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Hello, geeks!

Welcome to your age-verification-free scroll through everything new in social from the past seven days.

Some of the top news stories we’ll be digging into this week…
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⛔️ The UK’s new online safety rules kicking in, forcing Meta, TikTok, X, and others to start asking “Are you really 18?” for real.
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🚫 TikTok’s being told: get your sale approved by China — or get banned by the US in September. No pressure.
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🤬 Elon Musk charging [fleecing] advertisers extra on X for… using emojis. Of course he did.
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👎🏻 LinkedIn quietly reversing its “show random posts from 3 months ago” algorithm tweak after users started forgetting what year it was.
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😬 Brands still posting through it after hijacking the Coldplay kiss-cam incident — cue forced apologies, ratioed posts, and second-hand cringe.

__________

But first, I highly recommend you check these out:
-

💀 Your TikToks + Reels are dying in 48 hours
⤷ This ONE report reveals how to keep them alive longer. [Updated] [ad]
-

🔥 The free newsletter execs at Meta swear by
⤷ 60k+ pros (including me) read this daily for smart marketing tips*
-

* Not an ad. Just a like-for-like cross promo with a newsletter I love.

Want to run a cross promo with Geekout? Get in touch!

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SPONSORED - 2025 INSIGHTS - FREE REPORT
How Long Does a Post Really Live? This Report Has the Brutal Truth!

Most social posts die within 48 hours.

But some quietly keep growing for 75+ days — if you know what to post and where to post it.

Measure Studio analysed thousands of posts across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook to reveal how long content really lives...

...And how to make it live longer.

Here’s a sneak peek at what the data reveals…

• ✨ 80% of views happen in the first 48 hours

• 🥇 Instagram Reels live ~75 days on average

• 📉 Text + Link posts lose 50% of views by Day 2

• 📈 Facebook Reels last ~65 days— even without reposting

Inside the full report, you’ll discover…

• 🚨 Why day 1 of your post is absolutely critical

• 📅 When to post, repost, or walk away— backed by data

• 🔁 How to revive old content without killing performance

• 🏆 Which formats win on each platform in 2025

• 🚫 5 silent killers that tank your content lifespan

• 🔔 Reels vs. Shorts vs. TikTok: Which format dies first vs. which performs for weeks

  _________

This updated report is backed by new data, and stuffed full of actionable tips.

Don’t keep publishing in the dark… Know exactly when your post will die — and what to do about it.

→ Grab the full report… It’s free!

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🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

Geekout’s pick of the hottest headlines in social this week:

2. TikTok will be banned in September if China doesn’t approve U.S. app Sale, Trump official warns [WARNING]

3. TikTok sale stalls again as Blackstone pulls out of US investor group [FALTERING]

4. UK Government targets TikTok teens with plans for a 2-hour social media app limit and curfews [RESTRICTING]

5. Elon Musk’s X will start charging more for ads with emojis, following its recent ban on ads including hashtags [FLEECING]

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SPONSORED - INSIDER INFO - FREE NEWSLETTER
The Newsletter Marketing Execs at Meta & Google Swear By… And It’s Free.

Stacked Marketer curates the most useful and important digital marketing news, trends and insights…

And boils it down to a speedy 7-minute read.

Every weekday, you get breaking news, insights, advertising hacks, tips and tactics for all your digital marketing channels:

• Facebook

• Google

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• Email
  
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If you’re a marketer looking to constantly up your game, this is one FREE resource you absolutely need to be taking advantage of.

→ Subscribe to Stacked Marketer… It’s free!

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🚨 EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT

A new era of social media starts has begun

Some people think age checks are essential safety tools. Others think they’re an invasion of privacy and an example of government overreach.

But from today, UK users of social media and will have to prove their ages to maintain full access to the platforms they use.

As The Guardian neatly sums up:

Some platforms–such Meta’s apps–already have age checking systems in place behind the scenes. But Bluesky and Reddit show the approach others are taking, using third-party verification systems.

For example, Bluesky uses a company called KWS, which in turn uses a face scan through a company called Yoti, or a card check via Stripe.

This morning, Martin who builds this newsletter with me every Friday, verified his age on Bluesky. The card check option threw up an immediate error no matter which card he used (worrying!) but the face scan worked, including a (perhaps) reassuring ‘deleting scan’ message afterwards.

Despite that reassurance, I can imagine many users will be freaked out about handing over personal information when they don’t even want to use a service to view adult material. The nanny state internet is here!

