Maekan It Up

Eugene and Charis discuss the recent rebranding the CIA launched to attract more diverse employees. They also talk about the 2021 Public Domain Day and what it means for works to enter the public domain. 00:04:25 CIA rebrand 00:19:42 Public Domain Day CIA rebrands to encourage diversity but identity of logo designer remains top secret by Cajsa Carlson Start of 2020 Ushers Thousands of Once-Copyrighted Works Into the Public Domain by Katherine J. Wu Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Charis and Eugene answer a couple of questions about this past year. They talk about how they’re feeling, what a “new year” means, and what they’ve learned about work and themselves. 00:07:00 How are you feeling emotionally? 00:13:39 Is it really a “new year”? 00:18:55 What are you excited about? 00:25:41 What did you learn about work in 2020? 00:33:13 What did you learn about yourself in 2020? 00:36:34 What got you excited about creativity this year? Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Eugene and Charis discuss a new collection of artwork released by the artist Beeple that is in the form of NFT. They also talk about Async Art, a new kind of art movement built on the blockchain. Their second subject of the week is the state of the web in the year 2000 compared to what it is now, based on an article written by Postlight CEO Paul Ford. 00:03:23 NFT art 00:25:17 Evolution of the web The Proof of NFTs — $3.5M Beeple Drop by Loop Web Conversation From the Other Side by Paul Ford Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Charis and Eugene talk about Canadian NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez playing Among Us on Twitch with other streamers. They also discuss small businesses forced to adopt start-up mentalities and what resilience looks like. 00:02:48 Politicians streaming 00:24:46 Small business resilience Can a Start-Up Mentality Save Small Businesses? by Eilene Zimmerman AOC’s Among Us livestream hints at Twitch’s political power by Tanya Basu Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Eugene and Charis discuss how data is both dangerous and useful, how it has impacted growth of all kinds and changed the way we think about algorithms. They also talk about Instagram going all-in on shopping and what we personally turn to Instagram for now. 00:01:58 Data is fire 00:27:15 Instagram shopping Data is Fire by Yancey Strickler  We’re All Trapped in Instagram’s Digital Mall Now by Hazel Cills Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Charis and Eugene talk about Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney buying Wrexham AFC, a Welsh football club, and making content about the process. They also discuss two different articles about friendship, shallow ones and deeply intimate ones, and what it means to value friendship. 00:03:10 Football content 00:25:21 Friendship Hollywood's New Multi-Million-Dollar Sports Investment Vehicle by Joseph Pompliano What If Friendship, Not Marriage, Was at the Center of Life? by Rhaina Cohen You Are Supposed to Outgrow Some Friendships by Brianna Wiest Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Eugene and Charis talk about the digital toolkit created by Airbnb Design that aims to help freelance illustrators with their client and business management so they can focus more on creating. They also discuss an interview with Stephen Satterfield, co-founder of Whetstone Media, published in Currant about empathy, origins, and fluency with food. 00:02:35 Illustrator toolkit Tyrus 00:15:49 Empathy through origins Tyrus: A free digital toolkit from Airbnb Design that helps freelance illustrators optimize their business, so they have more time to focus on what they love At Whetstone Media, Stephen Satterfield Builds Empathy Through Origins by Sarah Cooke Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Charis and Eugene talk about the new color choices people have made during quarantine for their interior spaces and whether that’s potentially soothing. They also discuss the importance of looking outside your area of expertise and industry to find new creative solutions. 00:02:21 Quarantine colors 00:17:40 Steal ideas The Surprising Power of Color to Ease Quarantine Anxiety by Kyle Chayka Great Ideas Are Yours to Steal by Bob Roitblat Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Eugene and Charis discuss the problem of harmful microplastics when using and washing synthetic materials. They also talk about Ricky Desktop, a viral Tiktok beatmaker, and the science behind crafting the perfect thing to beat the algorithm. 00:02:06 Microplastics 00:19:49 Algorithm mastery Should synthetic clothing be sold with a warning? by Bella Webb Meet Ricky Desktop, the most viral beatmaker on TikTok by Jacob Kastrenakes Adapting to the algorithm by Kyle Chayka Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Charis and Eugene talks about the collaborative sneaker project being run by Afew and ASICS for the 30th anniversary of the GEL-Lyte 3 that includes major community input. They also discuss an article that considers the effects of less continual documentation and publication of our personal lives on social media during the pandemic. 