The Failed Promise of Digital Content: a recap, part 6

We were promised exhaustive libraries of digital content available anytime and anywhere, but those promises have come up short.
Since May 2009, I have written about the shortcomings of the internet and digital media when it comes to content – music, video, news articles, archived information, etc.
Here is an index of parts 76 to 100 of the series “The Failed Promise of Digital Content.”

Part 76: Poof! More disappearing websites
Part 77: Movies not available on DVD – Quentin Tarantino edition
Part 78: The Netflix DVD library is slowly losing movies
Part 79: Twitter needs to archive more than just accounts of deceased users
Part 80: The TSA has outlasted its critics
Part 81: Netflix DVDs: ‘We’re in the endgame now’
Part 82: Disappearing online content is like a David Copperfield act
Part 83: Many movies likely skipping DVD release as physical format fades
Part 84: Qwest was wrong; You can’t access every movie ever made online
Part 85: Vanishing online videos
Part 86: More ways videos disappear online: Content moderation, business deals
Part 87: The ephemeral internet: Disappearing journalism, personal photos and President Trump’s tweets
Part 88: Netflix is taking away the ability of subscribers to reorder their streaming lists
Part 89: Rotten Tomatoes is the best review aggregator, but it needs improving
Part 90: 15% of top movie musicals are not available online
Part 91: 15% of top film noir titles are not available online
Part 92: 7 movies recommended by Quentin Tarantino are not available online
Part 93: More notable movies not available online: filmmaker and critic picks
Part 94: Link rot problem: Why bother using weblinks anymore?
Part 95: The most-wanted movies that aren’t available online in any form, according to Reelgood
Part 96: The most-wanted TV series that aren’t available online in any form, according to Reelgood
Part 97: Missing Movies: Many movies are unavailable for streaming, rental or purchase
Part 98: Locating movies and TV shows online is becoming a major hassle
Part 99: The end of movies on disc is nigh
Part 100: Disappearing web services due to changes at X, aka Twitter

Photo: “Internet” photo by Flickr user Fisakov via Openverse.

The internet is awash in broken links

It’s an unfortunate truism that nothing is permanent on the internet. This is a shame for anyone who values information and entertainment on the web.
Websites regularly disappear along with their content. Sometimes publishers purge older content from their websites. This leads to a lot of “broken links” when web surfers click on a hyperlink to find information but get an error message instead.
A study by the Pew Research Center showed how bad the problem of “digital decay” is. Pew said a quarter of all webpages that existed at one point between 2013 and 2023 are no longer accessible.
The older the content is the worse the “link rot” problem is. Some 38% of webpages that existed in 2013 are not available today, Pew said in its May report.
The study also showed that 11% of all references linked on Wikipedia are no longer accessible.
The issue of disappearing content also applies to social media sites like X, formerly Twitter.
Meanwhile, an important repository of internet information, the nonprofit Internet Archive, is fighting copyright lawsuits that threaten its future.
It’s not a pretty picture.

Related articles:

When Media Outlets Shutter, Why Are the Websites Wiped, Too? (Slate; Feb. 24, 2024)

When Online Content Disappears (Pew Research; May 17, 2024)

The internet is full of broken links (Sherwood, May 22, 2024)

The Internet Archive’s Fight to Save Itself (Wired; Sept. 27, 2024)

Photos: Illustration produced by Dall-E 3 (top); Chart from Pew Research Center.

Who is behind the ‘Macaroni & Beef in Sauce Standard’?

I recently purchased a Stouffer’s Macaroni & Beef frozen meal. The box cover advertises “30% More Meat” with an asterisk. The asterisk leads to small print that says “Required by the Macaroni & Beef in Sauce Standard.” The what?
A standard that requires more protein in a dish sounds like a good thing. But what entity is behind this “standard.” Well, the box doesn’t say.
So, first, I searched the internet, of course. The only thing I could find that was even close to relevant was a March 14, 2023, commercial item description (CID) of “macaroni and beef in tomato sauce” from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The fact that we have CIDs for food items seems like an overreach by the administrative state. Requiring a detailed list of ingredients on the packaging is one thing. Banning certain unhealthy chemicals and ingredients in food also is good. And having general requirements about freshness of food items and things like that also are fine. But having to describe noodle types and other aspects of macaroni and beef in tomato sauce doesn’t sound necessary.
However, one thing that the CID for “macaroni and beef in tomato sauce” doesn’t have is a “sauce standard.”
All the document says is: “The sauce shall contain tomato puree or tomato paste. The sauce may contain diced tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, sweeteners, thickeners, salt, and spices, including garlic and other spices common to tomato-based sauce.”
It doesn’t say how much meat it needs.
So, next I contacted Stouffer’s, a unit of conglomerate Nestle. They never responded. So, the mystery continues.

