A trend check: “Folkestone” and what it might mean

I noticed Folkestone climbing the list and decided to follow the trail. Trends compress time: yesterday’s unknown becomes today’s everywhere. What I saw people linking to Double rapist from Folkestone jailed for 20 years (Kent Police) Folkestone Man Jailed for 20 Years After Campaign of Rape and Torture Against Two Women (Hawkinge Gazette) Folkestone Man … Read more

I saw “Pension” trending and did a double take

This is one of those ‘I should probably understand this’ moments: Pension. Sometimes a trend is a breaking-news echo. Sometimes it’s pure vibe. What I saw people linking to Discovering 'lost' pensions (BBC) Why we urgently need a radical retirement shake-up (The Times) Tell us: are you struggling to save enough to retire? (The Guardian) … Read more

“Mclaren” is trending in the UK – here’s what I noticed

I thought I’d skip posting today, but Mclaren had other plans. When a phrase jumps like this, it’s usually because something happened – or someone said something – or both. What I saw people linking to Dominant Mercedes aim to strike a fresh technical blow at Canadian Grand Prix (The Guardian) McLaren's already removed its … Read more

I tried to summarise “Alan Milburn” without the noise

I wasn’t trying to get pulled into the trending vortex, but Alan Milburn got me anyway. I often start with the basics: what happened, who noticed, and why it spread. What I saw people linking to Government spends 25 times more on benefits than jobs for young people, says Milburn (BBC) UK’s ‘anxious generation’ of … Read more