Hit Charade. Meet the unknowns who actually create the songs that top the charts. The songwriters Behind the Hits of Katy Perry and Taylor Swift | The Atlantic
Pop music is an algorithm. We all recognize an artist because "more of the same" Little do we know that a handful of writers compose the vast majority of todays hit songs. Not that it surprises me, in the end it is all about commercial success. (September 14, 2015)

Tonke Dragt interview: ‘I was born a fairytale teller’ | The Guardian
As a kid I probably read "The Letter to the King". It is amazing that an author in a country where the number of young readers at any given time never tops one million, has been translated into English. (September 19, 2015)

Mecca Then and Now, 126 Years of Growth | The Atlantic
This photoseries shows how massive the annual pilgrimage to Mecca just is. It also highlights how much Mecca has grown in the last century, in part by the destruction of early Islamic heritage sites. The tiny dot in the middle of the picture is the kaaba. (September 29, 2015)

Artists Disney and Miyazaki Connect to Other Worlds | The Epoch Times
There certainly is a lot of magic in Disney and Studio Ghibli. Even more interestingly, Ghibli will open a theme park on Okinawa in 2017. (September 27, 2015)

The Fake Traffic Schemes That Are Rotting the Internet | Bloomberg
Websites that buy and sell traffic are worse than consumers who block adds. Advertiser Kellog asked for itemized bills from various ad agencies but they refused, so they cut out the middle man. (September 24, 2015)

The hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia | Yahoo
ISIS has nothing to do with Islam. A religion with billions of followers deserves more respect. Western newsoutlets should report on the hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage. Somebody also explain to the "Christian" commenters why they are wrong. (September 23, 2015)

Neuroscience backs up the Buddhist belief that “the self” isn’t constant, but ever-changing | Quartz
Buddhists argue that nothing is constant, everything changes through time, you have a constantly changing stream of consciousness. Neurosciences now support the claim there is no such thing as an unchanging self. (September 20, 2015)

Doctor Who vs real world science: who comes up trumps? | The Conversation
Series Nine of Dr Who starts tonight and Clara will be gone before Christmas. Now that's what i call an early Christmas present. As for the Doctor, he tends to follow where the Master/Missy goes. Mmm. Interesting. (September 18, 2015)

U.S. training helped mold top Islamic State military commander | McClatchy
Rebels without a cause. Chechens stuck in Istanbul join ISIS for fighting, paychecks and wives. Batirashvili, a great battlefield commander legitimized ISIS in the Caucasus by the power of his exploits, which is amplified by slick ISIS propaganda. (September 15, 2015)

McRevolt: The Frustrating Life of the McDonald’s Franchisee | Bloomberg
McDonalds business is lagging. The company is looking for inspiration. A bewildering array of new products achieves rather the opposite. All day breafast anyone? Over 80 percent of restaurants are franchises and some are throwing in the towel. (September 16, 2015)