[SIC] 136: Aibohphobia

April 15th, 2021

Hi all,

Trying something new here; a morning missive. [SIC] has traditionally been an afternoon ET send, but in the spirit of test and learn, I’m seeing how you like it with your breakfast (for those in the US, anyway). LMK what you think.

Beyond the normal links, I was struck this week by Standard & Strange, a favorite shop in Berkeley, using their newsletter this week not to push product but exclusively to publish resources to both support the family and community of Daunte Wright and to Stop Asian Hate. Brands I respect like Noah are consistently active in this space, but I haven’t seen a lot of shops. It’s great. Let’s see more. 

No [SIC] Talks this week but I’ll be back on April 22nd with Paul Munford, major domo at Lean Luxe, a community of founders, makers, movers and shakers that publishes a great newsletter I pull from frequently. In the meantime, past episodes are up on my grid @dietznutz.

And speaking of community, thanks to [SIC] readers and friends Kevin, Isaac, Rich, John, other Kevin and Iolanda for suggestions this week. Love your work.

xo Ben

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Start Here: Worldbuidling

• Alex Danco’s Worldbuilding postcaptures the state and challenge of both the creator economy and wider systems thinking. (Substack). 

• Apropos: Adventures in the creator economy: Sidechannel is “Virtual Newsroom” (aka a Discord server that Casey Newton is running along with seven of his favorite people in media). Very interesting. (Platformer)

• Related: via Marginal Revolution: The economics of Substack and Ghost (NYT).

In Other Worlds: 

• This video shows a fly-through of Nüwa, which has been designed by architecture studio ABIBOO to be the first permanent city on Mars (Dezeen) 

• Via Marginal Revolution: Why don't lower income countries adopt more advanced technologies?

• Via Marcus Bosch: From fact-checking to women’s rights: TikTok's promising rise in the Global South. (Reuter’s Institute)

The Built World: 

• The Non-Extractive Architecture manifesto calls for buildings that are "not intrinsically dependent on exploitation" (Dezeen)

• Akon wants his African city to run on cryptocurrency. The singer is working on his plan for Akon City, a futuristic hub in Senegal. (Quartz)

• MUDHONEY easily beat out SIR DIGS-A-LOT in an online vote to become the official name of the machine that will spend 14 months boring a tunnel between Seattle neighborhoods.. (Seattle Times)

• Related: via Future of Transportation: The Boring Company's Las Vegas tunnel isn't as efficient at people moving as a train but it has colorful lights (VICE)

• Command your Tesla to "Open Butthole" and the trunk will open, apparently (Creative Bloq)

In Virtual Worlds: 

• Who’s to say a half-lizard isn't as compelling as any other DJ? Authentic Artists is already planning to launch Instagram and SoundCloud profiles for Dragoon and his friends, a group of  fully three-dimensional (virtual) artists. (Protocol) 

• Via High Tea: TL;DR Victoria Paris is the future of daily vlogging

• Via Marcus Bosch: TikTok has added a range of new visual effects that are triggered by sound. 

• And Twitter’s got the video.  

Media World

• Via Simon Owens Newsletter: How Bustle Digital Group sets up shoppable options within its editorial content (Digiday)

• Meanwhile, Mel Magazine reinvented men’s media, and now it’s hoping for a second act (Nieman Lab)

• And Gawker’s coming back! Via Public Announcement: Gawker is Getting Another Re-Launch, Under a Former Gawker Editor (Mediaite) 

Audio World: 

• Via Maekan: There aren't nearly as many podcasts as the stats suggest. Of the 2 million podcasts on Apple Podcasts out there, 26% of them only feature 1 episode, and only 36% of all podcasts have more than 10 episodes.

• Via Nieman: Is Clubhouse boosting democracy in Iran? (Al Jazeera) 

• From Iolanda Carvalho: “One of the coolest nl, and today ft. you...” WundermanThompason’s audio brand report (including mention of Audio Collective, with which I’m affiliated). 

