Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah.

We also stand with the greatly respected Festival Director Louise Adler,
the writers, First Nations authors, publishers, and cultural workers who have withdrawn in protest, and with all those who are calling for accountability, transparency, and the reinstatement of Dr Abdel-Fattah to the Adelaide Writers’ Week program.

We call on the Adelaide Festival Board to urgently reinstate Dr Abdel-Fattah’s invitation.

We call on the Adelaide Festival Board to affirm its commitment to freedom of artistic, political, and cultural expression, genuine cultural equity, and the protection of those freedoms within publicly funded cultural institutions.

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Even during a heatwave, the first Australian outpost for a Kyoto vegan ramen restaurant is attracting queues. I wrote about Sydney's Towzen noodle joint (which I liked better than the original in Japan). www.smh.com.au/goodfood/syd...

Review: Japanese vegan ramen restaurant Towzen opens first Australian outlet in Sydney

Japanese vegan restaurant Towzen is pushing boundaries at its third international offshoot, with ramen that incorporates Thai- and Sichuan-style flavours.

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

What is it about movies that turns everyone into number-crunching accountants? We don’t talk about books or other art forms this way. This year, I wrote about how box office talk is ruining movies (via @sydmorningherald.bsky.social's Spectrum) www.smh.com.au/culture/movi...

Putting the gross in ‘gross earnings’: Box office talk is ruining the movies

When did we all become voluntary bean-counters for Hollywood studios?

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Kon Karapanagiotidis @kkarapanagiotidis.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

If you have a moment I’d be very grateful if you read this.

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Shane Anderson 🏳️‍🌈 @shaneanderson.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future." - @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit. Incredible words. Listen to all of it!

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Jón Kristinsson @jonkk.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Here’s my Spotify Wrapped 🎵✨

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

According to @usc.edu data reported on @james.crid.land's @podnews.net, 64% of the most popular US podcasts were hosted by men. Such shows are far less diverse than the top movies, TV or music. Worst gender gap? Business & tech shows: men host 92% of 'em! More stats here: podnews.net/update/woefu...

podnews.net

Podcast diversity is ‘woeful’, says new report

We are much worse for diversity than film, TV, or music.

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Sam Adams @samadams.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Six people died from tampered Tylenol and the company pulled 30 million bottles off the market. ChatGPT is accused of urging seven people towards suicide, and OpenAI just assures us they’re still working out the kinks. Billions in investment, zero accountability.

apnews.com

OpenAI faces 7 lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide, delusions

OpenAI is facing seven lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide and harmful delusions even when they had no prior mental health issues.

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

At Sydney's only full-time Mexican bakery, you'll find coffee spiked with horchata (it's creamy, cinnamon-sweet & delicious!), an ancient hot chocolate that predates Euro-style cocoa by thousands of years and other rarities. Here's my write-up on Pancho Bakery: www.smh.com.au/goodfood/syd...

Review: Sydney’s only bricks-and-mortar Mexican bakery specialises in hard-to-find treats

Pancho Bakery’s busy location means it’s easy to overlook, but its conchas, coyotas and molletes mean this one-of-a-kind shop deserves to be noticed.

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

Taylor Swift releasing (needing?) 30+ variants of her new album in 1 WEEK to knock off Adele’s sales record feels cynical. Should a billionaire really squeeze her fans this way? @defector.com on how ‘good art doesn’t come from greed’ is the BEST piece I’ve seen on TLOAS defector.com/taylor-swift...

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

If you have a ‘difficult ethnic name’, you might know this feeling. Do you give your real name for your takeaway order - only for it to be misspelt or butchered? Or do you give a fake name for convenience: a “coffee name”? I've wanted to write this for YEARS! www.theguardian.com/food/2025/oc...

Strong flat white for Batman: should I use a ‘coffee name’?

Some people go undercover when ordering takeaway – here’s what baristas think of the practice

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

I once read just 4 books in a year. In 2025, I’ve read more than 60 – a lifetime record for me! Recreational reading has declined throughout Australia, but I hope this story might inspire people to turn some pages. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

abc.net.au

I've read 63 books so far this year. Here's how I did it

Research shows Australians are reading fewer books than ever before. One writer shares her advice on how to make reading a daily habit.

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

FYI, FBi radio's supporter drive ends soon – if you can support it, that'd be amazing. It's been showcasing Sydney's music, arts & culture scence for 20+ years (it played The Kid Laroi and Flume when they teens; I recall playing Flume's demo as Harley when he was 15)! www.fbi.radio/support

fbi.radio

Support Us | fbi.radio

The beating heart of Sydney music.

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Annie Hariharan @anniehariharan.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

I'll never understand how companies who use AI tools in recruitment to 'streamline the process and increase efficiency' are complaining that applicants are also doing the same www.theage.com.au/national/nsw...

theage.com.au

Strange behaviour is being observed in job interviews. It’s a sign of the times

The explosion of AI has turned recruitment into a minefield, where it is difficult to assess if candidates have the skills they might appear to be able to demonstrate.

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

I wonder how many protesters at the recent anti-immigration rallies knew that the colony was saved by Indian food? This is from a story I wrote for Gourmet Traveller in 2022. Even from the earliest days of settlement, Australian food wasn’t as bland or monocultural as you’d first think.

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

The tahini at Al Amara is freshly milled and "could be measured in ripples: it drips rapidly and is always in escape mode". It's spectacularly nutty and "has more complexity and character than entire bookshelves". I wrote about this Iraqi bakery for Good Food: www.smh.com.au/goodfood/syd...

Review: This condiment is ‘one of the best things I’ve tasted this year’

Al Amara grinds its own fresh tahini from pure sesame on site every day – but there’s much more to this bakery.

