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If you’ve always wanted to donate to Wikipedia but needed an extra nudge to do so, a new capsule collection by the German fashion brand Armedangels could be that reason. To mark Wikipedia’s forthcoming 25th anniversary next year, Armedangels designed a 14-piece collection that turns design features from the Wikipedia user interface and experience into brand elements. Its signature bright cobalt blue, called “hyperlink blue,” is a key color, along with white and yellow core colors. One design, featured on a T-shirt and sweatshirt, uses an iconic 1972 image of Earth called “Blue Marble” that was taken during the Apollo 17 mission and is in the public domain. [Photo: Armedangels] A text excerpt from “The Blue Marble” Wikipedia page is below the image, which is one of the most widely reproduced images in the world and “celebrates the freedom of knowledge,” according to the product description. Wikipedia’s serif W logo is featured throughout. The collection is available now via the Armedangels website. The Armedangels x Wikipedia collection includes items that equate knowledge to progress, with shirts promoting freedom, peace, and equality. Ball caps with slogans like “Open Source of Information” and “Yes, I know,” are fan merch for people who love going down multi-tab Wikipedia rabbit holes. The items range in price from about $16 for socks, $48 for hats, $57 for T-shirts, and $114 for sweatshirts. [Photo: Armedangels] The nonprofit Wikimedia Foundationwhich also operates tools like Wikimedia Commons and Wikibookssaw annual revenue of more than $180 million in 2024, more than $170 million of which came from donations (though it says just 2% of Wikipedia readers donate). Some hypebeast apparel might be able to nominally improve that percentage, and it comes as the site itself has become a political lightning rod, facing increasing attacks from some on the right. [Photo: Armedangels] Armedangels says every piece is made from 100% recycled material, and 12% of sales proceeds go to the Wikimedia Foundation. It’s “sustainability meets free knowledge,” as the fashion brand says. “Because when we know better, we do better.” Like the pro-reading, anti-book-ban capsule collection for Penguin Random House by Online Ceramics, Armedangels x Wikipedia lends street-fashion cred to book smartsand it raises money for valuable education resources at a time when anti-intellectualism is on the rise, and our information ecosystem has become especially polluted. Supporting a free online encyclopedia is one way to fight back. For Wikipedia, its volunteers, readers, and fans, the site is an effective line of defense against misinformation and ignorance. Now they have a limited-edition streetwear line that feels the same way.
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E-Commerce
You sit down to tackle your to-do list, full of energy and ambitionbut 20 minutes later, you’re bouncing between emails, Slack notifications, and random tabs about vacation deals. Another hour slips away. Sound familiar? In today’s distraction-saturated workplaces, focus has become one of the most valuableand elusiveskills we can master. The good news is that the focus isn’t just a matter of willpower. It’s a rhythm that can be trained, like learning how to play an instrument. Drawing from decades as a professional musician and a consultant in neuroscience-based productivity strategies, I’ve seen firsthand how much the brain responds to rhythm, structure, and intentional habits. Just like musicians tune their instruments and warm up before a concert, you can “tune” your brain to perform at its peak during the workday. Neuroscience backs this up: When we align our work with our brain’s natural cycles and cognitive strengths, we get more donewith less stress. Here’s how to use music-inspired rituals and brain science to sharpen your focus at work. Sync Your Brain to the Beat with Rhythmic Work Blocks Think of your workday like a symphony: It should rise and fall with a natural rhythm, not be an endless marathon of tasks. Our brains function in ultradian rhythms, alternating between 90- and 120-minute cycles of alertness and fatigue. Pioneering sleep researcher Nathaniel Kleitman discovered these cycles decades ago, and more recent studies, like those published in Progress in Brain Research, confirm that pushing beyond them leads to cognitive exhaustion. Instead of battling fatigue, structure your day into focused sprints followed by intentional breaks. Aim for 45 to 90 minutes of deep work, then take a 10- to 20-minute recovery break. How to do it: Set a timer for 60 minutes of focused work. Step away after the timer goes offstretch, walk, breathe. Repeat the cycle two or three times for maximum cognitive performance. Just as music isn’t continuous noise without rests, your brain needs pauses to maintain focus. Set a Daily “Tempo” Check Before musicians start playing, they check the tempo and key of the piece. You should do the same with your mental state. Research published in The Journal of Neuroscience shows that emotions significantly influence attention and cognitive flexibility. If you’re tired, anxious, or distracted, deep strategic work may be unrealistic for that moment. Taking a few minutes each morning to assess your energy levels