Around The Web | What We’re Reading
Ch-Ch-Ch-Cha-anges is our theme this week. If you were playing with dolls in the 1950s you could follow a progression thread all the way up to the present moment and see the just how much things have changed. Yes, from the All American Girl of the 1950s to the Global Girl of 2017, Barbie’s latest addition is a hijab.
Or what about the all-out drug fest that was raving in the 90s? Today’s electronic music scene looks remarkably different (hint: you’re more likely to see meditation than MDMA). While some things might look different, some would argue that everything is merely recycled to match the times; one interesting take on this comes from Slovenian superstar philosopher Slavoj Žižek, who doesn’t see much difference between the concept of Pokémon Go and Nazi ideology. Is there nothing outrageous that cannot be philosophical?
And we couldn’t let you miss out on Alec Baldwin’s scarily accurate but hilarious Trump memoir. Give it a listen below.
Here’s a weekly roundup to bring you up to speed:
“’The trifecta – someone like Ibtihaj Muhammad, who has broken boundaries and inspires girls, and played with Barbies as a girl herself.’ When asked who would be next, she was coy. ‘Clearly, there’s a lot of interest in women in STEM’ she said.” Barbie gets a hijab in the latest installment of the revamped series of ‘Shero’ dolls, based on women with inspiring stories outside the traditional Barbie mould – with features ranging from African-American hairstyles to (shock horror) touching thighs…
“The concept store is built on the philosophy of slow-shopping, inspired by the slow movement which advocates a cultural shift towards slowing down life’s pace.” The slow living movement now extends from eating to shopping in Croatia’s new boutique. Although this considered shopping experience inspires you to get away from the digital realm, architectural firm BIRO made sure the store is a perfectly Instagrammable setting, in a variety of pastel tones. No filter needed here.
“Intrinsic is not your usual electronic music weekender. Its lineup features respected DJs like Lutz and Praslea, but they’ve swapped their dance collections for downtempo and ambient music, and share the schedule with activities including ‘Hatha and Vinyasa Flow yoga’.” Welcome to the new age of clubbing. These club-goers are seeking a spiritual high as opposed to one that is drug-induced. The role of dance music in the world is changing. Is it for the better?
“Exactly one year ago [Lamborghini] signed an agreement with the MIT-Italy Program which marked the start of a collaboration between two outstanding entities for the creation of a project that intends to write an important page in the future of super sports cars for the third millennium.” Lamborghini introduces the world’s first self-healing super sports car, the Terzo Millennio. The car uses sensors to conduct its own MOT, and can even heal cracks using nanotubes. It also happens to look amazing.
“When people see the map and the graphics with the number of incidents, it shocks them. It’s a powerful tool for showing the rest of our society what’s happening, especially the elites. But the fact that we have an app with a map of gunshots is actually very strange – and very sad.” The favelas of Rio are fighting back against the notorious crime epidemic by crowdsourcing information on incidents of violence through an app. 110,000 users find out where crime is going on in real time to plan their day. With 17 gun crimes per day across the city, this is a vital new tool.
“I have the best words, beautiful words, as everybody has been talking and talking about for so long. Also? The best sentences and, what do you call them, paragraphs…And it’s all 100% true, so true – people are already saying it may be the truest book ever published. Enjoy.” Listen to the hilarious first extract from this memoir of Trump’s first year in office, as told by Trump’s doppelganger – Alec Baldwin. It’s so uncanny you wouldn’t be mistaken for thinking it’s written by the man himself.
“Did Hitler not offer the Germans the fantasy frame of Nazi ideology that made them see a specific Pokémon – ‘the Jew’ – popping up all around?” The ever-enlightening philosopher Slavoj Žižek presents a remarkable argument for the likeness between ideology and augmented reality – both forms of escapism using a simple technique of enhancing or augmenting the everyday, and ultimately altering the psyche. Do you agree?
“’We think that LIF6 is a refunctionalized pseudogene.’ Lynch says. That is, the elephant LIF6 re-evolved into a functional gene from a pseudogene ancestor. Because it came back from the dead and plays a role in cell death, Lynch called it a ‘zombie gene.’” In this incredible discovery, it appears that elephants have evolved to protect themselves from cancer by regenerating a previously defunct gene from 30 million years ago.
