Pop has discovered a shortcut: borrow a tune people already love, then talk over it until nothing is left to enjoy. Bebe Rexha's “New Religion” does it to Faithless's “Insomnia”, one of the greatest club records ever made. Somebody else wrote the melody. The chatter is all hers.
Tag: writing
Phishing Has Discovered Swiss German, and It Is Glorious
Phishing has discovered Swiss German, with predictably glorious results. Armed with AI, scammers are now localising their emails into synthetic dialect, apparently unaware that Swiss German is spoken everywhere but written very selectively. The result is less sophisticated social engineering than a cultural misunderstanding with a malicious link attached.
When we said: “We’ll get Max!”
As children, we did not need comic-book superheroes. We had our own. In our corner of the Zürcher Oberland, the ultimate name was Max Wolfensberger, a figure of almost mythical strength, borrowed from the adult world and transformed into childhood legend. Only many years later did I discover the real man behind the name, and with that discovery came not disillusionment, but a deeper tenderness for both him and the beautiful innocence of those early years.
A mostly warm Christmas Note
December has that strange effect on people. Suddenly we are all reflective, forgiving, and emotionally available. At least on the outside. Inside, most of us are just tired, overfed, and quietly hoping nobody brings up politics at the dinner table.…
