The story of how I became fluent in Chinese sitting in the passenger seat — I rustled into the back seat of the taxi as the door clicked shut behind me. It was dark and well past midnight. My driver was still outside chucking luggage in the boot. Glancing through the window, I saw the cigarette in his mouth flare orange as he took a…

I’ve been made to adore my phone over any lover — Scrolling mindlessly on my device for the fifth time today. Primed for the little red notification that will send dopamine bliss my way. Faces of people I hardly know pass by in a pixelated blur. Alleged social connection, but within my beating chest no feelings stir. On the street and…

It’s tough out there in the digital dating hall — I’d summon the passion of a warrior-poet prior to his penultimate demise, to see the dance of fire in my lover’s eyes. Feel the softness of her tender embrace, admirably observe the contours of her beautiful face. Caress the parting rivers of her fragrant hair, count myself lucky for knowing…

We conducted interviews with residents from twenty different Chinese cities and a national survey to find out — One question researchers still know very little about concerning people’s lived experience under the Social Credit System (SCS) in China is how being blacklisted actually impacts the quality of person-to-person relationships. Aside from formal state restrictions like being barred from flying or purchasing luxury goods and items, blacklisting also results…

Call it biology but it feels like mad reality. When thoughts hurtle around at the speed of insanity Appearing before intention is put to purpose. Few words in mind fit to be of service Entire life slave to the beat. …

Examining the difference between a proactive versus reactive approach towards the regulation of social media — Authoritarian leaders have been watching recent events in the US and other liberal democracies closely. Cyber-interference has a covert ring to it, perhaps imagined as the hacking of key infrastructure or the scrambling of military hardware for war-time purposes. However, the reality is that much of said interference today is…

Learn from the warrior, adopt his mentality. Shield yourself from modern life and its comfortable depravity. — What does it mean to be a Samurai? One who lives and dies to usher a battlecry. To emerge unscathed from the danger of battle. No space can be made for distraction nor idle prattle. Fronting the vanguard on the attack and holding the line in retreat. …

What to think and how to cope, this poem is for you, its words are hope — When the outlook for the future is grim and the world appears bleak What is it we ought to pay attention to, pursue, and seek? Personal and collective journeys put on hold thanks to a tiny, abstract killer Hopes and dreams suspended, the fragility of civilisation has never felt realer …

AI, big data, and the cost of surveillance capitalism — “The same tools that can be used to sell me something I don’t really need can now be used to sell me a politician I really don’t need or an ideology that I really don’t need. It’s the same tools. It’s the same hacking of the human animal and manipulating…