Journal
Field notes & essays.
Music, film, business, code — long-form thinking from across the work.
Vinyl and CDs Are Surging in 2026 — Fans Want Music They Can Hold
Here is a number that stopped me in my tracks: according to the RIAA, physical music revenue in the US jumped 25.9% in the first half of 2026.…
ReadThe Ricoh GR Turns 30 — Why the Smallest Camera Keeps Winning
This month, the Ricoh GR turns thirty. The original GR1 film camera arrived in October 1996, a pocket-sized body with a lens sharp enough to embarrass cameras three…
ReadOud Is Going Global in 2026 — And It Is Losing Something on the Way
Oud is having a moment in America. A perfume house founder on what usually happens when the West discovers something that was never made for it.
ReadSaudi Arabia Is Building a $34 Billion Creative Economy — Most People Will Watch It Happen
Saudi Arabia's entertainment and events market is on track from $14.6B in 2026 to $34B by 2035. Most people will read that as a statistic. A small number…
ReadAI Took the Boring Half of My Creative Work — Here Is What It Could Not Touch
A working voice actor and studio founder on what AI actually took from creative work — and the thing it structurally cannot touch.
ReadThe Death of the Perfect Photo — And Why That Is a Good Thing
Photography The Death of the Perfect Photo — And Why That’s a Good Thing I’ve shot campaigns for Pepsi. I’ve worked on over 60 film productions. I’ve spent…
ReadOud Is Evolving — And the World Is Finally Paying Attention
Fragrance Oud Is Evolving — And the World Is Finally Paying Attention I’ve spent years in the fragrance world through Hdaiacom Perfume, and I can tell you this:…
ReadAgentic AI Is Here — And It Is Not Just a Chatbot Anymore
Technology Agentic AI Is Here — And It’s Not Just a Chatbot Anymore Remember when we thought AI was just about asking a chatbot to write an email?…
ReadAI Wont Replace Musicians — But It Will Expose the Ones Who Were Never Really Creating
Music AI Won’t Replace Musicians — But It Will Expose the Ones Who Were Never Really Creating Fifty thousand AI-generated tracks hit Deezer every single day. Let that…
ReadThe New Oud: How Middle Eastern Perfumery Is Conquering the World in 2026
Fragrance The New Oud: How Middle Eastern Perfumery Is Conquering the World in 2026 Oud isn’t just a scent. It’s a language. And in 2026, the rest of…
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