A Sgt. Pepper-esque tribute to the celebrities who passed away in 2023. Behind some book cover redesigns from hardcover to paperback. A Minneapolis store where you can buy vintage, discarded channel letters. A fun 1824 primer on punctuation. A coffee table that is also a touchscreen display. “What was life like before the Internet?” A start-up is developing an app that lets a smartphone evaluate air quality. Graphene-based batteries now for pre-sale! The economics of time travel. Protesting Pontianak, Indonesia’s proposed “ghost statue.” Oscar Mayer is hiring Wienermobile drivers. Fruit Stripe gum has been discontinued. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
How worried should creative professionals be about artificial intelligence? A Florence, Italy, street artist who applies whimsical stickers to traffic signs. CNet looks at some dubious introductions at last week’s CES. The FTC has proposed banning companies from requiring that employees sign noncompete agreements. Researchers have found a “cousin” to graphene, which they have dubbed “graphullerene.” Kia’s new logo is illegible. New Wordle-esque game lets you guess the list prices of houses for sale. Good news for mice this week researchers are prolonging their lives and improving their memories. The James Webb Space Telescope finds its first exoplanet. A fire in a Wisconsin daily causes melted butter to flood nearby streams. Ronzoni discontinues its Pastina and the Internet sees stars. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
A graphene-based toaster. A BMW covered with E Ink panels can change color at the push of a button. A “smart retainer” for tongue-based text messaging. Alexa-based smart dumbbells can adjust weights via voice command. “The Spine Collector” scams book editors for manuscript copies of forthcoming books, for seemingly no reason whatsoever. QR code-based parking meter scams. An electronic mask can detect leaks. A liquid based bubble clock. How did people clear roads before the snowplow? Walmart’s special “Pain Box” DVD edition of “Dune.” All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s Wordle-winning miscellany.
it is the single hottest ticket anywhere off or on broad way winning rave reviews from andrew lloyd web story rupert murdoch. recently i had the opportunity to talk about the genius behind hammond. lin-manuel miranda who has been working on this project for years. i m thrilled the white house called me tonight because i m actually working on a hip-hop album that s a concept album about the life of someone i think embodies hip-hop, treasury secretary alexander hamilton. how does the bastard orphan son of a whore and a scotsman dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the caribbean by providence improverished to squalor grow up to be a hero and a scholar the ten dollar founding father harder they re probably weren t expecting a hip-hop performance as told by his nemesis aaron burr but that s