Notes Between Us /002
This letter comes to you from Manchester, England
When we first began this newsletter, the plan was for long-form content—thoughtful essays, philosophical reflections, and critical examinations of culture and aesthetics. After launching, however, it became clear that many of us simply don't have the time to read longer pieces, or perhaps can't, given our increasingly fragmented attention spans. Writing longer pieces hasn't been straightforward either—it requires considerably more time than assembling the bits and pieces of inspiration we gather throughout the week, which, whilst still time-consuming, feels more manageable.
So we've reached a compromise: longer-form content when time allows, and engaging round-ups at other times. Last week, we launched a new series, Notes Between Us—a space where we share what's been capturing our attention lately: cultural moments and ideas, fleeting observations, reflections, and things worth pausing for. Our personal marginalia—the notes we'd scribble in the margins of our shared life. We enjoyed putting it together so much that we've decided to do a second instalment this week.
This second edition includes notes on summer style from Ashley Olsen, thoughts on morning rituals, a crate-digging deep dive into The Blue Nile, reflections on David Lynch’s unexpectedly revealing auction, and a round-up of articles that explore everything from the homogenising effect of AI to the enduring power of classic cinema.
We hope you enjoy this mix of the thoughtful and the ephemeral—bits of beauty, curiosity, and cultural texture to carry with you into the week.
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SUMMER STYLE FILE /ashley olsen
I can't remember the last time I wore shorts in the city—it somehow feels too casual for urban life. Plus, with Britain's unpredictable weather, I'm often found in blue jeans and a trench, ready for whatever the skies might bring. But every once in a while, it's nice to switch things up.
This effortless summer look strikes the perfect balance: comfortable enough for a coffee run yet polished enough for city streets. The oversized white shirt creates an easy, breezy silhouette that works beautifully over fitted black pieces, while the simple slides keep things practical for walking. This understated look proves that sometimes the most casual pieces, when styled thoughtfully, can feel just as sophisticated as a more formal ensemble.
It's a good reminder that comfort and style don't have to be mutually exclusive, especially during the warmer months when the city calls for something a bit more laid-back.
ARTICLES /of interest from around the internets
The Century’s Best Movies
“Ten years ago last May, I found myself so thunderstruck by a movie that I’m pretty sure my mouth hung open for nearly its entire two-hour running time. The film was George Miller’s visceral vision “Mad Max: Fury Road,” which I’d easily rank as the greatest action movie of the last quarter-century.”
A.I. Is Homogenizing Our Thoughts
“In an experiment last year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, more than fifty students from universities around Boston were split into three groups and asked to write SAT-style essays in response to broad prompts such as “Must our achievements benefit others in order to make us truly happy?” One group was asked to rely on only their own brains to write the essays. A second was given access to Google Search to look up relevant information. The third was allowed to use ChatGPT, the artificial-intelligence large language model (L.L.M.) that can generate full passages or essays in response to user queries.”
My students think it’s fine to cheat with AI. Maybe they’re onto something.
“I am a university teaching assistant, leading discussion sections for large humanities lecture classes. This also means I grade a lot of student writing — and, inevitably, see a lot of AI writing too.”
You sound like ChatGPT
“AI isn’t just impacting how we write — it’s changing how we speak and interact with others. And there’s only more to come.”
The Reenchanted World
“The first time I saw a computer was in 1984. I was fifteen years old and living in a sparsely populated area near a river, miles away from the closest town, in a far-northern country at the very edge of the world.”
