Culture is not about aesthetics. Punk rock is now enforced by law. [Article]

David Gerard educates the enforcers:

Record companies complain the Internet will destroy music. Musicians complain that they can’t make a living any more. The unsympathetic public, feeling the squeeze themselves, tell them to get a proper job.

The problem isn’t piracy — it’s competition.

There is too much music and too many musicians, and the amateurs are often good enough for the public

Overcoming the social costs of being different. [Article]

Leo Babauta shares what makes him different, how being different is hard, & the strategies he has to deal with the social costs of being different:

Being different means you stand out, which is a good thing in a world where everyone is trying to blend in. It means you’re interesting, because you’re different. It means you are less restricted by what’s comfortable, able to explore new ground, not afraid of things because you don’t know about them. It means you’re learning more than most people. 

What have we learned? asks Charlie Stross [Article]

I somehow missed this article by Charlie on September 11, 2013:

Today is September 11th, 2013.

Twelve years ago today, a cell of angry, highly committed, and (by the standards of their peers) extremely well trained young men executed the simultaneous hijacking of four airliners, and used them to mount a suicide attack on those they perceived as their enemies.

What have we learned from this?

The comments at the bottom of the article are enlightening.