Watching the World:

• Return of the living dead brands (Jing Daily) 

• Speaking of cool watches, tho: Bamford x Popeye is cool.

• This one from Maratac at sleeper cell doomsday prepper site County Comm is good too. Get yourself an embassy pen while you’re at it. 

• That new Dime collection is wavey (Hypebeast)

• Speaking of Dimes, here’s a hot take: I love the idea of Dimepiece, the new media brand for women & watches. I just wish I liked the content more. Maybe I’m old? Or maybe it’s just kinda half-assed. 

• Still, It’s charting what Business of Fashion is calling a new wave of watch buyers.

• Apropos, Hodinkee talked to Dimepiece’s Brynn Wallner, whom people whose opinions I trust seem to really like a lot, so maybe it is that I’m just old. 

• Elsewhere in Dimes Square: a new issue of the Drunken Canal is out there, and is about God (sort of) (Instagram) 

NFT World: 

• Via Music Redef: You’re not crazy. Money Is. (NY Mag) 

• James Surowiecki describes the fate of NFTs as “the tragedy of the commons” — a market that will be flooded and go the way of baseball cards from the late ’80s. (Medium) 

• Via Ben Evans: A16Z followed up its 'Crypto Canon' (every important essay on the web about crypto) with one about NFTs. 

• It's Not a Movie, It's an NFT! How Hollywood Is Flirting with the Non-Fungible Token (IndieWire)

• Related, via Today in Tabs: “Are artists creators?” asks Kyle Chayka in ArtNews. 

• NFTs And The "Art" World: Panic And Possibility (The Art Newspaper)

• From Rich Hartell: “The Pak drop on NG with Sothebys. The whole cube/burn.art/$ash/non-fungible<>fungible things is interesting.  If the KLF did an NFT it would look something like this. (Block Crypto) 

• Related: Normcore is now an NFT, (and a horse, apparently). (Instagram) 

• While fave artist Ryan McGuinness’s multi-post take on NFTs and what he’s learned is pretty great (read all four posts). (Instagram)

Art World: 

• “It’s horrendous, it’s constant failure”: fave artist Geoff McFetridge on the pain of painting. (It’s Nice That)

• Fave photographer Ben Pier’s got a show at Kitsune in NYC you can check out (meet me at the opening tonight). 

• And fave painter Andrew Kuo’s show is up at Broadway Gallery now too. (Instagram)

• While SIC buddy Peter Sutherland’s “Saved II” book looks rad (Instagram) 

• The late fashion designer Kenzo Takada had very refined taste. Artcurial’s got an auction of some of his belongings here - everything from vases to photographs. 

• For the friend who has everything except 28 Goblets mounted on Toy Car feet. (Christies)

Celeb World

• How Tattle Life - a space dedicated to tearing apart the lives of influencers  became the most toxic place online (The New Statesman)

• The Triumph of the Celebrity Endorsement. Shilling stars used to be accused of "selling out." Now they're savvy investors. (NYT) 

• Corollary: after a decade of celebs and influencers enhanced with butt lifts, fillers and veneers, Yomi Adegoke wrote about the “explant” movement; the stars who are publicly documenting having procedures reversed. (The New Statesman)

Living in the World: 

• Via Lean Luxe: Why so many cities  Are now paying folks $10K to relocate. (Marker)

• Via 1440: The best cities for first-time homebuyers. (Realtor.com)

• While via Lean Luxe: The case for luxury housing. American needs more (not less). (The Atlantic)

• Related: $31,000 Sofas: As the rich scoop up properties, business is booming for interior decorators: (NYT) 

Computer World: 

• Via Axios: Quantum computing is set to change the world — just as soon as experts in the field figure out whether a foundational aspect of the technology actually exists. (Nature)

• Corollary from Kevin Johanessen: “Have you checked this out yet? [The lost tapes of the 27 club]. The music is a little flat, but pretty interesting application of AI…”

The Written World: 

• Thon, th-thon, Thon, Thon. Via Marginal Revolution: “[This] Ezra Marcus NYT piece on neopronouns is first-rate.” (NYT) 

• Sasha Frere Jones on the golden age of the American Essay (4 Columns) 

• Also via SFJ: 33 writers remember Giancarlo Trapano (RIP), whom I didn’t know but whose work I admired. (Believer)

• Related: check out the Tyrant catalog. 

