[SIC] 271: Pancake Merchandising

Volume Six, Number Eleven

Ben Dietz

Nov 09, 2023

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Corollary sources this week: Five Things on Friday / The Future Party / Crypto Scroll / Milk Road / Champion Weekly / The Trend Report / People Vs. Algorithms / After School / Ben-Evans / PSFK / The Unskippables / Politico / The New Statesman / Morning Consult / Roca News/ Brendans Communication Miscellany / Jing Culture / Public Announcement

Hi all.

WITI’s The Alternative Jazz Edition yesterday reminded me to mention a project I’m involved in: the restoration of The John and Alice Coltrane Home, in Dix Hills, Long Island.

The Coltrane home is the place “A Love Supreme” was birthed, and where Alice Coltrane’s five albums were recorded in the basement studio, and it’s finally being preserved as the monumental site in American creativity that it is. I bring it up because you should check it out, plan a visit once the restoration is complete, and if you haven’t earmarked all your Giving Tuesday funds, support! For those in New York, I’m hosting a fundraiser at my home next week, and donating $50 gets you a ticket to join me and some special guests (not to mention some complimentary cocktails from EMPIRICAL). But do check out the Coltrane Home site, in any case.

Another one that was apropos for me this week: ‘We Do Not Want to Deal With Customers Like You!’ In The Atlantic. As announced last week, I purged about 15% of [SIC]’s subscribers over the weekend, since those addresses hadn’t been interacting with ‘sletter. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with open rates and engagement numbers this week now that the low energy contingent is gone. More on that note in coming weeks.

Another thing I’m trying: spotlighting my stalwart contributors like Piers Fawkes, Molly Raskin and Celeste Blewitt with dedicated digests on [SIC] Day - the daily micro digest that paid supporters receive on Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, and Sun. Have a look - and if you decide a little more [SIC] would suit you, here’s a button:

UPGRADE

So - thanks Piers, Molly, Celeste - not to mention David Bloom, Ben Pruess, Iolanda Carvalho and Alisa Tanenbaum, who sent stories this week. Keep ‘em coming!

Now, the links:

======[SIC] 271: Pancake Merchandising======

The Macro Narrative

Open AI’s dev day was terrrrriffic. Sam Altman launched a new language model, with tons of added powers. Then announced a bunch of other models to API / YT
Ben’s Bites’s summary thereof / Ben’s Bites
Speaking of Bens: Ben Thompson [also] has a great essay and recap of the Open AI Keynote that you should read if you are at all interested in the future / Stratechery
In other words: OpenAI has opened the floodgates for customized ChatGPT models / OpenAI
Meantime: Its name is Grok, it’s inspired by The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and it’s being billed as a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT / Quartz
And unsurprisingly, Elon Musk’s new chatbot is astoundingly vulgar / Futurism
And also mendacious? A.I. chatbots invent information at least 3 percent of the time, and some as much as 27 percent of the time, research from a start-up found / NYT
Speaking of making up stories: has it ever been harder to make a living as an author? / Esquire
Also tough: The first-generation social media users have nowhere to go / Wired
Because? Kids know what we don’t: Social media is dead / Om Malik
In fact? Is the web actually evaporating? / Garbage Day
Not evaporating; the New Headache for Bosses: Employees Aren’t Quitting / WSJ
Except in independent media, where we’ve hit The Awl Inflection Point / Today in Tabs
Also at an inflection point? Gen Z, Milliennials have a much harder time ‘adulting’ than their parents did. 55% of young adult respondents find it is “much harder” to purchase a home, 44% said it is harder to find a job, and 55% said it is harder to get promoted / CNBC
Hence? The Biden administration wants to turn vacant office buildings into places for people to live / AP News
And an old Sears reanimates as an apartment complex / The Future Party
Maybe the solution isn’t buying? In This Country, Most People Rent for Life. At a time when many young people can’t see a path to buying a home, Switzerland offers a glimpse of a post-ownership society/ NYT
Corollary: The City That Learned to Be Proud That It SUX / WSJ
Related: It’s not just the Gen Z’s excited about Ohio (Peter Zeihan is hyped on it’s future prospects too) / YouTube
Not excited: not everyone wants a four-day work week / Gallup
Also a drag: The US has a shoplifting problem, and loss prevention is generally the most underfunded department of a company / Vox
And science needs diversity more than ever / FT
Speaking of science: What’s That Weird AI Bird Popping Up All Over TikTok? / Hyperallergic
Related: unsettlingly brilliant “Lolita” book cover goes viral on Reddit / Creative Bloq
Corollary: These Teens Got Therapy. Then They Got Worse / The Atlantic
So… When will I start caring less about everything? Why this enlightened state arrives in middle age remains a mystery / FT
Maybe not for everyone? Dieter Rams pointing at things he doesn’t like / YouTube
Apropos, why is the furniture canon so out of wack? / Snake

