Gareth Fearn writing for the London Review of Books about the student protests on US campuses: Liberalism without Accountability . This is a toxic combination: universities reliant on investment portfolios in a system where mega-profits are made by companies that threaten and
Hey everyone, it’s Hot Frank Summer! Aka we’re all reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein this summer . Just a few pages a day from May 15 to June 12 — check out the schedule and put it in your calendar. #HotFrankSummer 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
A 40-minute dance performance, themed around the four elements of fire, air, earth, and water, takes center stage at NYUAD Art Gallery for a limited series of shows.
Booting up an Apple IIc to play Lode Runner . Oh maaaaaan, this takes me back. I played so much Lode Runner as a kid. And made probably 50 of my own levels with the built-in level editor. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
The term “spoke” has traditionally referred to a piece of split log, like those used as supports in a wagon wheel. Traditional basket-making techniques draw on that same concept by weaving flexible material through a stronger framework. For French artistic duo Daniel Dewar and
These folks wrote an autopilot in Javascript that can control planes in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (via the API). “To allay any concerns: this is not about running JavaScript software to control an actual aircraft. That would kill people.” 💬 Join the discussion on
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a skate video like this before: a group of riders skating the smooth, flowing rocks on the Maltese island of Gozo (site of Calypso’s cave in the Odyssey). Skateboarding has always been such an urban-coded sport — surfing on concrete, reliant on the
Oh cool, spiders can swim now . “The diving bell spider is the only one known to survive almost entirely underwater, using bubbles of air it brings down from the surface.” And have you met the underwater bees ? 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Have you ever sent a knit sweater through a dryer cycle and returned to find it a fraction of the size it once was? Well, think even smaller. Althea Crome ’s incredibly detailed miniature sweaters didn’t shrink in a dryer but were instead created stitch by stitch with
Wondering why “people invent false conspiracies when there are so many real ones to worry about”, George Monbiot interviews a conspiracy theorist . “Conspiracy fantasists may get the facts wrong, ‘but often get the feelings right.’” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Recently, some of the items from the personal collection of the late artist Jason Polan were auctioned off . The NY Times wrote about the effort to preserve his legacy . Jen Bekman, the founder of the online gallery 20x200, reflected on Mr. Polan’s legacy while she sat beside
The trailer for Senna , a Netflix limited series about Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna. Kinda skeptical about this, considering how great the documentary Senna (2010) is. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
From pudgy pugs to a precisely groomed poodle to a deliriously happy Shiba Inu, Misato Sano ’s waggish pups emerge from single blocks of wood. The artist ( previously ) chisels expectant eyes and goofy grins, revealing individual personalities that showcase each breed’s
Profile of the pioneering Canadian architect whose modernist designs disintegrated boundaries between structure and place - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon
New research transports us back to the shadowy firelight of ancient caves, imagining the minds and feelings of the artist - by Izzy Wisher Read at Aeon
In the nineteen-sixties, the music media encouraged the notion that a young rock-and-roll fan had to side with either the Beatles or their rivals, the Rolling Stones. On some level, it must have made sense, given the growing aesthetic divide between the music the two
Some restaurants keep a photo of the local reviewer in the kitchen. The thinking is that if someone notices she’s in the building, everyone can up their game. And some musicians wait eagerly for A&R person to be in the crowd. If they really kill it tonight, a record deal might
When Wendy Carlos released Switched-On Bach in 1968, her “greatest hits” compilation of the Baroque composer’s music, played entirely on the Moog analog synthesizer, the album became an immediate hit with both classical and pop audiences. Not only was it “acclaimed as real
James Hamilton’s career conveniently mirrors the changing fortunes of journalism as an industry.
Artworks by the students feel delightfully provisional, like statements of intent toward unrealized future creations — but no less meaningful.