Meanwhile, Ireland’s similar age check rules also came into force this week, with X getting into hot water for non-compliance (they now say they’ll check ages via various estimates until more robust measures are in place).

And in the US, Mississippi’s social media age verification law has received a green light from a US appeals court.

I suspect, like cookie pop-ups, we’ll get used to this new era as an annoying hurdle we have to overcome to use the internet the way we want.

But it could be incredibly irritating for anyone wanting to keep their account completely anonymous… or who just hates being nagged.

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✨ NEW & NOTEWORTHY

Everything else you need to know from the past seven days…

Meta / Facebook / Messenger 👥

• Meta revealed new details about its futuristic sEMG wristband that lets you control devices before you’ve even move your hands

• Meta confirmed shorter video ads on Facebook get more replays via looping

• Meta has been spotted going directly to creators with brand deals

• Meta’s Reality Labs has unveiled prototype VR & MR headsets with 180° horizontal field-of-view

• Meta released more details about its Oakley HSTN glasses, due to launch this summer

• Meta says it won’t sign the EU’s AI code, and claims that it’s overreach

• Meta is being sued by a family who allege that a school shooter was influenced by Instagram, among other things

• Meta allows ads crowdfunding for IDF drones, new research has found

• Facebook is rewarding high-quality content with free post boosts

• Facebook now lets you mute Reels when you start watching them

• Facebook is testing new ‘For You’ and ‘Explore’ tabs in Reels

__________

Instagram ✨

• Instagram confirmed it's testing new insights for Reels and Carousels, including an interactive chart to show the exact moment when a viewer liked your Reel, and Like counts for individual frames of a Carousel

• Instagram boss Mosseri confirmed it doesn’t restrict the reach of posts that include the term “Link in bio”, despite viral speculation

• Instagram is rolling out TikTok-style auto-scroll to some users

• Instagram now lets you see insights for Reels posted by other creators

• Instagram begun injecting more unskippable ad breaks into users’ feeds

• Instagram is working on the ability to add a photo to a post's comments

• Instagram is expanding selfie verification to more users for locked account recovery

• Instagram is working on a TikTok-style ‘Link a Reel’ feature, letting you link a new Reel to an older one

• Instagram is testing a Quiz feature for Reels

• Instagram is set to limit livestreaming to public accounts with at least 1,000 followers

• Instagram now lets you add stickers to Stories by swiping up

• Instagram is working on a Crystal Ball sticker

• Instagram now lets you control who can see the posts you’ve liked and who can see your activity in the Friends tab

• Instagram Edits can now cut silences from your videos automatically

• Instagram added Repost to the quick actions menu on iOS

• Instagram is adding new safety features to child-focused accounts run by adults

__________

WhatsApp 🟢 / Threads 🧵

• WhatsApp is testing a “Remind Me” feature to help you remember to reply to a friend’s message. You’ll be able to set alerts for 2, 8, or 24 hours — or choose a custom timer

• WhatsApp now lets you post a video up to 90 seconds long in a Status

• WhatsApp is testing a new button to reply directly to voice messages with another voice message

• WhatsApp is rolling out new ‘Music’ and ‘Layout’ Status types widely

• WhatsApp is testing the ability to star messages in broadcast channels

• WhatsApp now lets businesses create a free account without needing a phone number. Meta will provide one.

• WhatsApp is working on a revamped About feature with disappearing Status options

• Threads has been spotted letting you delete your current profile and sign up with an email address or mobile number

• Threads added enhanced content performance insights for creators

• Threads now lets you schedule post replies as well as posts

• Threads is working on more DM options, including GIF sharing and group chats

• Threads is widely rolling out the ability to filter posts by interests

• Threads is testing a new grey app icon on iOS. It’s iOS 26 Liquid Glass compatible, with both dark and light styles

__________

Twitter (‘X’) 🤡

• Elon Musk says X is bringing back Vine, in AI form… whatever that means

• X is expanding Community Notes to identify posts that appeal to everyone, regardless of their politics

• X faces a criminal probe in France over alleged algorithm ‘manipulation’

• …but X denies any wrongdoing

• xAI is seeking $12 billion in fresh funding to rival Meta and OpenAI

• X added four new options in the iOS quick actions menu: Search, New post, New message and Ask Grok

• The X data centre fire in May started inside a power cabinet, authorities say

• A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is grilling Elon Musk over antisemitic content generated by Grok on X

• X Chat has added new screenshot options

__________

YouTube 📺

• YouTube is testing Reddit-style threaded comments for Premium users on iOS and Android

