An exploration of the city behind Chongqing's cyberpunk image. From trains running through apartment buildings to streets stacked above streets, this video traces how mountainous terrain, wartime history and rapid development shaped the city. Beyond the viral views, it asks what happens when a place begins to build itself around its image—and what gets left out of the frame.

 

AJC producer Fraser Jones bought a pair of American-style jeans in Tokyo and began wondering how Japan became a global hub for premium selvedge denim.

Denim was once deeply rooted in the American South, from cotton fields to the mills that produced the fabric. Today, some of the world’s most coveted denim is made in Japan, where American denim traditions have been preserved and reinvented.

In the latest episode of “Curiosities of the South,” Fraser travels across Georgia and beyond to explore the history of American denim, the decline of Southern denim manufacturing and how Japanese denim makers helped preserve the traditions behind selvedge denim. He also examines whether American denim manufacturing can make a comeback.

[–] [S] 7 points 1 month ago (1 child)

Be careful what you wish for.

By valuing only efficiency and utility, you end up creating a world where everything follows the same bland cookie-cutter style, where every city looks the same and where corporations can easily shape and control our needs and wants.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 month ago (3 children)

    Ferrari does things primarily to sell cars, because it’s a company, a for-profit organisation.

    Toyota sells more cars than Ferrari. Do you think that if Ferrari should starts building more cars like Toyota it will be good for them long-term?

    Are you familiar with the doorman fallacy?

    According to data they seem to be doing fine

    So is McDonald's.

    The argument is not that things stopped being popular. It's that they are becoming uniformly similar in a bland way.

    Why should anyone care if the answer is seemingly an uninspired “stop liking things I don’t like”?

    If you actually watch the video, perhaps you can understand why. But it seems you are more interested in sticking to your preconceived notions than listening to someone with opinions of their own.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 month ago (5 children)

    Status symbols not having a common appeal

    You really should watch the video instead of arguing past the point. The main thing about the car is not that is lacks a "common appeal", but exactly the opposite. It takes no risks, it ends up lacking any distinguishing feature and becomes a regular consumer product. "Common appeal" is all it has.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 month ago (7 children)

    My guess is that Ferrari as a business cares only about taste of people who can afford their products.

    The people who can afford and actually buying the Luce are not doing because the car is sexy or a unquestionable example of "cool". They are buying it to signal status. They don't care about "taste".

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  • [–] [S] 5 points 1 month ago (9 children)

    Watch the video, and you see he argues that being a commercial success does not mean it is cool. Quite the opposite: it means that the companies are only creating products that are "safe" and follow a formula that has been proven to work.

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    Design Theory examines how the modern design landscape has shifted toward a sterile, homogeneous aesthetic driven by algorithmic influence rather than genuine human emotion. By analyzing cars, consumer technology, and urban planning, the exploration reveals how this trend impacts our connection to products and the future, challenging the necessity of sacrificing soul for efficiency.

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