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  • It’s All About The Benjamins

    In another in a seemingly endless supply of misguided moves, the administration is putting in place a new federal rule under which a college program must prove that it’s graduates earn more than if they had never enrolled or lose access to federal loans. This administration is so focused on money it’s inconceivable to its leadership that there could be any other purpose to an education.

    “We know we need nurses. We know we need journalists. We know we need early childhood educators,” he said. “We don’t know how many artists we need, but I can guarantee that if you eliminate access, we will impoverish our cultural life nationally.”

    It’s amazing that we could devalue and disincentivize these professions even more, but here’s a way to do it as well as adding to the bureaucratic load.

    Fediverse reactions

  • Poptimus Prime

    Freddie deBoer writes about how poptimism has achieved so much success because of the cultural context in which it was born. A culture that considers it wrong to have standards that can identify one thing as better than another is fertile ground for the elevation of terrible art. That’s why we have record reviews that treat pay-for-play pabulum like Rebecca Black songs as if they were written by Neil Young. It’s a culture that feeds our desire for comfort rather than challenge.

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    Fediverse reactions

  • Corporation Games

    Will Gottsegen writes for The Atlantic about Sony’s decision to discontinue manufacturing physical discs for their games.

    The convenience of downloads may be an upside, though there are certainly real downsides in the transition away from physical media. When you buy a disc, you own it and can resell it or lend it out the old fashioned way—without online mediation. No corporate middleman was watching me hand my copy of Red Dead Redemption to my friend when I was done with it. Although physical games can be damaged or even decay over long periods of time, I could still loan that same copy out today if I wanted. Digital purchases only grant you a license for use, and that license can be revoked. At around the same time that Sony announced the digital transition for PlayStation, it also alerted customers that more than 500 movies and shows would be pulled from its online marketplace, removing them from the libraries of users who had purchased them. (As an Arts Technica headline put it, “We’re Reminded We Don’t Own What We Buy.”).

    The new rental culture comes with some sobering thoughts about our limited ability to retain access to some of our favorite entertainment, be it games, movies or music. Luke Plunkett has even gone as far as to suggest that, without ownership, we have lost the concept of media piracy.

    Would you be willing to pay $60 for generous rental terms on a video game? Does the framing of the question shift the mindset of how your money is being spent?

  • Orthodox Burnout

    A new blog/newsletter to me as of today is Ghost Drive America, which belongs to Edwin Robinson.1 Robinson writes about burnout five years after becoming Orthodox as part of a ROCOR church.

    I haven’t been Orthodox quite as long as Robinson, but nevertheless, I identified with almost all his points. One in particular that struck me was his belief that his conversion would eventually draw in his family.

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  • Eveningstar

    Recently, a friend on Mastodon asked followers about their first cassette purchase. I had no trouble recollecting getting Starship’s Knee Deep In The Hoopla when I was in the fourth grade as my introduction to the world of music on tape. I wore that tape out playing the all-too radio friendly songs like “We Built This City” (some might say the song was pandering — the shoutout to all the cities hasn’t aged well). Following that popular anthem in the track sequencing was “Sara,” a ballad at a time when that was almost a separate genre within a genre. Rock bands used to touring arenas had their slower, more romantic songs interspersed with the more upbeat anthemic fare on their records.

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  • Bandcamp Downsizing

    Details are scarce, but a Bluesky post has people once again wondering about the fate of Bandcamp.

    my 13 years at bandcamp are coming to an end – i’ve been laid off along with most of the remaining engineers. best job i’ve ever had, working with the best people you could ever work with. unceremonious end to quite a ride.

    — drew (@grmnygrmny.bsky.social) 2026-06-29T16:25:33.403Z

    Some are speculating that Bandcamp’s owner, Songtradr, has enough engineers to fill in the gaps and keep the service running. I would not be surprised if that were the case, and I don’t think this piece of news is necessarily an indicator that the service is shutting down, but nevertheless, it’s not a good thing.

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  • Ascension Serif

    My pen pal Adam thought I would enjoy this video and he was right. The short combines my love of fonts and of prayer books.

    The new typeface, Ascension Serif, is used with an upcoming version of The Liturgy of the Hours. The video emphasizes the pursuit of beauty in conveying the Christian message and providing inspiration.

    Fediverse reactions

  • I Set My Face to the Hillside

    Tortoise – I Set My Face to the Hillside (live)

    Last year, I bought TNT by Tortoise on CD from a Discogs seller.1 I should tell you, this sort of activity is as sure a sign of my devotion to a particular album as any. After all, I’ve got access to high-quality digital copies of albums like this through streaming. I don’t need to seek them out on an online marketplace, where, let’s face it, you don’t always know the quality of the merchandise.2

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  • A Room You Can’t See

    Terry Godier might be something of a genius, as evidenced by his masterfully crafted RSS reader, Current, and the ideas behind it. So when I saw he had created a short documentary about musical formats, one of my favorite subjects, I had high expectations.

    Godier hits upon a lot of the problems intrinsic to streaming media in the video. When he discusses the limitations of physical media, he’s able to make them sound like desirable features.

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  • Forgotten Favorite

    Some good news came this week in the form of more Velocity Girl remastering. This time it’s a compilation of non-album tracks from various places being released by Slumberland Records. The collection is called 1989-1992 and the contents are precisely what it says on the tin.

    The first available track from the release is my favorite song by the band, “Forgotten Favorite.” Even after the remaster, it’s still a bit muddy, but I’m not sure if there is anything more the band could do apart from rerecord the track completely. It’s still a stellar song through, with a shoegaze-worthy crush of guitars that’s as propulsive as anything put out by UK pedal hoppers. Despite some muck still on the recording, the vocals are pristine, and Sarah Shannon sounds heavenly.

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