Phil Adams
@phil-adams.bsky.social
Lowfalutin® brand strategy. Your irresistible truth and how to tell it®: https://philadams.co/
Exec Producer: https://www.allhandsondoc.com/
Trustee: https://www.scottishdocinstitute.com/
Thinking out loud: https://newsletter.lowfalutin.co.uk/archive/
Exec Producer: https://www.allhandsondoc.com/
Trustee: https://www.scottishdocinstitute.com/
Thinking out loud: https://newsletter.lowfalutin.co.uk/archive/
Going to see this @filmhouseedinburgh.bsky.social on Wednesday. Just saw that the showing has sold out. Documentary is a more vital art form than ever.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yaS...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yaS...
Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk - Official UK Trailer
YouTube video by Dogwoof
www.youtube.com
January 26, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Going to see this @filmhouseedinburgh.bsky.social on Wednesday. Just saw that the showing has sold out. Documentary is a more vital art form than ever.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yaS...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yaS...
Preaching to the gallery? I would say so.
Confirmation bias? Almost certainly.
Still a fabulous read? Oh yeah.
ianwhitworth.net/what-ai-and-...
Confirmation bias? Almost certainly.
Still a fabulous read? Oh yeah.
ianwhitworth.net/what-ai-and-...
What AI and acid-washed pig hides have in common - Undisruptable
We love people promising us all the rewards, with none of the effort. AI guys do that, just like the Instagram protein people.
ianwhitworth.net
January 24, 2026 at 1:08 PM
Preaching to the gallery? I would say so.
Confirmation bias? Almost certainly.
Still a fabulous read? Oh yeah.
ianwhitworth.net/what-ai-and-...
Confirmation bias? Almost certainly.
Still a fabulous read? Oh yeah.
ianwhitworth.net/what-ai-and-...
Dunno why the phrase "in the same casual manner" popped into my head, 50 years after I first heard it, but this is a brilliant piece of exposition. Its faux sombre tone nicely teed up the sit-com genius that followed.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ztm...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ztm...
Porridge (1974) Season 1 - Opening Theme
YouTube video by AnahaB Telly
www.youtube.com
January 23, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Dunno why the phrase "in the same casual manner" popped into my head, 50 years after I first heard it, but this is a brilliant piece of exposition. Its faux sombre tone nicely teed up the sit-com genius that followed.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ztm...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ztm...
Reposted by Phil Adams
roomba accidentally saw outside
March 14, 2025 at 3:04 PM
roomba accidentally saw outside
"Most organisations don’t lack intent. They lack systems that can carry it intact. So the interesting question isn’t how much effort AI can save. It’s where, in your own work, intent tends to disappear."
Interesting and useful take, as usual from Phil.
Interesting and useful take, as usual from Phil.
AI lubricates workflows. Reducing the distance from intent to outcome.
https://www.volcanobase.co/p/ai-lubricates-workflows
https://www.volcanobase.co/p/ai-lubricates-workflows
AI lubricates workflows
Reducing the distance from intent to outcome
www.volcanobase.co
January 19, 2026 at 10:21 AM
"Most organisations don’t lack intent. They lack systems that can carry it intact. So the interesting question isn’t how much effort AI can save. It’s where, in your own work, intent tends to disappear."
Interesting and useful take, as usual from Phil.
Interesting and useful take, as usual from Phil.
The first New Moon Letter from John Higgs. It's about countercultures. How they differ from subcultures. How they are an R&D department for the mainstream. And how the culture they counter today is the culture of the algorithm.
Love it.
johnhiggs.substack.com/p/new-moon-l...
Love it.
johnhiggs.substack.com/p/new-moon-l...
New Moon Letter 1
On Counterculture
johnhiggs.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 10:04 AM
The first New Moon Letter from John Higgs. It's about countercultures. How they differ from subcultures. How they are an R&D department for the mainstream. And how the culture they counter today is the culture of the algorithm.
Love it.
johnhiggs.substack.com/p/new-moon-l...
Love it.
johnhiggs.substack.com/p/new-moon-l...
Die My Love. Sheesh. Brilliant acting by Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. Clever cinematography too, including a strange, claustrophobic aspect ratio, somewhere between 4:3 and square. Intense and the opposite of uplifting. I don’t think it’s possible to be “in the mood for it.”
January 14, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Die My Love. Sheesh. Brilliant acting by Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. Clever cinematography too, including a strange, claustrophobic aspect ratio, somewhere between 4:3 and square. Intense and the opposite of uplifting. I don’t think it’s possible to be “in the mood for it.”
