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[SIC] 292: Soppressata Affogato
Volume Six, Number Thirty Two
This time: [SIC] Talks with Emily Segal of Nemesis Global, plus the [SIC] Weekly digest of pertinent developments, compiled by me (Ben Dietz) and published free on Thursdays to 5656 subscribers who’ve opted in. [SIC] is a one-person operation that grows exclusively by via word-of-mouth. Pass it along to people you like.
You can pay, too. Paying subscribers get an additional [SIC] Day microdigest of 10 links every Mon, Tues, Weds, Fri, and the [SIC] Sundays dispatch. And founding supporters get invited to dinner parties at my home in NYC, with special guests. Many paying supporters expense their subscriptions as research for their work in marketing, advertising, entertainment and tech.
Corollary Sources for this week: Roca News / Champion Weekly / After School / Digiday / Public Announcement / Roca News / The New Statesman / Exec Sum / The Future Party / Beats and Bytes / Feed Me
Contributors this week: Piers Fawkes, Leann Abad, Iolanda Carvalho, Celeste Blewitt, Molly Raskin and Josh Gardiner,. Contributions are welcome from everyone, and are greatly appreciated. I’m dietznutz@icloud if you’ve got ideas.
Hi all. Glad you’re here. Welcome all the new folks who found us via Casey Lewis’s weekend “Rizz Parties and Butter Nails” post; it was nice to see the the subs numbers spike a little - since Substack introduced its whole “Followers” thing it feels like I’m getting fewer new subs (a problem many others have noted, too). To that end, an interesting thought from super-contributor Piers: “Have you thought about trying out substack @mentions when you name check people. I know that might sound like a selfish suggest from me but really just wonder what effect that has on the algorithm for your newsletter visibility??” Hmmm.. I haven’t. Will give it a try this week and see.
Speaking of visibility… subscriber and AdWeek staffer Mark Stenberg included a quote from me in his piece on how Field & Stream Is Expanding Its Brand Across Hotels, Festivals and Merch this week, which I appreciate. It’s a fascinating direction IMO, and it’ll be interesting to see how it goes, bearing in mind the rise of Vacation as one reference and How Hodinkee's Big Bet on a Watch Business Backfired as a counter. Another Stenberg banger, as it were.
More viz: this week’s [SIC] Talks was one I’ve been contemplating for a long time, so I’d love thoughts on it. Emily Segal is somebody I’ve followed closely since the release of The Normcore Report from K-Hole, the trend forecasting/art project she co-founded in 2010. She’s now active as part of Nemesis Global, whose work I link to every time something new is released, and major domo of Deluge Books, a really great independent publishing imprint. I’m a big fan, clearly - and this was a fun conversation. Have a watch / listen.
[SIC] Talks #73: Emily Segal
Apropos of the ‘streetwear model of publishing Emily and I talked about: Blasting Fits arrived in the world yesterday; one of the fun projects I’ve been involved in lately. Happy to do more like this, if you have any ideas.
Also mentioned the Talk: fave artist Stephen Powers, who is bringing one of his legendary live screen printing events in my hometown of Syracuse next Saturday (4/20, nice..). Another fave and friend, artist and photog Peter Sutherland put out Both in conjunction with Sneeze Mag. Photo zine HAMBURGER EYES released its new issue The Continuing Story of Life on Earth and you can get it here.
Corollary: [SIC] Talks alum Ryan Broderick is reading the news on a new Garbage Day podcast. I like this! And on Tuesday the artist and community-builder Lucien Smith turned around Night Owl (Full Version), the film of his live-streamed midnight group bike ride from Monday night. Really cool idea. Need to talk to Lucien sometime.
I’ve mentioned being a part of the John & Alice Coltrane Home’s advisory board previously, so I’m also happy to point you to two “Year of Alice” events: A listening session and discussion of Alice’s incredible 1978 live recording at Carnegie Hall with Reggie Workman (who played in this concert), and Ravi Coltrane in conversation with Matthew Garrison on Sunday, 4/14, from 4-6:30pm at Shapeshifter Plus, 837 Union Street, Brooklyn. And [SIC] homie, Harpist Brandee Younger will lead the Alice Coltrane Ensemble from the New School on Monday, 4/15 at 7pm at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.
Last thing before links: New Culture Club Show “Half Hour” just dropped from yesterday, too.
Ok, now the links.
