Recommended Reading: Sound, noise and Xbox in Hollywood
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.
Sonic Boom
by Megan Garber, The Atlantic
Over the course of centuries, our notions of sound and noise have changed dramatically, and technology has played a large part in that. Through the lens of a Bourbon Street uproar and the history of ordinances, The Atlantic's Megan Garber hashes out the transformation. There's a look at how municipalities might design urban areas to cater to the public's varied sonic sensibilities and how appliances are built to sound a certain way when in use.
NBA Y2K If you've seen any installment of Jon Bois' Breaking Madden series for SB Nation, you know how a hobby of staging insane matchups by creating players in Madden 25 turned into a stellar weekly column. Now, Bois has taken to NBA 2K14 during the playoffs to do the same. Highlights so far include OutKast joining the Atlanta Hawks to score a combined 404 points and the return of BM favorite Clarence BEEFTANK as a key piece for the Memphis Grizzlies. If you're into sports games, trust me, you'll see one and you're hooked. | Microsoft Xbox Struggles in Big Hollywood Foray The Halo series that's to be produced by Steven Spielberg was announced last May, and we've yet to hear any details, a release timeline or even peep a video teaser for the project. Sure, we've heard about Ridley Scott's effort, but as for the main feature? Not much. This piece from Re/code takes a look at what's going on behind the scenes, while we wait for Scott's likely much shorter digital feature to premiere in November. Until then, we're left watching Master Chief's console-based exploits. |
How Facebook is Streamlining the Web Facebook's annual F8 event took place this past week, and the most notable announcements had little to do with new app reveals or major feature introductions. Many of the important tweaks came in the form of small changes aimed at improving the experience across desktop and mobile usage. As Mark Wilson writes, "Facebook wants to knock down the walls separating our phones and desktops, and our apps and web pages." | This is What a WWE Raw Script Looks Like At some point, anyone who's seen a pro wrestling match has wondered whether or not it's fake. Well, thanks to a post from Deadspin this week, we can finally set our minds at ease. What's interesting is that while the outcomes are in fact scripted, how the two wrestlers reach the final bell is left up to them. |
[Image credit: Leon Morris/Redferns via Getty Images]
