So What, Who Cares (vol 1, issue 57) Who wants a monthly recap?
Hello, readers and happy Gray Thursday to you all. It's going to be a long weekend for many of us, so why not catch up on the month that was? Here's what So What, Who Cares? covered in November; the specific issue where each topic was covered appears in parenthesis, the better for easy searching in your mail client.
New readers: You can get quick recaps for October (vol 1, issue 44) and September (vol 1, issue 23) to get a feel for what SW, WC? has covered in its brief life.
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Thanks to the vagaries of weather, we're looking at a world with less wine and chocolate in it (vol 1, issue 55), but on the bright side, at least Whole Foods has recognized there's a middle class and they're knocking down some of their produce prices to woo the common man. (vol 1, issue 56) Which is great, unless you're eating strawberries -- how they're grown is something of an environmental and health nightmare for many California communities. (vol 1, issue 49)
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ur brains continue to be baffling, magical realms: Pregnancy brain is an actual thing, but one that kid's out, watch out -- working mothers are more productive than their non-child-having colleagues, and they're a crazy bargain for their bosses, what with doing more work and losing approximately 4% in compensation for each child. (vol 1, issue 45)
Also in news of the brain: A rising body of research shows that some people are wired for "courage" -- i.e. there's a continuum between naturally risky personalities and naturally risk-averse personalities, and the degree to which we are bold or cautious may rest in how our amygdalae (clusters of neurons which process memories, decision making, and emotional reactions) developed. (vol 1, issue 45) And some people are wired for extra empathy and altruism (vol 1, issue 19), and new research shows that generous people are also happier people. One of the most crucial points in this research: the motivation to be generous has to be intrinsic, not externally motivated. (vol 1, issue 46)
And finally, we are not really big on reality-based solutions to problems: People are less likely to believe something is a problem if they don't like the proposed solution to the problem. Or so say Troy Campbell and Aaron Kay of Duke University. (vol 1, issue 48)
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In news of the economy and the American workforce: There are three explanations for why wages haven't budged in more than a decade, and all of them point to the observation that the new jobs emerging in the U.S. tend to be low-level service posts. (vol 1, issue 48) Daycare and preschool workers in the U.S. have seen their salaries rise 1% since 1997, although daycare fees paid by the average American family have doubled in the same period. (vol 1, issue 54) In related children-and-money news: 1 in 30 U.S. children is homeless and 1 in 3 U.S. children lives in poverty. (vol 1, issue 51)
(In other, "This can't be good for kids" news, researchers have discerned a link between parents' increased smartphone use and children's increased non-fatal injuries. [vol 1, issue 52])
While you're out earning like it's 1999, you may or may not be surprised to learn that a growing body of research suggests that the only people who benefit from an open workplace with low-walled cubicles are the people who actually make their living selling low-walled cubicles for open offices. (vol 1, issue 46)
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In retail news: Mom jeans are coming whether or not you want them to. So sayeth the haut monde, so weareth the haute bourgeoisie. (vol 1, issue 51) Actual jeans-wearing moms have been sifted into a few distinct marketing buckets courtesy of a market research firm that has sorted women into sixty discrete marketing segments. (vol 1, issue 53) And we can all shop for cheap mom jeans during any one of the six new promotional retail events that have been shoehorned onto holiday calendars since 2006. (vol 1, issue 55)
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In media news: People are hailing podcasting as a new media boom, thanks to the comparatively ancient technology of the car. (vol 1, issue 49) Ad rates for podcasts are higher, which might possibly explain why WNYC felt it could afford to hire seven new science and health reporters in a period when the science journalism job market is in constant flux. (vol 1, issue 54)
Airbnb is launching a print magazine, as many other websites have been doing lately, in what may be a sign that many retail sites are looking for viable ways to grab an offline/bricks-and-mortar customer base. (vol 1, issue 52) And some online media companies are looking to offload their editorial properties and focus on backend tech as a business, so it's another indication that the one-two punch of branded content plus disruption in the ad-banner market is hitting websites' bottom lines. (vol 1, issue 50)
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AND IN POP CULTURE NOTES ...
If you have not read Andy Weir's book The Martian, get on it before the film adaptation drops. (vol 1, issue 45) In other bookish news, I revealed my lifelong loathing of The Giving Tree, and several of you seconded that emotion. (vol 1, issue 48) Ursula K. LeGuin reminded us of two reasons why her books stand the test of time: her eloquence and her moral rigor. (vol 1, issue 54) And finally, Noelle K. Stevenson has already mastered one comics medium and she's about to debut big in another. (vol 1, issue 55)
Andrew W.K. writes a surprisingly great advice column and drops some wisdom on his public persona as a product for public consumption (vol 1, issue 47). Chris Hemsworth was declared the most succulent slice of beefcake in all the land, which gave me an excuse to link to my pal Linda's guide to dating the Avengers. (vol 1, issue 52)
Flavorwire ran a slideshow on great actors' early performances and I used that as a springboard to talk about how much I loved Drop Dead Gorgeous because you've got great work from so many people. (vol 1, issue 49) A day later, I suggested a thematic marathon of "classic movies where women try to balance professional ambition, friendship, societal expectations, and their libidos," with picks like The Best of Everything and 9 to 5. (vol 1, issue 50) A trailer for Jurassic World dropped, and my inner dino-mad kindergartener went nuts as a result. (vol 1, issue 56)
In TV news, I referenced a Jimmy Fallon sketch and some Sofia Coppola commercials in the very same issue where we revisited the horrors of the clothing choices made by the wardrobe department of Beverly Hills, 90210. (vol 1, issue 51)
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