The Persistence of the Table

Things keep happening. Events accumulate. Transactions, measurements, messages, decisions, states. Time does not just pass; it leaves residue. And once there is residue, there is a need to hold it, inspect it, and make sense of it without having to relive it. One of the oldest and most reliable ways

Tools

From text to diagrams: working with Mermaid

Mermaid turns structured text into diagrams, and back again. A practical look at text-first diagramming, and why it works well with language models.

PersonaPlex marks a shift from dictation to conversation

Dictation turns speech into text. Conversation works in time. PersonaPlex marks the moment voice AI starts to operate in real-time dialogue.

Europe

One European Company (EU-INC)

The idea of a single European company keeps returning. Not because it’s easy, but because Europe keeps running into the same limits.

Future of Work

What coding with AI feels like now

There is a lot of noise about AI replacing programmers. I wanted something else: a sense of what is feasible, what is throwaway, and where judgement still matters.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT Memory Has Quietly Changed (Plus & Pro)

If you use ChatGPT Plus or Pro: memory now goes beyond saved preferences. Past conversations can be retrieved when relevant. Business accounts are different.

Quantum computing

Just eight European quantum computers?

When the EU says it is building eight quantum computers, the number sounds precise. It isn’t. This piece explores why that question is harder than it looks.

Europe

Why WhatsApp Channels Trigger the Digital Services Act

WhatsApp did not become social media overnight. But Channels added public reach at EU scale. That single design shift is enough to activate the logic of the Digital Services Act.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT Personal vs Business

If you use ChatGPT both privately and at work, you may have noticed this: one conversation seems to carry on over time, the other keeps resetting. Same system, different behaviour. That difference is deliberate, and it matters.

Social media

WhatsApp in 2026: From Phone Numbers to Names

WhatsApp is introducing usernames. A small change that reshapes identity, privacy, and how people and businesses can be reached without sharing phone numbers.

AI

Exploring ISO 42001 and AI governance

As I dive deeper into EU AI regulation, ISO 42001 keeps surfacing. This piece explores what it is, how certification works, and why it matters for vendors.

Europe

The limits of “unlimited” mobile data

Unlimited data rarely means the same thing twice. At home, abroad, or on eSIMs, the limits shift. This piece maps where they actually are.

Everyday life runs on daily data

Mobile data, roaming and fibre form one system. We only start to notice it when circumstances change.

Typography, in motion

In modern cars, text is no longer read but registered. Letters function like icons, designed for saccades, speed, and cognitive restraint.

Colour, systems, and the moment it clicked

A Japanese colour book, a digital-first brand, and a late encounter with Pantone led me to finally understand why print colour always felt confusing.

Future of Work

AI literacy: from definition to practice

AI literacy rarely shows up as a skill gap. It appears when organisations need to justify decisions, manage risk, and remain accountable.

Kobo and Kindle solve different problems

For a long time, I treated Kobo and Kindle as roughly the same thing: e-readers with different ecosystems. Only when I started using them side by side did it become clear that they are built around very different setups. Not different features. Different models. Once you see that, the choice

Etymology

Word of the year: model

The word model comes from modulus, Latin for ‘measure’. It refers to simplified representations we use to make sense of reality, from maps to AI systems.

Money & Finance

Direct Debit: US versus EU

A viral US video warns against debit cards. The real difference, however, lies in how direct debit works in America versus Europe, and why that matters.

AI

Blogging year in Review 2025

A short reflection on writing, learning, and making deliberate choices in a year where the digital ground kept shifting.

Europe

The Hot Potato of Compliance

From GDPR to the EU AI Act, a recurring pattern emerges: European regulation lands in procurement, spreading responsibility, caution, and friction.

AI

Why AI Image Editing Is Often Rebuilding

AI can make true pixel edits, but many image “fixes” work by reconstruction. Typography and colourisation expose where rebuilding replaces editing.

Money & Finance

Understanding the layers behind digital payments

A continuation of my exploration of digital payments, looking at how different layers relate and how the Mollie–GoCardless story helps illuminate the broader picture.

Money & Finance

Apple Pay, Apple Wallet, Apple Card: How Apple Reshaped How Money Flows

While writing about how money flows, a simple confusion between Apple Pay and Apple Wallet exposes the hidden layers of modern payments and power.

Money & Finance

How Money Moves

A new payment feature raised a bigger question: how does money actually move today? From wallets and card networks to regulation, this is a map of a system most of us never see.