Aesthetics & Culture
Digital culture, internet trends, and media commentary: games, shows, and whatever's shaping the moment.
-
‘Kings of Leon’ Will Be the First Band to Release an Album as an NFT; Making it a Digital Collector’s Item
Kings of Leon reigned supreme the past two decades in music and they continue to revolutionize the industry with the release of their latest album as a NFT, or non-fungible token. (If you don’t know what NFTs are, you can still read on about this article, and just be aware that 1, there’s a lot to unpack and digest to really, fully understand what NFTs are, and 2, be advised that NFTs are “kind of a big deal” to many people. Also, Rolling Stone has a “quick” primer here.) Okay, back to Kings of Leon!!! By this move of releasing an album as an NFT they are one of the…
-
Covid-19 “Dramatically accelerated” e-Commerce Up to 5+ Years: Kohl’s CEO…
It has been very interesting to see the dramatic effect that the Coronavirus and the ensuing March lockdown has had on the economic sector. This was initially observed when the lockdown first happened and funnel-forced us as a society to use e-commerce in droves. I have been thinking about this phenomenon where the natural progression that would have organically occurred over the next 5-10 years, has now been forcefully squeezed into the past 7-8 months. The natural progression predicted that the change would have happened as the younger generations (Millennials, Gen Z), who grew up with and naturally embrace digital technology as a part of their everyday lives, continue to…
-
New Yorker’s Know How to Get the Message Across…
New Yorker’s are so full of creativity. Came across this sidewalk graffiti art image getting the word out and creatively encouraging NY’ers to vote.
-
NYC Plastic Bag Ban Takes Effect…
[Originally written October 24th, 2020.] NYC’s plastic bag-ban law finally kicked in. I noticed that many supermarkets were still using plastic bags as the enforcement of the law had been postponed due to the pandemic. But now the law seems to be being enforced as the local supermarket I went to which up to now had been still using plastic bags (and at no extra 5-cent charge) now had removed all plastic bags. The checkout cashier asked if I needed a bag and offered the stores logo reusable bag for sale (upselling!). And they also have brown-paper bags available for a 5-cent charge. I had been stocking up and saving…
-
It’s a Generational Thing…
I have long been fascinated by generations and how they are defined. Ever since I was young. What exactly is a ‘generation’?,Who declares them?, and how are they defined?, I constantly wondered. What made one generation different from another? Turns out, we do. Sorta. Us, along with natural and societal events. Wikipedia describes a generation as, “all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively.” Ok. I’ll go with that. Wikipedia goes on to say: Generation is also often used synonymously with cohort in social science; under this formulation it means “people within a delineated population who experience the same significant events within a given period of time”.[1] Generations in this sense of birth cohort, also…
-
The Story of Super Mario Bros. 3 | Gaming Historian
A documentary about the creation of Super Mario Bros. 3, the unparalleled hype surrounding its release, and why it’s considered one of the greatest games of all time.
-
My List of Candidates for “2020 Word of the Year”…
2020 started out with the the hope, optimism excitement of a newfound decade of reimagined “Roaring ’20’s” ahead of us, as champagne glasses clinked ringing in the new year last January 1st. Then things changed. We’ve adjusted our lives in previously unexpected ways and we learned a bevy of new vocabulary. Every year has it’s top entries for “Word of the Year” but 2020 brought us a rapid array of terms that quickly sprouted up and found roots in the news and media of all types. My tops candidates for “2020 Word of the Year” are: Coronavirus/Covid-19/Pandemic–Obviously. New Normal Pivot Digital Upskilling Election/Vote
-
Dual Economy Continues to Emerge as Millions Have Lost Jobs But Hiring Booms In Some Sectors…
It’s a tale of two economies. We keep hearing about dueling aspects of the economy as this new normal emerges. Many are referring to this as a “K-shaped” recovery, where some industries are rebounding and continuing to due well, especially in the tech sector (but also real-estate and financial services), while others tied to the hospitality and service industry continue to suffer. An article in the WSJ highlights this trend that the tech sector is soaring, due to a variety of factors ranging from effects of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) crisis including remote work and stay at home quarantine orders, which has led to increases in everything tech from cloud-computing to…
-
Big Tech Companies Bet on NYC’s Return…
“We know that talent attracts talent, and we believe that the creative energy of cities like New York will continue to attract diverse professionals from around the world,” said Ardine Williams, Amazon’s vice president of work force development. Executives at the companies said their investments even during one of the city’s darkest periods reflect their belief that the features that set New York apart — its diversity, culture, regional transportation network and numerous colleges and universities — will keep luring people after the pandemic. “The big takeaway here is that New York will always be a tech hub,” said William Floyd, director of external affairs for Google’s New York offices,…
