Nina Simone: "The Times They Are a-Changin'"

Contemporary classical composer Max Richter performed a gorgeous Tiny Desk (Home) Concert from his studio in southern England. The solo piano is perfect for Richter's graceful post-minimalism. If you're not hip to Richter beyond his score for Arrival and other films, I suggest immersing yourself in Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons… READ THE REST

Given the mayfly-brief half-life of memes, by the time you read this post, the sea-shanty trend on TikTok (previously and previously) may already be fading. But over at Jstor Daily, Jess Romeo adds some fun controversy to Shantytok. She unearthed a couple of scholarly pieces from the 1920s and 1930s which argue that many of… READ THE REST

British scriptwriter and cartoonist, Andy Riley, hand-punched "Tainted Love" (recorded by Gloria Jones and made most popular by Soft Cell) onto card tape for a hand-cranked music box "because lockdown." READ THE REST

If you aren't up to speed on the intricacies of knives and knife production, then a Thai Moon Knife might look more like a weapon than a kitchen utensil. With a wide blade that visually looks more like a cleaver than a traditional food preparing knife, it's the product of more than 200 years of… READ THE REST

When the new flagship phone of the Android universe, the Samsung S21, rolls out on Jan. 29, it'll be the latest smartphone leap forward, yet still part of a curious trend that doesn't make any buyers happy. Just like the iPhone 12 when it debuted last year, the S21 will be hitting store shelves without… READ THE REST

It's just a water bottle, right? Wrong. A decade ago, most of us loved the convenience of bottled water. Now, a plastic water bottle has undergone a public perception metamorphosis. What was once the height of ease and simplicity is now basically viewed as a detriment to the environment. READ THE REST