Category: ideas

“Companies are increasingly turning to so-called ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising, in which products are hawked-sometimes by paid salespeople, sometimes just by volunteers-in ostensibly innocent everyday social interactions rather than traditional print ads or TV spots. In 2002, in a particularly controversial instance, Sony Ericsson dispatched 60 actors to tourist attractions to pose as sightseers and ask people to take their picture with a new camera phone before going on to extol its virtues-all without disclosing their connection to the company.”

“Our brains work the way our computers work because we made the computers. If the interfaces were at least marginally intuitive, they’d be worthless. Our brains do not crash as often as our computers do; on the other hand, our brains cannot retrieve the primary exports of Albania in .033 seconds… We live in a left-click universe, and what we need is a right-click button. We could figure this whole thing out if we had a right-click button.”

“We are witnessing a palpable decline in the public’s appetite for nuance, complexity and critical thinking, which in turn has spawned a virulent secular dogmatism and an alarming devolution in both the substance and style of public discourse.”

“The belief that cultural diversity, as such, is a valuable thing has taken hold in American society over the past two or three decades — precisely at the time economic inequality has not just increased, but accelerated its growth.”

Technology is allowing athletes to tap into the power of music to improve performance. “Technology like running shoes that increase the beat of music in time with a runner’s pace and even implantable micro-mp3 players may one day give athletes the winning edge.” But “the technology could create a whole new conundrum for sports authorities by making them redefine whether the use of performance enhancing music is cheating.”

The Swedish electorate wasn’t kind to the country’s new “Pirate” party. The party picked up less than one percent of the votes. “The Pirate Party’s single-issue platform includes a 5-year limit to commercial copyright, the abolition of patents and stronger privacy protections online.”

“While more than 9 out of 10 Americans still listen to traditional radio each week, they are listening less. As a result, the prospects of radio companies have dimmed significantly since the late 1990’s, when broadcast barons were tripping over themselves to buy more stations. Radio revenue growth has stagnated and the number of listeners is dropping.”

“About 50 colleges across the country have a six-year graduation rate below 20 percent. Many of the institutions serve low-income and minority students. Such numbers have prompted a fierce debate… in national education circles about who is to blame for the results, whether they are acceptable for nontraditional students, and how universities should be held accountable if the vast majority of students do not graduate.”

Next week, the MacArthur “Genius” Grants for 2006 will be revealed, and those of us not lucky enough to have been handed $500,000 out of the blue will wonder at the good fortune of those who have. But beyond the shock of the award and the immediate cash benefit, “how might the credential be cashed long after the checks from Chicago stop arriving? What [is] it like to deal with high expectations? Is it true what they say about ‘genius’ envy?” An in-depth review of the winners over the last twenty-odd years reveals much…

What is the architectural future of the 21st century city? A new show in Venice attempts to get a grip on a diverse and wide-ranging collection of design ideas, “painting a picture of emerging megacities in which poverty is as stunning a feature as density or scale.”