I know why the clicked link sings Where did the mis-attributed quote on the new Maya Angelou stamp come from? Apparently Wikipedia. Buying the forest for the trees Apple just bought a forest where it will grow trees for its packaging. Agree to disagree No, Yes, Definitely: On The Rise Of ‘No, Totally’ As Linguistic Quirk Running north Via the indispensable Next Draft newsletter: A story from the starting line of the Pyongyang Marathon There’ll be a quiz later The typical American reads more than…
Read MoreHot stuff What, exactly, is comforting about comfort food (aside from the, uh, eating)? On the news The Vanity Fair goes long on what’s wrong at NBC News. Presumably we’ll soon get an NBC segment on what’s wrong with Vanity Fair. Debbie Downer Can’t wait to see the SNL sketch on this: The Atlantic looked at FCC complaints to find the most offensive recent Saturday Night Live segments. Economy of one If, like me, you’ve wondered how a “living wage” is calculated, it seems like…
Read MoreSorry You’re not as smart as Google makes you feel. 1985 In the Back to the Future II version of 2015, Max Headroom was everywhere. But, who was he? BPM & BPS 11 points about Tidal, Apple, Beyonce, and the future of streaming music Also from Quartz More live-action versions of Disney movies are coming. Maybe this SNL skit isn’t so far off? Teaming There was a time when “open office” just meant a terrible Microsoft Word rip-off, not a terrible working situation. Follow us…
Read MoreArt of the menu In this video on The Atlantic, “the young doctor” James Hamblin looks at the psychology of restaurant menus and how we’re manipulated by the language used. I promise it’s funnier than that sounds. Apropos of nothing Here’s 15 subway-style maps of, uh, non-subways. And on that bombshell It may be “just a car show,” but Top Gear brings in millions for the BBC every year, so it’s a pretty big deal that co-host Jeremy Clarkson went and got himself fired. All…
Read MoreSmarter than a watch Fusion has a behind-the-scenes look at how Apple’s new medical research framework, ResearchKit, came to be. Troll the respawn, Jeremy Read this Vanity Fair profile of Ellie Kemper and then go binge her new show, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the best show not on TV. Hi Dad Here’s a sweet on-air moment between Lester Holt and his son, Stefan. Maybe you don’t want to know The language you use says a lot about you, and that holds for your social media updates…
Read MoreSplice of life Two minutes into discussing the usage of commas with compound subjects and predicates, copy editor Mary Norris drops the line “it gets more complicated.” Check on the first episode of a new video series from the New Yorker: The Comma Queen. Peek scream The Wilhelm Scream is the world’s most overused movie sound effect. Pricenomics takes a look at where it came from and where it’s going. In the slow lane Why does your brain hate slowpokes? Gone blog Major tech blog…
Read MoreReal pain for my sham friends Do you still distinguish between your Internet friends and your “real” friends? Maybe you shouldn’t. (Via NextDraft.) Sparkling commentary The Grey Lady on the joys of La Croix sparkling water. Speaking of the NYT The Times is soliciting spec work from filmmakers hoping to get into the native advertising business. Flooding the zone Lucky Peach has an honestly fascinating and informative look at Lockhart Steele, the founder of foodie site Eater. Orange you glad I didn’t say banana? NPR…
Read MoreColor me informed Wired looks at the science behind why some people see that dress as blue and black, while others see it as white and gold. Pick a door Then there’s the time everyone corrected the world’s smartest woman about the “Monty Hall Problem.” Or should I say miscorrected? Stand up I switched to a standing desk, so now you should, too. Also from the New Yorker An artificial intelligence program taught itself to play Breakout. Let it ride Here’s a Vox explainer on…
Read MoreEat before you click Everyone knows going grocery shopping while hungry leads to a suboptimal shopping cart, but apparently that bad decision-making carries over to all kinds of purchasing decisions. Here’s Jony If you haven’t yet read the long profile of Apple design head Jony Ive, you should definitely check it out. It’s interesting to see Apple making its executives available for this kind of story. Who are you wearing? Why do actors walk the red carpet? Because they get paid to. Old fish, new…
Read MoreBecause Weren’t you just saying you really wanted to know Sarah Silverman’s take on Serial? Where is he now? Jon Stewart’s announcement that he was leaving the Daily Show launched a surprising amount of, I guess, nostalgia for his predecessor, Craig Kilborn. A capella This article says everyone can sing because very few people are actually tone deaf. If you ask me (and if you’re reading this, you basically did), being able to sing and not being tone deaf are two vastly different things. More…
Read MoreBascially… run Just like the tortoise prevailed over the hare, it looks like slow runners come out ahead in the end. ENTP… S? Your taste for hot sauce may say something about your personality. Capitol Abbey What’s the point of having a Downton-inspired office and then not letting people see it? Byte-sized To be honest with you, I’d have thought robot PR people would get here before robot journalists. Speaking of reporting Vice (which was recently named Ad Age’s magazine of the year), is releasing…
Read MoreMove it Here’s as good a reason as any to sign up for the Monument Ave 10k in March: Exercise can change your DNA. What does ESPN stand for? The Verge takes a look at how ESPN is pursuing the future of sports media Gotta catch ’em all So many American childhood pop culture phenomenon have their roots in Japan—think Pokémon, Transformers and Hello Kitty—but why? Get a flat white while you’re there Want to find the hotest neighborhoods? Go where Starbucks goes. Press play…
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