AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- Critics Might Have Hated The Michael Jackson Movie, But It’s Now The Highest-Grossing Biopic Of All Time
The recently released Michael Jackson movie has overtaken Oppenheimer as the highest-grossing biopic of all time, after taking $977m (£739m) at the worldwide box office. – BBC
- The AI Design Aesthetic That’s Taking Over The Internet
As Claude Design catches on among Anthropic users, a generic-design aesthetic is emerging that’s as noticeable as text-based A.I. tics such as overenthusiastic em-dash usage or “not X . . . but Y” constructions. – The New Yorker
- Why You Need To Be A Better Reader
Navigating today’s digital information landscape requires strong critical evaluation skills. Reading plays a central role in this process by serving not only as a means of acquiring information but also of distinguishing credible claims from misinformation. But only a specific kind of reading builds that capacity. The difference is between passive and active reading. – The Conversation
- When Being A Critic Was Glamorous
If you look at these people—literally look at photos or watch footage—you discover that they were either beautiful or charismatic, or both. They all appeared on television. Among fiction writers of that time, maybe Philip Roth had some of that swagger, quick wit, amused air, though he also had a professorial, sweater-wearing side. – The Ideas Letter
- Did Marcel Duchamp Wreck Modern Art?
Duchamp left behind a legacy that people either love or loathe. He is known as the father of conceptual art, but his so-called ideas were mostly idle notions, provocations, speculations. Opinion divides on whether he snuffed out or emancipated art. – The Atlantic
ISSUES
- The AI Design Aesthetic That’s Taking Over The Internet
As Claude Design catches on among Anthropic users, a generic-design aesthetic is emerging that’s as noticeable as text-based A.I. tics such as overenthusiastic em-dash usage or “not X . . . but Y” constructions. – The New Yorker
- Did Marcel Duchamp Wreck Modern Art?
Duchamp left behind a legacy that people either love or loathe. He is known as the father of conceptual art, but his so-called ideas were mostly idle notions, provocations, speculations. Opinion divides on whether he snuffed out or emancipated art. – The Atlantic
- Restorers Discover How A Rembrandt Painting Was Altered
Layers of overpaint have been removed from a 17th-century painting, confirming that it was painted by Rembrandt and revealing that a turban on one of the figures had been replaced with a traditional Dutch soft cap. – The Guardian
- An Aboriginal Artist Reclaims The Ocean
Dharug artist Billy Bain: “You know, the beach was and still is an Aboriginal space, but in popular culture it has been represented as a very white space.” Bain has set out to change that. – The Guardian (UK)
- Trading Manhattan Art Meet-Ups For A Farm, And A Huge Studio As Well
Uman: “I love working on the floor. I start with a mood, a color, and I determine the size of the canvas or linen. … I always wanted the color to go straight onto the canvas, and that will probably be a problem for restorers in the future.” – The New York Times
MEDIA
- Higher Ed Has Lost Public Trust. What To Do?
The reports differ in their diagnoses of where higher education went wrong and, by extension, of what should be done now. But their mere existence proves, if nothing else, that America’s universities have finally gotten the message: People don’t like them very much. – The Atlantic
- Ad-Free Streaming Has Become A Luxury Good
Remember the halcyon days of watching shows without ads? How great that streaming moment was? Well … it’s over. Mostly over. Apple is one holdout … for now. – The Verge
- Margaret Atwood Says The Problem With AI Is A Classic One
“The thing about AI is that it’s garbage in, garbage out,” she said at a book festival. – Deadline
- Report: Chicago’s Creative Sector Is The City’s Third-Largest Industry
The creative sector is Chicago’s third-largest industry and accounts for nearly 213,000 jobs, according to a new economic impact study released Thursday by Arts Alliance Illinois, a statewide advocacy organization. – WBEZ
- Royal Ballet And Opera In London To Eliminate 64 Staff Positions
“The reductions amount to roughly five percent of the organization’s current workforce of 1,169 staff. Nine of the cuts will involve compulsory redundancies, with the remainder expected to come from unfilled vacancies, voluntary departures, and natural turnover.” – OperaWire
MUSIC
- Why You Need To Be A Better Reader
Navigating today’s digital information landscape requires strong critical evaluation skills. Reading plays a central role in this process by serving not only as a means of acquiring information but also of distinguishing credible claims from misinformation. But only a specific kind of reading builds that capacity. The difference is between passive and active reading. – The Conversation
- How Do We Learn To Read Books Again?