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

"Maybe you will build those toxic – emotionally, spiritually, environmentally – simulacra engines and suck up all the water and tank the energy grid w/ the demand for the worst art ever made." @squigglyrick.bsky.social takes on AI slop (unlike AI slop, it's ace) rick-morton.ghost.io/crumbs-at-th...

rick-morton.ghost.io

Crumbs at the Slophouse

There was a man at the ice creamery the other day and I cannot stop thinking about him. He looked about 50. No family in tow, indeed no other travelling friends or acquaintances in sight. From his pe...

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

83% of people killed by Israel in Gaza are civilians, according to the Israeli military's own data. This "is extremely high for modern warfare, even compared with conflicts notorious for indiscriminate killing, including the Syrian and Sudanese civil wars" www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

Revealed: Israeli military’s own data indicates civilian death rate of 83% in Gaza war

Figures from classified IDF database listed 8,900 named fighters as dead or probably dead in May, as overall death toll reached 53,000

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

From Engadine Maccas and beyond: I talked to Gary He about his acclaimed McAtlas book. He's visited McDonald's in 50+ countries, including Australia (home to Melbourne's Art Deco Maccas, the McCafe, the infamous Engadine site & the worst thing he ate on his trip, LOL) www.smh.com.au/goodfood/eat...

Does Australia’s biggest contribution to global dining come from ... McDonald’s?

Here’s what makes our Macca’s stores stand out among 50 global outlets.

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Clare @clarebraven.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Returning on the train from the Sydney March for Humanity, Free Palestine protest and they are still turning people back on the bridge

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Me: "So which country should @aoc.bsky.social go back to?" Mick Mulvaney: "She's an American citizen." Me: "So why did Trump tell her to go back to her country?" I asked former Trump WH chief of staff Mulvaney if he ever challenged his then boss on his racist tweets. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wolq...

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

A group of journalists working at AFP said this week that “without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die”. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

BBC, AFP and other news outlets warn journalists in Gaza at risk of starvation

Reuters and AP among those urging Israeli authorities to allow reporters in and out of war-ravaged strip

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

“Musab al Dibes is 14 years old, but looks like a small child … His weight has dropped from 40 kilograms to 10 … The Gaza Strip is suffering from a major catastrophe in terms of food. There is no food, no milk, no meat, no fish, no legumes, nothing” www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

abc.net.au

Weighing just 10kg at 14 years old: 'Major starvation' takes hold in Gaza

In a ward of Gaza City's Shifa Hospital, multiple children and some adults can be found emaciated from the lack of food. Doctors say the rate of death from starvation is rapidly rising.

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

Last year, I wrote a Sydney dining guide for Gastro Obscura's Feast. The series covered 9 cities (from Lagos to Penang) and has just won a James Beard media award for Dining & Travel! Congrats to @dianahubbell.bsky.social, Anne Ewbank and Sam O'Brien on the win! www.atlasobscura.com/articles/whe...

atlasobscura.com

A Gastro Obscura Guide to Sydney

Wattleseed pudding, Vegemite-braised ribs, and more freewheeling fusion in the harbor city.

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

BTW, @dremmabeckett.bsky.social & @emantzioris.bsky.social are on this show, where Dr Evangeline makes this ace point: "The word diet in Greek actually comes from the word diaita, which actually means the way you choose to live your life. It's not about just the food." www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

abc.net.au

03 | Cooked: Mystery in the Mediterranean - ABC listen

It was one of the world's biggest nutrition trials. A study of thousands of people which found that following a Mediterranean diet could meaningfully reduce someone's risk of heart disease and stroke....

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Chocolate: romance aid, dog poison and … health food? In France, the royal pharmacist treated Marie-Antoinette's headaches with chocolate. So is it 'good' for you? I explore this, cacao's 4000-year-old Mexican history and much more on the new season of my SBS podcast! www.sbs.com.au/audio/podcas...

sbs.com.au

Chocolate: Food of the gods, romantic gesture, dog poison

In 18th-century France, the royal pharmacist treated Marie-Antoinette’s headaches with chocolate. This sweet even appeared in European hospital prescriptions! Medicinal use of chocolate goes back thou...

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Thank you Kristin! Loved getting the chance to do a second season of the Culinary Archive podcast with the Powerhouse Museum about Australia’s food history - and future. omny.fm/shows/culina...

omny.fm

CULINARY ARCHIVE PODCAST - CULINARY ARCHIVE PODCAST

Explore Australia's foodways with food journalist Lee Tran Lam and special guests.

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

I like best-of lists: they're a backdoor into the year that's gone, except now with all the shortcuts, cheat codes & greatest hits revealed. On my Patreon newsletter & podcast, I've just covered the best podcasts I've heard & my fave dishes and food experiences of 2024 www.patreon.com/leetranlam

patreon.com

Get more from Lee Tran Lam on Patreon

creating podcasts and newsletters

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

I have 274 podcast episodes in my ‘to listen to’ feed (some have been there since 2021!), so I only recently got to @sweetsnbitters.bsky.social’s show on saving the craft of soy sauce in Japan. It came out last September, but it’s one of the best podcasts I’ve heard this year. pca.st/tdtaxa45

pca.st

Saving the Craft of Soy Sauce - Proof

For hundreds of years, Japanese soy sauce was made in wooden barrels, but now, most are made in steel tanks. And some argue: It’s made it less delicious. Can a group of brewers and carpenters save the...

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

My mum, in the decades I’ve covered food, has only liked ONE restaurant I’d taken her to (Yan, a suburban gem we revisited last night). This low success rate inspired my story on how migrant elders are tougher restaurant critics than professional reviewers: www.theguardian.com/food/2024/no...