The French government has teamed up with tech giant Microsoft to create a “digital twin” of the 862-year-old treasure. This virtual version will be achieved by taking thousands of photographs using cameras, drones, and lasers to capture every inch of the building’s exterior and interior. Specialists will then use A.I. to stitch these back together into a perfect replica....
“When the San Francisco Art Institute shut its doors in 2022, even the turtles in the campus's courtyard pond were evicted. But deep below street level, two archivists are fighting to preserve more than 150 years of radical art history from vanishing into the void.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
Amy Sherald, the celebrated painter best known for her official portrait of Michelle Obama, has canceled an upcoming exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, citing concerns that the museum might remove an artwork that could further provoke the Trump administration as it seeks to exert control over the Smithsonian Institution. - Washington Post
“You can't be expected to have a successful AI program when every single article, book, or anything else that you've read or studied, you're supposed to pay for,” Trump said. “We appreciate that, but just can't do it— because it's not doable.” - Wired
"You can’t be expected to have a successful AI program when every single article, book, or anything else that you’ve read or studied, you’re supposed to pay for. 'Gee, I read a book,' you're supposed to pay somebody," Trump said. - Publishers Weekly
“Plenty of actors I’ve worked with have had that moment where they see what’s possible and realize, ‘Oh my God, this is so much better. It frees them up, takes off the pressure and helps them do a better job. Shutting AI out is naive.” - Los Angeles Times
Encore Series, the parent organization of the now-defunct incarnation of the Pops, said it “wants to make clear that POKC did nothing wrong and is not responsible for Encore’s debts or obligations … (and) regrets that the lawsuit and related statements … led to unwarranted accusations directed to POKC and its leadership.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
Around the world, a new wave of child protection laws are forcing a profound shift that could normalize rigorous age checks broadly across the web. Some of the measures are designed to specifically block minors from accessing adult material, while others are meant to stop children from using social media platforms or accessing harmful content. - Wired
The episode did not hold back on crass jokes aimed at Trump, showing him with a “teeny tiny” penis both in animation and as a deepfake and portraying him as Satan’s lover in a style reminiscent of the gay Saddam Hussein character from the 1999 movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. - Wired
“With astonishing green eyes and a mop of frizzy auburn hair, … a voice that could soar easily from a throaty C below middle C to high-pitched trills on top A, … (she was) the only performer to receive Grammy nominations in the female jazz, popular and classical categories.” - The Telegraph (UK) (Yahoo!)
“American Public Media Group (MPR’s parent organization) plans to cut 5% to 8% of its 500 staff members over the coming weeks, citing a $6 million budget shortfall driven by state and federal funding cuts.” - The Minnesota Star Tribune
When Johanna Burton came to MOCA in 2021, the museum was still recovering from the contentious firing of curator Helen Molesworth and resignation of director Philippe Vergne. Burton was to be co-director with Klaus Biesenbach, who instead left for Berlin. Now she herself is headed to the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia. - ARTnews
His biggest hit, “Feels So Good,” has become so familiar that many people know it without realizing it has a title. He developed a distinctive persona — flugelhorn, long hair, beard, banded fedora — which he cheerfully parodied while playing himself in the animated sitcom King of the Hill. - The Washington Post (MSN)
Paolo Santalucia, 35 and a native Torontonian, is a director, playwright, and actor known for both stage and television work. A co-founder of Toronto’s Howland Theatre Company and a graduate of the Soulpepper Academy (the company’s training program for young professionals), he’s currently associate artistic director of Crow’s Theatre in Toronto. - Ludwig Van
“The stamp of approval from the Federal Communications Commission comes after months of turmoil revolving around Trump’s legal battle with 60 Minutes. … With the specter of the Trump administration potentially blocking the hard-fought deal with Skydance, Paramount earlier this month agreed to pay a $16 million settlement with the president.” - AP
