Happy new year! Over the past weeks I’ve been reading more than writing. Enough so, that the keyboard feels unfamiliar under my fingers. That makes me happy. Here’s what I’ve got for you as we enter into 2026:

#1 Heather Wiltse’s position piece in the new journal Designing is worth a read. Designing for (alternative) platformed relations gave me that uncanny feeling that comes from reading across separate but closely related lines of scholarship. Also, this idea is something to keep thinking about: “If the current sociotechnical ecosystem is dysfunctional at its core, then it is at the core where innovation and intervention are most needed.”

#2 Reading Michael Geoffrey Asia’s essay on The Emotional Labor Behind AI Intimacy is likely to cause some heartbreak but I still recommend checking it out.

#3 For a different angle to AI and work practice, I found Concept Artists Say Generative AI References Only Make Their Jobs Harder interesting, especially as someone who knows little about the role of concept art in video game development.

#4 This essay by Francesco Pacifico is perfect for a cozy morning with coffee: Are You Enjoying Our Linguine? How American tourists took over everything. (Somewhat ironically, it made me long for a trip to Italy.)

-A