[SIC] 292: Soppressata Affogato
The Macro Narrative
The Dumbphone Boom Is Real / The New Yorker
Welcome to Kidulthood. Why adults are suddenly into stuffed animals / The Atlantic
Why are So Many People Getting High At Work? / Dazed
Almost No One Is Happy With Legal Weed. Will legal psychedelics be any better? / The Atlantic
Will Historic Job Growth Bring an End to the “Vibecession”? / The New Yorker
American small businesses aren’t feeling particularly optimistic / Ground News
But!? From Molly: The Nuanced Optimism of Girls State / Elle
America isn’t as divided as many people think / Axios
From Molly: Sorry Wall Street: Fan Girls Run The Economy / Bustle
From Piers: “There’s something to watch here about the informal p2p economy - and how people get resourceful without commercial support” [Furious Depop shopper left horrified after receiving online order in Covid test box] / Mirror Online
Mega drive-throughs explain everything wrong with American cities / Vox
Looking through the glass: Filterworld through a Skate-Gaze lens / Simple Magic
Corollary: The disappearing Insta grid. Why we don’t post anymore / One Thing
From Leann: “For the Newsie:” [The Kid Behind America’s Most Bizarre Conspiracy Theory Just Found the Perfect Second Act] / Slate
From Piers: “Slightly unsure why this is in my feeds but now it’s fodder for you.” [Gun Runners Take advantage of next day online delivery] / Pakistan Observer
From Piers: Is this K-drama? No, it's South Korea's election night / BBC
The meaning of Sunak’s Sambas / The New Statesman
Ireland is now led by its youngest ever prime minister: the 37-year-old Simon Harris / NYT
From Iolanda: Anatomy of emojis ahahahah / Word Tips
Generationations
From Piers: Gen Z's Dream of Becoming Influencers Is Getting Harder Thanks to AI / Business Insider
From Molly: Microdosing Retirement / Rat House
Platformations
Is Tiktok Sabotaging Our Dating Lives? / Service95
TikTok is Launching an Instagram Clone / The Daily Upside
From Piers: The World Doesn’t Need More Journal Apps / Wired
Peloton is still kicking after an enormous post-pandemic crash, but now it’s more of a media company than anything else / The Verge
From Iolanda: The Diary of A CEO host and entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, along with former global Acast executives Georgie Holt and Christiana Brenton, have launched a global podcast media and technology company called Flight Studio / The Media Leader
While Dude Perfect, known for their trick shot videos, get $100M investment to expand outside traditional video content / Hollywood Reporter
Stylistics
Rihanna says “Moms are lazy dressers in real life.” / Interview
After Dopamine dressing, Tyndall is the fashion keyword of 2024 / Jing Daily
Are you a “spring” or a “winter”? Seasonal color analysis, big in the ’80s, is making a comeback / NYT
Italy and “Total Incoherence” / For-Scale
Gen Z are done with Ikea / South China Morning Press
Also done? ‘A very odd and ugly worldview’: the dark side of fast fashion brand Brandy Melville / The Guardian
Cause, like, Brandy Melville Stores Are Hell on Earth / Vanity Fair
Zaha Hadid Architects creates "three-dimensional vortex" for The Dalmore / Dezeen
And Tadao Ando unveils serpent-informed watch for Bulgari / Dezeen
From Piers: Can H&M and Zara Compete with Chinese Rivals?/ BoF
Why I Love Fishing. A Worldwide List by David Coggins / The Contender
Paul Smith on Imbuing Clothing With Joy and Humor / The Slowdown
More joy: A new photobook called “Heart,” highlights over 90 skate shops, their die-hard owners and four decades of skate history / BK Mag
The J. Peterman Edition. On cinematic universes, Seinfeld, and physical catalogs / Why Is This Interesting
Culturations
I’m going on Friday: Alex Garland’s Angry, Urgent Civil War / The Atlantic
And From Piers: “Just in case u didn’t see” [A Taste of West Africa with Michael B. Jordan] / YouTube
From Josh: “You might have seen their newsletter, but Bompas & Parr have an open call out for architects, technologists, dreamers, inventors, and professional pyrotechnicians to take part in their Architectural Firework Design Competition, as part of the London Festival of Architecture / Bompas And Parr
New Rules for Art in a Fallen World / The Lindy Newsletter
You can now build AI-generated playlists with a prompt on Spotify / TechCrunch
From Piers: Chechnya bans all music deemed too fast or too slow / CNN
From Molly: Did Social Media Kill the Pop Song? / Wired
No, J. Lo's Brand Has Been Damaged for Years. Her struggling album and ticket sales were preceded by years of awkward moves / Back Row
The last of pop’s superstars? Olivia Rodrigo’s level of fame is now tougher to achieve in the fragmented entertainment industry / FT
‘Is She Sure?’ How the Breeders Joined Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts Tour / NYT
Phew, was worried: Celebs have returned to Chateau Marmont / Nylon
It’s Bye Boomers, Hello Millennials at This Year’s Whitney Biennial / Hyperallergic
Corollary? Ann Manov dismantles Lauren Oyler’s new essay collection, which she reveals is filled with cursory research and trite affectation / BookForum
