May 5, 2018
Don't get Cocky now.
What happens when a fairly succesful self-published romance author decides to trademark a common word previously used in many of their peers' titles?
#Cockygate, that's what. [more inside]
The United States of Japan
The United States of Japan "Japan made itself rich in its industrial era by selling things like cars, TVs, and VCRs, but it made itself loved in those Lost Decades by selling fantasies. Hello Kitty, comics, anime, and Nintendo games were the first wave—'the big can-opener,' as the game designer Keiichi Yano put it. Now those childhood dreams haven given way to a more sophisticated vision of a Japanese life style, exemplified in the detached cool of Haruki Murakami novels, the defiantly girly pink feminism of kawaii culture, the stripped-down simplicity of Uniqlo, the 'unbranded' products of Muji, and the Japanese “life-changing magic” of Marie Kondo." - Matt Alt
I see walls/But these walls aren’t in my way.
Tony Kinman, Southern California “cowpunk” pioneer who defied musical boundaries, dies. With his brother Chip, Kinman formed a series of influential bands. First was the Dils, a late-70s SoCal punk mainstay (“I Hate the Rich” and “You’re Not Blank” were the two sides of their debut 7-inch). In 1980 they started Rank & File, a country-tinged outfit based in Austin, TX (here they are on Thicke of the Night with Alan Thicke in 1983, performing “Amanda Ruth” and “The Conductor Wore Black”). Later projects included Blackbird (sample cuts: “Big Train”, “Quicksand”) and Cowboy Nation (seen here on Art Fein’s Poker Party). Happy trails, pardner. BONUS: 2001 Tony Kinman interview.
Happy 200th
Happy Birthday Karl Marx, you were right! Why Marx’s original critique of capitalism and description of class struggle are more relevant than ever (NYT Opinion)
Star Wars Nothing But Star Wars
Around 1 hour and 45 minutes of the greatest miso-mash of Star Wars references across the over 4 decades since the first film's release. It's fascinating and horrifying and perhaps a bit hypnotizing.
We are obliged not to tolerate their wanton and conscious blasphemy
Is it better to have one or two spaces after a period? The first study investigating this hotly contested issue is here, and it supposedly gives the win to the two-spacers. But a closer look at the research suggests that the only reasonable interpretation is that double spacing after a period remains bad. It’s ugly, it doesn’t help when it comes to what matters most (reading comprehension), and the experiment that supports its benefits uses an outdated font style. [more inside]
Winter ain't coming
Well we're not getting a new Game Of Thrones book this year (well we are, but not a new novel). Anyway there will be a big battle in the next and final tv series. Here's a reminder of how effective the previous series vfx were.
Amazing Jobs! Podcast
Lisette is a little girl who interviews adults in a variety of interesting jobs (train conductor, film maker, musician, pediatrician) about what they do for work and how they came to do it. Episodes average around 5 minutes, and episodes 1 and 8 are in French.
(Imagine Rocky Horror as Church and you're basically there)
it's way underappreciated just how absurdly huge the impact of bollywood on hindu culture has been. an actual goddess exists and is worshipped who only exists because of low budget movie in the 70s. SLTwitter. Part 2.
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