I am very much looking forward to reading Robin James' phenomological analysis of vibes and their material structures. The introduction is now freely available via the following link.

Robin James@robinjames.bsky.social · 17h ago

The introduction to the vibes book is live and free on the publisher’s website! dukeupress.edu/good-vibes-o...

It was a pleasure to write this piece. I argue that the loss of NHL hockey illustrates that the CBC must present a transformative visions for its future beyond broadcasting.

The Conversation Canada@ca.theconversation.com · last mo.

CBC’s NHL hockey loss points to the need to rethink public media for the digital age

It was a pleasure to speak with @markcolley.bsky.social from the @thestar.com about the end of the Rogers/CBC partnership and the future of Hockey Night in Canada. I am looking forward to seeing how the CBC uses this moment reconfigure its sports programming for our current media environment.

Hockey Night in Canada as we know it is over. What’s next for a Canadian institution?

CBC has carried the NHL on its Saturday night TV broadcast since 1952. That changed on Tuesday.

thestar.com

This is the WC content we need right now as this year's dismal edition of one of the world's greatest sport events gets under way.

Jerad Walker@jeradwalker.bsky.social · 8mo ago

In honor of the World Cup draw here’s a thread of Jorge Campos goalkeeper kits as scrambled premium cable TV. 🇲🇽⚽️📺

Just discovered this exciting new project - or new incarnation of an ongoing project - regarding the experiences of first-generation students in the academy. It's exciting to see SSHRC funding podcasts, a medium that is ideal for knowledge mobilization.

Plenty of useful insights in this piece from Adam Lewis about the ongoing relevance and value of campus radio. I would add these points also apply to public radio, which has been increasingly moving into campus radio spaces via its digital offerings in recent decades.

Why College Radio Matters More Now Than It Has in a Generation

Discovery is one thing, but fans these days crave deeper connection to the music they hear. Nothing connects audience communities like college radio.

hypebot.com

This 2024 piece from @defaultfriend.bsky.social does an excellent job of capturing the cultural shift we're experiencing right now as we move decisively from a cultural environment structured by the mass media to one structured by networked digital media.

No, Culture is Not Stuck

You just can't see what it's become.

wisdomofcrowds.live

Jurgen Habermas was a remarkable scholar. From the public sphere, to technology and science as ideology, to the theory of communicative action, facts, law, and power, his work stirred debates over the fate of modern life & democracy-its values, culture & institutions-for more than 1/2 century. RIP.

Sarah J. Jackson@sjjphd.bsky.social · 5mo ago

This a great post, though I would argues that DOONESBURY is the last great newspaper strip and the GOAT in that field). Gary Trudeau opened up new possibilities for the medium while exerting an unparalleled degree of cultural and political influence over more than five decades of regular activity.

Sequential Scholars@sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 5mo ago

The immense popularity of “Calvin and Hobbes,” often called “the last great newspaper comic,” can risk obscuring its many inspirations & antecedents. In both style & content, the strip is very well-versed in the rich history of comics and often pays tribute to its influences. 1/12 #CalvinAndHobbes

The Mono NSC looks like a great org. Especially if one is on the eastern side of the GTA, the Durham Nordic Ski Club is another affordable option. The trail network is small, but very well maintained.

Eric Squair@ericsquair.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Great, affordable XC skiing as close as you can get to Toronto and still get consistent snow. Low key community club w rentals mononordic.com

I would pick CITIZEN KANE as the GOAT, but there's no denying CASABLANCA's place at the very top. It's definitely one of those films where its pop culture treatment may lead one to question its quality but taking it in puts all of those concerns to rest.

John C@badsocialism.bsky.social · 6mo ago

The thing about Casablanca being the greatest film of all time is people don't believe you and then they watch it

Intriguing CFP here for a special issue of the InMedia journal on "The Art of Podcasting." Proposals due April 15, 2026.

CFP 12.1 – The Art of Podcasting: experimenting with a new medium

Twenty years after the term ‘podcast’ was coined by journalist Ben Hammersley in reference to the online radio practices that were budding in the early 2000s, podcasts have become ubiquitous. Since...

journals.openedition.org

I was not too familiar with Ralph Towner, the jazz guitarist and composer who passed away on January 18 at the age of 85. It has been interesting to learn more about him and his invigorating music. Here he is working some pieces out with his quartet in Norway.

Ralph Towner Quartet - Oslo, Norway - 28 Feb 1975

YouTube video by TheArchive

youtube.com

Just learned of the legendary reggae drummer and producer Sly Dunbar's passing. Here's a fave performance that features Sly and and his creative partner Robbie Shakespeare as the backbone for Bob Dylan, Mark Knopfler, and Mick Taylor. youtu.be/di6wU11_4Wg?...

Bob Dylan - Don't Fall Apart on Me Tonight (Version 2) (Infidels Alternate Take)

YouTube video by BobDylanVEVO

youtu.be

Here's a nice piece from @benfritz.bsky.social in the @wsj.com regarding the role of pop culture in holding the US' diverse range of interests and identities together during the 20th century. H/T to Bob Lefsetz for the link.

The Rise and Fall of the American Monoculture

For most of the 20th century, pop culture was the glue that held the U.S. together. But what will it mean now that everything has splintered?

wsj.com

@anildash.com on ai-washing: "Now, to be clear, those workers haven’t been laid off because their jobs are now being done by AI, and they’ve been replaced by bots. Instead, they’ve been laid off by execs who now have AI to use as an excuse for going after workers they’ve wanted to cut all along."

