#Ukraine

Press 1 for environmental updates
Press 2 for steps on how to open the escape hatch
Press 3 for the sound of someone finally touching grass

While a fellow documentarian started an exciting new project in the Zomia region, I'm in the archives tracing the past. Who said historiography is dead?
A man in roller skates reads Corriere Sportivo at a café table during Italy's first 'car-free Sunday' in response to the 1973 oil crisis. Milan, 2 December 1973.

"Drift" by Art Jeeno (aka Piyaphach Jeeno), 2025, oli on canvas, 100x100 cm

Someone kindly gave me a good luck charm... Looks like I'm all set for the year of the horse.

Took the ferry... and found my how-to guide.

Everything was going swimmingly… until the software status update said: Hold my tea.
In-flight display showing a map of mainland Southeast Asia with a flight path approaching Krung Thep (BKK) but veering off into the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand

Where the lake holds the sky in its stillness... Glad I didn't skip this plateau.
A calm lake bordered by mountains under a cloudy sky, the landscape reflected on its still surface.

Wasn’t really sure what to expect but yeah the decor is truly one of a kind.
A restaurant wall decorated with crosses, religious artwork, a Frida Kahlo portrait, and colourful papel picado, with diners seated below

The DJ's ride

Moon cake at the halls of consumption

Preparing a seasonal roast
A tray of raw sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, broccoli, and onions on a baking sheet, with more vegetables on the counter

Clearly I don't get contemporary brand naming...

(Other brands are available)

And now, for you, Lyra's tune... courtesy of Wayward Jane.

View from the meeting room...

Kuala Lumpur is much greener than Krung Thep. Rush hour traffic is just as hectic, though...

Hopefully, this wraps up soon, or at least we can take the convo elsewhere.

A cityscape view featuring a busy intersection, lush greenery, and a building with a large Malaysian flag on its facade under a partly cloudy sky.

Cautious commentators say AI might amplify existing societal biases. Yes, that might be true. But what about history-washing, or any other kind of "-washing" you care to name?

I'm interested in business history and have read a few Wikipedia articles. So I thought I would ask a commercial LLM for a quick overview of the history of a US company called IBM.

The app promptly gave me a neat, decade-by-decade summary. To my surprise, it looked odd; the "history" was entirely devoid of Edwin Black's findings on the strategic alliance of IBM's European subsidiaries with genocidal regimes in the 1930s.

All of this is well known and even IBM's Wikipedia article cites Black (2001) extensively. So why was none of this mentioned, and why did I get a selective highlight of IBM's involvement in the US government and military?

Beyond the technical challenges (or the enormous water and energy consumption), should the training and filtering mechanisms of LLMs not be open to scrutiny?

Taking the ferry

Let me pause here for a moment or two.
A city street and canal at night, with a lit pedestrian bridge reflecting in the water and street lamps along the pavement.

When someone in the audience hears "…Taylor's influence shaped modern ergonomics" and asks "Who? Taylor Swift?"

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