Ben Templeton
@thoughtben.bsky.social
Playful design for positive change :: Writer, facilitator and creative director :: Founder of design studio Thought Den & Critical Action Lab :: News juice! thoughtben.substack.com
Pinned
Ben Templeton
@thoughtben.bsky.social
· Apr 3
32: Touch Grass
Also rolling waves, conversational formats and shining your light
thoughtben.substack.com
Conversation. It's powerful stuff!
Notes on various writings about the 'format of our times' plus!
++ Inner Peace Police!
++ First peek at Stranger Folk (our new game for National Trust)
++ An app called...Touch Grass. Has it really come to that?
thoughtben.substack.com/p/32-touch-g...
Notes on various writings about the 'format of our times' plus!
++ Inner Peace Police!
++ First peek at Stranger Folk (our new game for National Trust)
++ An app called...Touch Grass. Has it really come to that?
thoughtben.substack.com/p/32-touch-g...
Escape Christmas! The new late-capitalism hellscape escape room running until December 21st from Stephen Hilton (Bristol) www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/escape-chr...
ESCAPE CHRISTMAS: An Escape Capitalism Game.
Santa’s been replaced. A.I. runs Christmas now. Can you restore humanity before the system deletes joy forever?
www.eventbrite.co.uk
December 9, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Escape Christmas! The new late-capitalism hellscape escape room running until December 21st from Stephen Hilton (Bristol) www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/escape-chr...
Reposted by Ben Templeton
December 2, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Reposted by Ben Templeton
For a while, they said if you needed tech help, ask a 10yo. But current 10-20yos didn't have to explore and click around and futz with things to get them to work, so if it's not immediately obvious, they can't do it.
Basically if you're 30-50 you're just doing tech support for everyone forever.
Basically if you're 30-50 you're just doing tech support for everyone forever.
What we say is their kids know the tech of a phone. If it’s not on the phone they struggle
December 7, 2025 at 4:38 PM
For a while, they said if you needed tech help, ask a 10yo. But current 10-20yos didn't have to explore and click around and futz with things to get them to work, so if it's not immediately obvious, they can't do it.
Basically if you're 30-50 you're just doing tech support for everyone forever.
Basically if you're 30-50 you're just doing tech support for everyone forever.
“Roboherd” is good 🤣
AVs everywhere: not good.
Bikes also good!
AVs everywhere: not good.
Bikes also good!
Waymo privatized another public street:
Chanel approaching 4th, San Francisco
Possibly queued for a Billie Eilish show at Chase Center ~half mile away.
The light rail train on 4th seen passing in front of this roboherd has more passenger capacity than all of them combined.
OP: .tiktok.renaspam18
Chanel approaching 4th, San Francisco
Possibly queued for a Billie Eilish show at Chase Center ~half mile away.
The light rail train on 4th seen passing in front of this roboherd has more passenger capacity than all of them combined.
OP: .tiktok.renaspam18
November 25, 2025 at 9:07 PM
“Roboherd” is good 🤣
AVs everywhere: not good.
Bikes also good!
AVs everywhere: not good.
Bikes also good!
I’ve just realised that people talking about what they made with #AI is the same sort of insufferable boring as people talking about what they dreamed about last night
November 23, 2025 at 7:41 PM
I’ve just realised that people talking about what they made with #AI is the same sort of insufferable boring as people talking about what they dreamed about last night
The future of classical music performance?
Quite possibly. Very cool video (thumbnail less cool)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt7x...
Quite possibly. Very cool video (thumbnail less cool)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt7x...
VIVE Arts | Trailer - Playing with Fire: An Immersive Odyssey with Yuja Wang
YouTube video by VIVE Arts
www.youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:31 PM
The future of classical music performance?
Quite possibly. Very cool video (thumbnail less cool)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt7x...
Quite possibly. Very cool video (thumbnail less cool)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt7x...
Zinger!
First they steal your intellectual property then they make your power bills go up then they demand your tax dollars. How good is AI?
BREAKING: OpenAI is requesting US government support to help guarantee financing for the massive investments in AI chips and data centers it needs for expansion, per Bloomberg.
November 6, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Zinger!
Reposted by Ben Templeton
On my dog walk I often chat with right wingers. I pretend I am an ex-Reform voter put off by the utter fuck up of our county council. Then they see me as one of their own, don't get defensive and shouty, and start to question their own opinion of Reform. Honey, not vinegar.
