Five things on Friday #399
Reporting from #Interesting2025.
Things of note for the week ending Saturday, May 17th, 2025.
#399
INTRO
Hello friends.
I have been wearing shorts this week. Yellow shorts, orange shorts, navy blue shorts. The sun is out, an early flirt of summer has arrived with spring, and London is gleaming.
This morning’s newsletter (as it is morning as I begin this edition - Thursday morning, in fact) is brought to you by the residual brain fizz left over from an incredible evening at Interesting 2025 last night. What was so extra lovely (aside from the content on stage - see Thing 1 for detail) was that this event attracts a certain type of brain. Brains that you admire and appreciate. Brains that you miss. Brains that you’ve never met before. But great brains, all.
And because of this almost faultless self-selection process for the attendees, you walk into Conway Hall (or out during the break) and run into old friends you’ve not seen in person for easily ten or so years - Amanda and Bash both did this for me last night. Hugs. Catch ups. Children! Life/work. Laughter. It warmed the soul.
Combine that with hanging with: the folk you normally go with (hello to the W_W shing massive), some newcomers (LEGO nerds), and people who you’ve never met before but turn out to be lovely - Tony! Brenda! - well, I awoke this morning feeling nourished, lucky, and grateful.
So yeah, I’m writing this to you now with a big ol’ grin on my face. Coffee in my hand. And a crunchy amount of stuff to write to you about.
Lovely.
What else can I tell you?
Ah, yes! TWO event-shaped things.
First, at the time of writing I am assured there are only a handful of tickets left to attend the upcoming Squiggly Careers x The Marketing Academy Foundation event ‘Navigating success in a changing world’ -
Tickets are available here (including a free book AND breakfast, on Diageo) and all the money raised is going toward supporting The Marketing Academy Foundation.
We did the pre-call a week or so ago and the other panellists are all fantastic humans with some great stories to share (and the brilliant Sarah Ellis has been whipping us into a SHARE SOMETHING USEFUL shape too). I’m really looking forward to it and maybe I’ll see you there…
Second, I mentioned in the last edition that in my capacity as a strategy consultant on all things brands and video games, I’d been asked to speak about my experiences at the Future of Audio and Entertainment.
Hosted by my good friend George Osborn, the good people there have gone ahead and published our session - which is just super lovely of them.
So if you’re looking for a 15min hit of how to put brands and games together, you could do a lot worse than listen to me and George right here:
Right then, that’s that.
Shall we crack on?
Let’s.
—
TO THE THINGS!
THING 1. A MOMENT TO CELEBRATE THE WONDERFUL BRILLIANCE OF #INTERESTING2025
I’ve written about this before. I’m sure I have. Yes, here we are, FToF #372 - see Thing 2.
The pitch: 14 speakers, 5-10mins each, talking about something they find interesting. I love this event because undoubtedly you’re going to get a lot of NERDS being VERY NERDY about the thing they NERD ABOUT the most.
And I. LOVE. NERDS.
This year’s event was no different: an eclectic mix of brilliant people, mostly talking about the thing they are most passionate about.
Here is my very quick round up of literally every speaker. Some have notes, some don’t. That’s no reflection on them, more my inability to multi-task.
1. Rosa spoke about 'The Neurodiversity of Cosplay' - how [her] autism and (that of many others') cosplay are intrinsically linked. C3PO is definitely autistic. ‘We share a safe and shared script that reduces social randomness’. Heartwarming.
2. Julia on tenses in Japanese language. 'It rained on me and I suffered as a result' playfully explored the passive voice sufferer in Japanese language. King Joe, you would've enjoyed this. 'I will commit a rudeness'.
3. Cate talked about paving stones, city planning, and the Netherlands. Getting to Tegelwippen and Geveltuin. Quite beautiful - and a touch inspiring.
4. Zoe talked about how Fairy Tales of old are survival manuals for today. Notes include references to Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Hansel and Gretel.
5. Lisa spoke about selective mutism. A powerhouse talk demonstrating sheer willpower to get over her own mutism by speaking at this event. 'What does freezing feel like? Like a void opening up between your brain and your mouth' - I cried.
6. Daniel spoke about Infraordinary FM which is FIRETRUCKINGAMAZING. Born from an original idea about all-day breakfast radio from around the globe, the Infraordinary is about finding connection from the global ordinary.
As I’ve been writing to you, I’ve had it on in the background. Pulling on every kind of banal API it can (icelandic horses, bridge opening, plane departures - more), the Infraordinary tells you the mundane of what’s happening around the world - and I kind of love it.
7. Rachel was the hopeful technologist. I have a sticker.
8. Terry spoke about 'a good bouncing lie' against the backdrop of World War II propaganda (I think Terry spoke about something similar last year). I wrote ‘Detail truths with believable lies’.