• YouTube beat forecasts as its ad revenue soared past $9.8 billion

• YouTube wiped out thousands of propaganda channels linked to China, Russia, others

• YouTube stars were iced out of the Emmys yet again, despite big-budget campaigns

• YouTube shows are being snapped up by Netflix with the offer of expanded, global audiences

• YouTube added a new ‘Listen Again’ section in the feed, showing music you’ve previously listened to on YouTube Music

• UK regulator Ofcom called for urgent legislation to make BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 easier to find on YouTube

__________

TikTok 📱

• TikTok will revive its viral Messi-only livestream on August 2, as part of an expanded deal with MLS

• TikTok added a ‘Secret Replies’ sticker for Stories

• TikTok rolled out the ability to sort comments by Top or Newest, to more users

• TikTok Shop has added subscriptions to rival Amazon's repeat order model

• TikTok now shows a menu with options to help improve your feed when you mark a video as ‘not interested’

• TikTok Family Pairing now lets you see what topics your teen is exploring

• TikTok is telling managers to avoid being “nice” in reviews and instead target under-performers directly

• TikTok's new #SummerSkills series turns the app into a summer classroom for teens

• TikTok tweaked the profile page to make certain features easier to access

__________

Snapchat / LinkedIn / And More… 👻

• Snapchat’s new ‘Home Safe’ feature auto-alerts friends when you arrive safely at home

• Snapchat could soon offer free Snapchat Plus if you invite your friends

• LinkedIn is testing trending video carousels in-feed

• LinkedIn has a new Premium analytics section that shows the number of clicks and impressions a Custom button has received

• LinkedIn added a six-month free Notion Plus trial to its Premium package

• LinkedIn’s CEO says the platform will reject clickbait growth, sticking to its professional roots

• LinkedIn confirmed what most of us already figured out—hashtags are no longer key to reach

• Bluesky users can now filter activity notifications by muted words

• CapCut now lets you filter templates by ‘Business videos’

• Telegram’s crypto wallet has gone live to its 87 million US users

• Mastodon is testing new in-app donation prompts to raise funds

__________

🔥 Want to see more hot NEW features spotted in the wild this week?

Just head to the ‘More news’ section below!

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🤖 SOCIAL AI

The newest social media AI features spotted this week:

Google is unleashing its powerful AI tools for YouTube Shorts users. For free!

A new photo-to-video feature animates images with movement and flair via Veo 2

A collection new AI effects lets you turn doodles into polished graphics or apply surreal filters.

All the new features are bundled in YouTube's new AI Playground hub—and it’s currently available to users in the U.S, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand

Check out the wild AI video examples in YouTube’s blog post below 👇

Also spotted this week 👀

• YouTube updated its 'Dream Track' AI music tool for Shorts creators, with improved audio quality and new customisation features to select U.S. creators

• YouTube now lets you draw something and watch it transform on Shorts

• xAI is building a new AI feature called “Imagine” to generate viral videos from user prompts, and has launched a new male AI companion

• xAI unveiled ‘Baby Grok’ — a supposedly sanitised kids’ app

• xAI has partnered with Kalshi to offer stock insights for investors

• WhatsApp is testing the ability to initiate real-time voice chats with Meta AI

• WhatsApp rolled out smarter, streamlined support via AI

• WhatsApp is working on a feature powered by Private Processing to generate quick chat recaps

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💬 YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT

When I’m quoted in the news, you’ll find it here:

As age verification becomes more prevalent across the web, I spoke to Fast Company about how internet regulation is entering its ‘hall pass’ era.

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😆 LOL

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📈 MEMES

THAT Coldplay kiss-cam incident is is likely to go down as one of the most-memed moments of the year.

As last week’s Geekout newsletter hit your inbox, the meme was a mere 24 hours old at most. But in the week since, both the execs involved have resigned and the meme has evolved into the kind of social media behemoth that only comes around once in a while.

It quickly expanded beyond the original footage in the way the best memes always do,. And brand social media managers scrambled to find ways to jump on it.

Some were good. Most were cringe. A few led to follow-up apology posts for taking it too far.

It was even adapted to remind Malaysians to avoid indecent behaviour on public transport:

Best of all, the meme even rebounded OFF the internet and back into real life as stadium kiss cam operators, crowds, and even mascots around the US re-enacted the moment for themselves:

And to think this might all have been avoided if those two execs had just kept still and smiled when the camera hit them!

