Welcome Digest [1.7.26]
Museum hires a treasure hunter, the first ever VPN blanket, new Rocky video, and more
Welcome To January 7th
Today’s Important Headlines
🏺 The British Museum hired a treasure hunter to recover stolen artifacts
Still reeling from its 2023 insider theft scandal, the British Museum has brought in a professional treasure hunter to recover stolen ancient jewelry now scattered across resale sites like eBay. Awkwardly, the institution remains locked in repatriation debates amid renewed calls for it to return the Rosetta Stone to Egypt.
👔 This anonymous Instagram account archived every Balenciaga Instagram post from the Demna era
An anonymous account @myfacewheno_o has preserved more than 3,600 Instagram posts from Demna Gvasalia’s Balenciaga, capturing a moment when the brand treated Instagram like a burner account instead of a luxury storefront. The archive is a monument to one of the great runs of our time.
🛋️ The world’s first VPN blanket
London label Aries and privacy company Proton have released what they’re calling the world’s first VPN blanket. At a glance it looks like a standard Italian wool throw, but an NFC tag embedded in the label links to VPN access, allowing users to bypass geo-blocked content. The object sits somewhere between homeware, tech accessory, and a critique of the digital borders that increasingly shape everyday comfort.
🎬 Winona Ryder stars in A$AP Rocky’s new music video
A$AP Rocky tapped Winona Ryder for “Punk Rocky”, a new single from his upcoming album Don’t Be Dumb. Ryder plays a neighbor who drops by Rocky’s garage band and ends up moshing with the crew before things spiral. Many online are less focused on the cameo and more surprised Rocky delivered such a strong song in 2026.
🧾 Retailers will start scoring you to decide who gets free returns
In 2026, free returns will come with conditions. Retailers are rolling out Orwellian systems that track your shopping and return history to decide who pays fees and who does not. From January 6, ASOS will show users their personal return rate inside the app. It’s framed as a sustainability measure, while quietly creating data profiles for shoppers.
🧱 LEGO just put a computer in its bricks
Unveiled at CES 2026, LEGO’s new Smart Bricks contain sensors, lights, sound, and motion detection, allowing sets to react in real time to play. LEGO calls it its biggest innovation in nearly 50 years. Critics say it undermines what made LEGO distinct in the first place.
Headline curation and words by Mikail Haroon (@mvkail)
Moodboard 016
Today’s inspiration supplement. Click through to view.
From The Archive
An extra piece of content from the Welcome Archive for Magazine subscribers only.
The Joker polaroids from behind the scenes of Tim Burton’s Batman (1989)
Jack Nicholson secured an unusually flexible contract that limited his working hours, allowed time off for Lakers games, and gave him approval over the character’s makeup.
He selected makeup artist Nick Dudman, who used acrylic based makeup and custom face casts to create a permanent smile that stayed subtle at rest but fully emerged when Nicholson grinned.
