Culture

Current FTX implosion notwithstanding, how seriously should you take crypto, NFTs, and everything else blockchain? Molly White, who runs Web3 is Going Just Great, gave a 15-minute presentation at Web Summit 2022 on exactly that topic — you should watch it (or read the transcript).
Here’s a small snippet:

The character Wonder Man in Marvel’s comics was the source of the brain patterns used to build the android Vision.

More than one person has been caught out by a partner for texts they thought were just on their phone showing up on an iPad or a laptop. The Daily Mail is now claiming that Jason Sudeikis learned about Olivia Wilde’s new relationship by reading texts on an Apple Watch she left behind.

Perhaps you’ve seen that Dunkin’ (née Dunkin’ Donuts) has changed its loyalty program for the worse. It’s been hard to miss for the past couple of weeks since it launched, thanks to many people complaining about it on social media.

After an investigation, Chess.com has put together a 72-page report (PDF) backing world chess champion Magnus Carlsen’s explosive allegation of cheating by 19-year-old grandmaster Hans Niemann.

When we started our reporting this morning, I said we’d update you on that viral video of a shark in a flooded street, and here’s the explanation.

Once again, the US has fallen behind in transportation — call it the Bussí gap. A hole in our infrastructure, if you will.

Loved this meaty essay about trends in consumerism, what we mean by “culture,” and how DTC brands led to a new understanding of community and identity. “In the 2010s, supply chain innovation opened up lifestyle brands. In the 2020s, financial mechanism innovation is opening up the space for incentivized ideologies, networked publics, and co-owned faiths,” writes Toby Shorin. “The authenticity-driven culture of ironic detachment, so present in the early 2000s, has given way to a moment where people are genuinely open to being influenced, open to sincerely participating, even if it’s cringe.”

Death Cab for Cutie made fans visit one of the around 800 locations the band had played if they wanted to listen to a single early. The game’s thematically appropriate — “Rand McNally” is about life on the road.