[SIC] 132: No Superior Mirage

March 18th, 2021

Hi all, 

Not the most fun week, tbh. The shocking and reprehensible violence against women both in the US and abroad, the unacceptable increase in hate crimes against people of Asian descent in the US. There’s no excuse. These are not to be ignored and can’t be wished away.  At the risk of moralizing, we’re all culpable for understanding whats going on and what’s at stake. And to changing things.  To that end, a couple links that struck me this week, to start with. 

•  Go Fund Me and AAPI's effort to Stop Asian Hate is one you should support. 

• A WEEK OF FEAR AND FURY. "Sarah Everard’s death has sparked a tidal wave of rage around gendered violence. But anger without action isn’t enough. It’s time to act."  (BURO) 

Ultimately these issues get addressed by individuals, and by communities. I say it every time but I’m grateful to the people who help me fill this weekly message.  Thanks Kevin, Ben, and Martucci for contributions this go-round. And thanks especially to Iolanda Carvalho, who sent so many noteworthy stories this week I just made a whole section for them.  

Unlike most of my regular contribs, Iolanda and I have never met, I have no idea how she found this newsletter, or how she finds the stuff she sends me (from Portugal no less) - but *every* suggestion is on point with my sensibility, and I really love them. Every link a small reminder that we all have more in common than we might expect. Hope you find something in this edition that speaks to you, too. 

Ben 

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Welcome to the IOLANDAVERSE (all links from Iolanda Carvalho) - Start Here.  

• "Super cool and amazing brain food and a year long read, the FTI Tech Trend Report.  Enjoy 😉 "

• “Cool one. The rise of emerging platforms should lead brands to reassess their social strategies”  (Campaign Live) 

• “British humour at its best: Mark Ritson's take on the reinvention of the 4 P’s [Marketing Week] and his incredible New 4 P's Generator Machine.” [Key Quote] ‘Like so many marketers I am bored with the existing 4 P’s. So I went to https://learn.mba.marketingweek.com/4ps/ to create a modern, nonsensical replacement. The new, definitive 4 P’s of marketing are percentage, pitfalls, policy and punishing. Isn’t that so much better?’"

• “The most googled artist in every country, worldwide.” (Ken Bromley Art Supplies) 

• [ON bad NFT Decisions]: “This is terrible, everywhere I look there's stuff... Please select wisely 😉 (Mediapost)

• [Minecraft seeks virtual landscape gardeners] (What Shed)  

• Yuk Fun and a gang of illustrators are raising money for Stop Asian Hate charities (It’s Nice That) 

Extra Verses:

• Via Howard Lindzon: Stratechery on ‘The Roblox Microverse

• Via PSFK: the entire universe might be a Neural Network. (Futurism) 

• Meanwhile, Snaxshot voyages to the Rubyverse, [SIC] buddy Noah Wunsch’s multiversal marketing world made to accompany the just-launched Ruby Hibiscus water. 

• Speaking of Ruby, Noah’s giving other [SIC] buddies a discount to entice you to try. Save a little, enjoy a lot. 

Now, in no particular order: 

• 032cGoes Vegyn

• Via Gossamer: Getting to the Bottom of the Runner’s High

• Related, sort of: Hermes is Tripping on Mushrooms (Highsnobiety)

• And from Ben Pruess: Stella McCartney’s doing shrooms too (Vogue Business)

• Mansion-aires, a heads-up: Private broadcasts are luxury’s new secret weapon (Vogue Business)

• Corollary: what brands can learn from Hermès pricing (Jing Daily) 

• Elsewhere in switching,  If meat alternatives get as cheap and tasty as animal meat, will consumers switch over? (Vox) 

• Not cheap: Plant-based steak. (Hypebeast) 

• Hence:  The hottest new craze for marketers? Fishing. (The Drum)

• Also, to Iolanda’s point, dumb NFTs: The Crypto-Bubble Comes To Marketing (Ad Age)

• Related: Gucci’s got  $12 digital sneaks (BoF) 

• And there are Atari ones too  (Highsnobiety) 

• Never mind the Beeples, Blockchain is going to revolutionize the art world (Jing Daily)

• So, acquaint yourself with some little known tax write-offs for artists (Hyperallergic)

• Also art-sy: Nike’s wrapping new shoes in old ads (Hypebeast)

• Related? Fashion’s love-hate relationship with bootlegging (Vogue Business) 

  

Rhetorical Cocktail Conversations this Week: 

• Via Morning Brew: How much bitcoin should you own? Here's a mathematical answer. (Kiplinger)

• Via Future Party: Memeconomy is the wave. (The Verge) 

• Via Lean Luxe: And is Hudson Yards the next Quibi? (Twitter)

• Via Catherine Connors / Audio Collective: Your thoughts on  “Harvard for influencers” (Town & Country) 

• Via Morning Brew: Will the literature of the suburbs be written on TikTok? (The Dirt)

