Each week, we share the top five articles that caught our attention. Here are your must-reads, published here and abroad, for the week of October 10th 2016.
Analyzing 27 seasons of The Simpsons
Which of the show’s supporting characters have had the most lines? Can the show’s fluctuating popularity be explained by deconstructing content? Developer and data aficionado Todd W. Schneider, has published an article on his blog analyzing 27 seasons of this cult series and even shared his data on GitHub.
→ Read it on Todd W. Schneider‘s blog Pocket
Is your child the victim of “sharenting”?
Estimates say that in the U.S., over 90% of two-year-olds already have an online presence. Thanks to ultrasound images, some children make their social media premiere while still in utero. This phenomenon is called “sharenting” (portmanteau of “share” and “parenting”). Considering how easy sharing is and how long our data lives online, these parents are defining their children’s digital personality without consent. Are they also compromising the privacy of these future adults?
→ Read it on The Atlantic Pocket
Twitter, elections and communication strategies
Presidential debates are crucial moments in an election campaign. Each candidate’s communications team must check facts and react rapidly to declarations in order to stay ahead. A mere 10 years ago, this meant picking up the phone and calling journalists. Today, these teams must also generate dozens of memes and tweet in real time.
→ Read it on The Washington Post Pocket
The size of your furniture
Who determines the standard heights of chairs, tables and sinks? Designers did the math many years ago and today’s furniture, all over the world, continues to be built according to those sizes. However, anthropomorphic data tells us that human proportions vary depending on gender and ethnic origin. So what use is there in having ergonomic design that only suits a certain segment of the population?
→ Read it on Le Temps (in French) Pocket
Touring museums with your mobile
Mobiles have changed the way you can visit an art exhibition. Today, your phone can teach you more about the artists and immortalize your visit on social media with hashtags and selfies. So it’s not surprising to see increasingly more museums enhancing exhibitions with a digital experience. How are these cultural institutions boosting content and engaging visitors?
→ Read it on Art in America Pocket
In your earbuds: When AI turns to songwriting
No need to be a musical genius to write next summer’s biggest hit. This week, you can sample the first song written by artificial intelligence. If you like the Beach Boys and the Beatles, you may like what you hear.
→ Listen to it on Quartz
Our favourite thing
To honour the poetry of advertising jargon, The Conran Shop has collaborated with It’s Nice That to create the exhibition A Load of Jargon, which celebrates buzzwords like big idea and viral. If you can’t make it to London to see the show, simply search for #aloadofjargon.