500,000 tech workers have been laid off since ChatGPT was released - Anil Dash

A blog about making culture. Since 1999.

anildash.com

Laura's work is top-notch and these webinars will undoubtedly help any academics out there who are contemplating the topics cover (working on publishing a book, trying to write a book for a non-specialized audience, thinking of working with a developmental editor and so forth).

Laura Portwood-Stacer@lportwoodstacer.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Hoping to publish a book in 2026? I've got a series of free webinar recordings to help you get in the right mindset and avoid the most common sticking points for scholarly authors. All the recordings are free to access, but registration is closing on December 31st. Thread (with links):

I tend to listen to Christmas music right up until the start of January. However, this novel New Year's music playlist by @carlzoilus.bsky.social has got me moving in a different direction this year. Auld Lang Syne-Off is available on four platforms via Carl's substack here at the link below.

What are you doing New Year's Eve?

Maybe listening to this New Year's playlist

carlwilson.substack.com

I know that it's practically Dec. 27, but I've just discovered this sublime version of The Christmas Song by tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon. This gorgeous version demands to be heard by those who are still up for a little seasonal music.

Dexter Gordon Quartet - The Christmas Song

YouTube video by 60otaku4

youtu.be

Here's a timely CFP from @tomasdodds.bsky.social and the Public Tech Media Lab at UW-Madison for a special issue of @JournalismPractice. The deadline for extended abstracts is April 1, 2026.

CfP Journalism Practice: Journalism, Platforms, and Public Interest Technologies

Special Issue Editor(s) Tomas Dodds, University of Wisconsin-Madison doddsrojas@wisc.edu Jasmine McNealy, University of Florida jmcnealy@jou.ufl.edu Mona Sloane, University of Virginia mona.sloane@vir...

ptml.sjmc.wisc.edu

Whatever one thinks of AI, this sort of practice will turbocharge academia's decline by a) calling the credibility of the work into question when it's discovered and b) creating contradictions between professional recs and the standards many profs have for their students. Why not rec citation?

Aparna Nair@disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 8mo ago

This is one of the reasons I remain horrified by seeing @historians.org suggest "ways to use gAI" that included this:

Can't go wrong with this particular combo. Personally, I like to prep the cabbage as a side accompaniment to a meat dish (pork or beef), but this combo would please any bacon fans in the crowd.

Tressie McMillan Cottom@tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 8mo ago

I don’t have a recipe but I just *feel* like cabbage, red onion, fennel seeds and bacon goes together. So I’m doing it.

If you're looking for a different take on some festive classics, try this fun new collection of Christmas tunes from jam-oriented acts by the always brilliant LostMyDayJob.

Live Christmas Jams - ft Jerry Garcia, Derek Trucks, Billy Strings and More

YouTube video by LostMyDayJob

youtu.be

Thrilled to see that Carl has put together a festive playlist this year. These lists always surface old faves and introduce me to new jams that had eluded me, which is something that's been happening with increasing frequency as a I age :)

Carl Wilson@carlzoilus.bsky.social · 8mo ago

My semi-annual weirdo-holiday playlist - 99 songs, 5+ hours, links to multiple platforms today on "Crritic!" carlwilson.substack.com/p/the-most-w...

Good academic job market advice here. Sure, program reputation and the quality/number of publications are important. But they're less important as one moves down the prestige line. Many depts want hires who show that they want to be there long-term and are ready to teach a wide range of courses.

Jonathan W. Gray@elmcitytree.blacksky.app · 8mo ago

For civilians: an academic dept typically has to out maneuver other depts to get a tenure line! I tell grad students applying to red state jobs to indicate that they are familiar with & would be happy spending a decade or more there. A single sentence has moved them to the top of a pile. 1/

Time marches onward and we grow older every day. That said, I was not expecting to suddenly develop a strong appreciation for the medieval carols that my father used to play constantly during the holidays. It turns out that they make for excellent writing music.

Noël - A Medieval Christmas, Ensemble Sospiri - Christopher Watson, dir.

YouTube video by Musica Medievale 🏹

youtu.be

Yesterday, I posted Zevon's sweetly earnest cover of A Case of You from the 2002 Edmonton Folk Festival. Today, I'm back with this brilliant performance of the folk song "Canadee-I-O." It appears that Zevon learned the Nick Jones version of the song especially for the northern Alberta performance.

Warren Zevon - Canadee-I-O

YouTube video by Edmonton Folk Music Festival

youtu.be

Just discovered this heartfelt Warren Zevon cover of Joni Mitchell's A Case of You (featuring Matt Cartsonsis on lap dulcimer and backing vox) from a 2002 set at the Edmonton Folk Fest. Just a short while later, Zevon was diagnosed with the cancer that would take his life.

Warren Zevon - A Case Of You (Live at The Edmonton Folk Festival)

YouTube video by OmnivoreRecordings

youtu.be

If you're looking for a good breakdown of the implications of the Warner Brothers-Netflix deal on the US media environment, this Dwayne Winseck thread is the place to go.

Mediamorphis@mediamorphis.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Quick take on potential Netflix takeover of Warner Bros. Discover vs Paramount SkyDance or Comcast NBCU. Key point: it's the least worse deal, especially wrt Trump loyalist Ellison family controlled Paramount SD. Here's what the US TV, film & online video market looks like premerger. 1/

This is my first time encountering this delightful piece of microfiction. It's well worth a read if you have a couple of minutes (and who doesn't, really).

Hagai Palevsky (he/him)@dialhforhagai.bsky.social · 2y ago

thinking about this Brautigan short again