This is an unusually good list. Wisdom and clarity. Thanks for sharing Neil.
'The engineers who thrive aren’t necessarily the best programmers - they’re the ones who’ve figured out how to navigate everything around the code: the people, the politics, the alignment, the ambiguity.' I liked these lessons from a Google engineer addyosmani.com/blog/21-less... HT @kottke.org
21 Lessons From 14 Years at Google
Lessons learned from 14 years of engineering at Google, focusing on what truly matters beyond just writing great code.
addyosmani.com
January 14, 2026 at 12:58 PM
This is an unusually good list. Wisdom and clarity. Thanks for sharing Neil.
Reposted by Phil Adams
The FT got is architecture critic Edwin Heathcote to write about data centres and it's wonderful. www.ft.com/content/7692...
January 14, 2026 at 7:09 AM
The FT got is architecture critic Edwin Heathcote to write about data centres and it's wonderful. www.ft.com/content/7692...
"A system that can’t act against its manufacturer’s interests is not really on your side. It can perform loyalty convincingly, but its allegiance is fixed before the conversation begins."
www.volcanobase.co/p/when-ai-ge...?
www.volcanobase.co/p/when-ai-ge...?
When AI gets a body
From assistants to representatives
www.volcanobase.co
January 9, 2026 at 9:51 AM
"A system that can’t act against its manufacturer’s interests is not really on your side. It can perform loyalty convincingly, but its allegiance is fixed before the conversation begins."
www.volcanobase.co/p/when-ai-ge...?
www.volcanobase.co/p/when-ai-ge...?
A rare beast indeed. @buttondown.com is a company whose values are pointed, sincere, and fully integrated with its business model.
Founder and CEO, @jmduke.com kindly took time to discuss its values and style with me.
newsletter.lowfalutin.co.uk/archive/thei...
Founder and CEO, @jmduke.com kindly took time to discuss its values and style with me.
newsletter.lowfalutin.co.uk/archive/thei...
Their values are stronger than yours
Our users can smell mealy-mouthed-ness from a mile away.Justin Duke, Founder & CEO of Buttondown I was so impressed Read this About page and weep because...
newsletter.lowfalutin.co.uk
January 8, 2026 at 8:51 AM
A rare beast indeed. @buttondown.com is a company whose values are pointed, sincere, and fully integrated with its business model.
Founder and CEO, @jmduke.com kindly took time to discuss its values and style with me.
newsletter.lowfalutin.co.uk/archive/thei...
Founder and CEO, @jmduke.com kindly took time to discuss its values and style with me.
newsletter.lowfalutin.co.uk/archive/thei...
A favourite image from the Resistance exhibition by Steve McQueen at Modern Two (National Galleries of Scotland.) It shows protesters dancing on a nuclear missile silo at RAF Greenham Common, 1st January 1983.
Photo credits and the exhibition theme are in the reply post below this one.
Photo credits and the exhibition theme are in the reply post below this one.
January 3, 2026 at 7:36 PM
A favourite image from the Resistance exhibition by Steve McQueen at Modern Two (National Galleries of Scotland.) It shows protesters dancing on a nuclear missile silo at RAF Greenham Common, 1st January 1983.
Photo credits and the exhibition theme are in the reply post below this one.
Photo credits and the exhibition theme are in the reply post below this one.
The Buttondown annual review. A newsletter platform with principles. Customer service is brilliant too.
"We remain cash-flow profitable, meaning we don’t need to chase a big fundraising round or pivot to video advertising or social networking."
buttondown.com/buttondown/a...
"We remain cash-flow profitable, meaning we don’t need to chase a big fundraising round or pivot to video advertising or social networking."
buttondown.com/buttondown/a...
2025
It's become a tradition to look back on the previous year and reflect on what we shipped, what we didn't, and what's next. Let's start with all the stuff we...
buttondown.com
December 30, 2025 at 10:00 AM
The Buttondown annual review. A newsletter platform with principles. Customer service is brilliant too.
"We remain cash-flow profitable, meaning we don’t need to chase a big fundraising round or pivot to video advertising or social networking."
buttondown.com/buttondown/a...
"We remain cash-flow profitable, meaning we don’t need to chase a big fundraising round or pivot to video advertising or social networking."
buttondown.com/buttondown/a...
Rebecca (RF) Kuang last night. So smart. So articulate. So forthcoming. Turned a question about Nature Valley bars into a brilliant point of view about characterisation.
