ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

IDEAS

A Successful Life? Freedom From Anxiety

The more general such claims are, the easier it is to agree. But when we delve into what makes the various philosophers different, what sounds like universal good sense can suddenly seem a bit wacky. - The Guardian

Saudi Arabia Plays With Building A Dystopian City

It is a city that might have been conceived by WeWork’s founder Adam Neumann in consultation with FTX boss Sam Bankman-Fried, with the benefit of management advice from Elon Musk. - Prospect

Creativity In The Age Of “Synthetic Media”

Synthetic Media is produced by human creators who use computers and purpose-built software (including AI) to realize their production goals. Generative Synthetic Media is media that is produced by AI based only on a description of the desired work product. - Shelly Palmer

How Technology Makes Us More Human

What defines humanity is not just our unusual level of intelligence, but also how we capitalize on that intelligence... If we merely lived up to our scientific classification—Homo sapiens—and just sat around thinking all day, we’d be much different creatures. - The Atlantic

The Design Transformation Of Playgrounds

"Urban planners, architects and designers around the world are looking to make cities spongier—using nature-based solutions to better absorb water," and that's where playgrounds come in. Instead of asphalt, grass - "or at least porous turf." - Fast Company

The Many Performers Who Are One Measly Award Away From An EGOT

Kate Winslet, for example, needs a Tony. Dame Maggie Smith could use a Grammy. And, of course, Dick Van Dyke could use an Oscar. - Baltimore Sun

Naps Are A Creative Canvas

The relationship between sleep, dreaming, and creativity has been the subject of conjecture for hundreds of years. Reports of creative inspiration and discoveries made by artists, inventors, and scientists while dreaming suggest these states of mind are intimately bound together. - Nautilus

As Deepfakes Proliferate, Countries Struggle With What’s Real

The worst abusers of the technology tend to be the hardest to catch, operating anonymously, adapting quickly and sharing their synthetic creations through borderless online platforms.  - The New York Times

Arts Groups Must Innovate If They Want An Audience

The pandemic accelerated a generational shift: "Past program choices are not adequately energizing younger audiences. They want the experience to be new and different, on their feet, immersed in the experience and socially connected." - Seattle Times

What Gives Food Its Taste?

Turns out it's what's already in your mouth. "When people eat, he explains, they don’t actually savor the food itself, but a mixture of the food plus saliva." - Smithsonian

Dallas Paper Tries Replacing Its Architecture Critic With Artificial Intelligence

Things didn't go well: "Because an AI program can’t 'be there,' it ends up, like a lazy college freshman, culling what material it can find floating around the internet and regurgitating it in a generic format." And the factual errors weren't great either. - Dallas Morning News

After Humans Come The “Trans-humans”

Transhumanism emerged as a distinct school of thought in the 1980s, when philosophers, scientists, and artists began to think intensively about how technology might transform human bodies and minds. - American Scholar

How Did Anime Come To Be Everywhere In Culture?

It's all going to plan. But also, "Anime's fans are largely online, and the pandemic — when people were suddenly able to focus on at-home or online interests — helped fuel growth." - NPR

What We Can Learn From The Letters Of Poets

"You might be desperate to find a grant ... to allow you to write for two weeks. Or you might have all the money in the world, but other hindrances to you getting to the page. How do we overcome that and live a life that’s dedicated to art?" - Slate

What A Decades-Long Study Tells Us About Happiness

Since 1938, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has been investigating what makes people flourish. After starting with 724 participants the study incorporated the spouses of the original men and, more recently, more than 1,300 descendants of the initial group. - The Atlantic

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