Twinkle O

Genre is an odd thing. At times, it’s merely a sales tactic, where similar books are grouped together in a bookstore to make them easier to find. But it can also be a codified canon of literature in which authors are engaged in a decades-long conversation, bouncing themes and tropes off one another. Every now and again, a book or author will come along that really breaks away from the conversation and ignores those tropes and conventions. One recent example is Singaporean author JY Yang, who published the final installment of their genre-blending Tensorate series last month.

JY Yang’s Tensorate series is a sweeping, experimental blend of sci-fi and fantasy A genre-blending exploration of power and inequality

As Ninja, the first celebrity gamer, Tyler Blevins has played Fortnite with Drake, made millions of dollars off streaming his gameplay online, and has captivated a global audience in the process. Now, Blevins has released a book that purports to help you be a better gamer — and by extension, a better human — by letting players in on what he’s learned over the course of his surprisingly long and robust career.

Ninja’s first book isn’t literature — it’s a brand extension If you’re already a gamer, his advice can’t help you

Most plot details about The Testaments (which will be published September 10th) are still under wraps, but we do know that the novel is set 15 years after the ending of the first book, and is narrated by three female characters. But presumably wherever Atwood takes the story, Hulu and MGM are interested in putting it on TV.

Hulu is trying to turn the Handmaid’s Tale sequel into a show, too Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments could extend the series.

We already know what one of those proposals is: a prequel set thousands of years before the original show and books in the “Golden Age of Heroes,” created by Jane Goldman and series author George R.R. Martin, which shot a pilot episode earlier this summer. Back in May (just before the original show ended), Martin noted on his blog that two more of the ideas were still in play and “edging closer” to something more concrete, suggesting that “maybe some of you should pick up a copy of Fire & Blood.”

HBO is reportedly turning George R.R. Martin’s worst book into a Game of Thrones spinoff "What is dead may never die."

In 2017, I moved 8,345 miles from my family — from my pink and green painted childhood bedroom in Dubai to a dorm room at USC. Overnight, my world changed. I went from my parents’ mollycoddled child to an adult that had to do their own laundry. The whiplash was heavy, and images of my old life kept echoing in my head. When I woke up to hear the birds outside my window, I half expected to hear my mom playing her Suprabhatam devotional music, loud enough to shake the floor. I’d remember late mornings in Dubai, listening to the radio after missing the school bus, sleepily ingesting the Bollywood Top 40 my parents had on in the car. After class, heading to cram school, I’d blast Mura Masa loud enough to crush my eardrums. On the way home, the bus driver, Yadav, piped Malayali songs through the school bus speakers.

Moving from Dubai to California, Spotify kept me in touch with my culture Finding a community of young, weird, lost diaspora kids.

The new home feed, which is rolling out now for Android users and is coming to iOS “in the near future,” actually doesn’t look that different at first glance. But up at the top of the screen are two new buttons: one for Music and one for Podcasts & Shows. Tapping one of those will take you into separate feeds. Music will show you suggestions based on what you’ve been listening to, while Podcasts & Shows will surface the latest episodes of your favorite shows plus recommendations for new ones. They’re not so much new home screens as new filters for your home screen. (I’d rather just have them be separate tabs altogether, but I’ll take what I can get.)

Spotify is reorganizing its app to better separate podcasts and music It’s going to get much easier to find what you want on your Spotify home screen

Reaching out to Fusoxide about a defining part of my lived childhood — the ’90s were a very special but awkward teething period for mobile phones — feels like a weird dream where time makes no sense. It sends me down a YouTube rabbit hole of old Nokia ringtones until I realize that my cat hates them and isn’t afraid to tell me. As he howls in confusion at the shrill bleeps, I realize that if you yanked me back to 2002 after years of quiet, discreet phone etiquette, I would probably feel the same. And yet, my curiosity remains. With younger people interested in ringtones, how have perceptions changed about their origins, and how have ringtones lived on in modern soundscapes?

How Nokia ringtones became the first viral earworms Ring, ring.

A line of receipt machines mimics the sound of synths, while another electric toothbrush undulates beneath a white sheet. A typewriter clicks away in the background, accompanied by the buzzing of a body trimmer, a nail polishing device, and an epilator (which is a hair removal tool, in case you didn’t know). And even though the iron doesn’t contribute much to the overall composition, it provides the visual effects, pumping out puffs of steam to achieve a spooky vibe.

Listen to Device Orchestra cover the Ghostbusters theme using electric toothbrushes and a steam iron This electric toothbrush can sing.

Spotify has stopped shuffling albums by default following a request from Adele, according to a report by BBC. Previously, when viewing an album on Spotify, you’d see a small shuffle icon within the larger “Play” button. This indicated that Spotify would begin playing the album’s songs in a random order, which isn’t always what users would expect (or want) it to do.

Spotify’s play button stops shuffling, apparently because Adele said so This comes days after the release of Adele’s new album, 30.

