Don't Stand Out.
Not playing it safe, a famous golf rock and other tidbits.
This week we have numbered sections, because why not.
1.
Friday Find.
You oughta play it safe
Life is just a game
People like the rules as written
So just give 'em more of the same
This, from a joyously clever (or is that cleverly joyous) celebration of being creative, brave, bold, confident and embracing difference. ‘Play It Safe’ is a wonderful cheeky statement made for the 50th Anniversary of the Sydney Opera House (which, as I have learned, faced considerable resistance and criticism back in the day). Its also a fine statement for the arts and the role they can play in our societies, when fostered with love & freedom.
But most of all for any of us (and for a relatively distantly engaged viewer like me), the lyrics in this piece are inspiring, spectacularly clever, demanding both boldness and gentle diversity, courage of conviction and open mindedness.
I’m clearly late to discovering this ; it released in October 2023. Admittedly, the Sydney Opera House is not on my daily radar, so that explains some of it?
Here’s another sample, tongue firmly in cheek:
No one likes a show-off
No one likes a clown
Just make sure you don't stand out in the crowd
That way they can't cut you down
The mid point of the year (where is 2024 going?) is as good a time as any, for a reminder to believe and forge ahead with creativity, and with love.
Please have a look and a listen.
From Tim Minchin, Director Kim Gehrig, and The Monkeys.
2.
Earlier this week, you might have spotted that I explored some slightly less effusive views on AI, specifically its potential impact on our job markets; surrounded as we are by gushing love & awe for how AI (a term already being used quite loosely) will make our lives better and richer.
A pinch of AI-generated salt.
There is a lot of euphoria around AI, often understandably so. Some of the more shiny objects that the wider world of AI throws out to us common folk (gen-AI in particular) are very shiny indeed. The sheen sways us in ways small and big, practical and existential, prodding both ambitions and insecurities amidst organisations & individuals.
I do sense that all the chatter & information around AI is in a bit of a bubble ; consumed by those in tech, those in sectors seemingly being impacted by these tools right now, and those with a great interest (or wanting to stay plugged in). A lot of the buzz is around generative AI in particular (the shiny images, text, music, videos we see generated by machines through text prompts).
But masses of society actually know of AI only vaguely, and use it not at all. There is an interesting study done by the Reuters Institute in six countries, which has wider insights, and also reveals the relatively low penetration of such tools. Indeed, low awareness too.
So there are those who might view this not dissimilarly to 3D, the metaverse, crypto, Web3, NFTs- all have have enjoyed varying levels of love in the last few years, and wildly varying levels of staying power. But the sheer speed of development and the rapid investment in and adoption of these technologies, suggests something more than a flash in a digital plan. Understanding some of the landscape (and, as above, some counterpoints), I think is relevant for all of us.
3.
Talking of both creativity & tech, Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify kinda put his foot in it a bit, when he tweeted something this week that started with,
“Today, with the cost of creating content being close to zero, people can share an incredible amount of content. This has sparked my curiosity about the concept of long shelf life versus short shelf life.”
Musicians (and fans, and others) predictably lashed out, calling this out of touch (and much more besides). A strange comment from the head of a service that is used by over 600million music fans globally (and, dare I say, loved by a large percentage of those), to consume creative output.
Content is a term used very liberally for all manner of output now, but particularly with creative work, to say the cost for creators & artists to make it is “close to zero” is glib at best, and woefully disconnected at worst.
Here is the tweet, and a good wrap up of reactions here.
4.
Some finger food.
“The world's first human trial of a drug that can regenerate teeth will begin in a few months, less than a year on from news of its success in animals. This paves the way for the medicine to be commercially available as early as 2030.” Right, then.
Gamesmanship, Sportsmanship, and the Case of the Giant Boulder. A little story I didn’t know, about a famous rock in golf.
Instagram is testing ‘unskippable’ ads that you can’t scroll past. Just the feature test we all were waiting for.
The “F*** You, Pay Me” Internet- “Ads and content are now virtually indistinguishable.” Much to agree with.