Monday Assorted Links: Prison Record Label, AI, Sewing Machines, North Korean Smartphones, and SSI Update
Key Takeaways
- •A BBC report examines a Cameroonian prison that operates its own record label.
- •A discussion by Noah focuses on what AI will do for people and how generative systems may affect work and productivity.
- •A CRC TR 224 paper studies the historical impact of the sewing machine on women’s labor and household production.
- •A Washington Post article describes smartphone use in North Korea under Kim Jong Un within a tightly controlled information environment.
- •The Coase Institute is accepting applications for its next Workshop on Institutional Analysis in Mexico City, with a deadline of July 31, 2026.
-
A BBC report looks at a Cameroonian prison that has its own record label, adding an unusual example of how cultural production can emerge inside correctional institutions rather than only outside them.
-
Noah discusses what AI will do for us exactly, a question that sits at the center of ongoing debates over how quickly generative systems will change work, productivity, and everyday tasks.
-
A paper from the CRC TR 224 archive examines the impact of the sewing machine on women, revisiting how a general-purpose technology can reshape labor, household production, and access to paid work over time.
-
Alex Finn asks whether GPTVoice will boost labor supply. See the post here: https://x.com/AlexFinn/status/2081408374315602338
-
A Washington Post article looks at smartphones in North Korea and what it is like to use one under Kim Jong Un, where access to a familiar consumer device is shaped by a highly controlled information environment.
-
Ilya Sutskever shares an update on SSI. See the post here: https://x.com/ilyasut/status/2081732293161582930
-
“There is still time for interested scholars to apply to our next Coase Institute Workshop on Institutional Analysis, which will be held in Mexico City, Mexico, from December 6–12, 2026. We would greatly appreciate it if you could remind your students and colleagues to apply before the July 31, 2026 deadline at: .”