Interesting things I found this year

The following are some of the more interesting images, posts, links I found throughout 2025, whether online or in my travels.

Recruiting for the Endurance

A copy of Ernest Shackleton's famous 1912 recruitment advertisement for the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition aboard the Endurance, which became legendary for its honest description of the dangers involved. The ad's warning of "hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger" with "safe return doubtful" has become iconic in leadership and adventure literature.

British Army pay cheque

A British Army pay cheque from World War II Malta from 1944, issued for £30 through Barclays Bank. It was used to pay military personnel stationed in Malta during the war, with revenue stamps affixed.

The roads of the Roman Empire

Itiner-e is a digital atlas project that hosts the most detailed open dataset of roads across the entire Roman Empire.

British Passport for the Island of Malta and its Dependencies

This is a British passport issued for the Island of Malta and its Dependencies, belonging to a Miss M. Mifsud dated 19 July 1950. It represents Malta's colonial period when Maltese citizens travelled on British passports before the Islands gained independence in 1964.

Amazon's Hits and Misses

A list of Amazon's experimental product launches between 2015-2022, showing which succeeded (green dots) and which were discontinued (red dots). It illustrates Amazon's aggressive trial-and-error approach to innovation, with only three products still alive and profitable out of dozens of attempts, embodying Jeff Bezos's philosophy that failure is essential to learning and eventual success.

Socialist Heraldry

A collection of the official state emblems and coats of arms from 16 socialist and communist countries throughout the 20th century, including Soviet republics, Eastern Bloc nations, and other socialist states.

The Carnation Revolution

After reading the 'The Carnation Revolution' by Alex Fernandes, I visited Lisbon and all the places related to the revolution in the city. The photos below show the entrance where the famous military officer, Salgueiro Maia, a prominent figure in the military coup of 25 April 1974, climbed on top of a military tank to address the crowd that had gathered in the square at the Carmo Barracks, where the Portuguese Prime Minister at the time, Marcelo Caetano, was hiding.

Electric Lightning jets in Malta

An interesting photograph of Electric Lightning supersonic interceptor jets of the Royal Air Force, at RAF Luqa in Malta, likely during the 1960s.

Zohran Mamdani's start

In 2020, Zohran Mamdani, then a 28-year-old Democratic Socialist and foreclosure prevention counsellor, won the New York State Assembly seat for District 36 representing Astoria, thanks to a few hundred volunteers. He went on to win the Democratic Primary in 2025 and the election for Mayor of New York City, all on a platform many deemed un-American. Goes to show how a few committed people can change the course of history.

On meetings

I hated most meetings I attended this year because they usually are full of fluff and take too long, so I thought these 3 steps were a nice way to ensure that every meeting that needs to be held is productive.

Handmaking a cigarette case

Not promoting smoking, but I thought this cigarette case someone made from stainless steel was very cool.

Understanding the way you look at the world

I don't have proof that this is true, but it reminds me of Napoleon Bonaparte's quote that "to understand the man you have to know what was happening in the world when he was twenty.” Have you read or consumed a piece of media when you were 9-13 years old that impacted your worldview?

The year 2000 was when all of humanity was on Earth

Investing in Peace

Earlier this year, my article was published on 'Times of Malta', Malta's longest running daily newspaper. I wrote about a subject close to my heart - especially being a former diplomat - namely, the importance of having a professional, well trained, and motivated diplomatic corps, especially for a small country like Malta and in light of the current international scenario. You can read the full article here.

Rovereto's Italian War History Museum

In July this year I visited the Italian War History Museum housed since 1921 at the Castle of Rovereto in Trentino, Italy. It is one of the best military museums I have ever visited and does a good job in showing the history of armies and wars between the 19th century and the First World War, and collections of Modern Era weapons (15th-18th century). At this musuem I also found the items above - a poster showing British Army losses during the First World War, including Maltese soldiers, as well as the insignia of the Royal Malta Artillery.

Wishing you a great start to 2026!