Everybody out of the pool Grantland goes long on the influential, if unheralded, ’90s cartoon spoof talk show Space Ghost from Coast to Coast, which caught the attention of “a generation of young weirdos.” Funky, funky The oral history of Blue Note Records’ first platinum-selling album. Science fact Isaac Asimov on creativity, a previously unpublished essay from 1959. Are we there yet? It’s probably a good thing that today’s youth are less interested in driving than their parents (and aunts and uncles), because maybe they…
Read MoreBlock party How much are ads on major news sites costing consumers (in time and bandwidth)? The New York Times did the math. Is there anybody out there? How many of those bandwidth clogging ads actually work? According to a study cited by Bloomberg Business, 11 to 25 percent of online ads are viewed by software, not people. Medium large Citing posts from the local supervisors all the way up the White House, Business Insider’s Biz Carson calls Medium “this generation’s PR Newswire”. Extra medium…
Read MoreWith the release of iOS 9, Apple has brought ad blockers to the mobile web. Blockers have been available on desktop computers for some time, but mostly have been used by technically savvy—OK, I’ll say it, nerdy—users. With iOS 9’s new content blocking features, millions of iPhone and iPad users can now download (some free and some paid) ad blockers from the App Store. (I’ll wait for you while you stop reading and eagerly go download one for your phone.) Apple’s new content-blocking capabilities aren’t…
Read MoreMeeting makers This is not so much news as it is content: a British distillery is doing a web series with Anthony Bourdain where he talks to different craftspeople. The episode with knifesmith Bob Kramer making kitchen knives from meteorites is rightly getting a lot of views. Play by play Haven’t had time to watch the hours-long Apple presentation from earlier this week? BuzzFeed has the video highlights. Dream on If you think you don’t dream at night, you’re probably wrong. Cave-dweller Scientists have discovered…
Read MoreJammin’ It might be hard to find a copy of Space Jam to watch, but you can still visit the movie’s original website, a time capsule of sort for the early web. Rolling Stone has the story behind the site from the people involved. Finding a way Profit is hard to come by for small farms, so some of them are bringing the tables to the farm and serving pizza. Finding a way, part two From one of my favorite writers, Steven Johnson: The Creative…
Read MoreI was way off Take a moment to take this one-question test at NYTimes. Trollception Comedian Chris Gethard got in a Twitter argument with a teenager and you won’t believe what happened next! (He invited the teen on his show and they worked it out.) Dot come on, man! Silicon Valley companies often espouse high-minded ideals (Google’s “don’t be evil,” for one), but it’s harder for them to live up to them. Like when a Harvard student lost his Facebook internship for pointing out a…
Read MoreRobot Robots aren’t coming for your job, and Vox says that’s a bad thing Or not Big companies are abandoning performance reviews in favor of ongoing manager feedback. Are the two mutually exclusive? Bubble science As a big La Croix-drinking office, we found this fascinating: why are we drawn to fizzy drinks? Demos Half the world’s online population uses Facebook at least once a month On fleek Social media is helping us figure out how new words new-wordify Follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our blog to make sure you don’t miss…
Read MoreEarth 2.0 The Kepler Space Telescope has identified a very Earth-like planet. (Via Next Draft, which you subscribe to, right?) Sequelstration On the occasion of the release of a National Lampoon-less sequel to National Lampoon’s Vacation, a former Lampoon editor ruminates on the demise of the magazine (and takes some pot-shots at the new film). Hoisted by their own dog food Google employees used Google’s own collaborative document tools to collectively share and compare their salaries. Self referential What my landlord learned about me from…
Read MoreBoldly went The new close-up shots of Pluto from the New Horizons satellite have us all nostalgia for the space age, so here’s a long read about the time Buzz Aldrin punched a guy in the mouth Behind the music I don’t know how much I believe the theory that the Beatles are the hardest band to cover, but the stories behind the three non-Beatles Lennon-McCartney-penned number one hits are pretty interesting. Reddit and forget it At an inflection point for the sometimes-troubled site, Reddit’s…
Read MoreIt’s pretty unusual that really big news breaks while I’m putting together this post. But, in observance of the Supreme Court’s ruling this morning on same sex marriage, here’s a round up of interesting related stories. The ruling The New York Times gives an overview of the decision, reviewing the arguments in the case and the path to the ruling. The opinion You can read the opinion for yourself straight from the Court. The dissent NPR has a look at the dissenting opinions from the…
Read MoreSo long Goodbye hipster, hello yuccie? Next time on Big Bang Theory… According to this NYT Op/Ed, there’s some conflict in physics circles about the importance of evidence. Before the listicle The New Yorker looks at how New York Post headlines like “HEADLESS BODY IN A TOPLESS BAR” foreshadowed today’s clickbait. See no evil Ad blocking software is getting more pervasive Are we there yet? Have you noticed the trip home always seems to go faster? Follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our blog…
Read MoreAudiofile From Jay-Z’s high-definition streaming service Tidal to Neil Young’s Pono music player and service, musicians are trying to get us to pay more for higher-quality digital music. But can you even tell the difference? Speaking of hearing When we miss-hear a word or phrase, our brains are quick to come up with a plausible substitute, and thus the eggcorn was born Design thinking Take some time to watch this TED Talk from Tony Fadell, creator of the iPod and the Nest smart thermostat. Best…
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