How to Survive Art-World Toxicity
Paddy Johnson offers advice on navigating toxic people in the industry, and how Walter Benjamin warned us about AI.
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How a 13th-Century Monk Created a Prayer Manuscript by Writing Over—and Accidentally Preserving—Archimedes’ Groundbreaking Mathematical Works
In Jerusalem of the year 1229, there lived a Greek Orthodox monk named Johannes Myronas. Needing some parchment for a prayer book, he grabbed some already-used pages, erased their existing content, and over them wrote down “prayers for the dead, prayers for repentance,
Eager to give up agency
We work so hard to have freedom and leverage and choice. And then, as soon as a social network, boss or cultural force instructs us to do something, we fold our tents and go along. Responsibility is scary. Sometimes it’s easier to find someone (or something) to blame. Just
Hear What Homer’s Odyssey Sounded Like When Sung in the Original Ancient Greek
Image via Wikimedia Commons It’s been a humanist truism for some time to say that Shakespeare speaks to every age, transcending his time and place through the sheer force of his universal genius. But any honest student first encountering the plays will tell you differently, as
On the experience of the long haul flight . “The...
On the experience of the long haul flight . “The meal cart appears two hours in. You can hear it banging into passengers’ knees before you see it, and the sound causes the entire cabin to sit up slightly, like meerkats detecting motion on the savanna.”
“ The Booker Prize 2026 longlist has now been...
“ The Booker Prize 2026 longlist has now been announced… ” Among the authors nominated are Marlon James, M. John Harrison, Emma Cline, and Elizabeth Strout.
Man Arrested in Broad Daylight Theft of 2,500-Year-Old Gold Torque From French Museum
Discovered in an ancient Celtic tomb in northern Burgundy, the neck collar is considered one of the most prized objects in the institution's collection.
Please Use AI . “Be sure to use AI when planning that...
Please Use AI . “Be sure to use AI when planning that next camping trip, the last one you will take with this particular child. Definitely do not text your friend who has fly-fished every river in Pennsylvania and biked every backwoods trail…”
The Queer Surrealists Who Fought Nazis With Paper Bullets
Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore shared a magnificent life as both romantic and creative partners, one in which gender proved as mercurial as the political climate of World War II.
Historic Japanese Castle Damaged in 7.1-Magnitude Earthquake
The Kumamoto Castle houses priceless artworks from the Edo period.
Walter Benjamin Warned Us About AI
The philosopher believed that good photography provokes cognition while dangerous photography soothes, as seen in a jewel box show at the Jewish Museum.
Where Do European Country Names Come From?
Word nerd Rob Watts explains where the names of all the European countries come from. Which country is the “land of the rabbits”? Why does Germany have so many different names? Where do the Dutch actually live? What links Croatians and neckties? (via open culture ) Tags:
Art Problems: Why Are There So Many Toxic People in the Art World?
Paddy Johnson with essential tips on how to protect yourself from insecure peers and bad-faith actors.
Curtis Sliwa and Massive Hot Dog in Times Square
The absurdist elegy of “The Most American Pageant Ever!,” Brazilian modernist Chico da Silva, reclaiming a Thomas Jefferson statue, and more.
30 notable sales of rare books by AbeBooks over the past...
30 notable sales of rare books by AbeBooks over the past 30 years , including first editions of Moby-Dick, Winnie-The-Pooh, and Leaves of Grass.
19th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints Creatively...
19th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints Creatively Illustrate the Inner Workings of the Human Body . Love these.
The Return of the Monarch
"After years of decline, butterfly populations are rising—for now."
Photobook Publisher Steidl in Dire Straits After Threat of Bankruptcy
Though it has resolved recent insolvency proceedings, the German publisher remains shaken by a 50% drop in international sales.
Looking for History: MoCA\CT's New Exhibition Explores Memory, Landscape, and the American Story
Rick Shaefer, Ellen Harvey, and Michael Borders question how history is created, remembered, and reimagined. On view through November 15, 2026.
All US Cities Which Used to Have More Than 100,000 People But Don’t Anymore
Here’s a map of the 21 US cities that used to have a population of 100,000 people but don’t anymore. Many of these are Rust Belt cities, in which manufacturing employment fell steeply during the latter part of the 20th century. The thread at Reddit mentions Detroit and St.
How the Words We Teach English Language Learners...
How the Words We Teach English Language Learners Changed, and What That Says About Us . “The shifts reflect a life that moved further from its own making: less tied to tools, animals, food…; more tied to global institutions, categories, systems…”
Don’t use AI until you’re 40 . “We have been so...
Don’t use AI until you’re 40 . “We have been so quick to treat access to new technology as an inevitability that we have failed to question whether every powerful tool should be placed in the hands of every developing mind the moment it becomes available.”
“Spaceballs: The Clickbait”—Inside the Return of Rick Moranis at Comic-Con
“Moranis gets lost and found, Mel Brooks stays mint-in-the-box, and Josh Gad IS Ebenezer .”
Johnny Knoxville, America’s God of Mischief
"What moves the star of 'Jackass' to risk his life for our entertainment? A very serious investigation."