Design

  1. BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
  2. EDITOR'S PICK

The Story Of Birkenstock: Unlikely Rise Of A Billion Dollar Brand

Key Takeaway: Birkenstock, a German shoe brand, has been able to attract fashionistas and hippies to its flexible arch supports, despite its negative image. The brand, founded in 1774, has evolved from orthopaedic footwear to fashion, with its initial public offering predicted to be the third-largest US listing so far in 2023. Birkenstock’s “bubble up” […]
  1. ART & DESIGN
  2. EDITOR'S PICK
  3. PSYCHOLOGY

What Makes Horror Film Music Scary?

Key Takeaway: Horror films often incorporate musical influences from other genres, such as thrillers and action films, to create an ambiguous musical atmosphere. These ambiguous atmospheres are often achieved through a lack of conventional melody and dissonant harmonies. Repeated short melodies and tremolo techniques convey tension, while drones and sudden loud bursts of sound or […]
  1. ART & DESIGN
  2. EDITOR'S PICK
  3. SCIENCE

Why Every Scientist Needs An Artist

Key Takeaway: Jo Berry, an artist and lecturer in illustration, has been working with advanced microscopy specialists at Nottingham University for over ten years. She aims to foster connections between science and art by collaborating with scientists to create new representations, insights, and behavioral change. Berry has developed three methods of production: introspective digital drawing, […]
  1. ART & DESIGN
  2. CULTURE
  3. EDITOR'S PICK

How Video Games Are Reviving Classical Music

Key Takeaways: Starfield, a highly anticipated video game, allows players to build their own character and spacecraft, travel to multiple planets, and follow multiple story arcs. The game’s interactive music uses a palette of musical language that cultivates a contemplative soundscape, launching the listener into the vastness of space while remaining curious, innocent, and restrained. […]
  1. EDITOR'S PICK
  2. PSYCHOLOGY
  3. TECHNOLOGY

Does Social Media Warp How People Learn?

Key Takeaway: Online algorithms on social media platforms amplify information people are biased to learn from, leading to social misperceptions, conflict, and the spread of misinformation. This mismatch between human psychology and algorithm amplification can result in functional misalignment, leading to incorrect perceptions of the social world and the spread of misinformation. Research on this […]

Recently Published

A Guide To The Ideas Of Modern Philosopher Slavoj Žižek

Key Takeaway: Slavoj Žižek, a philosopher and cultural theorist, has written numerous books on various topics, including philosophy, psychoanalysis, pop culture, and commentary on recent events. He is known for his controversial debate with Jordan Peterson in 2019 about the connection between Marxism, capitalism, and happiness. Žižek’s work often critiques political ideologies, which can explain […]
Written by

Top Picks

Inside The Minds Of Magicians

Key Takeaway: A study examining the mental health of magicians found that they exhibited similar traits to people with mental illnesses like schizophrenia and autism. Magicians, who both create and perform their own shows, require precision and technical skills to entertain the audience. They scored lower on nearly every psychotic symptom compared to the general […]
Written by

The Paradoxical Life Of Elon Musk

Key Takeaway: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has a diverse career in space exploration, electric cars, AI, and social media. His biography, written by Walter Isaacson, covers events up to Space X’s unsuccessful Starship rocket launch in April 2023. Isaacson interviews Musk and uncovered newsworthy information, such as his Starlink satellite network’s crucial role […]
Written by

Trending

How China Is Transforming Its Economy Through Learning

I highly recommend reading the McKinsey Global Institute’s new report, “Reskilling China: Transforming The World’s Largest Workforce Into Lifelong Learners”, which focuses on the country’s biggest employment challenge, re-training its workforce and the adoption of practices such as lifelong learning to address the growing digital transformation of its productive fabric. How to transform the country […]
Written by

Join our Newsletter

Get our monthly recap with the latest news, articles and resources.

Login

Welcome to Empirics
We are glad you have decided to join our mission of gathering the collective knowledge of Asia!
Join Empirics