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🌡️ VIRAL

“There’s a growing genre of TikTok videos where people treat their passport photos like beauty campaigns. False lashes, contour, lighting rigs—the works. The result looks great (if you’re into that kinda thing).

“Unfortunately, it’s also confusing the hell out of airport security.”

Also going viral this week: 🔥

• Nicki Minaj’s “High School” pose from 2013 is blowing up on TikTok

• “Clanker” goes viral as AI’s newest internet insult

• What to know about ‘Wavelength’, the party game taking over TikTok

• How the Coldplay meme went viral in under 12-hours

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🪧 BRANDS

Why SharkNinja’s viral gadgets are dominating your TikTok FYP

SharkNinja has cracked the code on making blenders and face masks feel like must-have drops.

Its $700 million ad spend goes hard on social, with 40% of digital aimed at platforms like TikTok

Influencer partners are seeded and educated pre-launch, creating anticipation—Alix Earle’s CryoGlow post helped sell one every eight seconds!

With 25 products launched yearly, SharkNinja fine-tunes strategy weekly to stay ahead of trends and rivals.

Ninja Slushi, FlexBreeze fans, and CryoGlow face masks have also been among its most popular products as of late.

And its strategy is paying off across categories. SharkNinja’s net sales rose 14.7% in the first quarter of 2025.

More brand news this week: 👀

• 10 social trends every brand should be acting on right now

• Reddit’s brand moment—why Mars, Kraft Heinz and other big marketers are buying ads now

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🙊 WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

“Detoxify the dopamine loops”

- Online safety campaigner Beeban Kidron has called on the UK government to stop social media being addictive to kids

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Also overheard this week: 👂

• “I want to apologise to any kid who’s over 13 who has not had any of these protections, to parents who have strived and failed to keep their kids free from all this content because we have let them down.”
  
  – UK Tech Secretary Peter Kyle apologised for failing to protect children online, calling it a “generation let down.”

• “We’ve made the decision. You can’t have Chinese control and have something on 100 million American phones”
  
  – US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warns that the government is serious about banning TikTok in September if a deal isn’t done with China

• “Europe is heading down the wrong path on AI… This code introduces a number of legal uncertainties for model developers, as well as measures which go far beyond the scope of the AI Act.”
  
  – Meta’s head of global affairs Joel Kaplan on why the company won’t sign the EU’s AI code

• “The social media companies need to do far more… They've actually gone backwards over the last four or five years, not forwards. It's got worse on social media, not better.”
  
  – Kick It Out chairman Sanjay Bhandari responds to England defender Jess Carter facing waves of racist abuse during the Women’s Euros

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👀 MY FAV READS

“The front page of the web” is turning into the last refuge of the human internet. But can it survive AI?”

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😮 WTF?!

Zuck’s $300 million Kauai fortress just got bigger… and wilder!

It now sprawls across 2,300 acres, and part of his land sits atop Native Hawaiian graves, raising alarms about erasure and respect.

Workers muzzled by NDAs have reportedly built fortress-like compounds featuring 16-bed dorms, escape tunnels, and 18-foot water tanks

Critics blast the billionaire invasion of paradise, accusing elites of pricing out locals and gutting culture

Also WTF this week: 👀

• TikTok teens are swapping ding-dong-ditch for violent door kicks and even airsoft gunfire

• AI-generated interiors are flooding Pinterest, tricking users with dreamy but fake designs

• A UK mother created a fake Snapchat account to expose her daughter’s online groomer

• xAI tried to teach Grok how to be human — by recording its own workers' faces

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👔 YOU’RE HIRED!

Hot new social media jobs worth checking out this week:

The Wikimedia Foundation needs a Social Media Specialist [worldwide, remote]

More top social media jobs spotted this week 💼

• Electronic Arts is hiring an Associate Manager, Social & Content [Vancouver, BC, Canada]

• Severn Trent Water is looking for a Social Media Manager [Coventry, UK]

• The Jamie Oliver Group is recruiting a Social Media Content Creator (Part-time, 4 month Contract) [London, UK]

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🪦 RIP

Social media features heading for the graveyard:

LinkedIn scrapped a feed tweak that buried users in weeks-old content, sparking platform-wide frustration.

The test was meant to boost “relevance,” backfired with stale, recycled posts.

LinkedIn admitted the update made feeds feel “off.”

Also:

• Meta officially shut down its Threads bonus programme, ending payouts to creators.