Generationations

How Gen Z is transforming workplace communication / Axios
Gen Z’s scrunch face has replaced millennials’ duck face / NYPost
The young men who really, really want to be hot / NYT
Corollary: How design can help reach Gen Z on social / Creative Review
A report from UTA found half of kids in the US are listening to a podcast every week / The Verge
Hence? Gen Z invests earlier than other generations /The Future Party
Case in point? China's Gen Z is increasingly drawn to small gold products like gold beans, each weighing roughly one gram and priced between $54 and $82, as an affordable entry point into gold investments / Sixth Tone
Meanwhile, China’s hyper-online elderly to spend $750 billion by 2035. How can brands tap in? / Jing Daily
Related: ‘We actually have fucking money to spend!’ Why do advertisers neglect menopausal women? / The Drum
Especially as ‘Fashion grannies’ and aging KOLs challenge fashion’s stigma against growing older / Jing Daily

Platformations

Zuck Taps the Strengths of WhatsApp. The messaging app, which Meta bought nearly a decade ago, was an asset that he largely left alone for a while. No longer / NYT
How Fire TV became a money maker for Amazon / Lowpass
Speaking of making money: Why enticing brands is key to the future of Roblox / Digiday
China’s biggest gay dating app wants to beat Grindr / Rest of World
Democrats consider how TikTok may fit into their 2024 campaign strategy / NPR
TikTok is officially ending its Creator Fund… so people can sign up for its new and improved (and definitely not just renamed) creator fund called “Creativity Program” / Fast Company
Corollary: There are now 1 million paid subscriptions to creators on Instagram / The Verge
Meanwhile, Elon Musk is selling discarded Twitter handles (X profiles?) for up to $50,000 / Forbes
Related: what brands are actually willing to pay Instagram influencers / Ad Age

Stylistics

Careers advice from Ganni’s chief brand officer (and [SIC] homie Priya Matadeen) in the latest How I Became / BoF
Apropos of that How K-Pop Stars Became the Fashion Industry’s Biggest Darlings / Hypebeast
From Ben: “can't wait to see this bag out in the middle of the protest - No don't worry the world is not fucked up. we need million dollars bags” / Hypebeast
….and billion dollar hype underwear brands;) / The Messenger
Hence? Today, Shapewear. Tomorrow, the World / NYT
Tiktok published a guide for fashion marketers / TikTok
Meet Goopimade, the Taiwanese brand that spawned a ‘clone army’ / Vogue Business
And the rising Swedish talent aiming to change the meaning of ‘Scandi cool’ / Vogue Business
Can cult names like Martine Rose and A$AP Rocky revamp the high street? / Jing Daily
Talking Trends With Superstylist Harry Lambert / GQ
Leandra Medine Cohen seasons the dish / Magasin
Apropos: ‘Hot Ones’ goes on a ‘Chicken Shop Date’ / Tubefilter
Why are more professional skateboarders turning to YouTube? / Simple Magic
Related: skate hero and [SIC] homie Pat Smith talks to Skate Jawn / IG
Speaking of going out of business: Annie Hamilton On Failing / Byline
How Kareem Rahma Became His Own Rich Parent / Byline
Ayo Edebiri is a fashion star in the making / Vogue
The Corporate Memphis art style is dead / Creative Bloq
Of Chromophobia?! / Articles of Interest
At Least It's Cardigan Season / The Melt

Culturations

The Odyssey of Post-Internet Art. Tracing the movement's emergence and its current role in shaping digital culture / Frieze
Which prompts us to ask: What makes a masterpiece? It depends who is selling… / The Art Newspaper
Masterpiece alert, in that case: An Artsy Garage Sale Is Coming to NYC This Weekend. Each item offered at the “Garage Sale of Upscale Garbage” in Bushwick is one-of-a-kind / Hyperallergic
While MOCA's Ten Thousand Drops exhibition in NYC showcases a unique dripping machine experiment, showcasing creativity and innovation in the art world / Dutch Design Week
Paris Photo is the largest annual international art fair dedicated to photography / Monocle
Online Film Series Spotlights Palestinian Voices. After the Arab Film Festival was postponed, organizers launched a new program of feature-length films, documentaries, and shorts that focus on personal stories / Hyperallergic
From Iolanda: "One of our favourite movie studios [A24]. This little interactive can help you decide which cinematic treat to pluck from their selection box" / Information is Beautiful
From David: Martin Scorsese Joins Letterboxd — and Has Curated a Massive List of Double-Feature Pairings with His Own Film / Indiewire
DEVO’s Mark Mothersbaugh is a multifaceted creative legend with tons of stories to tell. Producer guru Rick Rubin unearths a lot of good ones in this Broken Record podcast episode / Pushkin.FM
Elsewhere, Miranda July has a new book coming out next year and, to build buzz, she’s starting to do press – and you must watch her recent Art21 feature / Art 21
From Piers: What if women ruled the world?’ Judy Chicago’s latest show feels very timely / The Guardian
Pertinent particularly since A new survey by ArtTable finds widespread reports of low pay, debt, and work-related expenses in art jobs, especially affecting women / Hyperallergic
Some Swifties in Argentina have camped out for five months to ensure they get a good spot when Taylor comes to town next weekend / Variety
A Memphis hardcore band throws a show in a local gas station, raising the stakes for all other show venues / Twitter

