2021年7月8日 星期四

On Tech: A new digital life, same old problems

Despite our hopes, the internet hasn't erased the pressures and struggles of the old ways.

A new digital life, same old problems

Despite our hopes, the internet hasn't erased the pressures and struggles of the old ways.

Miriam Persand

There's a question at the heart of lots of fights about digital life: Should we hold what happens on the internet to a higher standard than the old ways of the analog world?

That's a link among the gripes about selling products on Amazon, distributing apps on smartphone app stores, trying to make a living on YouTube or renting homes on Airbnb. In all of those cases, people and businesses are complaining about the costs, rules and precariousness of activities that were even more burdensome in the olden days, if they were possible at all.

Some of these grievances are misplaced, and some reflect a fundamental anxiety about online life. The internet promised to upend the old ways, and it did erode the power of old gatekeepers, like Hollywood bosses or big box stores, that said yes or no to people trying to do what they love. But in their place are new and equally powerful digital gatekeepers, like Google and Apple, that can dictate who wins or loses.

I've been thinking about this topic because of a recent email from an On Tech reader in Tucson named Susan, about the app makers who say that Apple imposes unfair costs and complexities on them and iPhone users:

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For many, many years, crafts people have shared the profit with the shop selling their handcrafted items on consignment. When I started out in the '70s, it was 60 percent to me and 40 percent to the shop owner. Later on, the commission was sometimes 50/50.

This is why I'm somewhat bemused with the issue of the App Store taking a commission for programmers' apps. What is the difference between the App Store and the shop owner? Both are responsible for providing a place for display, for assuring the buyer of quality.

Susan isn't invalidating the complaints of app makers, but she is providing helpful context: This is the way it's always been done, and often for good reasons.

Stores have long dictated what products appear on their shelves and how aggressively they are promoted to potential shoppers. Apple is doing the virtual equivalent of that for apps. And as Susan (and Apple) points out, conventional stores typically keep a much bigger cut of a product's retail price than Apple's commission of up to 30 percent on some app transactions like streaming video subscriptions.

It's understandable to compare the old world to the digital one and think: This new way isn't so surprising, is it? It's a great point that I hear a lot from readers, and not only about Apple.

I've also heard from people asking if it's fair that some members of Congress are trying to change the law to stop Amazon from making its own brands of coffee and sundresses that compete with merchants on Amazon's digital mall. After all, conventional retailers have been doing the same thing forever with their store versions of Tylenol and Cheerios. Why are people making videos on YouTube or TikTok complaining about the breakneck pace and unpredictable paychecks when making a living in entertainment has always been a grind?

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Those are fair points. But I also think those complaints reflect a mismatch of expectations and reality about the internet. Anyone can now create and post anything online, but it can be incredibly difficult to get noticed. Enter the new gatekeepers that can be just as powerful and capricious as the old ones.

Someone who makes cat toys no longer needs to persuade a store to sell her products. She can set up her own website or sell on Amazon. But she still might have to spend a fortune advertising on Google or Amazon just to get noticed.

Likewise, a talented performer can make YouTube videos and skip trying to navigate the Hollywood studio system. But he is at the whims of Google's algorithms to get seen and ultimately paid. A person with a great idea for a video game can create an app rather than persuade a big company to make the game, but she is almost completely reliant on the dictates of app store owners like Google and Apple. (Dozens of attorneys general sued Google on Wednesday over claims the company abuses its dictatorial app power.)

It's still a marvel that people can now reach billions of potential fans with a few clicks. The old ways were burdensome and difficult, but the frustrations with the new ways are real.

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Before we go …

  • It's completely Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook: In an excerpt from my colleagues' new book on the company, Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang detail how Facebook's crises in the last five years have led to the diminished influence of Sheryl Sandberg, the company's second in command.
  • I need a database to track all the tech lawsuits: Dozens of attorneys general sued Google, the fourth antitrust lawsuit filed against the company by federal or state officials in the United States since October. This one accuses Google of abusing its power over Android phones and forcing unfair terms on app makers. The lawsuit also puts pressure on Apple, which runs its iPhone app store in similar ways, David McCabe and Dai Wakabayashi report.
  • GIANT KITTY: A three-dimensional digital image of a "cat the size of a yacht" is attracting crowds and fans in Tokyo, my colleagues Hikari Hida and Mike Ives write. The digital billboard calico pops up briefly to greet people and also snoozes a lot, just like real cats.

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2021年7月7日 星期三

The T List: Five things we recommend this week

Lazarus Lynch's beauty routine, a line of eco-conscious children's wear — and more.

