Plutonic Rainbows

Coming towards the end of January. A cold day with no sunshine at all. It put me in the mood for two films I have never seen.

The first, The Reflecting Skin, is a 1990 coming-of-age horror film written and directed by Philip Ridley, starring Jeremy Cooper, Viggo Mortensen and Lindsay Duncan. Set in 1950s rural Idaho, it follows an impressionable young boy who becomes convinced that a neighbouring widow is a vampire responsible for several unexplained disappearances. Described by Ridley as a “mythical interpretation” of childhood, the film weaves together elements of vampirism, surrealism, black comedy, symbolism and religious zealotry throughout its narrative.

The second movie is Twilight, a 1990 Hungarian black-and-white drama directed by György Fehér. Drawing on elements from Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s novel The Pledge, it follows an ageing detective who becomes fixated on finding the murderer of a young girl in a remote, desolate landscape. The film’s slow, atmospheric style and sparse dialogue emphasise the detective’s mounting obsession, highlighting the moral tensions that arise from his unyielding pursuit of justice.

Minimalist fashion house Jil Sander has launched a new collection of fragrances, which debuted yesterday.

Here’s what the brand has to say:

The first Jil Sander fragrance collection fuses botany and technology in six minimalist, unisex formulas, in which the olfactory marks of aldehydes cut across key natural ingredients, giving every fragrance unique shapes and volumes. The six scents are expressions of a singular note married with aldehydes — where botany and technology meet. True to form, the duo hasn’t just created something for the sake of it: each sits perfectly on its own while complementing the others in the collection.

As for the bottles, they’re impossibly chic glass flacons with a lip around the base and an opaque cloche lid that slides into place with a satisfying click — truly a design feat that elevates the humble fragrance bottle.

DeepSeek, a rising player in AI development, has unveiled a groundbreaking model that is shaking up Silicon Valley. The technology, which reportedly offers unparalleled capabilities in data synthesis and predictive analytics, has left competitors both impressed and unnerved. Its potential to reshape industries such as finance, healthcare, and defence has prompted admiration for its ingenuity but also concerns about ethical implications and regulatory oversight. Executives across the tech world are grappling with the model’s impact, particularly as its proprietary nature raises questions about transparency and the monopolisation of AI advancements.

While DeepSeek’s innovation is lauded as a step forward for AI, it has also triggered debates about fair competition and accountability. Critics warn that the model’s dominance could stifle smaller players and concentrate power in fewer hands. This announcement comes amid growing calls for AI governance to prevent misuse and ensure responsible development. As the industry scrambles to catch up, DeepSeek’s disruptive unveiling is a reminder of the double-edged sword of rapid technological progress.

DeepSeek, a Chinese start-up, has developed a free large language model called R1 that matches the performance of leading AI models such as those from OpenAI. Its rapid growth and immediate popularity, alongside a low development cost of around $5.6 million, has unsettled both investors and major US tech firms. DeepSeek’s innovative training methods and the programme’s open-source nature are especially significant given the US ban on exporting powerful computer chips to China.

Markets have reacted by selling off shares in large US technology companies that have been investing heavily in data centres to train and deploy AI. Investors are now questioning whether expensive cloud computing and vast hardware reserves are truly necessary, given DeepSeek’s demonstration of a more cost-efficient approach. Tech leaders like Microsoft’s Satya Nadella have acknowledged the impact of DeepSeek’s model and are urging serious consideration of China’s progress in AI research.

DeepSeek’s decision to release R1 as open source has been lauded as a “profound gift” but also raises concerns over potential misuse by malicious parties. Some Western developers may be wary of Chinese censorship controls embedded within the code, while others see this move as evidence of China’s resilience in circumventing US chip restrictions. Influential figures like Marc Andreessen have likened the development to a “Sputnik moment,” prompting calls for greater US investment and strategic planning to maintain a competitive edge in the global AI race.

I haven’t watched this Brian De Palma film in years. Blow Out opened to scant audience interest upon its release, despite earning predominantly positive notices from critics. Travolta and Allen’s lead performances, De Palma’s direction, and the film’s visual style were praised as its strongest points. However, it ultimately fared poorly at the box office, largely due to negative word of mouth surrounding its bleak ending.

For the past few months, I simply haven’t been able to get this fragrance out of my mind, so I was delighted when a small sample finally arrived from the States. I’d been eagerly awaiting its arrival, especially as this brand has only released a handful of products over the last ten years.

On my first try, I detect a hint of liquorice, which is really quite lovely. I’ll need to explore it further, though I’m not yet certain about its longevity or strength.

Update (26 January 2025): I have tried this fragrance again today and must note that it smells remarkably similar to Dior’s New Look. This new impression comes from a more detailed testing session, where its distinctive floral nuances and elegant sillage echoed the Dior creation’s signature blend.

My new book arrived today: Prompt Engineering for Generative AI, a new publication focusing on the application of large language models (LLMs) and diffusion models. I do think O’Reilly books are overpriced, but they do offer publications on very specialised topics.

I added some React animations to an app I am working on. It looks completely different to how I was originally using it. Last year, I was basically sending all my json requests via the terminal.

I also added a simple React animation to this site. The title should now sweep into view.

I couldn’t get out to exercise today because it was raining on and off, so I spent many hours working on prompting templates for Flux. I finally managed to send my fleece off for repairs. It’s still a brilliant piece of winter clothing, so letting a few rusty zips stop me from using it seemed rather wasteful.

Inspired by Walpole Bay; seaweed, white flowers and salt water collected on 25th March 2014, (sunny day).

Reminiscent of an uninhabited bay; man-made structures that bridge land and sea and a crisp fragrance of salt, sweet pea and musk.