The end of movie discs is troubling for cinema fans

The end days are fast approaching for movies on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. And I’m saddened by what that means for cinema fans like me.
Blu-ray Discs in particular are great for getting the best quality picture and audio. Plus, they come with extras like deleted scenes and making-of documentaries.
I recently watched “Lethal Weapon” (1987) as a pay-per-view movie from Amazon.com. It was an OK viewing experience but the video and sound quality weren’t the best.
I don’t mourn the loss of physical media and all the storage issues that brings. But there’s not an adequate digital alternative like there is for music.
Spotify has basically any album or song you want to listen to. And it’s all available for one low monthly subscription price.
With movies, you have to subscribe to multiple services to watch all the films that friends and critics recommend. And then there are the TV series. I currently subscribe to Netflix, Max, Disney+ and Apple TV+, as well as Kanopy from my public library. And I subscribe to cable TV for live news and sports. That’s a pretty expensive bill.
Signs of the decline of movies on disc are easy to see.
In October 2023, Netflix shut down its DVD-by-mail service.
That same month, consumer electronics retailer Best Buy announced that it would stop sales of DVDs and Blu-ray Discs by early 2024.
In April 2024, discount retailer Target announced that it planned to stop in-store sales of DVDs and Blu-ray Discs by 2025.
In July, the Redbox rental kiosk business shut down after its corporate parent Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment filed for Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy.
Movie lovers unfortunately will have to roll with the changes.

Photos: DVDs and Blu-ray Discs on sale at Target during holiday season 2023. (Patrick Seitz)

Song of Summer 2024: ‘I Had Some Help’; Breakout artist: Chappell Roan

As is customary for Labor Day weekend and the unofficial end of summer, it’s time to crown the song of summer. This year’s honoree, based on Billboard charts, is “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone and featuring Morgan Wallen.
It currently is the No. 1 song on Billboard’s Song of Summer chart and has been the top song for 13 weeks. The rowdy country party song debuted on May 10.
Featured artist Morgan Wallen had last year’s song of summer with “Last Night.”
An early contender for 2024 song of summer was Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.” The hit pop tune premiered on April 11 but peaked too soon in the season.
Meanwhile, my choice for artist of summer 2024 is Chappell Roan. She exploded onto the scene from seemingly nowhere and has ruled the charts with songs like “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Hot To Go!”
Her set at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago on Aug. 1 drew a massive crowd, worthy of a headliner. (See articles by Yahoo Entertainment, WGN TV and Rolling Stone.)
Runners-up for artist of summer include Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX.
Taylor Swift dubbed the season the “Summer of Sabrina” in reference to the younger artist’s hit songs and sold-out tour. (See article by the Daily Mail.)
Meanwhile, Charli XCX’s “Brat” album had “an undeniable cultural moment,” Rolling Stone said. Vice President Kamala Harris even coopted the aesthetic for her presidential campaign. (See article by Today.)

Recent songs of summer

2018   “In My Feelings” by Drake
2019   “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
2020   “Rockstar” by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch
2021   “Good 4 U” by Olivia Rodrigo
2022   “As It Was” by Harry Styles
2023   “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen
2024   “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone and featuring Morgan Wallen

Music artist of summer

2018   Cardi B
2019   Billie Eilish
2020   Doja Cat
2021   Olivia Rodrigo
2022   Harry Styles
2023   Taylor Swift
2024   Chappell Roan

Other opinions on Song of Summer 2024:

8 Correct Answers to ‘What Was the Song of the Summer?’ (New York Times; Aug. 23, 2024)

‘Song of the summer’ may be dead, but 2024 was the summer of song (Midia Research; Aug. 22, 2024)