November 6, 2025 at 12:20 PM
On my dog walk I often chat with right wingers. I pretend I am an ex-Reform voter put off by the utter fuck up of our county council. Then they see me as one of their own, don't get defensive and shouty, and start to question their own opinion of Reform. Honey, not vinegar.
What do people think are the best charities (trying) to work in Gaza at the moment?
No need for Christmas presents this, year? Just tell everyone to give all their money to the utterly incredible and brave people trying to alleviate hell
#donations #gaza #palestine #charity #christmas
No need for Christmas presents this, year? Just tell everyone to give all their money to the utterly incredible and brave people trying to alleviate hell
#donations #gaza #palestine #charity #christmas
October 8, 2025 at 6:22 PM
What do people think are the best charities (trying) to work in Gaza at the moment?
No need for Christmas presents this, year? Just tell everyone to give all their money to the utterly incredible and brave people trying to alleviate hell
#donations #gaza #palestine #charity #christmas
No need for Christmas presents this, year? Just tell everyone to give all their money to the utterly incredible and brave people trying to alleviate hell
#donations #gaza #palestine #charity #christmas
I don’t know your LinkedIn but that’s where the general love is kicking off for Stranger Folks and your lovely audio work @monomoon.bsky.social www.linkedin.com/posts/though...
Anyone noticed it's October already? We can finally talk about Stranger Folk! A game reclaiming Halloween. Put those plastic fangs away...
🚨 Mega challenge: how do you make a high quality, low… |...
Anyone noticed it's October already? We can finally talk about Stranger Folk! A game reclaiming Halloween. Put those plastic fangs away...
🚨 Mega challenge: how do you make a high quality, low cost, ...
www.linkedin.com
October 6, 2025 at 3:11 PM
I don’t know your LinkedIn but that’s where the general love is kicking off for Stranger Folks and your lovely audio work @monomoon.bsky.social www.linkedin.com/posts/though...
Stood like a total noob in goblin shoes and Lycra at Exeter st David’s is just one of many life goals achieved
October 6, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Stood like a total noob in goblin shoes and Lycra at Exeter st David’s is just one of many life goals achieved
Smart!
July 30, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Smart!
Reposted by Ben Templeton
If you want kids off devices, get rid of the cars off their streets. Build more LTNs. Stop building car dependent sprawl. Kids want to play outside; it’s their parents who don’t let them because of subconscious (and understandable) fears about them being hit by drivers.
Ban 'no ball games' signs to get children off devices, play experts say
Experts say outdoor play in England has declined by 50% and are calling for urgent change.
www.bbc.co.uk
June 11, 2025 at 5:34 AM
If you want kids off devices, get rid of the cars off their streets. Build more LTNs. Stop building car dependent sprawl. Kids want to play outside; it’s their parents who don’t let them because of subconscious (and understandable) fears about them being hit by drivers.
Reposted by Ben Templeton
Britain has no idea - in terms of its self-image, not economists obviously - what economy it actually has
One of my favourite facts to point out is: at over £8bn annually, the *videogames industry* is more than twice as valuable to the UK economy as fishing and steel combined.
One of my favourite facts to point out is: at over £8bn annually, the *videogames industry* is more than twice as valuable to the UK economy as fishing and steel combined.
Men are extremely keen to explain to me that Britain *needs* a domestic steel production plant and doesn't necessarily *need* universities. Okay. Steel contributed about £1.7bn to the UK economy in 2024. Universities contributed more than £200bn.
May 29, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Britain has no idea - in terms of its self-image, not economists obviously - what economy it actually has
One of my favourite facts to point out is: at over £8bn annually, the *videogames industry* is more than twice as valuable to the UK economy as fishing and steel combined.
One of my favourite facts to point out is: at over £8bn annually, the *videogames industry* is more than twice as valuable to the UK economy as fishing and steel combined.
Reposted by Ben Templeton
Here's the reality of this "Jewish safety" argument I keep hearing:
The only world that's safe for us is one that's safe for everyone else, too. You can't kill your way to safety.
And the best way to make a world safe for everyone is to start with our own. Because we have a genocide to stop.
The only world that's safe for us is one that's safe for everyone else, too. You can't kill your way to safety.
And the best way to make a world safe for everyone is to start with our own. Because we have a genocide to stop.
