Chinese artist Ai WeiWei has created his first music video, for his single called “Dumbass.” The video recreates the environment of his 2011 prison stay right down to the wallpaper.
Weiwei sees “Dumbass” as a kind of therapy, and an activist message all by itself—it contains criticism of Chinese intellectuals who are trying to change China from within the system.
The sitting Congress has the most women of any in history. Artist Emily Nemens is capturing each of them in paint, and using their likenesses in graphics to show how far we still have to go to bring gender equality to Washington.
All the leaders depicted are of the nondemocratic sort that some might label dictators—the kind who might restrict the freedom that journalists enjoy in other parts of the world with the kind of gleeful “f*ck you” depicted here.
Election rhetoric focused on struggling small businesses completely ignores the tidal wave of creative, innovative startups sweeping the country. Fast Company’s editor-in-chief bears witness to the groundswell:
“Are the presidential candidates living in the same America that I am? Apparently not.
I don’t know what statistics Obama and Romney look at when they are assessing the state of small business in America—and I really don’t care—because they are missing something. And it is big.
For all the concerns they cite about the plight of small business, from tax burdens to health care costs and so on, what pols of all stripes are missing is that America is experiencing a wave of entrepreneurialism unlike anything we’ve ever had before…”
There’s a huge industry creating computer programs to generate political junk mail. How do the candidates learn how you’re a Jewish-American cat owner making $45,000 a year who’s anti-gun control, pro-choice and has pin-up posters of the Romney kids? I investigated the matter for @fastcompany. (via The 2012 Presidential Software Race | Fast Company)
In typically ribald fashion, noted Obama supporter Sarah Silverman explains what lengths she’s willing to go to in order to convince one obscenely wealthy Romney donor to switch sides. Read more->
“A SURPRISING PREDICTOR IS CAR OWNERSHIP—THERE ARE CERTAIN MAKES OF CAR THAT CORRELATE FAIRLY HIGHLY TO REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRATIC VOTING.”
David Mason, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, is now Senior Vice President for Compliance Services at Aristotle International, a political technology company. Read more->
This infographic crunches data on maternal health, economic status, education, contraception use, and other factors to show where women are doing well and where their lives can be exceptionally hard.
Silenced By Twitter, Thunderclap Returns With A Bang On Facebook
The Kickstarter-style messaging platform that Twitter shut down less than two weeks ago is back. This time it’s taking its flash mob approach to Facebook—and taking calls from the White House, Al Jazeera, Glenn Beck’s crew, and the United Nations.
Meet The League Of Extraordinary Women: 60 Influencers Who Are Changing The World
The previously untold story of how an unprecedented network of high-achieving women from the world’s largest companies, innovative startups, philanthropic organizations, government, and the arts combined forces to change the lives of girls and women everywhere.
Are you making money renting your apartment on Airbnb? You’re a Micro-Entrepreneur. As more and more services let people monetize their own assets and knowledge, it’s creating a new sector of the economy.
“Today, the primary threat by far to internet freedom is government filtering of political dissent. This has been far more effective than I ever imagined possible across a number of nations. In addition, other countries such as the US have come close to adopting very similar techniques in order to combat piracy and other vices. I believe these efforts have been misguided and dangerous.”