Yearly Archives: 2023
A Musician Describes Years Of Playing Through Pain
I developed tendinitis in my elbows and my knees and neither healed. The pain and muscle spasms from those injuries increased and migrated, eventually...
Has The Culture Of Possessing Art Subverted The Power Of Art?
Selfie-takers in museums epitomise ‘possessive modes of looking’ that are a symptom of a history of art rooted in the conflict between how the...
How Ancient Rome Used Libraries To Project Power
Today’s libraries are a direct legacy of the Roman impulse to transcend practicality and invest arenas of knowledge with a sense of scale akin...
Hollywood — Too Big to Fail (Until It Does)
As the oddly mismatched mega-companies who currently produce, own, and distribute TV shows and movies fumble to align themselves on basic issues, it...
The UK Is In A Cost Of Living Crisis, And The National Gallery Wants...
The London museum has said its pay-what-you-will scheme will extend for one more major show - Franz Hals. They've done it for two earlier...
The Pandemic Changed Many Things, Including What It Means To ‘Own’ A Book
In the fight over the Internet Archive, "it’s rarely this nasty, but free vs. expensive is a struggle that plays out continuously against all...
Disney Plus Is Adding Commercials And A Cheaper Option In The UK And Europe
That's already an option in the U.S., but will the rest of the world bite? Disney+ needs money after a series of declines in...
Canceling Shakespeare Is Definitely Not The Way, Or Is It?
"Given how he’s become an exalted landmark on the high road of culture, it’s easy to forget that there’s always been a secret smugglers’...
We’re Addicted To Writing Online
Will AI help us stop the word vomit - the graphomania? Even - The Guardian (UK)
Rethinking, And Reordering, The Idea Of ‘American’ Ceramics
At the Met Museum, 68 Pueblo potters and cultural leaders organized a new exhibit. "The objects were all selected by members of the Pueblo...
The Absolutely Pathetic State Of Residuals For Streaming Actors
Lisa Edelstein "recently was paid 97 cents in residuals for the two episodes of Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce which she wrote and starred in."...
The United States Still Has A Deep Cultural Love Affair With Europe
"For centuries, and no matter how much it has changed, Europe, for us, has meant art and architecture, science and philosophy, fashion and fame,...
Shakespeare Is Far Too Sexy For Florida
The state of Florida under Ron DeSantis certainly has come to resemble a parody of itself, and, well: "Students in a Florida school district...
Ignore Keith And Mick, For England Has Some Actually Decent Public Sculpture
For instance, there's the Wild Boar, or the Crystal Palace dinosaurs: "Scientifically, they’re wildly inaccurate. But in every other way, they’re perfect: endlessly surprising,...
The Fantasticks, Weirdly, Had A Four-Decade And Massively Quiet Journey From Stage To Screen
Perhaps it's time to revive the film of the stage version? But early on, "there was good reason to think that a film version...
The Dracula On A Boat Movie Is Tanking, But The Memes Are Hypnotically Strong
Memes are a form of currency that go far, far beyond the original spark. And though Last Voyage of the Demeter might as well...
Italians Gather En Masse To Mourn Feminist, Outspoken Novelist Michela Murgia
"'She was a special person and merited a special send-off,' said Patrizia Mosca, a newly retired civil servant who said that she didn’t typically...
Are LGBTQIA Films Getting Unfairly Slapped With R And NC-17 Ratings?
"Critics say the MPA has long held a double standard against movies with LGBTQ characters, slapping them with higher ratings than movies featuring heterosexual characters...
What Are The Rules For Calling A Piece Of Art Overrated, Anyway?
"It feels as if one whole wing of digital media is devoted to avenging the frustration felt by future content creators in their bored...
The Strikes Are Terrible, But Not Having New Content Brings A Sigh Of Relief
Many viewers are, while not thrilled that their favorite actors, writers, and designers are out of work, relieved to have some time "to catch...
The Man Who Helped Invent Surrealism
Maurice Tabard, once the assistant to Man Ray, helped discover "many of the techniques that became associated with the movement – solarisation, multiple exposures,...
How To Become The Most Famous Dungeons And Dragons Master In The World
Matthew Mercer has some ideas - and a commitment to storytelling in the fantasy realm. "Critical Role is a miraculous success, with 2 million YouTube...
Microfossils Like Shark Teeth Are Changing Our Climate Change Planning
That comes from the new(ish) field of "conservation paleobiology, which uses the fossil record to inform and assist present-day conservation efforts." For instance, scientists...
After Bad Publicity, Amazon Removes Books ‘Generated By AI’ Under Author’s Name
At first, the behemoth company told author Jane Friedman that since she hadn't trademarked her name, there was nothing they could do. "It looks...
The Hollywood Agents Are Also Suffering
As Hollywood's double strikes keep going without much hope for solutions soon, the Creative Artists Agency plans to lay off at least 60 people....