May 23, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Here's the reality of this "Jewish safety" argument I keep hearing:
The only world that's safe for us is one that's safe for everyone else, too. You can't kill your way to safety.
And the best way to make a world safe for everyone is to start with our own. Because we have a genocide to stop.
The only world that's safe for us is one that's safe for everyone else, too. You can't kill your way to safety.
And the best way to make a world safe for everyone is to start with our own. Because we have a genocide to stop.
Interesting was interesting!
From the beautiful quirks of Japanese ("I will commit a rudeness") and Polish ("a sneaky and resourceful can-do vibe"), via Comicon, paving stones, toilets, obituaries, postcards and 80s robot dance moves to fairytales as encoded apocalyptic survival manuals
From the beautiful quirks of Japanese ("I will commit a rudeness") and Polish ("a sneaky and resourceful can-do vibe"), via Comicon, paving stones, toilets, obituaries, postcards and 80s robot dance moves to fairytales as encoded apocalyptic survival manuals
May 15, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Interesting was interesting!
From the beautiful quirks of Japanese ("I will commit a rudeness") and Polish ("a sneaky and resourceful can-do vibe"), via Comicon, paving stones, toilets, obituaries, postcards and 80s robot dance moves to fairytales as encoded apocalyptic survival manuals
From the beautiful quirks of Japanese ("I will commit a rudeness") and Polish ("a sneaky and resourceful can-do vibe"), via Comicon, paving stones, toilets, obituaries, postcards and 80s robot dance moves to fairytales as encoded apocalyptic survival manuals
Reposted by Ben Templeton
Toughening migration rules doesn’t challenge Reform. It validates them.
May 12, 2025 at 6:34 AM
Toughening migration rules doesn’t challenge Reform. It validates them.
Reposted by Ben Templeton
I think a lot about how certain small charities and social enterprises, like Arts Emergency, manage to achieve *so much* with relatively *so little*. I expect people would be astounded to see the comparitive budgets of orgs like this compared to some of the better known / bigger ones.
@doublenegativel.bsky.social spoke to @njgriff.bsky.social about all things AE
"We are a popular movement...but, we’re also still a very small charity that year-on-year only has a third of the funding we need to maintain it"
www.thedoublenegative.co.uk/2025/04/the-...
"We are a popular movement...but, we’re also still a very small charity that year-on-year only has a third of the funding we need to maintain it"
www.thedoublenegative.co.uk/2025/04/the-...
The Double Negative » The Big Interview: Neil Griffiths, CEO & Co-Founder of Arts Emergency
To mark their recent smash success with the Big Give appeal, Laura Robertson speaks to Arts Emergency CEO Neil Griffiths about why it's absolutely essential to keep on advocating for working-cla
www.thedoublenegative.co.uk
April 24, 2025 at 12:34 PM
I think a lot about how certain small charities and social enterprises, like Arts Emergency, manage to achieve *so much* with relatively *so little*. I expect people would be astounded to see the comparitive budgets of orgs like this compared to some of the better known / bigger ones.
Reposted by Ben Templeton
both the act of and purpose of game design is the engineering of conditions under which noticing can happen
April 24, 2025 at 6:30 PM
both the act of and purpose of game design is the engineering of conditions under which noticing can happen
Reposted by Ben Templeton
Somehow, the future is both going to be a dystopian techno sci-fi hellscape AND we're gonna have coal and measles and robber barons and a permanent underclass.
Philip K. Dickens
Philip K. Dickens
April 9, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Somehow, the future is both going to be a dystopian techno sci-fi hellscape AND we're gonna have coal and measles and robber barons and a permanent underclass.
Philip K. Dickens
Philip K. Dickens
Reposted by Ben Templeton
Biggest commitment to a 3 second joke I've ever seen
April 9, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Biggest commitment to a 3 second joke I've ever seen
Reposted by Ben Templeton
Support to do international business development (travel) for folks working in UK screen industries (including games). www.bfi.org.uk/get-funding-...
UK Global Screen Fund: International Business Development
Supporting UK screen content businesses across film, TV, animation and interactive narrative video games to enhance their international activities.
www.bfi.org.uk
April 9, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Support to do international business development (travel) for folks working in UK screen industries (including games). www.bfi.org.uk/get-funding-...
Reposted by Ben Templeton
Analogue solutions to digital problems.
April 8, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Analogue solutions to digital problems.