Social-Creature

This morning I was on WBEZ Chicago, talking on Eight Forty-Eight about the ways our ancient, social instincts play out in contemporary culture. Thanks to host, Tony Sarabia, and fellow guest, Rabbi Adam Chalom, for a great discussion! (My part starts at 12:20)   Like this? Share it: Tweet

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Jocelyn Marsh wearing headdress by Tiffa Novoa. Image: Brion Topolski, 2005 Right now all across America there is a feather shortage. In April, The Billings Gazette reported: Jewelry-makers and hairstylists have been snatching up the premium chicken feathers used in standby trout-fly patterns, creating a sudden run on a market that’s ill-prepared for significant fluctuations [...]

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Been quiet on SocialCreature the past month as I’ve been head-deep down the MirrorLAnd rabbit-hole. Surfacing for a quick nod to the remix contest that just launched with the release of Chapter 2. If you or someone you know are a knob-fiddler type person, and you’d be interested in having your music become the soundtrack [...]

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The ‘Source’ in the Distance Last week, my friend Kris Krug flew down to the Gulf of Mexico on the TEDxOilSpill Expedition, a week-long project to document the crisis in the Gulf and bring a first hand report back to the TEDxOilSpill event in Washington, D.C. on June 28. Kris, a photographer, web strategist, and self-described “cyberpunk [...]

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I’m super excited to share the launch of the first in Espresso‘s series of thought leadership pieces I’m helping research and co-write: “Connect or Die: How to survive in a Music 2.0 world.” Having worked in the music industry for the better part of my career, with concert promoters, music festivals, and musicians, this is [...]

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Writing about the aftermath of the public outcry against Tropicana’s packaging redesign earlier this year, which ultimately led to the OJ cartons reverting back to the original art, I mentioned Mountain Dew’s “Dewmocracy” campaign — an interactive, story-based online game which resulted in 3 new Dew flavors designed and developed virtually entirely by fans. Tropicana, [...]

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Do you like Reggaeton? This was a question an old friend asked me while visiting in L.A. We’re both from Boston, where most people have never heard of Reggaeton. And I hadn’t either, until I moved to Southern California. If you don’t know what Reggaeton is, it’s: A form of urban music that became popular [...]

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Back in early 2006, Chevy tried to get on the whole “consumer generated content” bandwagon (or bandSUV, I suppose), with a website which allowed users to easily create their own “ads” for the Chevy Tahoe using provided video and music assets. In theory, the idea was to generate interest in the vehicle through user created [...]

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If, sometime circa 2004, you were out and about at certain underground parties in the Los Angeles Circus scene, and saw someone wearing a particularly striking pair of pants (male or female), created from asymmetrical strips of leather sewn in a twisted, impeccably tailored way, like the trappings of some Mad Max forest nymph biker [...]

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As consumer spending and ad budgets continue to decrease, it’s not unreasonable to think we may be entering a “post consumption economy,” as Ed Cotton of Influx insights describes it: This latest downturn, recession, depression, or whatever you like to call it has gotten people scared. There’s simply no way to see ahead to work [...]

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