Phil Adams
@phil-adams.bsky.social
Lowfalutin® brand strategy. Your irresistible truth and how to tell it®.
Co-founder of All Hands On: NFP documentary production company.
Trustee on the board of Scottish Documentary Institute.
https://buttondown.com/Lowfalutin/archive
Co-founder of All Hands On: NFP documentary production company.
Trustee on the board of Scottish Documentary Institute.
https://buttondown.com/Lowfalutin/archive
Nick Liddell's book arrived this morning. I haven't read a word yet but it looks gorgeous. And it's bigger than I expected; about the same size as Campaign Magazine, when the print version was a big thing too, literally and figuratively.
November 29, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Nick Liddell's book arrived this morning. I haven't read a word yet but it looks gorgeous. And it's bigger than I expected; about the same size as Campaign Magazine, when the print version was a big thing too, literally and figuratively.
I took this picture of a cassette vending machine in a museum of "recent retro" artefacts in Takayama. It's a brilliantly cluttered labour of curatorial love, through a Nania-wardrobe-like door at the back of a sweet shop. We came out feeling the nostalgia equivalent of hyperventilating.
November 27, 2025 at 11:49 AM
I took this picture of a cassette vending machine in a museum of "recent retro" artefacts in Takayama. It's a brilliantly cluttered labour of curatorial love, through a Nania-wardrobe-like door at the back of a sweet shop. We came out feeling the nostalgia equivalent of hyperventilating.
Serving a niche in Osaka.
November 13, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Serving a niche in Osaka.
Visitor map in a stationery/origami store in Kanazawa, Japan. There is one sticker for North Korea. Prank? Ignorance? Or a story behind the datum?
November 6, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Visitor map in a stationery/origami store in Kanazawa, Japan. There is one sticker for North Korea. Prank? Ignorance? Or a story behind the datum?
There are lots of these tall, boxy cars in Japan. Honda, Nissan, Toyota et al all make them. We’ve nicknamed them “Pixar cars.” This one is pictured on a street in Matsumoto.
November 2, 2025 at 3:36 AM
There are lots of these tall, boxy cars in Japan. Honda, Nissan, Toyota et al all make them. We’ve nicknamed them “Pixar cars.” This one is pictured on a street in Matsumoto.
It's 2025. You have to find a way to confuse the artificially infallible bot in order to get human help.
When we got there, the "live" human did explain the issue but couldn't resolve it. At least I got a reliable answer.
It's 2025. Just providing basic service is now a USP for a service business.
When we got there, the "live" human did explain the issue but couldn't resolve it. At least I got a reliable answer.
It's 2025. Just providing basic service is now a USP for a service business.
October 25, 2025 at 10:51 AM
It's 2025. You have to find a way to confuse the artificially infallible bot in order to get human help.
When we got there, the "live" human did explain the issue but couldn't resolve it. At least I got a reliable answer.
It's 2025. Just providing basic service is now a USP for a service business.
When we got there, the "live" human did explain the issue but couldn't resolve it. At least I got a reliable answer.
It's 2025. Just providing basic service is now a USP for a service business.
"To the Congolese it seems odd that if one man gets fifty votes and the other forty-nine, the first one wins altogether and the second one plumb loses. That means almost half the people will be unhappy, and in a village that's left halfway unhappy you haven't heard the end of it."
Democracy, huh?
Democracy, huh?
October 3, 2025 at 9:38 AM
"To the Congolese it seems odd that if one man gets fifty votes and the other forty-nine, the first one wins altogether and the second one plumb loses. That means almost half the people will be unhappy, and in a village that's left halfway unhappy you haven't heard the end of it."
Democracy, huh?
Democracy, huh?
It's Google's 27th birthday. It just gives me wistful feelings about what has been lost in the name of progress, which won't have been the desired effect of reinstating the old logo for a day.
September 27, 2025 at 11:04 AM
It's Google's 27th birthday. It just gives me wistful feelings about what has been lost in the name of progress, which won't have been the desired effect of reinstating the old logo for a day.
EnSlackification is a subset of more general enshittification.
If I'd wanted a messaging style conversation, I'd have messaged you. I sent an email for a reason. WTF?
If I'd wanted a messaging style conversation, I'd have messaged you. I sent an email for a reason. WTF?
September 26, 2025 at 11:43 AM
EnSlackification is a subset of more general enshittification.
If I'd wanted a messaging style conversation, I'd have messaged you. I sent an email for a reason. WTF?