gives you agency over your day rather than letting it control you. How to do it: Quickly rate your current focus and energy from 1 to 10. If you’re below a 5, begin the day with lighter tasks like email cleanup or administrative work to build momentum. Reserve your high-focus worklike strategic planning or deep analysisfor when your tempo feels strong. Self-awareness builds cognitive resilience and keeps you from setting unrealistic expectations that undercut your performance. Use Music (Strategically) to Trigger Flow States Music can either help you focus or completely derail you. It depends on how you use it. Studies from Stanford University show that listening to music engages areas of the brain involved with paying attention and making predictions. However, lyrics and sharp tempo changes can split our attention and decrease deep focus. To enter a productive flow state, choose music that supports sustained concentration: Instrumental tracks Consistent rhythms Ambient sounds or lo-fi beats Some productivity apps, like Brain.fm, use neuroscience-based compositions to optimize focus. For example, lo-fi hip-hop playlists on Spotify are popular because of their steady, nondistracting beats. How to do it: Build a “focus playlist” with 1 to 2 hours of instrumental music. Use it only during work sessions when you want to mentally prime for deep focus. Over time, your brain will associate this music with “work mode” and transition more quickly into flow. Set a “Cue and Play” Ritual Before Deep Work Before performing onstage, musicians don’t just walk out cold. They have rituals: tuning instruments, breathing exercises, and visualization. Creating a consistent prework ritual signals your brain that it’s time for focus. This taps into a principle known as implementation intention, a psychological strategy proven to increase goal attainment by 300%, according to research published in Psychological Science. How to do it: Create a three-step warm-up to do before every deep work session. Stretch for two minutes. Brew a cup of tea or light a candle. Put on your focus playlist. These small, intentional actions trigger the brain’s “ready” state, helping you transition more smoothly into concentration. Rituals transform discipline into automatic behaviorfreeing up mental energy for actual work. Break Projects Into Rhythmic Movements Like symphonies with movementsintro, crescendo, finalebig projects need natural segmentation, or a way of breaking things up into smaller categories. The human brain can comfortably hold about 4 to 7 items in working memory at once (as per research published in Cognitive Psychology). Large, ambiguous tasks overwhelm that limit, causing procrastination and fatigue. How to do it: Divide big projects into distinct phases: planning, drafting, editing, review, and delivery. Set milestone markers between each phase so you get a sense of closure as you progress. By thinking in “movements” rather than one massive project, you build momentum and reduce your cognitive overload. Eliminate “Syncopation,” or Unnecessary Disruptions In music, syncopationunexpected shifts in rhythmadds excitement. At work, unexpected disruptions usually add chaos. Studies from the University of California, Irvine, found that it takes 23 minutes to refocus fully after a distraction. Every ping, notification, or email breaks your cognitive rhythm and burns valuable attention energy. How to do it: Schedule deep work sprits, where you put devices on Do Not Disturb. Use apps like Freedom, Cold Turkey, or RescueTime to block distracting sites during these periods. Tell your team when youre in a focused block so that they know not to interrupt unless it is urgent. You can put focus blocks on your work calendar that are visible to everyone, or even better, set your Slack status to in deep work. Guard your rhythm the way a conductor guards the tempo of an orchestra. Otherwise, you’re allowing random inputs to conduct your brain for you. Use Silence to Reset Your Brains Rhythm In music, silence isn’t absenceit’s intentional space that gives the sound its shape. Similarly, research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that periods of intentional silence promote brain regeneration, particularly in the hippocampus, which is associated with memory and learning. Small doses of quiet can dramatically reset attention and creativity. How to do it: After every major work block, spend 3 to 5 minutes in silence. No music. No podcasts. No screens. Just focus on breathing and mental stillness. This small practice strengthens your brain’s default mode networkthe cognitive system responsible for creativity, problem-solving, and insight. In a world addicted to noise, silence can become your competitive advantage. Tune Your Brain Like an Instrument The ability to focus isn’t just a matter of working harder. It’s about working in rhythm with your brain’s natural cycles. By intentionally syncing with your cognitive rhythmsthrough music-inspired rituals, breaks, warm-ups, and boundariesyou can dramatically improve your ability to enter deep work states, stay there longer, and feel less drained at the end of the day. You don’t need more apps, hacks, or superhuman willpower to focus. You need a better rhythm. Treat your day like a musical performance, and your brain will follow the beat.
