The Verge makes their case for casting Idris Elba the next James Bond with a hypothetical 007 title sequence.
Binge-Watching Killed The Syndication Star: Law and Order at 25 (Flavorwire, Mid-length)
Full Disclosure: This is one of mine. An essay discussing the legacy of Law and Order, which premiered 25 years ago as of Sunday, that nobody talked about; binge-watching. Before we had Netflix and a term for watching back-to-back-to-back episodes of TV, the only show we would, or even could, do that could engender such devotion was Law and Order because cable syndication ensured it was always on.
At Burning Man's Airport, There are Propeller People and Jet People (New York, short)
Burning Man, as you might imagine, has a special way of coaxing out the weird and extreme out of its people, place and things. The growing divide between the festival's "true believers" and the wealthy attendees who bring in air conditioned campers and other amenities to keep comfortable is a few years in the making.
On the outskirts of "the city" is Airport Camp, a small sub-community of people who like to fly and apparently will take on free plane rides. Airport is, as the name implies, also an airfield of sorts and is the festival's only runway: As more and more celebrities fly to the festival in helicopters and private jets, the pilots who come for fun have started clashing with the ones who are only there for a paycheck.
The Definitive NBA Logo Rankings (Grantland, Longish)
Football season may be closer, but that means it's prime time for preseason nonsense articles about basketball. A small panel of graphic designers deliberated and one basketball writer ignored them. It's pretty entertaining, and allows for 100-percent no-bullshit statements like this:
“The bird is immediately identifiable as a pelican, and the menacing stare and blood-red beak provide appropriate aggressiveness for an attacking NBA mascot.”
How Pop Stars Make Money (Vulture, Short)
An interesting bit of leg work that compares how much a Fetty Wap-level breakout star and an industry vet like Taylor Swift make from all of their potential revenue streams. Example: a rising star can expect to make, at most, $2,000 from a sponsored tweet. A socially savvy superstar can make $10k.
It's no surprise that star musicians don't really earn money from writing and recording music, but from the celebrity status said music affords them. What might be surprising is how hard stars have to hustle, even at the highest levels in the field.