![[SIC]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OO5r!,w_120,h_120,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feb417c97-4abd-4e64-9e0c-fa062e3f3534_874x874.png)
![[SIC]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VaU4!,e_trim:10:white/e_trim:10:transparent/h_72,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47cac4ef-6754-41d4-875b-2afe993c2ae8_1588x342.png)
[SIC] Day 452
Archaeology
Scientists say they’ve found what may be the earliest rock art ever recorded / Hyperallergic
While a stick found in southern Greece appears to be the oldest-known wooden tool. The 81-centimeter (31-inch) alder-tree staff is 430,000 years old /Semafor
Our ancestors were making tools even earlier than archaeologists once thought / NYT
Lengthy evolution corollary: Human childhood is abnormally long, comparatively / Aeon
The “Arts”
Less evolved: The return of the ‘R’ word: The term, long considered a slur for those with intellectual disabilities, has surged back / NYT
More returning: Ai Weiwei Returns to China After a Decade in Exile / Artnet
Corollary: US National Portrait Gallery’s triennial portraiture award goes to Kameron Neal for a video work created using NYPD surveillance footage from the 1960s and 70s / The Art Newspaper
Apropos: A new artist’s book by Yorgos Lanthimos compiles still photographs from the making of Bugonia / Mack Books
Corps Down Bad
More ‘behind the scenes’: Bari Weiss is holding a meeting today to discuss the “future of CBS News” with the newsroom / X
Also bleak?! Pioneering NFT Platform Nifty Gateway Shutters Amid Market Collapse / Artnet
Corollary? As ChatGPT’s growth slows, ads look like the next risky move; it could cause some users to jump ship as a result / Digiday
More drawdowns: Nike is said to lay off around 775 workers at distribution centers as it integrates AI / Bloomberg
Bad day to be swooshing: Nike investigating mega security breach as hackers claim to have stolen 1.4TB of data / Tech Radar
Sporty and Rich
How Adidas Is Winning Attention Without Leading With Football... / Bigger Than Sports
Sport / culture corollary: Olympics exhibition gives a cultural glimpse into the future of winter sports / Monocle
In contrast, not in the future: Neom’s Asian Winter Games postponed indefinitely / Dezeen
Hence?! Saudis weigh expanding premium residency net to lure ultra rich / Jing Daily
Ultrarich corollary: The most expensive home in the U.S. is now $40 million cheaper / Quartz
2026’ing
Apropos of that (or maybe in contrast?!) : Taste will be the new creative superpower in 2026. AI slop won’t homogenise creativity if humans step up / Creative Bloq
Sean Choi’s Cultural Moments Encyclopedia 2026 / Sean Choi
[SIC] Day 452