• WhatsApp is dropping its native Windows app in favour of an uglier web version

• LinkedIn quietly killed the hashtag feed

• Google Maps will kill off its social-style ‘Follow’ feature in September

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👌 PRO TIPS

Hootsuite has published a useful guide to LinkedIn’s algorithm.

If you want to increase your chances of posting content that pops in the feed, it’s worth digging in to the details here…

“The LinkedIn algorithm operates a bit differently than most other social platforms’ — it’s specifically designed to prevent content from going viral.”

More pro-tips worth checking out ✨

• Everything you need to know about Ofcom’s new online safety laws in the UK

• The best time to post on Instagram in 2025, based on 6 million posts

• LinkedIn shared brand building tips for B2B marketers

• LinkedIn has a new guide to crafting video hooks that actually work

• Pinterest released its 2025 Holiday Marketing guide with data, trends, and ad tips

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📊 SOCIAL STATS

80 BILLION

– How many views street food content received on YouTube in 2023 alone. Uploads of food videos skyrocketed have to 315,000 per month in 2025

Even more social stats: 📈

• SEEK AND FIND: Social media now drives 36% of brand discovery, up 13 points since 2018

• X EFFECT: A found US law professors who join X get 22% more citations annually and place articles 10 ranks higher

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📈 CHARTED

Here’s how Instagram says you should use different content types within the app

During a recent Instagram webinar hosted by Rachel Karten’s Link-in-Bio, IG product managers explained how different content formats can help creators achieve specific goals:

• Reels + Carousels help you reach new people

• Carousels, Photos + Stories engage your followers

• Lives + Channels help you nurture your most loyal fans

More charted social insights spotted: 👀.

• DOWNHILL: X’s revenue decline, charted

• UPHILL: How xAI’s Grok iOS app is drawing increasing revenue thanks to its new model and companions

• RANKINGS: YouTube topped Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge again with highest ever TV-viewing market share, but Netflix shot up to third place

• DAILY AI: How marketers use AI every day

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• Meta hired three Google AI researchers who worked on a gold medal-winning model. [The Information $$$]

• Marketers are split on the impact of Instagram’s public post Google Search indexing expansion. [TubeFilter]

New features and tests:

• Instagram is testing a new UI for the Story composer. [@oncescuradu]

• Instagram simplified its desktop menu, putting shortcuts for Threads, Meta AI, and AI Studio under a ‘Also from Meta’ submenu. [@theahmedghanem]

• Instagram has added an option to restore a Reel to the main grid. [@theahmedghanem]

• WhatsApp updated its Settings UI with a cleaner layout. [@jonahmanzano]

• WhatsApp Business added a ‘Getting Started’ video guide under the ‘Tools’ section. [@jonahmanzano]

• Messenger has added a tool to check if your account is protected. [@theahmedghanem]

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💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES

• Meta, X, and LinkedIn hope Trump will back them in fighting EU tax penalties and data probes. [Social Media Today]

• Ofcom must fine social media companies that are slow to remove racism after Jess Carter abuse, the UK’s culture secretary says. [Sky News]

• Snapchat and Togethxr launched “Snap the Gap,” a creator program for nine female athletes. [Sports Business Journal]

• Adobe is offering new subscriber perks with partner companies, such as free LinkedIn Premium. [@theahmedghanem]

New features and tests:

• Apple launched ‘In the Loop’ on its website, as a central hub for executives’ social media posts. [9to5Mac]

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📰 WEEKEND READS

Geekout’s pick of the best longer reads to sink into over the weekend:

“Sharing casual moments from our lives on social media doesn’t seem to make sense the way it used to.”

More great weekend reads:

• Podcasting’s video era is here—but audio isn’t dead yet

• 'Someone's always watching': Gen Z is spying on each other

• TikTok killed the press junket: How movie PR got memeified

• How LinkedIn became a breakout platform for content creators

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😳 AND FINALLY…

I mean, what else is a billionaire to do with his wealth… than buy loads of flashy watches?

But Zuck is trying to keep it real by adding a $120 Casio G Shock to his collection…

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📅 BACK NEXT WEEK…

And on that note, it’s time to get outta here...

I’m heading off to chase up my new passport application. I’m praying it lands soon, before my family holiday flight in 3 weeks time!

I’ve still not perfected the art of taking a photo that won’t make me look like a convict or cringe fashion victim when I look at it in 10 years time.

For your amusement, here’s my last couple of tragic-looking passport pics:

Goodbye, geeks!

P.S. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant