Björk on creativity as an ongoing experiment
You collaborate with a lot of people, often over a long period of time. How do you find a good collaborator, and what do you think makes a good collaboration? There’s a different story with every collaborator. It’s really like friendships. Because Björk.
Why We Forget Most of the Books We Read
Pamela Paul’s memories of reading are less about words and more about the experience. “I almost always remember where I was and I remember the book itself. I remember the physical object,” says Paul, the editor of The New York Times Book Review, who reads, it is fair to say, a lot of books. As the internet kids say, ‘It me!’
When internet trolls told this record-breaking teen explorer to ‘make a sandwich,’ she did just that
She’s only 16 but, Jade Hameister has accomplished way more than people twice her age. She’s skied to the North Pole. She’s skated across Greenland’s largest icecap. But there are always those who’d rather focus on her appearance than her achievements. It’s a long way to go to do it but ULTIMATE MIC DROP!! Amaze!
End of Watch
Here’s how to cheat at the Apple Watch Stand goal: dangle your wrist by your side while you sit in a chair. I discovered this by accident — I dangle my arm during meetings — but once I found it out, I did it on purpose. I cheated while watching Thor: Ragnarok, in meetings, at brunch. File under: Curmudgeonly behaviour #487
Mark E. Smith Was An Uncompromising And Essential Voice From Music’s Fringe
It is safe to say that there was no one else like Mark E. Smith. The irascible leader of the legendary Manchester post-punk group The Fall — who died yesterday at the age of 60 — was a true artist and eccentric. Was never a fan, but it was never really about the music anyway.
A Simple Phrase to Help You Stop Buying Stuff You Don’t Need
Confession: I am a longtime lover of things. Cute things, shiny things, sparkly things. Things that smell good, things that look pretty on an end table, things that make entertaining more fun, things that remind me of happy memories. Lessons for me, I STILL buy too much ‘stuff’.
My problem with Spotify – even though I’m a subscriber
In the last 20 or so years of technological revolution, has any artform been as transformed as music? Film and literature may still be adjusting to new platforms and business ideas, but they cling to the same basic rules. Art and theatre seem largely unchanged. Nailed it. I have the same problem with Spotify.
Infamous Atari Player Disqualified From World Record After 35 Years
In 1982, video game score-chaser Todd Rogers supposedly set a world record time of 5.51 seconds in the Atari 2600 racing game Dragster. Last year, speedrunners called that score into question. I love that this happened, that people are STILL passionate about this stuff. Humans are ace.
The Startling Link Between Sugar and Alzheimer’s
In recent years, Alzheimer’s disease has occasionally been referred to as “type 3” diabetes, though that moniker doesn’t make much sense. After all, though they share a problem with insulin, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, and type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease caused by diet. Yikes.
Michael Mosley: ‘Forget walking 10,000 steps a day’
These days it is hard to walk the streets without running into someone who is anxiously looking at their wrist to see if they are on target to reach the magic 10,000 steps. Is it really a goal worth striving for, or might there be something better? I’ve not given two (or 10,000) hoots about my step count for ages. Turns out, I wasn’t just being lazy!
Japanese farmers created a new kind of banana with an edible peel
Most of the world’s bananas are grown in tropical temperatures that consistently hover around 80°F (27°C), but D&T Farms in southern Japan keeps its banana trees at a frigid -76°F (-60°C). Then, the farmers replant the trees in an 80°F environment. Y tho?
Security measures at the Winter Olympics include drones that catch drones
Organizers of the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea have plenty to deal with, including the late addition of North Korea as a participant. But it’s not just events on the ground they have to worry about. Security personnel will be looking skyward, as well—for suspicious drones. Breaking News! Drone drama likely to be more exciting than people sliding down a hill!!
It’s Surprisingly Easy To Plant False Memories
The 1990s were a scary time for psychology. Many therapists were touting the idea that traumatic experiences could produce repressed memories, ones that could only resurface through therapy. I’ll be right back, just going to check the memories of MY ENTIRE LIFE! Sheesh.
It’s the (Democracy-Poisoning) Golden Age of Free Speech
For most of modern history, the easiest way to block the spread of an idea was to keep it from being mechanically disseminated. Shutter the newspaper, pressure the broadcast chief, install an official censor at the publishing house. This is the real reason I’ve not posted anything all week, I’m trying to dial back on the noise… (seriously though, this is some fucked up scary shit).
