[SIC] 170: Whole Rabbithole

Volume 4, Number 14

Dec 09, 2021

But you CAN pay, if you want to. It helps. Monthly or yearly, or founding support (which includes dinner at my house, if you’re in / can get to NYC).

You can even expense it, before the fiscal year ends - or budget it in for fiscal 2022. And feel free to share, too.

Hi all,

Lots of talking today. [SIC] Talks is on at 4p ET / 1p PT with Davide Baroncini, founder of Ghiaia Cashmere, a brand (and store) that I’ve been following closely over the last year. I’m really excited to dig into Davide’s world and his sources of inspiration. Come check it out it’ll be live on IG @dietznutz, and in my grid thereafter.

But even before that, Jeff Carvalho and I are leading an AMA with Mishka and the yung gawd Andy Milionakis about Mishka’s NFT project on Clubhouse. Will be a fun one. And speaking of NFT projects, worth a look at Jeff’s Burrata People, which drops next Monday 12/13.

Finally on the subject of talks, thanks to Ana Andjelic for using our chat last week as a reason to refer a bunch of new subs here to the newsletter. Welcome, all. And thanks as always to my regular contributors Iolanda, Celeste, and Jeff for submissions this week. Keep them coming.

Other than that, it’s the links. Hope you find useful.

======[SIC] 170: Whole Rabbithole =====

Artist Unknown, Nevada City CA

Trends

Kyle Chayka surveys The Year in Vibes / New Yorker via Public Announcement
Garbage Day on Our Sneakerhead Future (a Web3 / gamification of the future critique that’s applicable to non-sneakerheads, promise)
Wolf haircuts and Wall Street: What Americans googled this year / Recode
From Celeste Blewitt: “Great read around the concept of status quo and bending it to work for the person rather than work, finding hobbies and interests again, very topical and certainly links in with your SIC Talk with Ana from Friday.' How to Care Less About Work’ / The Atlantic
We are about the enter the “The Age of Makers” according to Rishad Tobaccowala, thanks to Web 3.
The biggest trend of 2021? Outrage, but maybe also we’re over it? / Garbage Day
Meagan Loyst of Lerer Hippeau surveyed Gen Z on their likes, dislikes, feelings, and predictions — and here’s what she found. / Alley Watch
PINTEREST PREDICTS 2022. “Among the predictions are “pearlcore,” “barkitecture,” “Hellenistic revival,” and “lounge-erie.” Also: tooth gems.” / Pinterest via After School
From Iolanda Carvalho: "It's trend season!!! The most beautiful time of the year, la la la”.
- "What’s next for technology, media, and telecommunications? From women in tech to floating solar panels, Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Predictions gives you a glimpse of what 2022 could have in store.” / Deloitte
- "The most exciting themes in technology today are transformative visions for 2025 or 2030: crypto, web3, VR, metaverse… and then everything else. / Ben Evans
- "Will this be 2021 redux? Or will we be able to apply some of the lessons learned to devise a better path forward? Marian shares her sightings on emerging trends that will shape how things will play out in 2022 and beyond." / Marian Salzman

Style

Balenciaga Designer Demna Gvasalia Is Rewriting the Rules of High Fashion. Thoughts on dressing Kanye and Kim, gendered clothing, and the controversy around his Crocs / GQ via Public Announcement
Related: Balenciaga is launching a metaverse business unit / BoF via After School
And BTW, why is Fashion So Obsessed with the metaverse?/ GQ via Public Announcement
Karl Lagerfeld was a man possessed by possessions / FT
And now you can possess some of his, via Sotheby’s Lagerfeld sale / via Monocle
From Celeste Blewitt: 'The Year Ahead: Unlocking Next Generation Social Shopping’. "So topical and an interesting discussion into social shopping trends and what 2022 may look like in terms of purchasing power, social media and the modes in which people consume fashion and trends. / BoF

Blackball Project’s homage to the “Queens” of Bicycle

The Arts

Marisol, “the True Trailblazer,” Paved the Way for Andy Warhol / Hyperallergic
The winners of the Street Photography Awards for 2021 via Noticing
Apropos, via [SIC] Talks alum Jauretsi Saizarbitoria - “The folks at @blackballprojects pulled out this gem, an art installation paying homage to the famous Queens cover for Bicycle…Lotta OG New York women in this image.” / Instagram.
Elsewhere in histories - this oral history of the B-Boy's artwork is to be savoured. / AIGA via Music Ally
Corollary: A new app allows users to create "AI-powered paintings" by typing a brief text description. Key quote: “The paintings are totally metal” / Axios