Category:
E-Commerce
A decade ago, the easiest way in the front door at a restaurant was often to callor even just show up for a meal. Now, its far easier to book ahead, and the list of ways to get a coveted seat at the table is growing to include some surprising places. The countrys two largest delivery apps, DoorDash and Uber Eats, have both shared plans in recent weeks to add restaurant reservations to their apps. A crowded field Over the past few years, restaurant reservationsespecially the hot oneshave become a type of currency. Call it a post-COVID return to socializing or our increased excitement to plan ahead; prime-time tables at top restaurants have gotten harder to secure than some concert tickets. Now, online scalpers target and resell hot reservations for a profit. The right credit card, a prestige Amex or a status Visa, comes with special access to popular reservations. Or, you can buy your way in through a number of app-based services that work with restaurants to secure high-value tables. In short, just about any company with a vested interest in restaurants wants to help you get a leg upand insidethe front door. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/Expedite-Icon-E-white-background.jpg.jpg","headline":"Expedite","description":"Restaurant technology and the big ideas shaping the future of hospitality, by Kristen Hawley. To learn more visit expedite.news","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.expedite.news\/","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}} Ubers entry That list now includes third-party delivery services, a once unlikely partner for restaurants hoping to coax diners off their couches. Last week, Uber Eats shared details of a deal with OpenTable, the countrys largest reservations provider, that lets Eats users book restaurant tables inside its app. Uber will add a new dine out tab inside its delivery app later this year for reservations, exclusive discounts and deals, and in-app ride booking. Ubers subscription Uber One customers even get priority access to top tables set aside just for them. Or, as Ubers senior director of delivery engineering, Rohan Mathew, said onstage as he detailed the program, Your whole night is covered: deals, reservations, and rides. Ease and convenience Third-party delivery apps dont have the most hospitable reputation with restaurants. Operators frequently lament the high cost of commissions and a frustrating lack of customer data from the services. Still, diners want the convenience of takeout and delivery. According to just-released data from the National Restaurant Association, 37% of adults order delivery once a week. With so much business happening outside the four walls of a restaurant, it makes sense that full-service operators want their tables listed in as many places as possible. At OpenTable, weve watched dining out evolve over the past 20 yearsand this is the next chapter, OpenTable CEO Debby Soo said over email. Diners want ease and convenience when planning a night out, and were here to deliver that wherever it makes sense for them and our restaurant partners. The DoorDash plan Soo says the company has over 150 tech partners, now including Uber, that it considers high-converting channels where it helps connect diners to the restaurants on its platform. This includes Uber Eats top competitor, DoorDash, which announced the acquisition of reservations and customer relationship management company SevenRooms for $1.2 billion earlier this month. When the deal closes later this year, reservations will likely find their way into the DoorDash appthough the company hasnt confirmed exactly how or when. We are just at the start of this transaction, so there are a lot of answers we dont have in detail, said Parisa Sadrzadeh, DoorDash vice president of strategy and operations, noting that she would anticipate a way for people to book reservations inside the DoorDash app. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/Expedite-Icon-E-white-background.jpg.jpg","headline":"Expedite","description":"Restaurant technology and the big ideas shaping the future of hospitality, by Kristen Hawley. To learn more visit expedite.news","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.expedite.news\/","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}}
Category:
E-Commerce
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