The Mixtape ft. Underground Markets, American Flag Laws, & The Search For Aliens

This week kicks off our first themed month of The Mixtape. Starting off the series will be discovering ‘Underground Markets’ and cultures. We will explore unique and niche industries that you may or may not have ever heard of. It’s all a part of the quest to broaden our understanding culture and consumerism.

One of the fascinating things about people is how diverse we are. Largely due to the internet and our ability to connect with one another, we have created microcultures with like-minded individuals all over the world. For a simple example, look at the plethora of subreddits on the Reddit community. There are hundreds of forums for virtually every topic you can imagine. Reddit has connected communities and created an identity for millions of people around the world. Whether you need some financial advice or just want to brag about your new mountain bike, there’s a subreddit out there for you.

That’s just one, simple example. A blog post discussing the topic will be put together soon and posted this July.

The Supreme Retirement Plan: How to Become a Millionaire by Flipping Streetwear

Have you ever met somebody that religiously collects shoes? Have you seen their collection? You probably look at them with pure confusion. They collect t-shirts, tennis shoes, hats, backpacks, and several other articles of clothing with a cultish vigor. There is actually an entire industry around this culture. The streetwear and urban fashion community is not one that you are likely to run into in Boise or even Seattle for that matter, but they are driving a multi-billion dollar industry and creating millionaires with their followings. If you have never heard of Supreme, a staple brand behind this all, this is a great article to begin to understand the vast community that is streetwear fashion.

Wealthsimple | Read Time: 6 mins

Your Stars and Stripes T-Shirt Technically Violates the Flag Code

It seems like the past decade has been peak American style. Regardless of your stance on politics, American flags are everywhere! Ask just about any foreigner in America for the first time what they think of the American flag and they will likely tell you how they can’t believe how common it is. It’s true, though. We love our patriotism. We also love breaking flag display laws. Yeah, those bald eagle-crested, red, white, and blue shorts you love to wear every July are definitely frowned upon by more than just your neighbors. It’s ok though, they may be illegal, but nobody enforces it.

Racked | Read Time 6 mins

Greetings, E.T. (Please Don’t Murder Us.)

The search for alien life continues. This time, it’s not a golden record with welcome messages from cultures around the world. This time, we decided to go much further. In a fun attempt to see what’s out there, a radio signal was recently beamed into space towards a cluster of stars farther away than you could possibly imagine. Humanity has a long history of trying to find and communicate with extraterrestrials. We’ve been unsuccessful so far, but that doesn’t stop us.

New York Times | Read Time: 14 mins