The Year in Memes
Also, a $117 Picasso, Coreen Simpson's monograph, and Jeff Wall's disorienting photography.
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Looking at pareidolia
There’s a face on Mars. Ever since Viking took this photo fifty years ago, some people have been sure–certain–that it clearly shows a face on the planet’s surface. Of course, once we had a high resolution image from a later mission, all resemblance to a face went away. Human
A Year in Reading: Restraint as Wisdom
We live in a culture built on ignoring limits—of land, of bodies, of attention—and these stories kept returning me to that truth.
Göbekli Tepe: The 12,000-Year-Old Ruins That Rewrite the Story of Civilization
We didn’t have civilization until we had cities, and we didn’t have cities until we had agriculture. So, at least, goes a widely accepted narrative in “big history” — a narrative somewhat troubled by the discovery of ruins on Göbekli Tepe, or “Potbelly Hill,” in southeastern
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories from Yasmin Tayag, Elliott Woods, David Ramsey, Larissa Diakiw, and A.S. Hamrah.
What is happening? Orcas started wearing dead salmon as hats again and...
What is happening? Orcas started wearing dead salmon as hats again and chimps are once again putting grass in their ears. “We were even more shocked that they were doing their own spin on this by also inserting the grass and sticks in a different orifice.” 💬 Join the
How Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Are Made
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are probably my favorite big brand candy (perhaps only bested by Reese’s Pieces), so it was a real treat ( groan ) to see how the company makes them cups. But did you know Reese’s purposely over-roasts their peanuts just enough to bring out a bold
The Memes That Defined 2025
This year gave us the Hero With a Hero, the Coldplay couple, and the Somali diaspora's incredible flipping of the script on Trump's racism.
Art Movements: Big Museum News
MacKenzie Scott's significant gift to the Japanese American National Museum, the little design hippo that could, and a new Rijksmuseum where?
MacKenzie Scott announces that she’s donated almost $7.2 billion of her personal...
MacKenzie Scott announces that she’s donated almost $7.2 billion of her personal fortune to organizations worldwide this year. That brings her total giving up to more than $26 billion. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Discover the Growing Colossal Art Glossary
Browse even more art terms. 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 Discover the Growing Colossal Art Glossary appeared first on Colossal .
Shop Around Globally for Better Deals on Streaming Services
A streaming services savings tip from the Nomadico newsletter that I was not aware of: I’m going to add Apple TV at home after watching only part of Severance on a United flight, but I’ll likely subscribe in Mexico where it’s 28% cheaper than the USA. You can play this
A Total Breakdown of All the Easter Eggs
"Major film studios embracing AI, newspapers announcing the death of moviegoing, critics devoid of values: all of this can instill a great sense of defeat. We have to write against it."
This $1M Picasso Could Be Yours for Just $117
"Tête de Femme,” a gouache on paper, is being raffled to support Alzheimer’s research.
Eight Million Ways to Happiness: Wisdom for Inspiration and Healing from the...
Eight Million Ways to Happiness: Wisdom for Inspiration and Healing from the Heart of Japan . “Hiroko awakens readers to the idea of a traditional spiritual flexibility that seamlessly coexists with the modern secular world…” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Liam Neeson Narrates Anti-Vax, Pro-RFK Documentary. In the narration, he calls the...
Liam Neeson Narrates Anti-Vax, Pro-RFK Documentary . In the narration, he calls the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines “dangerous experiments”.
Taxes for Humans: A Radical Reimagining of Financial Empowerment
For artists, freelancers, and the self-employed, tax season can feel like a looming cloud. A new book by artist-turned-tax-specialist Hannah Cole offers an antidote.
Jeff Wall’s Post-Truth Photography
His constructed images feel especially relevant as we navigate AI and questions about photographic reliability.
Photographing the Andromeda Galaxy for 10 Seconds vs 10 Hours
This video by Ian Lauer is an excellent accessible explanation of the basics of astrophotography as he runs through the process of how he captures a long-exposure image of the Andromeda galaxy. This picture is still black and white — and no, the galaxy is not devoid of color.
Required Reading
Women ceramicists challenge conventions in clay, India’s drag scene, olive trees in Gaza, dystopian airport lounges, Jenny Holzer’s roommate, and the real story of “Jingle Bells.”
Funniest McSweeney’s piece I’ve read in awhile: The Mastermind Box Cover: What...
Funniest McSweeney’s piece I’ve read in awhile: The Mastermind Box Cover: What the Hell Were They Thinking? “Warmth is for Sorry! This is not a hug. This is a chess clock in a stranger’s living room telling you your parents are getting divorced.”
Coreen Simpson’s Timeless Ode to Black Beauty
Her photography captures both celebrities and everyday people with such intimacy that they might call to mind your neighbors and friends.
90 Minutes of Knitting ASMR
From the V&A Museum, here’s a 90-minute video of someone knitting a pair of gloves using a knitting pattern from the 1940s from the museum’s archive. Featuring soft-spoken moments, natural yarn sounds, needles gently tapping, and the soothing rhythm of slow, careful making,
Medieval Motifs and Pop Culture Converge in Jorge Mañes Rubio’s Beaded Sculptures
Rubio explores the relationship between past and present in beads, sequins, and rhinestones. 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 Medieval Motifs and
A View From the Easel
“There is something so magical about the dyeing process that has continued to captivate me.”
Aging Out of Fucks: The Neuroscience of Why You Suddenly Can’t Pretend...
Aging Out of Fucks: The Neuroscience of Why You Suddenly Can’t Pretend Anymore . “…that point in midlife when your capacity to pretend, perform, and please others starts shorting out like an electrical system that’s finally had enough.”
Thread: What was typography like in the Soviet Union? “They did not...
Thread: What was typography like in the Soviet Union? “They did not just have 1 font everyone had to use. As a matter of fact, there were 39.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Inside the Deadliest Immigration-Related Disaster in US History
"He went in search of a better life for his family. His brother refused to let him go alone. Only one survived the journey."