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Dec 23, 2020

Sprezzatura.

This is an Italian word that first appears in Baldassare Castiglione's 1528 The Book of the Courtier, where it is defined by the author as "a certain nonchalance, to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it" The courtier can display "an easy facility in accomplishing difficult actions which hide the conscious effort that went into them." Sprezzatura has also been described "as a form of defensive irony: the ability to disguise what one desires, feels, thinks, and means or intends behind a mask of apparent reticence and nonchalance.”

The word has entered the English language; the Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "studied carelessness," especially as a characteristic quality or style of art or literature.

The Mixed Bag: It was a weird year.

What happened to Lincoln’s missing bodyguard? TIME’s top 100 photos of the year encompass 2020 perfectly. Here’s some of the best stuff the TSA confiscated this year. NASA did what(!) to these monkeys? Confessions of a young banker. Sonos is fighting a war to stay relevant. The journalist and the pharma bro. Manchester United is in limbo. Saying goodbye to New York’s most famous clubhouse. The reign of the great fashion amateur. How much will data caps hurt game streaming?

Spanish designer reimagines the iconic DeLorean

A little more than 50 years ago began one of the most exciting time periods in automotive design, often referred to as the Wedge Era. Pioneered by legendary Italian car designers like Marcello Gandini and Giorgetto Giugiaro, the era was known for its low-profile, wedge-shaped cars that still look futuristic despite being almost half a century old. Dominated by the Italians, an unlikely hero emerged from the United States in the form of the iconic DeLorean DMC-12. A wedge-shaped car with a stainless steel body and gullwing doors, the wild sports car was immortalized after starring in the Back to the Future series during the late ‘80s, which turned it into a pop culture icon. Read more: Luxury Launches

A self-driving electric car…from Apple?

What NYU Professor, Scott Galloway, Thinks a Post-COVID World Will Look Like

Covid-19 has initiated some trends and altered the direction of others, but its most enduring impact will be as an accelerant. Take any trend--social, business, or personal--and fast-forward 10 years. Even if your company isn't living in the year 2030 yet, the pandemic has spurred changes in consumer behavior and markets.
Read more: INC

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Are Apple’s New AirPod Max’s Worth It?

If you have been considering the new AirPod Max headphones, you’ll want to look at this comparo. The best part of the tech in these headphones has to come in the form of Spatial Audio. Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking brings a theater-like sound that surrounds you from the movie or video you're watching so that it seems as if the sound is coming from all around you. The sound field stays mapped to the device, and the voice stays with the actor or action on screen. Read more here: Tom’s Guide