9. Lauren and Luyanda spoke about 'Lessons in resistance from South African sci-fi and other fantastical things'. The old sci-fi tv show, V, was banned in apartheid South Africa - for using the term ‘freedom fighters’. Notes: storytelling is activism. Give space. Fascists are stupid. Stories are dangerous. Be Sneaky. Look after your community. Some good lessons.
10. Clare of the wonderful Watershed in Bristol talked about toilets. How great they are, how weird they can be, and why they’re important (aside from the obvious). Oh, and winning best toilet in the UK.
11. Daria on Kombinować. ‘Clever, no obvious, not official solution’. Can also mean ‘over-engineered annoyance’ or ‘over-confident solution’ - quote ‘We have a lot of men like that back home’
12. Anthony spoke about how obituaries are the soul of the newspaper. Reading from many he found while in a hospital bed, it was kind of lovely learning about so many lives passed. Including.
13. Helen talked through her postcards from a woman on the edge. Be curious. Be interesting. Be creative. ‘Look for what you notice but no one else sees’
14. Rebekah 'I was a teenage robot dancer'. Early 80s weirdness, hip hop, robots… MEKAMORPHIS. Downtown 81, Basquet. A history lesson. Music. Then she danced. It was amazing. AND then she supplied references.
OVERALL, Interesting 2025 absolutely delivered. There was so much to adore. Not least of all the good brain stretch that it brings. I laughed, I cried, I sang, and I cheered.
What a fantastic thing Interesting is.
You should go x
THING 2. REJOICE! CAR MAKERS ARE EMBRACING BUTTONS AGAIN
You know... I learnt to drive quite late in life. I think maybe, I might have been 35? As a result I've had the same car I bought then that I have now. AND YET. Every time I look at new cars I worry: how the on Earth can I feel which button is which if I'm looking at a screen?
Turns out: I’m not alone.
From January, Europe’s crash-testing organization EuroNCAP, or New Car Assessment Program, will incentivize automakers to fit physical, easy-to-use, and tactile controls to achieve the highest safety ratings. “Manufacturers are on notice,” EuroNCAP’s director of strategic development Matthew Avery tells WIRED, “they’ve got to bring back buttons.”"
Which is good because…
“In-vehicle infotainment systems impair reaction times behind the wheel more than alcohol and narcotics use, according to researchers at independent British consultancy TRL. The five-year-old study, commissioned by road-safety charity IAM RoadSmart, discovered that the biggest negative impact on drivers’ reactions to hazards came when using Apple CarPlay by touch. Reaction times were nearly five times worse than when a driver was at the drink-drive limit, and nearly three times worse than when high on cannabis.
Good luck, drivers of the future.
Please stop LOOKING AT SCREENS and perhaps look at - and feel! - buttons. Bliss.
The story at WIRED has more - both in the reporting and the data supporting these changes.
THING 3. THIS WEEK IN… TAPESTRY
(stay with me)
(OK, so by TAPESTRY, I mean ‘[GAMES AND] TAPESTRY’ but stay with me 😅
DOOM: THE DARK AGES is out this week (I think as of yesterday?) and to celebrate the launch, the very nice people at YRS TRULY had this made for Bethesda.
It’s been on display all week at the the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds and you can see more photos over on Reddit.
Really fun, really different. Nice work.
Well done everyone.
I’m yet to get DOOM: THE DARK AGES downloaded (this week has been HECTIC with VERY LITTLE gaming) but it’s definitely on the list for when I’m back from hols.
You?
OK right.
We were talking about GAMES, right?
This Week’s Gaming News Bites.
GTA6.
Last week’s edition was SO PACKED I forgot to talk
about GTA6. As a mildly amusing aside, the George and James (aka ‘da Newsletter boyzzzzz’ (iykyk)), video at the top of this newsletter talks about GTA6 being ‘a cultural moment of 2025’. I swear to God this was said before the inevitable delay. But hey, we got a new trailer!
STAR WARS x FORTNITE GET METAVERSAL
Watching new Star Wars cartoons with the kids via two screens via Fortnite was a fun an interesting glimpse of the future. One might call it metaversal.
EPIC V APPLE CONTINUES
Epic have seemingly beaten Apple in the US courts over ongoing store fees. Allegedly lying under oath is never going to go down well. So Epic have resubmitted their app and yet, unsurprisingly, Apple seem in no hurry to speed it along. Update: yeah, Apple is not having it.
FORTNITE IS DIFFERENT NOW
Related, here's everything added to Fortnite SINCE it was banned from the iPhone.
FATAL FURY: FATALITY
A few editions ago I told you about a great, scathing review for a game that I definitely wasn’t going to buy. Turns out I wasn't alone on the not buying front.
SUMMERGAMEFEST MYSTERY
Who owns Summergamefest dot com? If you were awake last night wondering just that, well don’t worry - you will rest well tonight.
WHAT IS JAMES PLAYING?
