Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
The Ideas About Threats To Truth That Orwell And Camus Shared
The political turbulence of twentieth-century Europe forced both Camus and Orwell to confront the question of truth as a matter of necessity, even and...
Ranked Choice: Enjoying Art Is About Reacting
Criticism is not an unerring ranking system but a form of personal expression, and a good review is not right (or not only right)...
Warning: We Need New Laws To Protect Artists From AI Creative Theft
Big Tech has successfully skated through legal matters for years, waving the banner of “permissionless innovation.” - Washington Post
The BBC Used To Be Champions Of Culture
Something seems to have gone terribly awry at the BBC when it comes to classical music. - The Critic
Adam Sandler Wins The Mark Twain Prize
“As I look at this goofy award, I can’t help but think that one day it just might be the weapon used to bludgeon...
Does Anyone Read Professional Reviews Anymore?
Good criticism can provide that context — historical or theoretical or even economic — and some vocabulary for discussing musical taste. It can help...
Orange County Museum Of Art’s New Building: Bettter, But…
It’s easy to dump on the contractors. But the contractors didn’t design this overwrought building, nor did they commission it. That falls to the...
Can You Copyright AI-Generated Work? Right Now It’s Complicated
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the guidance is an author’s “duty to disclose the inclusion of AI-generated content in a work submitted for...
AI Is Less A Search Engine Than It Is A Librarian
The problem is that even when these systems are wrong only 10% of the time, you don’t know which 10%. People also don’t have...
It Looks Like Netflix’s Ad-Supported Subscriptions Are Getting Traction
The figures suggest that Netflix is finding its footing with the new revenue stream, after having been overwhelmingly reliant on subscriber revenue for most...
Adam Gopnik And The Difference Between Knowing And Doing
“Activities that are interesting to read about (science experiments) are probably dull to do, while activities that are dull to read about (riding a...
Kazuo Ishiguro On The Art Of Writing And Medium
Over the decades I’ve learned a huge amount about writing novels. I feel like I’m just learning on the job about screenplays. One key...
The Barcelona Residents Protesting Construction On Sagrada Familia
As anyone who has been forced to live in close proximity to building works for an extended period might understand, a growing movement of...
Post-Pandemic: A New Sense Of Collaboration In Theatre?
I feel that we’re in a kind of new and important phase where directors especially, who never get to hang out with each other,...
Women Composers Have Reached Parity In Australian Orchestras
Half of the composers commissioned by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for its flagship new music program, 50 Fanfares, are women. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will...
AO Scott Says Goodbye To Movie Criticism
"The thing I love most about the movies is their ability to obliterate reason and abolish taste. You know the jump scare is coming,...
Visitor Attractions In The UK Down Substantially From Pre-COVID Attendance
Figures published on Friday by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions show that while the number of visits to its sites rose by 69%...
The Fraud Of AI Generators
AI image and text generation is pure primitive accumulation: expropriation of labour from the many for the enrichment and advancement of a few Silicon...
Survey: UK Museums Are Struggling To Get Visitors To Return
The British Museum was the most-visited art museum in the UK in 2022—and the third globally. It reported 4.1 million visitors, more than three...
Los Angeles Is A Creative Place (But Its Arts Aren’t Very Equitable)
“Despite being the top per capita provider of arts in the nation, Los Angeles ranks 259th in government funding allocation,” the nonprofit’s CEO Gustavo...
Why Siri And Alexa Lost Out To ChatGPT
“These products never worked in the past because we never had human-level dialogue capabilities. Now we do.” - The New York Times
The Gift (and Curse) Of English As Our Universal Language
English may have become universal, but not everyone believes it is a gift. In fact, many hold diametrically opposite views. - Aeon
The Shocking Decline Of Reading, Thinking
What I (and everyone I know) is talking about now is a seismic shift in the preparedness, study skills, attention spans, and reading comprehension...
Even Machine Brains Need Sleep
Artificial neural networks are prone to a troublesome glitch known, evocatively, as catastrophic forgetting. These seemingly tireless networks can keep learning tasks day and...
Can We Build Successful Cities Again That Aren’t Centered Around Cars?
A 17-acre, $170 million project that’s been an urbanist obsession since it was announced in late 2019, Culdesac is being watched closely as a test case...
