What’s in a Surname?. (via) “A new view of the United States based on the distribution of common last names shows centuries of history and echoes some of America’s great immigration sagas.” (Map: Mina Liu; Oliver Uberti, NGM Staff. Source: James Cheshire, Paul Longley, and Pablo Mateos, University College London.)
We often buy ÄúI CanÄôt Believe ItÄôs Not ButterÄù despite its awful name and soul-withering chemical composition. Even the productÄôs faux-entertaining site refers to it as a Äúnutritious blend of oils.Äù… In fact, we just bought the ÄúlightÄù version of it, which is therefore some sort of simulacrum of the original.
There’s some great naming suggestions in the comments.
—Music is louder than it used to be. These days the record and music broadcast industry is stuck in a louder=catchier mindset. I’ve also noticed the lack of range and nuance. Outside of the mass pop albums, one that sticks out in my mind is Coldplay’s latest. It was really good the first time I listened. But after a few dozen times around the block, it just didn’t have the range or staying power of the first two. It felt just a bit stale.
—How is your brand? See the trends for names over the past century.
Mark Larson 