00:02:52 Afew x ASICS 00:21:21 Content vacuum The Wild Silence by Drew Austin of The Kneeling Bus Afew x ASICS Take Community Engagement to the Next Level by Fabian Gorsler Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Eugene and Charis discuss the new tech startup BookClub and how niche groups of people formed around singular interests benefit (or not) from technological additions. They also talk about trends in art this year in relation to the pandemic and lockdowns. 00:01:43 Bookclubs 00:15:45 Pandemic art From New Faces to Hug Art, Here Are 5 Major Trends to Be Found in Art Basel’s New Online Fair Devoted to Work Made During Lockdown by Artnet News The first rule of BookClub? No boring book clubs. by Natasha Mascarenhas Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Charis and Eugene talk about whether it’s hypocritical to criticize capitalism while also spending money on clothes. They also discuss what a wholly tech-free life looks like. 00:02:46 Socialism and capitalism 00:27:43 Tech-free life Would socialism KILL cool clothes?? by Blackbird Spyplane Marxist memes for TikTok teens: can the internet radicalize teenagers for the left? by Joshua Citarella Gen Zers Say Silicon Valley Is Elitist and Exclusive. Can They Build a New System? by Taylor Lorenz Not So Simple, Notes from a Tech-Free Life by Mark Boyle Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Eugene and Charis talk about how Hong Kong’s food culture has adapted in the pandemic. They also discuss chess as a current streaming obsession and how AI is making the game beautiful again. 00:02:57 HK food culture 00:26:06 Chess changes A Freshly Killed Chicken Is Mightier Than the Coronavirus by Daisann McLane Chess (Yes, Chess) Is Now a Streaming Obsession by Kellen Browning AI Ruined Chess. Now, It’s Making the Game Beautiful Again by Tom Simonite Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Charis and Eugene talk about whether New York (or any city) can die. They also talk about why successful people rarely acknowledge the role of luck in their lives. 00:02:14 Is New York dead? 00:31:33 Luck and success NYC IS DEAD FOREVER. HERE’S WHY by James Altucher Affluence Killed New York, Not the Pandemic by Kevin Baker New York or Nowhere meme by Ronnie Lordi So You Think New York Is “Dead” by Jerry Seinfeld Successful people rarely admit how lucky they were. Here’s why they should by Michiel De Hoog for The Correspondent Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Eugene and Charis talk about the challenges facing fashion design graduates due to the pandemic. They also discuss how creative peers can accelerate personal growth. 00:01:44 Fashion grads 00:23:57 Creative peers Breaking into fashion was already hard. Amid Covid-19, is a design generation lost? by Bella Webb How Creative Peers Accelerate Personal Growth by Ward Andrews Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Charis and Eugene talk about what it’s like to start a job remotely and get onboarded during the pandemic. They also discuss Telfar, a brand founded by Telfar Clemens, and the popularity of their “Bushwick Birkin”. 00:04:09 Remote onboarding 00:23:19 Telfar It Just Got a Lot Easier to Secure a Telfar Bag by Emilia Petrarca Meet the New Guy by Lindsey Underwood Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Eugene and Charis talk about the appeal and value of MasterClass as it relates to education, capitalism, and constantly trying to self-improve. They also discuss how Shopify democratized e-commerce to such a degree that the real winners aren’t brands at all. 00:02:15 MasterClass 00:28:49 Shopify Shopify and the Hard Thing About Easy Things by Packy McCormick What is MasterClass Actually Selling? by Carina Chocano Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Charis and Eugene chat with special guest Behzod Sirjani. They start off with some banter about Behzod’s work leading an independent research practice, plus a bit about Chloe Ting, then move on to the big topics of the episode: the reductive seduction of other people’s problems and some tips for independent creators looking to raise funds or establish a community of support. 00:15:04 Other people’s problems 00:42:32 Community funding The Reductive Seduction of Other People’s Problems by Courtney Martin Tips for Community Funding In Challenging Times by Siena Oristaglio Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Eugene and Charis discuss racial bias in photography technology and terminology. They also talk about some good things happening in new age media: the formation of Defector, a new sports blog and media company started by the people who left Deadspin in 2019. 00:01:46 Photography bias 00:31:03 New media company Defector Color film was built for white people. Here's what it did to dark skin. by Vox The Staff of Deadspin Is Taking Their Talents to Defector. Here's What Happens Next. by Alex Shultz Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message

Charis and Eugene talk about artificial intelligence in the realm of graphic design. They also discuss a Highsnobiety and Boston Consulting Group white paper on the future of luxury and the new luxury consumer. 00:01:46 AI graphic design 00:24:47 Future of luxury How an AI graphic designer convinced clients it was human by Thomas Macaulay Culture Culture Culture: Quantifying What Matters Most to the New Fashion & Luxury Consumer by Highsnobiety and BCG Support us at patreon.com/maekan and join our community, which includes weekly newsletters and a vibrant Discord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/message