• Corollary, via The Media Nut: What could be the most ridiculous and cynical idea in a very long time: Facebook Is Building An Instagram For Kids Under The Age Of 13 (BuzzFeed)

• Related:  Adam Curtis’s appearance on Red Scare is worth 2 hours, whether you’ve spent 8 hours with “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (Spotify / Wikipedia) 

Market Tings

• OOH FTW, y’all. (Vogue Business)

• Can Travis Scott's Cacti be Budweiser for Gen Z? (Fast Company)

• Related: because it tastes like desperation? Barstool Sports launched America's fastest-growing flavored vodka (The Hustle) 

• Elsewhere in questionable drinking: Mtn Dew created a 40-minute Bob Ross ‘lost episode’ to bring joy by painting (The Drum)

• From Kevin Johanessen: HBO Max is rolling out a streetwear competition series with Offset as a producer and contest judge (Deadline)

• And Via Protocol: If you don't know what Yubo is, that's OK! You will. 

• Fotografiska and NeueHouse have joined forces under newly formed parent company, CultureWorks. (Fast Company)

• Via Nieman Lab: Axios launches “Axios Latino” in partnership with Telemundo

• And via Rachel Gogel: LA Times launched a magazine called Image (Instagram)

• How brands are using TikTok as a channel for customer service and product feedback (Digiday)

• Via Future of Transportation: Rivian’s Guide program provides a single point of contact from order throughout the life of your truck.

• While Via Lean Luxe: The Wirecutter decided to pull back the curtain and share how they decide on the balance between price and value 

• A Year Later, Shoppers Still Want Hand Sanitizer, Comfort Food and Leisurewear  (Adweek)

• Bucking the trend: I Want to Look Damn Good When the World Sees Me Again (The Atlantic)

• In the meantime, via Future Party: Tinder is giving away free mail-in COVID-19 tests (The Verge)

  

More Free Association: 

• I don’t like listicles, but if I did it’d be because they’re like WITI’s “Urban Manufacturing” Edition from today:  personal, personable and varied.  And about a place called “Rotten Town” which seems pretty nice. (Substack)

• From Eric Martucci: "Thought you'd dig this: [Studies in Perception — a Digital Restoration Story]" (Substack)

• Corollary? Via Simon Reynolds: Clubhouse’s Founder Is in a State of Perpetual Motion (Bloomberg) 

• Via Beats & Bytes: Nearly 98% of 18 to 49-year-olds Didn't Tune in to The Grammys on TV (Music Business Worldwide)

• Never fear: HYPERPOP: WHY AMERICAN MUSIC ISN’T BORING. “The microgenre’s new wave is sweeping North America, one teenage bedroom at a time.” (The FACE)

• Related, via Music Redef: The New York Times Magazine's 19 songs that matter right now. 

• Corollary: Grailed’s history of vintage band tees

• And since we can't go a section without mentioning them: With NFTs, Musicians See a Way to Finally Take Control (VICE)  

• Via Public Announcement: Learning Synths: learn about synthesizers via Ableton’s interactive website. (Ableton)

• Or just get the machine to do it.  Via Protocol:  Google's Arts & Culture group has released a project called AR Synth that lets you make music with classic synthesizers and drum machines in augmented reality.

• More machines doing things:  The New Statesman explored whether The Simpsons could carry on forever by swapping out its voice actors for robots. 

• And via Noticing: BirdCast uses machine learning to build real-time bird migration forecast maps for the US.

• Via Future Party: Google’s Project Oasis was set up last March to help support local news publishers. It recently rolled out its first slate of resources, including a database of 700 news publishers in North America, and a 16-page report of all the ins and outs of how the publishers function — such as “business models, governance and workforce diversity.”

• More this week in Oasis: Noel and Liam set up a film production company. (The Guardian) 

• While elsewhere in Britpop: 25 years later, Elastica’s “Stutter” is still the nuts. (YouTube) 

• Also in legacy British Youtube, via Gossamer: Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace remains must-see-YT.

Nature is Amazing. 

• Ships that float … on air (Creativebloq)

• Sheep (and their poop) could help California’s climate change-driven wildfires. One couple is ushering in this idea with a small flock and some supportive fire departments. (Patagonia)

Umm, Some Other Stuff: 

• The Magnum print sale starts next week (Colossal) 

• While Women Street Photographers has burgeoned into a website, artist residency, series of exhibitions, film series, and now a book (Colossal)

• Japanese design studio Gelchop has created a lamp for IKEA that takes the shape of an oversized Allen key, while Ulu Group is a collection of sculptural furniture  made of cylinders with the circumference of a human thigh. (Dezeen)

• Statement Shelf Envy: This one-minute video showcases ten living rooms with statement shelving, as featured in a recent Dezeen Lookbook. (Dezeen) 

• BURO’s 2021 Film Forecast

• Finally, feeling vibey? Floating Points is doing a special live show this Sunday. (Instagram)   

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