A photo by the Ukrainian Presidential Press reveals a rare sight — a dedicated hotline between two heads of state. Among various other phones in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, lies a Cisco 7975G Unified IP Phone that was used by Zelensky to contact US President Joe Biden in the weeks prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The phone sports a wallpaper of the White House, indicating it was probably a hotline connecting Zelensky’s and Biden’s offices. Read full article here
Oddities
Why Do Modern Pop Songs Have So Many Credited Writers?
The music industry has changed dramatically over the last few decades – with the number of songwriters credited on number one hits more than doubling. This is due to a combination of factors, including money, the computer and a changing definition of what songwriting is. For example, if The Beatles’ classic “I Feel Fine” was released today, it would likely have four writers credited instead of two, due to the influence of producers, samples and interpolations. With the rise of lawsuits, artists now preemptively add songwriter credits to their songs, even if the similarities between their song and the source material are coincidental. It all goes to show that the music industry is becoming more complex and competitive. Read full article here
Merv
March 29, 2023