December 12, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Rebecca (RF) Kuang last night. So smart. So articulate. So forthcoming. Turned a question about Nature Valley bars into a brilliant point of view about characterisation.
Reposted by Phil Adams
If handing someone their arse, was a video clip
December 12, 2025 at 8:12 AM
If handing someone their arse, was a video clip
When your analysis doesn't spoil your enjoyment, and your enjoyment doesn't dull your analysis, I think that's what they mean by appreciation.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=INiV...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=INiV...
Paul Simon's 'Still Crazy...' Hits Harder Than Ever
YouTube video by You'll Hear It
www.youtube.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:59 PM
When your analysis doesn't spoil your enjoyment, and your enjoyment doesn't dull your analysis, I think that's what they mean by appreciation.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=INiV...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=INiV...
My friend and ex-colleague, Tim, gave this perfectly pitched Time For Reflection address to the Scottish Parliament yesterday. Timely (timeless) messages, well packaged and well delivered.
www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/time...
www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/time...
Time for Reflection | Scottish Parliament TV
www.scottishparliament.tv
December 10, 2025 at 12:49 PM
My friend and ex-colleague, Tim, gave this perfectly pitched Time For Reflection address to the Scottish Parliament yesterday. Timely (timeless) messages, well packaged and well delivered.
www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/time...
www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/time...
"What she was great at was posing questions, listening, and watching. This is a habit many CEOs struggle to develop."
Margaret Heffernan on good decisions.
heffernanm.substack.com/p/what-make-...
Margaret Heffernan on good decisions.
heffernanm.substack.com/p/what-make-...
What makes a Good Decision?
The Why and the How
heffernanm.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 9:36 AM
"What she was great at was posing questions, listening, and watching. This is a habit many CEOs struggle to develop."
Margaret Heffernan on good decisions.
heffernanm.substack.com/p/what-make-...
Margaret Heffernan on good decisions.
heffernanm.substack.com/p/what-make-...
Lots of good stuff in Adam Buxton's chat with Zadie Smith, but I laughed out loud when she described the lyrics of Don't Look Back in Anger as, "Beatles wingdings."
www.adam-buxton.co.uk/podcasts/82d...
www.adam-buxton.co.uk/podcasts/82d...
EP.263 - ZADIE SMITH — ADAM BUXTON
Adam talks with author Zadie Smith about fun, trivial things like Wordle start words, men who dress as if they're still young, and the sadness of podcasts becoming TV shows, and then not trivial thing...
www.adam-buxton.co.uk
December 8, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Lots of good stuff in Adam Buxton's chat with Zadie Smith, but I laughed out loud when she described the lyrics of Don't Look Back in Anger as, "Beatles wingdings."
www.adam-buxton.co.uk/podcasts/82d...
www.adam-buxton.co.uk/podcasts/82d...
For fellow alcohol-free drinkers, this is in my Top 5, especially at this time of year. Tastes how it looks.
December 5, 2025 at 7:58 PM
For fellow alcohol-free drinkers, this is in my Top 5, especially at this time of year. Tastes how it looks.
Marta from Company Bakery talking with great style about change and growth at Creative Mornings (Edinburgh) today. A lesson in how to combine personal and corporate storytelling.
@creativemornings.bsky.social
@creativemornings.bsky.social
December 5, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Marta from Company Bakery talking with great style about change and growth at Creative Mornings (Edinburgh) today. A lesson in how to combine personal and corporate storytelling.
@creativemornings.bsky.social
@creativemornings.bsky.social
"With one eye on posterity." Love this. Brand management should be an act of stewardship; the manager in service to the brand. Too often it's the other way round.
For The Subtext, I’ve written something about being both a writer for brands, and a poet: www.thesubtext.online/all/more-bra...
The Subtext | More brands should be poems
A poet–copywriter explores how branding and poetry intertwine, revealing why brands should embrace emotion, ambition, and the unexpected.
www.thesubtext.online
December 4, 2025 at 9:43 AM
"With one eye on posterity." Love this. Brand management should be an act of stewardship; the manager in service to the brand. Too often it's the other way round.
Dressing up and having fun. It feels like a radical act. Who knows, it might start making sense.
Groovy as fuck. I shall watch this many times.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNmc...
Groovy as fuck. I shall watch this many times.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNmc...
David Byrne: Tiny Desk Concert
YouTube video by NPR Music
www.youtube.com
December 4, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Dressing up and having fun. It feels like a radical act. Who knows, it might start making sense.
Groovy as fuck. I shall watch this many times.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNmc...
Groovy as fuck. I shall watch this many times.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNmc...