“Plastic in those days was ugly, and it was cheap. But Alan and (designers) the Vignellis had made something that was beautiful, and it could be abused. You could put it in the dishwasher. You could drop it. And it lasted forever." - The New York Times
He's now 30, and on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles federal court against a host of defendants tied to the album, alleging the cover is “sexual exploitation” that will hurt him — emotionally and physically — for the rest of his life. - Washington Post
The 15th-century volume is written in a neat, careful script that bears little resemblance to any natural language, and no one has yet cracked its code. In a Q&A, Yale linguist Claire Bowern talks about approaching the task with computational statistics. - Knowable
In an uncertain time, vaccine mandates for eligible moviegoers might be the only way to salvage the long-term future of the cinema experience. - The Atlantic
"The Kuwaiti Ministry of Commerce and Industry rushed to close down a sports club and suspended all its activists for the foreseeable future, in response to a crisis sparked by popular and parliamentary protests over the fitness club's belly dance class." - Global Voices
In case anyone was still wondering, yes, Richards-as-executive-producer definitely rigged the choice of Richards as host. Here's a look at the circumstances, expected and unexpected, that led Sony Pictures Entertainment to a PR disaster at its biggest game-show property. - Vulture
"And so the question looms: How much longer can these companies stay afloat financially? With pandemic funding drying up, 99-seat theaters are scrambling to stay on track with reopenings that were planned during better days." - Los Angeles Times
Nielsen had long been the undisputed master of counting broadcast media's audience, but its traditional methods have had trouble accurately measuring the number of people streaming programming online. NBCU has had enough and is actively assembling alternatives. - Variety
"'Our Shared Future: Reckoning with our Racial Past' (is) an ambitious multiyear program … that will tap into the vast expertise of the Smithsonian to examine the history and legacy of race through conversations, community events and digital content." - The Washington Post
"The agreement concludes several months of tension over how significant future pay cuts would be for musicians, who went for nearly a year without pay during the pandemic." - The New York Times
"The Edinburgh festival fringe has launched a £7.5m emergency appeal after it lost millions of pounds during the COVID pandemic. … (The Fringe) was entirely shut down in 2020 and this year has operated at a fifth of its normal size." - The Guardian
Health officials said 4,700 people who have tested positive for coronavirus confirmed they had attended the festival in Newquay or had connections to it. About three-quarters of them are aged 16-21 and about 800 live in the county. - Irish Times
“There’s so much I really don’t understand, like: how the impeccable idea of ‘Let’s all be kind to people’ has been developed in some cases ad absurdum." - Irish Times
After surviving a disaster, a minority of people become more resilient, so that, should another disaster strike, they are better able to cope. For most people, though, the stress compounds. - The Atlantic
Read in bulk, certain repetitions emerge. Recordings are “tasty” and “crispy,” “gifts” and “treats,” but also “killer” and “monsters.” Eyebrows bounce and mouths hang loose. - N + One