Welcome to the T List, a newsletter from the editors of T Magazine. Each week, we share things we're eating, wearing, listening to or coveting now. Sign up here to find us in your inbox every Wednesday. And you can always reach us at tlist@nytimes.com.

STEP BY STEP

Chef, Author and Musician Lazarus Lynch Shares His Beauty Regimen

Left: Lazarus Lynch. Products, clockwise from top left: Dr Teals Shea Butter and Almond Oil Wash, $5, walmart.com; Shine 'n Jam Conditioning Gel, $4, amprogel.com; Fenty Beauty Pro Kiss'r Luscious Lip Balm, $18, fentybeauty.com; Panasonic Spa-Quality Nano-Ionic Facial Steamer, $100, shop.panasonic.com; Marche Rue Dix Whipped Body Butter, $42, marche-rue-dix.myshopify.com; Holy Raw Sapor Ghanaian Exfoliating Bath Sponge, $19, holyraw.ca; Ro Hair Essentials Black Castor Oil Hair Growth Serum, $14, rohairessentials.com.Portrait by Anisha Sisodia. Photos: courtesy of the brands

Interview by Jameson Montgomery

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My days start at 8 a.m. After meditation and yoga, I hop in the shower and use Sapor's Ghanaian Exfoliating Bath Sponge — that baby cleans your body like nothing else — with Dr Teal's Shea Butter & Almond Oil Body Wash. Marché Rue Dix in Crown Heights sells a Whipped Body Butter with castor oil, aloe vera and mango butter, which I apply after showering. It's perfect, as I'm naturally very oily and a lot of products overdo it. When I'm shooting, I do a six-minute session with my Panasonic spa-quality Nano-Ionic Facial Steamer. It awakens my skin and creates the perfect glow. I like to follow that up with a mask — I'm currently using Gleamin's Vitamin C Clay Mask with turmeric. Beauty routines change based on what I'm doing and wearing, but L.A. Girl's HD Pro Concealer is a staple. I was always under the impression one needed to buy the most expensive concealer, but this one's great for photo shoots since there's no potential for glare. Fenty Beauty's Pro Kiss'r Luscious Lip Balm is a classic — it feels so good and smooth. Day-to-day, I don't do too much with my hair. My stylist loves to use Ampro Shine 'n Jam's Conditioning Gel with extra hold, as well as Ro Hair Essentials' Black Castor Oil Serum, which strengthens, moisturizes and stimulates growth. Fragrance-wise, I love Le Labo's Santal 33. I feel like everyone started wearing it right after I found it. I usually combine it with essential oil to make it more personal — I have a set from Anjou and pick one based on my mood. Nails are always fun. If I'm wearing gels, they obviously don't change as frequently, but I love neons.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

VISIT THIS

A Bathhouse Reopens With an Indulgent Treatment

Left: the Bathhouse's private bath, set in the former factory's chimney. Right: hot, cold and thermoneutral pools.Adrian Gaut/courtesy of Bathhouse

By Caitie Kelly

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The Bathhouse spa, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is an urban sanctuary in an unlikely space: the erstwhile Dr. Brown's Soda Factory. Designed by Jennifer Carpenter, it opened in 2019 and boasts three thermal pools, three heated marble hammams, two saunas, a steam room and a restaurant with a seasonal menu crafted by Eleven Madison Park alum Anthony Sousa. Its newest treatment is a 30-minute grand bathtub soak ($95) in a private room that was once the factory's chimney. "When we first saw it, the chimney was visually inspiring to a level bordering on fantasy," says the spa's co-founder Jason Goodman. "We had been dreaming of a treatment like this pre-Covid, and we used the shutdown and reopening as an opportunity to perfect the treatment and put final touches on the design of the space itself." A local herbal apothecary, Anima Mundi, helped create three blends of essential oils and herbs that target specific needs, from dull skin to muscle recovery. After soaking for half an hour, skin is softened and poised for an exfoliating scrub. abathhouse.com.

WEAR THIS

Rejina Pyo's Eco-Conscious Children's Wear

Looks from Regina Pyo's kids' wear line.Courtesy of Regina Pyo

By Aimee Farrell

T Contributor

Fashion designer Rejina Pyo's childhood wardrobe was worlds away from the pastel-hued confections of her '80s peers. "My mother is in fashion, and she'd dress me in vintage clothes — knee-high leather boots with brown linen dresses or leather shorts," she explains. It's a sartorial experience that proved formative: "In a way, it taught me that it's OK to be different." But when it came to dressing her 4-year-old son, Lucas, she was faced with a conundrum: How to source sustainable clothes that satisfied her taste without being too precious or overpriced. "I realized there weren't that many options," she says. But the pause of fashion show schedules due to the pandemic allowed her to come up with her own solution: a collection of generously proportioned and gender-neutral clothing for children. Included are recycled cotton twill trouser suits, roomy shorts and tees, along with animal- and seashell-emblazoned dresses that borrow their voluminous silhouettes and prints from the designer's main line. Everything falls within Pyo's fun and artsy aesthetic, without being too twee or mini-me. From about $54, rejinapyo.com.