Entertainment + IP

[SIC] homies Cookies Hoops got the shouts & murmurs treatment in the New Yorker/ Instagram
While homie Tyler McCauley from The Unskippables is collecting all the 2021 music lists here (Substack)
Dance much? Other homies Paul & Barbie from Love Injection posted their live at Good Room set that you can dance to/ Instagram
“Most video games are about violence because it’s the easiest thing to do. It is the ‘layup’ in terms of video game design. Let me explain” (Thread) / Twitter via Lindy Letter
From Jeff Carvalho: "All sound recordings prior to 1923 will enter the public domain in 2022 / Public Domain Review

Platforms & Influencers

How TikTok Reads Your Mind / NYT
When Social Capital Becomes Economic Capital / The Atlantic via Maekan
To wit: Dude, Where’s the Snow? Pro-snowboarder-turned-activist Jeremy Jones uses Instagram to raise awareness about climate change. / New Yorker
Doja Cat partnered with Girls Who Code to retrofit her latest music video, “Woman,” into an interactive coding tutorial at dojacode.com / via Future Party
SoundCloud Plans to Expand Free Services to Attract New Artists / WSJ
While Discord’s new Premium Memberships let creators monetize servers / The Verge via Motive Unknown
Face Computers Are Coming / NYT
Because, Snap says, eventually everyone will make use of AR glasses / Protocol
Hence, Snap is already delivering on the future Meta is promising / Quartz
Related: Snap launched "523," a new content accelerator program for small, minority-owned content companies / Axios
While TikTok entertainment hub Flighthouse is now acting as an agency for brands to reach Gen Z / Adweek via After School
The story of 17-year-old songwriter Gayle’s “ABCDEFU” which turned a TikTok comment into a #1 single / Twitter via After School

Marketing & Advertising

Disposable culture is diminishing the power of brands / Quartz
Though, conversely: The Cult of Liquid Death / Eater via Elevator
How Cup Noodles became one of the biggest transpacific business success stories of all time / The Conversation
Blanket data privacy is coming, so companies are coming up with every strategy imaginable to capture information about customers / WSJ via The Future Party
The Key to Marketing to Older People? Don't Say 'Old.' / NYT
The singularity is here ….and it wants to sell us everything / The Atlantic via Axios Futures

Media Business

BuzzFeed's a public company. Now what? / Recode
UTA Prices $200M IPO for SPAC Targeting Gaming, Creator Economy / Hollywood Reporter
Manchester United Goalkeeper David de Gea Starts His Own Esports Team / Hypebeast
The New York Times has opened up its new audio app to beta testers ahead of a public launch next year. / Axios

Metaverse & Web3

The FT goes deep into NFTs in this video / YouTube via The Future Does Not Fit in the Containers of the Past. Edition 69. (Nice)
Two good resources on everything DAO and NFT / A16Z via Howard Lindzon
- NFT Canon
- DAO Canon
Welcome to 'Web3.' What’s that?! / NYT
Web3 pushes the Pareto Funtier outwards by baking money into fun things and fun into money things / Not Boring
But, but: Is web3 bullshit? Here's author Robin Sloan's extremely skeptical "Notes on Web3” / Max Read via Motive Unknown
Piling on: An organization called yesterweb.org has put up a page outlining the false promises of Web3 evangelists / via Garbage Day
[SIC] homie Jarrod Dicker says crypto seems to be having its breakthrough as many people rethink how they live and work / Darkstar.Mirror via The Rebooting
Related?: The metaverse medical student / Axios

Food & Drink

Why we all — and men especially — must eat less meat to save the Amazon / The New Statesman via Future Perfect

Miscellany

Straw-inspiring: houses made of the humble bale. As a building material, it’s highly insulating, enduring and carbon-friendly / FT
In Ethiopia, Artists Protect the Environment Through "Plant Graffiti" / Hyperallergic
The oceans are the next frontier for carbon removal / Axios
Why does utopian architecture suck? / The Nation via Blood & Champagne
Skateboarders and their Sisyphusean Struggle For Greatness / Psyche via Maekan
Marine biologists are serenading fish with friendly sounds, and coral reefs are reaping the benefits. Hakai via Reasons to be Cheerful
UPenn researchers are developing a chewing gum they say could isolate SARS-CoV-2 viruses and prevent the spread of coronavirus infection. / Penn Today
SideTalk adjacent Bing Bong Ten Commandments / Instagram

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To Do:

Register for Micromobility World, a virtual conference promising that “the car will be unbundled” (it’s free!)
Similarly: Retail Innovation Week’s January conference schedule is laid out in a handy cheat sheet. I’ll be there, come hang out IRL.
Also, get this New Puzzle from [SIC] Talks alum Ryan McGinness. A 1,000 piece, 25 in. sq. / Four Point Puzzles