Quick Hits: What is the “NPR voice”? The Adele meteor enters the atmosphere; more.

Brief news items and worth reads from around the web. Today:

The “NPR Voice” has taken over the airwaves: Teddy Wayne posts an interesting and articulate piece in the NY Times about how radio’s announcing sound has changes — especially in public radio. “It sounds kind of like, y’know…this.” He blames Ira Glass, and even Michelle Obama is not immune to the effect.

Adele dethrones Taylor Swift, and nearly crushes Vevo: She’s baaack … Adele has released her first single in years, the album will follow soon, and idolAdelotry is in full swing. The video was streamed over 25-million times in the first 24 hours. Terrestrial radio was over the moon about it, according to Inside Radio. The Taylor Swift de-throning metaphor is courtesy of The Inquisitr. The video is the first music video to be filmed in IMAX … we expanded it to full-screen on our biggest laptop and sat very close. The Atlantic compares Adele to a blockbuster film franchise.

The PC is passe: In the Monday Note, Jean-Louis Gassee charts the downfall of the computer, in favor of mobile devices and … well, what next? That is the question in this well-researched speculative piece. “Personal computing isn’t about to get boring.”

Brad Hill