Here’s a look at what caught my eye over the past week.

Guiding lights: On risk and modern day lighthouses. This article uses historic lighthouse construction as an example of a ‘public good’ that challenges the idea of profit generation in capitalism, and expands on it to discuss infrastructure to protect public safety in the modern age, across a wide range of areas.

Welcome Back to the Office. You Won’t Get Anything Done. I haven’t worked in an office since the mid-2000s. It’s arguable that the single greatest driving force in my freelance writing career has been the desire to keep that streak going until the day that I die. This feature discusses return-to-office mandates and questions what, exactly, they’re trying to achieve.

Which City Burns Next? An argument that “wildfires” in many parts of the United States are actually urban fires, being fed by urban buildings and infrastructure rather than forests. It asks for a complete re-think on how these risks are managed.

What an unprocessed photo looks like. The idea of a ‘straight from the camera’ image these days is entirely a myth, due to how photosensors perceive light and construct images. This is a fantastic explanation of the processing that occurs in digital photography the second you click the shutter.

56 Directors Pick Their Favorite Films of 2025. This is a very long article, so I recommend skimming and stopping to hear the opinions of directors you are into. It’s a fun way to get insight into how other creative folks are impacted by pop culture and art.