AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- Good Morning
Today’s Highlights: Pressure on cultural institutions is intensifying from two very different directions: political and criminal. In Washington, the stakes for the Smithsonian have escalated, with the White House threatening to withhold federal funding unless the institution submits (quickly) to a sweeping content review under a new executive order on “Restoring Truth and Sanity.”
The fallout from the recent Louvre heist has museums globally scrambling to secure their perimeters, realizing that the “gentleman thief” era is over and their current security models may be dangerously outdated.
Broadway may have hit a box office record in 2025, but the math no longer works; production costs have ballooned so high that even sold-out shows are struggling to break even. And in a darker look at the creative economy, we are being asked to confront an uncomfortable possibility: what if readers actually prefer AI-written books to the human version?
Finally, a strange intersection of music and science: it turns out that centuries of organ-tuning logbooks in British churches have inadvertently become a precise record of global warming.
All of today’s stories below:
- What The Arts Could Learn From The Data Revolution In Gambling
Not long ago, many online casino experiences were built around flashy graphics and simple luck-based mechanics. Today, game development has become a sophisticated data-informed process. – The Walrus
- Death Of The Dictionary?
Like the rest of the analog world, legacy dictionaries have had to adapt or perish. – The New Yorker
- Is The Reason Our Culture Seems Stagnant Because… Lack Of Critics?
If someone has spent years of their life on a work, they deserve a serious, sustained response. Critics who write such reviews aren’t just offering something to the maker of a work but to the world. Look here, a critic says. Imagine what culture could be like. – Asterisk
- Europe’s Approach To Developing AI Is Deeply Different
The differences between Europe and the United States when it comes to AI regulation aren’t so easy to fix; they’re rooted in deep cultural differences that have informed how the tech industries have developed on both continents. – Politico
ISSUES
- How Might One “Fix” Or Reinterpret Historically Racist Statues?
As some political leaders double down on the old memorial language, they ask: What if we thought of our memorials as works in progress, to be improved, edited, reconfigured and even deleted? – Washington Post
- Trump Officials Threaten Smithsonian Funding Over Content Review
“Funds apportioned for the Smithsonian Institution are only available for use in a manner consistent with Executive Order 14253 ‘Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” – Washington Post
- The Best Design And Architecture Of 2025
This year’s highlights include the remodeling of a Richard Seifert brutalist ‘corncob’ tower, a celebration of Japanese carpentry and a wearable hot-water bottle. – The Guardian
- The White House Is Still Trying To Threaten The Smithsonian’s Funds
The Trump administration threatened “to withhold federal funds if it does not submit extensive documentation for a sweeping content review. … It was not immediately clear how much money the White House might try to withhold, from which parts of the Smithsonian or on what authority.” – Washington Post (MSN)
- Museums Are, Understandably, Freaking Out After The Louvre Heist
In short, they all want to make sure they’re guarding the perimeter. – The New York Times
MEDIA
- Is The Reason Our Culture Seems Stagnant Because… Lack Of Critics?
If someone has spent years of their life on a work, they deserve a serious, sustained response. Critics who write such reviews aren’t just offering something to the maker of a work but to the world. Look here, a critic says. Imagine what culture could be like. – Asterisk
- Europe’s Approach To Developing AI Is Deeply Different
The differences between Europe and the United States when it comes to AI regulation aren’t so easy to fix; they’re rooted in deep cultural differences that have informed how the tech industries have developed on both continents. – Politico
- Sorry, TrumpKennedyCenter Dot Org Is Not Available
Why? Because a comedian knew what was coming. “Morton isn’t in the game to sell off his domains. … Instead, he buys them with the express purpose of turning them into seemingly legit websites that, upon closer inspection, often skewer their namesakes.” – Washington Post (Yahoo)
- How Regulation Tamped Down Montreal’s Legendary Nightlife
The history of Montréal’s night-time regulation reveals how managing nightlife expanded police power and budgets — and how burdensome effects of these changes fell disproportionately on sex workers, the queer community and hospitality industry workers. – The Conversation
- Inside The Kennedy Center Renaming
“It was such a surprise to me when they said we’re going to rename it,” she recounted in a phone interview. “I said, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and pushed my button. But then I was muted.” – The New York Times
MUSIC
- Death Of The Dictionary?
Like the rest of the analog world, legacy dictionaries have had to adapt or perish. – The New Yorker
- What If The Audience Prefers AI-Written Books?