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BUY THIS

Mezcal Copitas From 10 Up-and-Coming Artists

Mezcal copitas by Vince Skelly (left) and Jim McDowell (right).Lenard Smith/Courtesy of Tiwa-Select

By Monica Khemsurov

T Contributing Editor

When gallerist Alex Tieghi-Walker was growing up, his grandmother had a collection of cups that were off-limits to anyone she didn't trust (including him). Now that he has his own collection — several hundred by his estimate, sourced on his extensive travels — he delights in doing the opposite, serving anyone who stops by his Los Angeles home with the one that suits them best. That ritual helped inspire the first in a new series of single-object group commissions by his contemporary folk art gallery, Tiwa Select: 10 pairs of Mezcal cups (known as copitas) made in partnership with the mezcal brand Yola Mezcal by 10 Tiwa artists, including Vince Skelly, Simone Bodmer-Turner and Jim McDowell. Tieghi-Walker was drawn to the copita for its spirit of simplicity and spontaneity: "They were originally made from small gourds, and you'd shove them in your pocket so that if you bumped into someone, you could have a mezcal with them," he says. They were also porous, so they'd absorb the flavor of each mezcal they held. "I appreciate objects that are ever-evolving," he says. The project itself is taking on new form: Originally conceived as a one-off, Tieghi-Walker will be making limited editions of Skelly and Matt Fishman's cups available on his website, followed by quarterly explorations of other objects, like teapots and platters, also meant to be enjoyed among friends. From $140, tiwa-select.com.

SEE THIS

A New Art Space and a Debut U.S. Exhibition

An installation view of Grada Kilomba's exhibition "Heroines, Birds and Monsters" at Amant, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.Shark Senesac/Courtesy of Amant

By Chantal McStay

T Contributor

"I often feel that we all know everything already, we just tend to forget it," says the Berlin-based writer and interdisciplinary artist Grada Kilomba in her video installation "A World of Illusions" (2017-19). In the work, Kilomba, a trained psychoanalyst originally from Brazil, retells three Classical myths essential to Freud — Narcissus, Antigone and Oedipus — as a way of exploring the colonial violence that haunts the present. Kilomba, who is of West African descent, describes her role in the film as that of a griot, a storyteller of the African oral tradition, while an ensemble of Black actors dance and mime, silently acting out the tales. The importance of remembrance is a key thread running through the artist's first solo exhibition in the U.S., "Heroines, Birds and Monsters," which marks the inaugural show at Amant, a new arts complex in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, opening this month. Prior to becoming an artist, Kilomba was a psychologist and scholar, gaining acclaim following the publication of her book "Plantation Memories" (2008), a collection of stories based on Black women's experiences of everyday racism in Germany. In 2013, she adapted the book into a staged reading. From there, she has continued to bring her writings to audiences through multimedia performance and installation. In the fall, Amant will screen a filmed reading of "Plantation Memories" and host a live conversation between Kilomba and the sculptor Simone Leigh. "Heroines, Birds and Monsters" will be on view from July 10 through Oct. 31 at Amant, 315 Maujer Street, Brooklyn, New York, amant.org.

FROM T'S INSTAGRAM

Roe Ethridge's Beach Umbrellas

Roe Etheridge's "Rainbow Beach Umbrella With Flip Flops" (2020).© Roe Ethridge, courtesy of Gagosian

On four Mondays last summer, the photographer Roe Ethridge traveled to Rockaway Beach in New York to capture what was left behind — namely umbrellas — from the weekend celebrations that had taken place in the days before. "When I arrived at the beach, it was littered with broken umbrellas and various other 'day at the beach' sundry," says Ethridge. "It had that semi-apocalypse vibe that permeates nowadays but was also joyful in an archaeological way, like discovering the remains of a party or ritual celebration." The result is his self-published book "Beach Umbrella," images from which are now on view at the Gagosian Gallery in New York. Filled with brightly colored close-up photographs of umbrellas, the book also includes images from a fashion story Ethridge shot and pictures of sunflowers from a Clinton Hill public school garden. For more, follow us on Instagram.

Correction: A picture caption with last week's newsletter misidentified the style of a Birkenstock sandal; it was an Arizona, not a Milano.

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