The Motion Sonic device itself is a small capsule that can slot into differently shaped rubber wristbands, sort of like a Fitbit. There’s a band that attaches to your wrist for use cases like playing guitar, and another wraps around the back of your hand and is better suited to playing keys.

Sony launches motion-sensing music effects controller on Indiegogo Sony’s been working on this thing for a while.

Have you even made it as an artist if you’re not singing in a made up language for a Sims game? There’s a proud tradition of popular musicians like Carly Rae Jepsen or Janelle Monáe re-recording songs in Simlish, the in-game language of The Sims, and now, celebrated alternative artist Japanese Breakfast (Michelle Zauner) is joining their ranks with a cover of her single “Be Sweet” for The Sims 4 Cottage Living.

Zauner’s track is summer-y and eminently danceable, and it feels just the same underneath a trailer hawking more features for The Sims 4, even with the chorus transformed to “Ya wana baleesh da voo ya wana baleeeeeeeeesh”. It’s also delightfully weird in the way all covers in “Simlish” are — I just love hearing famous musicians sing nonsense! Check out the song in English (with an X-Files inspired music video) for a better comparison.

Japanese Breakfast did a Simlish cover for The Sims 4 because nonsense never gets old Another artist gets folded into the life simulator.

The new version atop this post is practically a full-on parody: Juvenile makes it rain vaccine cards instead of cash money, eggplant emoji are out in full force, and it sure sounds like some random dude named Scott is about to luck out. But you know all that already, because you’re already watching the video. Right? Right. My wife couldn’t stop laughing.

It’s over: ‘Vax That Thang Up’ is 2021’s song of the summer 22 years later, Juvenile is back with a new version of his hit.

BTS’s “Butter” is one smooth song, and “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” might be a monster hit with a sweet lo-fi remix to boot. But how is anything going to compete for song of the summer now Juvenile has resurrected his 22-year-old smash “Back That Thang Up” as a catchy and timely vaccine anthem?

Just in case you don’t remember the 1999 original, here you go:

The new version atop this post is practically a full-on parody: Juvenile makes it rain vaccine cards instead of cash money, eggplant emoji are out in full force, and it sure sounds like some random dude named Scott is about to luck out. But you know all that already, because you’re already watching the video. Right? Right. My wife couldn’t stop laughing.

Last year’s song of the summer was absolutely about s*x in the time of COVID as well. Production values have certainly improved since then, though!

It’s over: ‘Vax That Thang Up’ is 2021’s song of the summer 22 years later, Juvenile is back with a new version of his hit.

Sonos might be developing a voice assistant alternative to Alexa or Google Assistant for its speakers, according to a customer survey spotted by VoiceBot.ai. The survey, shared by a Sonos customer on Reddit, describes an on-device voice control system that would improve user privacy by not routing questions and commands through the cloud.

In the survey (pictured below thanks to Reddit user EdmundFitzgerald29), Sonos writes that its “potential new product offering” would use the wake word “Hey Sonos” and let users control playback, search through songs, and move music to other speakers with their voice. The survey claims that the assistant can respond faster because it would be processing everything on device, rather than relying on an internet connection and sending queries to a server.

A Sonos survey suggests the company might build a voice assistant of its own Private, on-device voice controls for your Sonos speakers.

Demna has also become known for the meme-ification of fashion, twisting references and everyday absurdities into his work to elicit an almost Internet troll-level reaction. We’re thinking, of course, about his infamous Croc collaborations, the Hacker Project done in collaboration with Gucci inspired by high fashion knock-offs, and the recent launch of a pair of sneakers the brand describes as “fully destroyed” that go for $1,850; it was clear the fall 2022 collection, too, played with the idea—through the lens of couture.

Balenciaga and the Dark Void of Couture Demna's second couture showing for the brand featured faceless models, then a parade of celebrities including Nicole Kidman, Kim Kardashian, and Dua Lipa.

If you're thinking about going to fashion school, there's a lot to consider: location, tuition costs, majors... You could go for a full, four-year Bachelor's or Master's degree, or a shorter certificate program. Do you want to graduate with a broad understanding of the fashion system or a proficiency in something specific, like eveningwear design?

As you begin your decision-making process, consider this directory a starting point. Below, you'll find an up-to-date list of colleges and universities around the world with fashion programs, from household-name East Coast design schools to small community colleges in remote American suburbs to historic, world-renowned institutions in Milan and Tokyo.

Fashion School Directory Find fashion schools and programs in the U.S. and around the world.

And if you've been trying to recreate Gomez's looks from OMITB, in honor of the first two episodes of season 2 being out now, I gathered a bunch of dupes from her iconic 'fits to make it easier for ya. From the bold-colored coats to the preppy mini skirts, you'll find affordable pieces that'll have you looking like you shopped Mabel Mora's closet, ahead.

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