‘It invites the listener to join in’: How Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso became the song of the summer (Aug. 21, 2024)

What’s 2024’s “song of the summer”? (Vox; July 29, 2024)

What’s the Song of the Summer? Let’s Do the Math (Rolling Stone; July 28, 2024)

Who will have the 2024 song of the summer? We offer some predictions (AP; June 18, 2024)

The Musical History Lesson Buried Beneath the Song of the Summer (Slate; June 4, 2024)

Mascot Hall of Fame closing its doors

One of the oddest halls of fame that you can visit is the Mascot Hall of Fame in Whiting, Indiana. But sadly the hall is closing its doors in September to make way for a development project by BP, the British multinational oil and gas company. The Mascot Hall of Fame will continue to exist online as a virtual hall.
The Mascot Hall of Fame celebrates famous North American sports mascots for professional and college teams like the Phillie Phanatic, Mr. Met, Benny the Bull, Bucky Badger and Nittany Lion.
The museum opened in December 2018 but faced sustainability challenges, relying heavily on partnerships, donations and public funding.
The Mascot Hall of Fame is holding a “Grand FURnale” event on Sept. 14.
The physical location billed itself as an interactive children’s museum. That limited its appeal, in my opinion. I would have been interested in visiting the Mascot Hall of Fame if it were more of a museum that broadly examined the history of mascots. That includes not just sports but consumer products and services.
The hall needs to consider that if it opens a new physical location somewhere else.

Related articles:

Beloved Mascot Hall of Fame to close in Whiting (WGN; July 24, 2024)

Mascot Hall of Fame in NW Indiana to close (Fox 59; July 22, 2024)

Halls of fame for rhythm and blues, gospel music and more still hoping for physical homes

The New Jersey Hall of Fame just opened a physical location for visitors to learn more about the Garden State’s most important citizens. But many other organizations are still trying to open brick-and-mortar hall-of-fame museums for their passions.
What follows is a few that have announced locations for their potential halls of fame.

National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame

In September 2022, the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Foundation held a groundbreaking ceremony in Marks, Miss. It hopes to build a “permanent brick-and-mortar state-of-the-art world-class complex” to house the R&B hall of fame, according to a press release.
But as of October 2023, when a Google Maps Street View car drove by the site, there had been no construction activity. There also haven’t been any progress reports published by the R&B hall or news agencies lately.
Since 2013, the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame has inducted over 200 artists including James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Prince and Elvis Presley. But the hall remains virtual.

Gospel Music Hall of Fame

The Gospel Music Hall of Fame of Missouri hopes to turn the former Second Baptist Church in St. Louis. Mo., into a 40,000-square-foot museum, education, cultural and performing arts center. It looks to create Missouri’s first Gospel Music Hall of Fame Art Museum and Research Center. (See article by St. Louis Public Radio.)

College Baseball Hall of Fame

In January, the College Baseball Foundation announced plans to build the College Baseball Hall of Fame within the existing Museum at Prairiefire in Overland Park, Kan.
The foundation had previously considered building a museum on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

Indiana Sports Hall of Fame

Organizers of the Indiana Sports Hall of Fame announced on July 4 that they had found a location for a future museum. The group has secured six acres at the Irvington Plaza shopping center on the east side of Indianapolis.
The group hopes to build a 60,000-square-foot building that will house the hall of fame as well as a banquet space, sports bar and outdoor activity area.
Indiana is already home to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in New Castle, Ind., and Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in Jasper, Ind. Plus, it has the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum in Indianapolis. The state previously had a physical museum for the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in Richmond, Ind., but it closed in 2021.

Mobile Sports Hall of Fame

The Mobile Sports Hall of Fame in Mobile, Ala., is looking to open an interactive museum in the lobby of the RSA Battle House Tower, according to AL.com. There is currently a mural in the lobby that depicts local sports greats like Hank Aaron and Satchel Paige.
Meanwhile, the city is building a Hall of Fame Walk with bronze statues of sports heroes outside the Mobile Convention Center. The area is called Heroes Plaza. That project is expected to be completed in late 2024 or early 2015, according to 1819 News and NBC 15 News.

Other physical halls of fame have been considered in recent years. They include a proposed UFC Hall of Fame and WWE Hall of Fame.