The Dystopia Will Not Be Cyberpunk

Akihabara—a district in Tokyo that once inspired ideas of “the future”—charts a different reality ahead.

Jan 13 • Patrick Kho

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December 2025

Why Is the Internet Fantasizing About China?

As Western soft power declines, China-related memes are turning fantasy into a form of alternative world-building.

Dec 16, 2025 • Patrick Kho

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A Return to the Craft

Forecasting the future of creative business from an open-air kitchen.

Dec 9, 2025 • Patrick Kho

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November 2025

This Fashion Startup Wants Your Taste to Make You Money

OMEN is creating a new digital marketplace where cultural capital can convert into a liquid asset.

Nov 25, 2025 • Patrick Kho

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Was the Future Meant to Look Like a PlayStation Ad?

SONY’s PlayStation 2 imagined a future where technology made us more in touch with ourselves, not less.

Nov 18, 2025 • Patrick Kho

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Subculture Never Died; You Just Stopped Looking For It

Proof of new-ness from a basement in Hong Kong.

Nov 11, 2025 • Patrick Kho

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What Can Rave Posters Reveal About a City?

From deindustrialization and decolonization, rave posters around the world trace how cities transform and reinvent themselves.

Nov 4, 2025 • Patrick Kho

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October 2025

The Return of Orientalism Chic

In the mid-2010s, Asian musicians once sought recognition among Western artists. A decade later, they’re making difference aspirational.

Oct 28, 2025 • Patrick Kho

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You Should Probably Stretch More

A new way to approach life in a “stuck” culture.

Oct 14, 2025 • Patrick Kho

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Raves at 200-Year-Old Heritage Sites

Digital Zine 1: Across Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Manila, electronic music events are being held at historic buildings. How and why did this…

Oct 7, 2025 • Patrick Kho

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September 2025

Grocery Shopping in the Apocalypse

What can pre-typhoon consumption in Hong Kong teach us about the end of the world?

Sep 30, 2025 • Patrick Kho

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Why Do Asian Brands Pretend to be Japanese?

A working theory on how aspirational consumption in Asia created faux Japanese brands like MINISO, Oishi, and Japan Home Center.

Sep 23, 2025 • Patrick Kho

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