Anthropic installed an AI-powered vending machine in the WSJ office. The LLM, named Claudius, was responsible for autonomously purchasing inventory from wholesalers, setting prices, tracking inventory, and generating a profit. The newsroom’s journalists could chat with Claudius
A whopping 96% of staff at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art voted in favor of a union, calling for higher pay and “increased transparency.”
Joan Mitchell and the written word, garments with passports, “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” Christmas book-gifting in Iceland, toppled Lady Liberty, and more.
“Docs said I’d never walk, but I ran a marathon.” Logan Knowles was born with cerebral palsy. This fall, he ran & completed the NYC marathon , his body fighting him the whole way. What a story. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
With assistantships funded at $23,000, full tuition waivers, and generous health insurance, Louisiana State University helps students lay the groundwork for a successful lifelong art practice.
Making your own amaro at home . “…so long as the plants are edible and the flavors appeal, a variety of contrasting and complementary elements will ultimately result in something complex and intriguing.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
“Every day I see more and more of my footprint in this small space.”
Entirely Too Many Thoughts About Wake Up Dead Man . An excellent, long & close read of Wake Up Dead Man, particularly its focus on “religion, faith, and grace”. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
"Unloved" took a team of 80 people about a year to create. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Supermarket Chain Intermarché’s Viral Holiday Ad
Earlier this week, Vanity Fair published a two-part story about the Trump regime’s “inner circle”, including extensive interviews with his chief of staff, who was openly critical of the people that she works with, from Trump on down. The story caused a stir and so did the
A group of journalism students was able to track probable Russian spy drones launched from cargo ships to surveil European military bases . They even flew a drone of their own over one of the cargo ships: “we droned back”. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Two culinary traditions from two island nations reveal what glues communities and families together across time
Also: the troubling trend of "Crusadercore," pet monkeys in Ancient Rome, and what's really going on in those Vanity Fair photos of Trump's top advisors?
The Chicago-based fine art restorer reverses another botched restoration. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Watch Julian Baumgartner’s Satisfying and
What do you do regularly? Where do you show up, what do you publish? Who do you ask, and what do you answer to? What gets better because you persist? Are there systems you support or work to change? What do you do when you don’t feel like it? Especially then. The ocean is made
In the video above, UsefulCharts creator Matt Baker suggests that we not refer to the period spanning the fifth and the late fifteenth centuries as the “dark ages.” In justification, he doesn’t put forth the argument, now fairly common, that the time in question was actually
Every story we selected for the number five slot in our weekly newsletter, in a handy digest.
A century ago, the great French composer Claude Debussy sat down at a contraption called a Welte-Mignon reproducing piano and recorded a series of performances for posterity. The machine was designed to encode the nuances of a pianist’s playing, including pedaling and dynamics,
We’re getting down to the wire for gifts to be shipped in time for Xmas. Take a look at the 2025 Kottke Holiday Gift Guide if you still need to shop for your fam & friends.
“On January 1, 2026, thousands of copyrighted works from 1930 enter the US public domain, along with sound recordings from 1925 .” Includes Betty Boop, Blondie & Dagwood, and works by William Faulkner, Agatha Christie, and the Marx Brothers. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
The workers who pose for artists at historic organizations like the Art Students League say they are overworked and underpaid in a field that rarely values them.
This week, we honor a conceptualist who made the ordinary human, a wide-ranging photographer, and a filmmaker who made space for others.
Photographs by Chris Anderson for Vanity Fair reveal the cost of remaking yourself in Trump’s image.
The recent archaeological discovery also deepens our understanding of trade networks between India and the Roman Empire.
Arthur Ganson is a kinetic sculptor who builds “Rube Goldberg machines with existential themes”. One of his works is called Machine with Concrete, which demonstrates the magic of gear ratios According to a piece in Make , the input shaft spins at 200 rpm, which is reduced by
This three-day gathering features Kim Stanley Robinson, Jeffrey Gibson, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Rose B. Simpson, and many more. April 16–18, 2026.
Chef Saves 78-Year-Old Man’s Life After He Stopped Showing Up for His Daily Dinners at Local Restaurant . “Mr. Hicks don’t miss no days. I knew, then, something was wrong.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
[Trailer] The Muppet Show is returning! It’s a one-time event, hosted by Sabrina Carpenter, to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary. “It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights…” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Nature magazine has chosen its favorite science images of the year . I’ve featured a few of these on the site already — Skydiving the Sun , red sprites in the New Zealand sky — so I picked a couple of other favorites to share: The first was taken by Francisco Negroni of the
In 'Feedback Loop,' Alexis Rockman presents an inescapable cycle of climate disaster. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Alexis Rockman Traces the