I don’t necessarily believe that reading books is going to automatically fix everything in your life or anything. I do think, however, it is kind of a panacea for a lot of the ills and a lot of the struggles that we’ve brought into our life through these tech platforms. – The Atlantic
- How AI Is Reviving Dying Languages
Over the months, as the learning language model is trained on bits of the language — such as an old-age French nursery rhyme — it brings centuries-old dialect closer into the digital age. – The New York Times
- What Bookmobiles Mean To Kids
“My reading journey began with a story that stretched more than 5,000 miles away, from Denmark to Alabama. While my siblings searched for new books, I always checked out the same one: The Marsh Crone’s Brew.” – LitHub
- Writing The Most Realistic, And Most Optimistic, Heterosexual Marriage On TV
First, Tina Fey wrote Liz Lemon, whose character was “heteropessimistic.” But in Four Seasons, she writes (and plays) a member of “an emotionally grounded romance that captures both the rewards of a successful, decades-long marriage and the challenges of maintaining one.” – The New Yorker
PEOPLE
- Critics Might Have Hated The Michael Jackson Movie, But It’s Now The Highest-Grossing Biopic Of All Time
The recently released Michael Jackson movie has overtaken Oppenheimer as the highest-grossing biopic of all time, after taking $977m (£739m) at the worldwide box office. – BBC
- The AI Design Aesthetic That’s Taking Over The Internet
As Claude Design catches on among Anthropic users, a generic-design aesthetic is emerging that’s as noticeable as text-based A.I. tics such as overenthusiastic em-dash usage or “not X . . . but Y” constructions. – The New Yorker
- Why You Need To Be A Better Reader
Navigating today’s digital information landscape requires strong critical evaluation skills. Reading plays a central role in this process by serving not only as a means of acquiring information but also of distinguishing credible claims from misinformation. But only a specific kind of reading builds that capacity. The difference is between passive and active reading. – The Conversation
- When Being A Critic Was Glamorous
If you look at these people—literally look at photos or watch footage—you discover that they were either beautiful or charismatic, or both. They all appeared on television. Among fiction writers of that time, maybe Philip Roth had some of that swagger, quick wit, amused air, though he also had a professorial, sweater-wearing side. – The Ideas Letter
- Did Marcel Duchamp Wreck Modern Art?
Duchamp left behind a legacy that people either love or loathe. He is known as the father of conceptual art, but his so-called ideas were mostly idle notions, provocations, speculations. Opinion divides on whether he snuffed out or emancipated art. – The Atlantic
PEOPLE
- Critics Might Have Hated The Michael Jackson Movie, But It’s Now The Highest-Grossing Biopic Of All Time
The recently released Michael Jackson movie has overtaken Oppenheimer as the highest-grossing biopic of all time, after taking $977m (£739m) at the worldwide box office. – BBC
- The AI Design Aesthetic That’s Taking Over The Internet
As Claude Design catches on among Anthropic users, a generic-design aesthetic is emerging that’s as noticeable as text-based A.I. tics such as overenthusiastic em-dash usage or “not X . . . but Y” constructions. – The New Yorker
- Why You Need To Be A Better Reader
Navigating today’s digital information landscape requires strong critical evaluation skills. Reading plays a central role in this process by serving not only as a means of acquiring information but also of distinguishing credible claims from misinformation. But only a specific kind of reading builds that capacity. The difference is between passive and active reading. – The Conversation
- When Being A Critic Was Glamorous
If you look at these people—literally look at photos or watch footage—you discover that they were either beautiful or charismatic, or both. They all appeared on television. Among fiction writers of that time, maybe Philip Roth had some of that swagger, quick wit, amused air, though he also had a professorial, sweater-wearing side. – The Ideas Letter
- Did Marcel Duchamp Wreck Modern Art?
Duchamp left behind a legacy that people either love or loathe. He is known as the father of conceptual art, but his so-called ideas were mostly idle notions, provocations, speculations. Opinion divides on whether he snuffed out or emancipated art. – The Atlantic
THEATRE
VISUAL
- When Being A Critic Was Glamorous
If you look at these people—literally look at photos or watch footage—you discover that they were either beautiful or charismatic, or both. They all appeared on television. Among fiction writers of that time, maybe Philip Roth had some of that swagger, quick wit, amused air, though he also had a professorial, sweater-wearing side. – The Ideas Letter
- Oh Studios, Why Must You Undermine Women-Led Superhero Movies?
“With DC’s slate wiped clean, the studio had the chance to swing bigger with a woman-led movie than it ever has before — to make something so confident and audacious that, by the nature of its existence alone, it could be unimpeachable in a sea of superhero sameness.” – Salon
- Some People Hate Horror Movies While The Rest Of Us Can’t Get Enough
“A horror film builds a safe enclosure where we can rehearse terror, chaos and helplessness with no adverse consequences. … But the body can’t always tell the rehearsal from the real thing.” – The Guardian (UK)
- Some Libraries Are Lending Power Tools, Musical Instruments, And Even Prom Dresses Alongside Books
After all, “Library of Things” doesn’t mean only tech things. – The New York Times
- The Thinking Style That’s Susceptible To Extremism
I’ve found that some of the most rigid thinkers describe themselves as spectacularly flexible while the most flexible people are often unaware of their own adaptability. This is why, instead of relying on asking people how rigid they think they are, I began studying people’s unconscious thinking styles. – Psyche