I can write a book for my own reasons, but I can sell the book only if readers like it more than what they can get from, say, a chatbot. If readers prefer A.I.-generated fiction, then authors won’t be able to stop it. – The New Yorker
- Popular British Children’s Author Is Dropped By Publisher After Allegations Of Harassment
David Walliams, “one of Britain’s most successful children’s authors, was reportedly the subject of complaints that he had ‘harassed’ junior female staff at HarperCollins UK, prompting the publisher to decide it would no longer release new titles by the author.” – The Guardian (UK)
- Why I Stopped Reading Print, And Embraced Audiobooks
“Here’s what I love about listening: I can do it all the time, not just while sitting still. I read … while making my bed, brushing my teeth, unloading the dishwasher, commuting to work, waiting in line, driving and occasionally while falling asleep.” – The New York Times
- Romance Fiction Is Booming, And It’s Not Just Because Of Love
“It is possible, with your small candle, to make your way in the darkness. One delight, against all this. The world crumbles, and lipstick sales go up. And so, too, do sales of romantic fiction.” – The Guardian (UK)
PEOPLE
- Good Morning
Today’s Highlights: Pressure on cultural institutions is intensifying from two very different directions: political and criminal. In Washington, the stakes for the Smithsonian have escalated, with the White House threatening to withhold federal funding unless the institution submits (quickly) to a sweeping content review under a new executive order on “Restoring Truth and Sanity.”
The fallout from the recent Louvre heist has museums globally scrambling to secure their perimeters, realizing that the “gentleman thief” era is over and their current security models may be dangerously outdated.
Broadway may have hit a box office record in 2025, but the math no longer works; production costs have ballooned so high that even sold-out shows are struggling to break even. And in a darker look at the creative economy, we are being asked to confront an uncomfortable possibility: what if readers actually prefer AI-written books to the human version?
Finally, a strange intersection of music and science: it turns out that centuries of organ-tuning logbooks in British churches have inadvertently become a precise record of global warming.
All of today’s stories below:
- What The Arts Could Learn From The Data Revolution In Gambling
Not long ago, many online casino experiences were built around flashy graphics and simple luck-based mechanics. Today, game development has become a sophisticated data-informed process. – The Walrus
- Death Of The Dictionary?
Like the rest of the analog world, legacy dictionaries have had to adapt or perish. – The New Yorker
- Is The Reason Our Culture Seems Stagnant Because… Lack Of Critics?
If someone has spent years of their life on a work, they deserve a serious, sustained response. Critics who write such reviews aren’t just offering something to the maker of a work but to the world. Look here, a critic says. Imagine what culture could be like. – Asterisk
- Europe’s Approach To Developing AI Is Deeply Different
The differences between Europe and the United States when it comes to AI regulation aren’t so easy to fix; they’re rooted in deep cultural differences that have informed how the tech industries have developed on both continents. – Politico
PEOPLE
- Good Morning
Today’s Highlights: Pressure on cultural institutions is intensifying from two very different directions: political and criminal. In Washington, the stakes for the Smithsonian have escalated, with the White House threatening to withhold federal funding unless the institution submits (quickly) to a sweeping content review under a new executive order on “Restoring Truth and Sanity.”
The fallout from the recent Louvre heist has museums globally scrambling to secure their perimeters, realizing that the “gentleman thief” era is over and their current security models may be dangerously outdated.
Broadway may have hit a box office record in 2025, but the math no longer works; production costs have ballooned so high that even sold-out shows are struggling to break even. And in a darker look at the creative economy, we are being asked to confront an uncomfortable possibility: what if readers actually prefer AI-written books to the human version?
Finally, a strange intersection of music and science: it turns out that centuries of organ-tuning logbooks in British churches have inadvertently become a precise record of global warming.
All of today’s stories below:
- What The Arts Could Learn From The Data Revolution In Gambling
Not long ago, many online casino experiences were built around flashy graphics and simple luck-based mechanics. Today, game development has become a sophisticated data-informed process. – The Walrus
- Death Of The Dictionary?
Like the rest of the analog world, legacy dictionaries have had to adapt or perish. – The New Yorker
- Is The Reason Our Culture Seems Stagnant Because… Lack Of Critics?
If someone has spent years of their life on a work, they deserve a serious, sustained response. Critics who write such reviews aren’t just offering something to the maker of a work but to the world. Look here, a critic says. Imagine what culture could be like. – Asterisk
- Europe’s Approach To Developing AI Is Deeply Different
The differences between Europe and the United States when it comes to AI regulation aren’t so easy to fix; they’re rooted in deep cultural differences that have informed how the tech industries have developed on both continents. – Politico
THEATRE
VISUAL
- What The Arts Could Learn From The Data Revolution In Gambling
Not long ago, many online casino experiences were built around flashy graphics and simple luck-based mechanics. Today, game development has become a sophisticated data-informed process. – The Walrus
- Might AI Help Us Unlock More Creative Ideas?
Generative AI will indeed make many tasks easier and quicker to perform, increasing efficiency and decreasing costs. But we think that one of the biggest promises of this technology lies elsewhere: in unlocking new forms of human creativity that can drive innovation and growth. – Harvard Business Review
- What Does Realism Even Mean?
And, more importantly, how can creative people destroy the very word? – Happy Dancing
- AOL Instant Messenger Taught The Internet To Chat
But it wasn’t supposed to exist at all – and it’s only thanks to a “semi-rogue” group that we all know ROTFL, LOL, and so much more. – The Verge
- Bradford Ends Its ‘City Of Culture’ Year
How did it go? “The year-long celebration cost around £51m and generated audiences of three million people.” OK. Also, train traffic from London went way up. – BBC