Well, not much at the moment. I think I’ve parted ways with Blue Prince now (70+ days in, seen room 46 a bunch, three sanctum doors open, and many a mystery solved - I’m ready to walk away from what is potentially Game of the Year). So I’m taking a bit of a break before jumping back in again.
Be that as it may, I’ve dipped in and out of Destiny 2 a bit over the past couple of weeks, wanting to finish the old stuff before probably walking away from that for good (don’t even start me on the Marathon stuff). And Call of Duty Warzone / Verdansk has been quite fun with friends of late too. For now though I think I’m just looking forward to a few things. Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, a new Ecco the Dolphin (!), oh and I’m kind of looking at Despelote too - for something different.
What about you? Send me your gaming recommendations. I’m interested.
-
Oh and finally for this section, if you’re interested in Blue Prince, and just want to watch some people play, there’s a joint play-through happening next Friday to help raise money for Safe in our World. Details here.
THING 4. A NEW BANK SCAM TO LOOK OUT FOR
The always watchful Terence Eden is back once again, this time with a careful eye on a bank scam that he’s spotted doing the rounds.
“This is a genuine notification. It was sent by the bank.” - but all is not as it seems.
Go read Terence’s blog post for details.
One to send friends and family
THING 5. ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS I HAVE EVER SEEN
This week I’m almost tempted to just give you the link and let you explore it yourself. But that would be unkind to my source.
Matt Muir - who I also saw on Wednesday at Interesting - shared this incredible thing from Vertu earlier in the week. Something that genuinely has to be seen to be believed.
And this isn’t even the best of it. Please please please, this is the best thing in the entire newsletter this week. By miles. It’s incredible.
BONUS SECTION
THIS IS THE BONUS SECTION. BONUS LINKS THAT BUMP US OVER FIVE THINGS BUT DUE TO TIMING AND SELF-IMPOSED WRITING RESTRICTIONS ARE LIMITED TO PITHY COMMENTARY ONLY.
ENJOY.
‘Fashion brand handed £58,000 bill for using tube carriage in its shoot’ - this is what happens when you don't hire professionals.
This, from the Director General of the BBC, lays out the future vision of the BBC and it’s a) an interesting read and b) remarkable to me just how much this is about societal safety as it is about creativity and content - if not more so.
SPOILERS FOR THUNDERBOLTS but this is a fun, triple use of OOH.
I finally watched Saltburn this week and this is an excellent read.
The next One Question in Conversation event is up, this time asking 'If AI is the answer, then what are we asking?' (I'm going, are you?)
WhatsApp group, ‘One Million Beers Please’ is an interesting peep at how closed social networks are building the future they want, away from the public platforms everywhere else. This is used to be called ‘dark social’ - I think now it’s just called ‘chat’. Point is: these are popping up all over the place and they are the new social media. Pass it on.
Remarkably, the link above immediately reminded me of the principle of ‘Velvet-roped social networks’ from the Whatleydude files of 2009. Incred.
Please enjoy this early Richard Ayoade standup
The Gen Alpha slang speech doing the rounds is worth watching again (or just watching for the first time if you’ve missed it trending).
James Caig on getting better at being local - I love James and this is great.
‘The hottest in fashion advertising? Books’ Katie Deighton over at the WSJ with an insightful take on how much #BookTok and #Bookstagram is now impacting the world of fashion. Proper nerding.
I am still to watch the new Daredevil show on Disney+ but please join me to SING WITH JOY as Krysten Ritter is officially return as Jessica Jones in S2.
In other Season 2 news, both RIVALS and LAST ONE LAUGHING UK have been confirmed for second servings. No links, just vibes.
And finally for the bonuses this week, ‘things we learned about Sam Altman by scoping his kitchen’ is so cutting that if it were me, I think I would just crawl up inside myself and die of complete cringe.
YOU ARE REACHING THE END OF THE NEWSLETTER. MIND THE GAP.
Right then. Here we are. It’s Saturday May 17th. Coming up on 1530 in the afternoon. I’m in the garden - where I’ve written most of this edition this week.
It’s been a busy week - a couple of chunky briefs briefed, one of which hopefully you’ll see the work for this year, and the other will be next year. Both mega exciting, yes, but both very happy to get off my desk and OUT. Feels good.
Next week there will almost certainly be no newsletter. We’re off to Italy for a long weekend with the kids next week so all my full attention will be focused on finishing off some work bits, packing, and then getting on a plane to Naples.
Can’t wait.
Until next time,
Whatley out x
Linkedin requests with no supporting notes. Why?
— James Whatley (@whatleydude.com) 2025-05-17T14:31:06.347Z
Five thing on Friday will always be free.
However, if you want to chuck a couple of quid directly to the running costs then you can do that at these links:
You can sign up to an annual sub (no minimum amount required - people have dropped £20-£50 on this link, which is nice).
Or a one off pay whatever you want donation right here.
100% of all your dollar will go on Buttondown fees (about £23 a month) and anything left over at the end of each year with Buttondown will go direct to men’s mental health charity, CALM.