Modern problems Vaudeville tries to save itself like print journalism is trying to save itself. Candy crushed Have you noticed fewer and fewer Candy Crush Saga invitations in your Facebook feed? That’s bad news for the game’s maker, King, who are struggling to come up with another hit. The Atlantic says you can, uh, thank Kim Kardashian for the fall of Candy Crush. I’m waiting for the Kidz Bop version The number one album in the country is a compilation of ’60s and ’70s hits…
Read MoreNovember is for talking animals In a work that surely signifies an apotheosis of data journalism, TIME goes beyond the summer blockbuster to catalog seasonal trends in movie topics. Play time According to this NPR story (which is part of a series), playing helps us learn. I have two words for you: Corporate Recess. Untouchables What happens when you enter the witness protection program? Polka party In the wake of Weird Al’s latest album debuting at number 1 (a first for him), The New Yorker’s…
Read MoreReverse osmosis Amid all the high-profile journalists leaving old-media companies to launch news start-ups, The Verge co-founder Joshua Topolsky is joining Bloomberg. Hot, fresh news Then there’s that time Thermos FedExed a hot cup of coffee to a journalist at The Atlantic. In defense of the doodle WSJ cites research claiming the practice has benefits ranging from helping with focus to venting emotions. Moving news Running for as few as five minutes a day could lower your risk of dying prematurely, says the NYT. (Or…
Read MoreHave a seat The Atlantic’s Alexis Madrigal digs into the origins of the practice (and language) of restaurant reservations. Come correct And from Wired, a look at the short, sordid history of autocorrect. On the origin of spices Back over at The Atlantic, an excerpt from the Sriracha documentary traces the history of the hot sauce to its origins to a woman in the Thai town of Si Racha. Numbers game What does a 20% chance of rain mean? (Related: Why are Americans bad at…
Read MoreNone more black You already saw this, but it’s so cool I had to included: The world has a new blackest black. Her hips don’t like The Wall Street Journal crowns Shakira the Queen of Facebook and then tells us how she got there. Potentiality Because this can’t be said enough, apparently, humans already use more than 10% of our brains. The future of news BuzzFeed CEO says the New York Times shouldn’t try to be like BuzzFeed. The future of fake news John Oliver’s…
Read MoreRaising the journalism bar The San Francisco Chronicle has collected a growing list of clichés for newspapers to avoid. PR people (and marketers in general), would do well to avoid most of them as well, I imagine. Hug a millennial Marketplace takes a look at just how bad it was to graduate into the recession with the help of a Department of Education study. Taking your mind off of work CityLab (formerly The Atlantic Cities) reports on a study that claims workers who take frequent…
Read MoreThe beautiful stream If you had trouble streaming the USA-Germany soccer match yesterday afternoon, it might be because almost 2.5 million other people were also streaming it. Bunheads In celebration of RVA Burger Week, the New York Times has this article (and video) on how to make the perfect hamburger. Quantified awkwardness David Sedaris got a FitBit, which is as good a launching point as any for a story about Gypsies, snakes and picking up garbage. You’re welcome According to Inc., here’s 15 words that…
Read MoreBecause science As it turns out, we’re all cutting our cakes completely wrong and there’s math to prove it. Behind the pledge If you have any interest at all in history, it probably will not surprise you to learn the complicated (and somewhat sordid?) story of the Pledge of Allegiance. Also from Mental Floss, 11 obscure pop song references (like the pompatus of love), explained. Culture wars, Cold War edition Then there’s that time the CIA distributed copies of Doctor Zhivago in order to undermine…
Read MoreThe sport of our Times The New York Times has been posting extensive coverage leading up to the World Cup from pretty much every conceivable angle, including some interesting interactive packages. Some of our favorites include this post on a poll of 19 countries that shows Brazil as the favorite to win and the USA as the least-liked team, an illustrated interactive look at the Curse of Maracana, slow motion video of Ronaldo, Neymar and Iniesta and a look at how American fans are adapting…
Read More Back to Back to the Future Great Scott! An event company in the UK is recreating the entire fake town of Hill Valley for a special screening of the film. I believe computers are our future What do World Cup groups and American voting districts have in common? Both are decided by bureaucrats when they could probably be done better by computers. Here’s WaPo on computerized redistricting and NY Times on a better World Cup draw. Choose wisely You probably know that having too…
Read MoreState of the Internet KPCB’s Mary Meeker gave her annual State of the Internet presentation this week at the Code conference. It’s a must-read every year. Quartz has the whole presentation deck along with a list of highlights. Breaking the bank 99% Invisible, a podcast about design, published a great episode this week on bank robberies, real and imagined. TL;DR I didn’t read this, but I hear it’s really great: Faking Cultural Literacy. A strong second act The WSJ looks at Shawshank Redemption, which underperformed…
Read MoreCh-ch-ch-changes What happens when Google’s algorithm changes cause a 40 percent drop in traffic to a site that depends mostly on Google advertising? Nothing good. Metric mess It’s easy to make fun of Americans for being stuck on the outmoded imperial measurement system, but did you know the entire metric system is built on a house of cards? The other kind of gram Instagram has been a great platform for brands that are able to provide an authentic peek behind the scenes, but it’s also…
Read More