| 1. The delocalization of culture creates unpredictable new ways of coming up. "The phrase became the title of a mixtape they made in the basement and released on SoundCloud at the beginning of 2014. It was full of airy synths — indebted to ambient composers like Klaus Schulze and Erik Wøllo, who they were listening to at the time — and rolling hi-hats paired with a capellas from Lil B, Gucci Mane, and a TED Talk about death in the 21st century by intensive care specialist Peter Saul. The name stuck, and though it came out of the depths of unhappiness, it was never meant to be flagrantly morbid. 'It’s like saying you’re alive: living, breathing, drinking, smoking, working on dying,' F1LTHY says. Loosie adds: 'It’s just a humble reminder.' Around the same time that Working On Dying first started making music together, Meek Mill was rolling out his debut studio album and Philly’s rap scene was still very much geared toward the cyphers where he had first cut his teeth. F1LTHY, Oogie, Loosie, Brandon, and Forza instead looked to the internet, where they found a community of like-minded collaborators and listeners. 'People were so stuck in that Philly shit,' F1LTHY says. 'I was like, ‘Fuck all that, I’m down to work with whoever.'" 2. People's ideas about how the economy is supposed to work are a potent political force. "It just matters that it did happen, and it caused the economy to shift away from people’s expectations that were set after the war: That there’s a broad middle class without systematic inequality, where your neighbors next door and a few miles down the road live a life that’s pretty similar to yours. Part of the reason these expectations have stuck around for 35 years after they shifted away from reality is because they felt so good for so many people when they were valid. Something that good – or at least the impression that it was that good – isn’t easy to let go of. So people haven’t let go of it. They want it back." 3. A fascinating look at the logistical challenges African makers face. "These four companies are very different. Risha was founded and run on a small scale out of a makerspace; Lumkani has used a combination of crowdfunding and grants; Tranos serves local businesses as a contract manufacturer; BURN ships overseas at a large volume. Each faces similar supply chain challenges, and has made sacrifices in an effort to produce exportable technology and grow a sustainable business. For these companies, reducing their supply chain woes would greatly improve their operations. With an improved clearing process and more efficient ports, BURN would be able to predict their sales closer to the time of sale and maintain a smaller inventory. With a more informed customs force, Risha can source diodes to produce laser cutters on a schedule. Tranos would get their new products to market faster and ship their tools faster enabled by smoother freight forwarding. While with enough stock on their hands, Lumkani would deliver bulk orders more confidently." 4. On tipping Amazon warehouse workers. "Think about how it would feel to walk up to the gates of a fulfillment center and ask the person standing out front to go find you a tube of toothpaste, and what it would feel like if they actually shuffled off into the miserable pandemonium to get it for you. Think about how you might slip that person a cash dollar for their trouble so that they would hate their boss more than they hate you and all of humanity. And think about how shifting this loyalty is absolutely the last thing that Amazon wants. Think about why Amazon doesn't want to make tipping possible, lest you feel one moment of guilt for what it does in your name." 5. A reminder of how different campus clashes were in the late 1960s. "By the end of the semester on January 31, 1969, there had been 731 arrests on campus; more than 80 students were reported injured as they were arrested, and others were hurt and not arrested. Thirty-two policemen were injured on the campus. Damage to campus buildings exceeded $16,000; there were scores of small fires and a major one in a vice president's office. Eight bombs were planted on campus, and two firebombs were hurled at and into the home of an assistant to the president. In mid-February, a campus guard received head injuries from a bomb that exploded at the entrance to the ad- ministration building. Three weeks later, on March 5, 1969, a 19-year-old Negro sophomore in social sciences was partially blinded and maimed when a time bomb-which police said he was installing exploded in the Creative Arts Building. Ordnance specialists discovered two other bombs, one of them with six sticks of dynamite, in a nearby room. But why did all this happen at San Francisco State College?" [six sticks of dynamite, in a nearby room] | 