If I'd wanted a messaging style conversation, I'd have messaged you. I sent an email for a reason. WTF?
Just back from a fascinating, exhilarating break in Istanbul. Much to reflect on but it was particularly striking how you could go from utter tranquility to utter mayhem by just turning a corner or stepping through a gate. There are no gentle transitions. Loved it.
September 22, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Just back from a fascinating, exhilarating break in Istanbul. Much to reflect on but it was particularly striking how you could go from utter tranquility to utter mayhem by just turning a corner or stepping through a gate. There are no gentle transitions. Loved it.
Adam Buxton at Edinburgh Book Festival. Talking about a book he wrote about himself is not the format to bring out the best in him. But he described his style as “low-stakes goofing,” which is a good stab at his irresistible truth methinks.
August 13, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Adam Buxton at Edinburgh Book Festival. Talking about a book he wrote about himself is not the format to bring out the best in him. But he described his style as “low-stakes goofing,” which is a good stab at his irresistible truth methinks.
Ezra Collective at Fringe By The Sea last night. The place was jumping. Dirty and groovy. But also wholesome and joyous. My cheeks were aching from smiling so much.
August 10, 2025 at 6:42 AM
Ezra Collective at Fringe By The Sea last night. The place was jumping. Dirty and groovy. But also wholesome and joyous. My cheeks were aching from smiling so much.
What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?
July 27, 2025 at 3:31 PM
What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?
Dog sitting in Northumberland while my sister is on holiday. It means I get beaches like this pretty much to myself (plus the dogs) twice a day, even at this time of year.
July 22, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Dog sitting in Northumberland while my sister is on holiday. It means I get beaches like this pretty much to myself (plus the dogs) twice a day, even at this time of year.
This from the latest John Higgs email, in which he uses The Beatles' career as a metaphor for the lifecycle of the online world.
June 30, 2025 at 2:21 PM
This from the latest John Higgs email, in which he uses The Beatles' career as a metaphor for the lifecycle of the online world.
I was in Geneva for documentary production work last week. We met some brave people doing extraordinary peacemaking work. And Geneva was both pretty and pretty hot (30 degrees).
June 24, 2025 at 11:57 AM
I was in Geneva for documentary production work last week. We met some brave people doing extraordinary peacemaking work. And Geneva was both pretty and pretty hot (30 degrees).
Perthshire spoiled us again today.
June 10, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Perthshire spoiled us again today.
Glasgow yesterday. Coming soon: Teacake Trailblazers and Boldly-going Bagels. How many ways to push the envelope with eggs and flour?
April 30, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Glasgow yesterday. Coming soon: Teacake Trailblazers and Boldly-going Bagels. How many ways to push the envelope with eggs and flour?
Watched Eight Days a Week last night. I'll remember this McCartney exchange with an American journalist every time I see one of those bombastic pronouncements from a pompous agency, talking about how their work has made a dent in the culture.
April 12, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Watched Eight Days a Week last night. I'll remember this McCartney exchange with an American journalist every time I see one of those bombastic pronouncements from a pompous agency, talking about how their work has made a dent in the culture.
Lots of Beatles fans in Edinburgh apparently. Or maybe lots of @ianleslie.bsky.social fans.
April 1, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Lots of Beatles fans in Edinburgh apparently. Or maybe lots of @ianleslie.bsky.social fans.
I was slower on the uptake on this than I was in moving my newsletter from Substack to Buttondown for similar reasons.
This isn't intended as virtue signalling, but I accept that it might be seen that way.
It's more intended as encouragement to anyone who has been slower on the uptake than me.
This isn't intended as virtue signalling, but I accept that it might be seen that way.
It's more intended as encouragement to anyone who has been slower on the uptake than me.
March 13, 2025 at 9:18 AM
I was slower on the uptake on this than I was in moving my newsletter from Substack to Buttondown for similar reasons.
This isn't intended as virtue signalling, but I accept that it might be seen that way.
It's more intended as encouragement to anyone who has been slower on the uptake than me.
This isn't intended as virtue signalling, but I accept that it might be seen that way.
It's more intended as encouragement to anyone who has been slower on the uptake than me.
Glorious morning up on the west coast.
February 9, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Glorious morning up on the west coast.
My Huebsch toploader. It's big. It's ugly. But it's as simple as it gets.
January 26, 2025 at 10:48 PM
My Huebsch toploader. It's big. It's ugly. But it's as simple as it gets.