Music, Handheld Games, and the Filing Cabinet

An increasingly vital question, for some: What happens when an artist’s technology becomes obsolete? (more: digital obsolescence)

Some thoughts about how the music economy has changed, and how songs (units of music, you might say) have become “just-in-time” products, necessitating changes in how artists work, live, promote, earn, etc.

A fun piece on the history of handheld games.

The social internet is dead, online writing still isn’t taken terribly seriously by traditional publishing, people are skimming more, maybe, and the NYT bestseller list is influenced by all sorts of questionable numbers.

Boogeyman map (click to enbiggen):

People may not be doing artsy, “cultural” activities as much as before (though while I’m a huge museum, play, musical event, etc fan, I would argue we should probably expand this hazy terminology to encompass more, and more-social, activities).

The exam that broke Chinese society. (more on the “kaju”: imperial examination)

Quantum computing could legitimately upend the modern world.

Names in Nigeria are causing a hullaballoo:

“Most Nigerians have more than one name apart from their surname. Most people I know have as many as five or six.

In a society where many cultures name a child based on the circumstances of their birth, their position in the family, or the parents' hopes for the child's future, one person can have different names that reflect each of these different considerations.

For example, a Yoruba child could be named Taiwo Peter Tokunbo Olamide - Taiwo (meaning he is the firstborn of twins), Peter (Christian name), Tokunbo (meaning he was born abroad), and Olamide (my wealth/success has arrived).”

And, the history (and impact) of the filing cabinet on the systems and infrastructure of the 20th century.