Technopolis

It's a car! It’s a bike! It’s a…couch? Behold, the pinnacle of modern transportation technology, the E-Couch / YouTube
Inside the Magical World of AI Prompters on Reddit / Hyperallergic
From Iolanda: "Because ACI — artificial capable intelligence — has the potential to radically alter consumer behaviour." [The New Type of AI that Brands need to know about] / The Media Leader
Mmerch's radical new approach to fashion combines generative AI and Web3 technology to create unique, one-of-a-kind hoodies / Vogue Business
But Would you let AI choose your next hair color? On TikTok, people are doing just that / TikTok
Because?! Americans don’t know anything about AI / Morning Consult
Elsewhere in arriving late: The Simpsons just dropped a new episode, and it’s all about NFTs / CoinDesk
While Adidas and Bugatti drop super rare football boot with digital twin / Jing Daily
And Gucci is opening the virtual doors of Gucci Cosmos Land, an immersive digital journey through its 102-year history in metaverse world The Sandbox / Vogue Business
But without NFT royalties, where's the money in NFTs? / Vogue Business
Ergo: OpenSea lays off 50% of staff due NFT market slump / Fortune
100 Thieves is laying off staff and spinning out its game studio and energy drink to focus on its core businesses — another sign that the esports industry is preparing for a more sustainable business model / The Verge
Here's what ultimately led to the fall of FaZe Clan / Digiday
How long before gaming sheds sexist attitudes? / FT

Market / Influence

From Iolanda: "Kantar’s 2024 Media Trends and Predictions report illuminates the myriad opportunities and challenges confronting the content and advertising ecosystem" / Kantar
Its been one year of Netflix ads / Netflix
Netflix’s own hits are few and far between / The Future Party
Stranger Things’ Final Season Is Still On Its Way. But First? Waffles, Ice Cream, and a Prequel for the Stage / GQ
Greenville was quiet. Then a hometown kid became YouTube's biggest star / WaPo
Why Home Depot Is Evolving Its Media Strategy, Starting With Branded Content / AdAge
Related: Hermès premiered its film, On the Wings of Hermès, a 35-minute flick tells the story of Pegasus leading six wingless foals on a journey / Jing Daily
Tiffany became the official trophy partner of the Shanghai Marathon / Marie Claire China
In the face of consolidation, more watch retailers are turning to resale as a lifeline / Retail Dive
These indie and network shops support creative side gigs to keep talent on side / The Drum
Nike has sued New Balance and Skechers, alleging they infringed on patents for its “Flyknit” technology / Reuters
While it introduced Flyknit Baby shoes / Dezeen
Flamingo debuts ‘Unruly’ podcast to spotlight body neutrality movement / Glossy
Execs at Black-owned media companies say keyword blocklists continue to discriminately harm their businesses / Digiday

Eats, Drinks and Ephemera

How 19 Crimes became ‘poster child’ for wine marketing / The Drum
From Alisa: Ray’s, a Cocktail Bar Backed by a ‘Succession’ Star, Is Coming to Brooklyn / Eater
Where is Jamie Oliver? The [proverbial] death of the celebrity chef / The New Statesman
Why palm oil is in everything, and why we buy everything with palm oil / Scope of Work
The 41 Best Gifts for Vegetarians / Epicurious
Why are climate activists so upset about Kim Kardashian’s nipple bra? / Vogue Business
Why Unilever’s downshift on sustainability is good news - “The era when companies could make bold, audacious commitments without specifying how or when they’ll achieve them is ending” / Green Biz
America’s first commercial plant that can pull carbon dioxide from the air has opened / NYT
Green Energy Can't Satisfy Electricity Demands / Peter Zeihan Youtube
A town in Ireland recently became the first in the country to ban single use coffee cups / The Carbon Almanac
Plant trees in cities to curb deadly heatwaves and help prevent tens of thousands of annual deaths from extreme heat /Dezeen
That Fridge on the Street Corner Is Fighting Climate Change / Reasons To Be Cheerful
The wool from Fiona – a social media star known as “Britain’s loneliest sheep” – will be up for sale to benefit charity following her rescue from cliffside isolation / The Guardian