Josef Koudelka Could Locate Beauty Anywhere/ The New Yorker
JR punches a tunnel through Milan’s central railway station in latest optical illusion / The Art Newspaper
Roy Lichtenstein: From The Ridiculous To The Sublime / The Brooklyn Rail
Corollary: Coachella is experimenting with NFTs again / TechCrunch
Nickelodeon will reboot “Dora the Explorer,” this time with more Spanish — and a podcast / NYT
Technopolis
Harvard researchers developed a programmable, adjustable liquid they called “intelligent liquid” / Harvard.edu
The Internet Archive has backed up the entire nation of Aruba / Wired
OpenAI and Meta ready new AI models capable of ‘reasoning’ / FT
Machines Cannot Replace Human Boredom / Hyperallergic
So Gaming is a key testbed for AI technologies and the values society is embedding in digital worlds / Axios
From Iolanda: Former Apple design lead Jony Ive and current OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are seeking funding for a new company that will produce an "artificial intelligence-powered personal device," according to The Information's sources, who are said to be familiar with the plans" / Ars Technica
This Camera Turns Every Photo Into a Nude. NUCA, a 3D printed prototype camera and art project, uses AI to instantly generate a nude of any subject / 404 Media
10 times in history where automation breakthroughs were actually just humans in disguise / Quartz
Teen girls are increasingly assailed by deepfakes at school / NYT
Two Japanese companies warned AI could lead to societal collapse / WSJ
Media-tions
The layoff-to-content-creator pipeline is a thing now / The Future Party
A Startup is getting Gen Z to Watch TV with Creators / Business Insider
Paramount+ is the latest streaming service to introduce shoppable ads / The Verge
Because, from Iolanda: “Every business is an Ad business... 😉” [JPMorgan Chase launches digital media business]. Key Quote: "JPMorgan Chase on Wednesday launched a new digital media business that would allow advertisers to target the Wall Street bank's 80 million customers based on their spending data…” / Reuters
Ergo: Retail trading giant Robinhood launched a website for its new media outlet, Sherwood News / Axios
While Puck acquires Substack newsletter Artelligence / Axios
Advertising that follows you around the Internet: creepy or “cool”? / Fast Company
Same question? The conspiracy-loving Epoch Times is thinking about opening…a journalism school / Nieman Lab
From Iolanda: “Podcasts were perhaps once seen as simply a radio spin-off, but they have now become multiplatform and could be short- or long-form content spanning social media, video and live events" [Podcasts are heading to the cinema] / The Media Leader
The 'existential threat' facing NYC community media / BK Mag
The Rise and Fall of The Village Voice / The Honest Broker
SB Nation shuts down its podcast network / Awful Announcing
“I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust,” says one guy/ The Free Press
“Actually, I totally disagree” says another lady/ Twitter
Speaking of: Inside X's latest efforts to make advertisers believe it's a platform that's safe for brands / Digiday
Market / Influence
From Molly: Declutter, Haul, Restock, Repeat: The content creators making a living by cleaning / The Cut
The Rise and Remit of the Chief Brand Officer / AdWeek
Cannes Lions launched a Creator Pass / Canneslions
China’s e-commerce model eclipses Western efforts / Jing Daily
Lyrical Lemonade Takes Beverage Business Nationwide / Boardroom
Lil Yachty Revives McDonald’s ‘Menu Song’ / Muse By Clio
While The Latest Artist With Virtual Items On Roblox Is… Slick Rick? / Music Ally
Also surprising? Brozempic: Health companies have turned to stereotypes to sell men weight-loss drugs / NYT
How Hudson Yards Defied Its Haters and Became New York’s Top Mall / BoF
How Warby Parker and Herbivore leveraged the solar eclipse in brand marketing / Glossy
The Papa Johns rebrand is a scream / Creative Bloq
McDonald’s has deployed an ad campaign featuring scented billboards that smell like its french fries / AdWeek
Velveeta Isn’t a Cheese Brand, It’s a Lifestyle Brand With Celebrity Clout / AdWeek
Eats, Drinks and Ephemera
The Sober-Curious Movement Has Reached an Impasse. No one can decide on the drinking age for “adult” drinks that don’t contain alcohol / The Atlantic
From Molly: Millennials and Gen Z's trendy new splurge: groceries / Business Insider
From Iolanda: And this!!!! [ Food Moods: Combine Two Cuisines Into One Recipe] Google Arts & Culture
Indian scientists accused Pakistan of “illegally” cultivating what they claimed were copyrighted strains of basmati rice / Semafor
While in India At ‘Garbage Cafes,’ You Can Trade Plastic Bottles for Free Food / Reasons To Be Cheerful
The Natural (?!) World
George Saunders gave a short and remarkable speech on the importance of kindness / YouTube
The Last Telephone Box Painter in London / YouTube
Earth as Koan, Earth as Self. An Interview with Susan Murphy Roshi / Emergence
The EPA is setting limits on “forever chemicals” in drinking water for the first time / The Hill
[SIC] 292: Soppressata Affogato
Thanks for the share!