Every time you think you’ve figured the Internet out...
Over the weekend I was on a panel in which someone asked me what about the Internet still “surprised” me. I was honestly sort of at a loss for words, because the answer is some paradoxical mix of “uh, absolutely everything” and “NOTHING AT ALL."
Anyway, to continue that theme, today I found out that this viral video of a kid getting kicked in the head by a train conductor IS in fact real, despite my thorough, cynical and kinda snide conviction that it absolutely was not. Every time you think you’ve figured the Internet out, it goes ahead and gives you something … genuine. I don’t get it. In either case, thanks to the 50 million train hobbyists who emailed me about Peru Rail, that was genuinely the best part of my day. To the links!
1. Pop music was born and nurtured on radio. But now radio, a mass media, is on its way out -- and hyper-personalized, algorithmic streaming is on the rise. What does that mean for music? For musicians? For music fans? This Pitchfork #longreads is exhaustive on all those points. (And also includes some “SNOWFALLING,” if you dig that kind of thing.)
2. I went to Hogwarts. For real. Online. And if you think that is laughable and/or insane, you should read my resulting story on the politics and passion of being a fan.
3. There are 10 reasons you will read this post. But here’s the best one: It’s a fun, readable primer on the psychology of lists.
Postscripts: Technological transcendence. “Next-level crazy.” Too much of a good thing is probably bad. Why Congressmen get Hustler and why bacon smells so good. Is reading antisocial? Can an app make you happy? I’m skeptical about that claim, but this Myers-Briggs/Disney mash-up sure pleases me.
Until tomorrow!
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