How do we assess whether AI is “reasoning” like humans do? Is it “truly intelligent”—but what does that mean? Even if we don’t understand its inner workings, could we still accurately predict its impact before unleashing it on the world? - The Point
Businessman Henry Lee Higginson, who founded the Boston Symphony and was lead funder for its then-new venue, made what was then an unprecedented decision: he hired a Harvard physicist as an acoustical consultant (and followed the man’s advice). The concert hall that resulted is still considered one of the world’s best. - WBUR (Boston)
‘Luxury needs this link to the world of culture, because that is what gives it its nobility, its legitimacy, its roots,’ says Jean-Michel Tobelem, a professor of management at the Sorbonne and expert in cultural policy. - Apollo
Humanities majors in Minnesota are as likely to be employed as are engineering or business majors, according to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Humanities Indicators Project. And humanities BAs earn 64% more than workers with only a high school diploma. - The Star-Tribune (Mpls)
On June 15, 1895, the Irish poet and playwright was excluded from the British Museum’s Reading Room, the precursor to the British Library. The museum revoked his access after Wilde’s trial and conviction for gross indecency, a Victorian-era crime used to punish men for relationships with other men. - The New York Times
The Paul Hamlyn Foundation — whose endowment has grown steadily since 2020 and now stands at £916 million ($1.28 billion) — has closed its £6.5 million ($8.7 million) Arts Fund to any new applicants. The Foundation says applications have wildly exceeded available grant money and blocking new applicants is necessary for long-term stability. - Arts Professional (UK)
The case — which charges that, with the book Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father's Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success, the publishing house and the newspaper disparaged Trump and undermined his 2024 campaign — was thrown out last month by a Federal judge who called it “improper and impermissible.” - Publishers Weekly
The Stirling Prize for the country’s best new building of the year, awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects, has gone to the Appleby Blue Almshouse, a project providing affordable housing for seniors in London’s Southwark borough. It’s the second Stirling Prize for architects Witherford Watson Mann. - Dezeen
It’s been suggested that she was the artist’s daughter, a servant girl, or even a sibyl from Greek mythology. Scholar Andrew Graham-Dixon writes that he now believes she was the daughter of Vermeer’s most important patrons and was dressed as Mary Magdalene. - The Times (UK)
Kimberly Mark, a veteran Broadway dresser, joined the Hamilton crew a decade ago. Her suit alleges that, after four operations and weeks of chemotherapy and radiation, she was told by producers that “the job has become too physically demanding” and later fired. - The Independent (UK)
The open-air concert venue in Fairmount Park has been given a “substantial” grant from the Pennsylvania insurance company Highmark to support a renovation project to be completed by next spring. The new name: Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
In 1972, as host of All Things Considered, she became the first female anchor of a nightly national newscast. She co-hosted the show for 14 years before becoming the founding host of Weekend Edition Sunday. And she inflicted her mother-in-law’s horrifying cranberry relish recipe on countless victims. - The Washington Post (MSN)
For a start, they’ve raised the starting age from 11 to 13. And they’ve done away with many of the rigid and arbitrary body standards for which ballet has been notorious — for instance, teen boy students won’t be tossed out for being too short, or girl students for being too buxom. - The Guardian
Given that the Tiffany Network has been home to the most-watched new series for the past nine TV seasons in a row, they've earned the benefit of the doubt to keep greenlighting new scripted projects. The CBS machine is working. - The Wrap (MSN)
Most observers knew that Saul Bellow was no saint, especially after reading his greatest novel, the quasi-autobiographical Herzog. Bellow’s portrait of his protagonist’s wife, a stand-in for his soon-to-be-ex, is very unflattering, but evidence now shows that Bellow himself was far more cruel and violent toward her in real life. - Slate (Yahoo!)