The World of Music: 

• The sound of protest is techno (FT) 

• Related: As mentioned in the FT piece: Blackness is Revolutionary playlist. (Spotify)

• "Since I left you” remixed by Professor Prince Paul portends great things for the reissue of the Avalanches debut album (Spotify) 

• And “A Perfect Miracle” is the unsung Spiritualized jam I can’t stop singing. (Spotify)

• S/o [SIC] buddy Walter Schreifels: Quicksand is back with a new single and video (Instagram)  

• Via Music Redef: Eric Ducker captures  The Long Tail of Aphex Twin’s ‘Avril 14th’ (NYT) 

• Speaking of Mr. Ducker: here’s your yearly reminder that Radio Friendly Unit Shifter will have you out of your seat right quick: Radio Friendly Unit Shifters '09 By Nick Catchdubs & Mr. Ducker (MixCloud)

• And while we’re at it: CVS BANGERS never dies.  (MixCloud) 

Marketing World: 

• NeueHouse and TBWA\Chiat\Day published a white paper designed to explore Creative Sustainability that you can download for free. (NeueHouse)

• Via Future Party: Vox just published a lengthy criticism of the capitalistic exploitation that gave birth to the mommy blogger.

• From Kevin Johanessen: “An interesting bit about a new App that Nike is building for Gen Z women....Nike created a landing page and Instagram account for Nothing but Gold, an app targeting women “dedicated to sport, style, and self-care.” (Front Office Sports)

Wide World of Sports:

• From Isaac Dietz: “This decision [“The NFL Settles for a Field Goal”] is fascinating to me and I think the author nails it. MLB has spent 20 years building the MLB advanced media business to manage their own data and delivery- it seems the NFL now has to leverage others. $100b is big but not kingdom keys big; in short, more proof football is dumb”

• Elsewhere, via Morning Brew: The future of college football? The University of Central Florida allowed its players to wear their social media handles on the backs of their jerseys

Iolanda’s World (all links from Iolanda Carvalho):

• “This week in Linkland or why few things in life are one-size-fits-all… in no particular order:"

• The secret recipe for organizational culture is no recipe (Strategy Business)

• A Neuroscientist and a Physicist Used AI to Recreate a Lost Painting Buried Under a Beloved Picasso Canvas (Artnet News)

• The “world's first digital fragrance" as NFT (Dezeen) 

• Reese’s gave Lil Boat a Lil Boat (for cereal) (Ad Age) 

• Monotype trend report shows brands banking on nostalgic, handcrafted and big type (It’s Nice That) 

• Related: Type Trends  (Monotype) 

• Welcome to Decentraland, where NFTs meet a virtual world (NBC News) 

• IKEA has joined forces MUD Jeans, a Dutch denim company, to create limited edition KLIPPAN sofa covers made from recycled denim.. As part of the Swedish retailer's sustainability push, 

• There could be an organic-shaped floating co-working space in krakow soon. (Design Boom)

• I also love the regenerative economy idea, same as your guest, sharing this great article by BBMG on regenerative brands from some months ago …the speech is really interesting (had this edition here in my "archives" cause it´s so cool).

Getting in the Final World:  

• Get ready for Hot Luggage Summer (2pm) 

• Ssense had a four-month long chat with Dev Hynes

• Peter Blake (co-creator of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band artwork) made a Dazzle imagery cycling apparel collection. (It’s Nice That)

• From John Martin - "NYCs hottest bar is hidden inside a subway station." Salute Jey Perie and the crew at La Note (NY Post)

• From Kevin Tachman: I don’t love cats but I like Cats of Brutalism (Instagram) 

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