The question of the intrinsic value of art is one he never expected to need to address. For him, it is a given. For others, it has become a questionable hypothesis. - The Bulwark
For the first time in more than a half-century, scientists are in the throes of changing the definition of the second, because a new generation of clocks is capable of measuring it more precisely. - The New York Times
New tools could include an AI-powered virtual teaching assistants that help teachers to grade homework and provide real-time feedback to students, or that assist teachers in “orchestrating and organizing social activity in the classroom.” - The Hechinger Report
Can people who live in fantasy worlds at such steep odds with reality be good friends and citizens themselves? At the very least, maintaining such worldviews means vigilance about rejecting facts—and the perceptions of other, clearer minds. This estranges others. - Wired
It’s essentially a turf war. Only Latino authors can write novels about Latinos. Only Holocaust survivors can convey the truth of the Holocaust. Only disabled people can portray disabled people. Everyone else is out. - The New York Times
There are ways in which the internet really does seem to work like a possessing demon. We tend to think that the internet is a communications network we use to speak to one another—but in a sense, we’re not doing anything of the sort. Instead, we are the ones being spoken through. - Damage Magazine
Many have taken to declaring how they don’t have dream jobs since they “don’t dream of labor.” This buzzy phrase, popularized on social media in the pandemic, rejects work as a basis for identity, framing it instead as an act to pursue out of financial necessity. - Vox
Of course, "there’s a reason we put so much effort into denying regret: The feeling can be corrosive." But instead of regretting lost symphonies, paintings, hikes, books, the question remains: "How can you improve yourself in the days to come?” - The New York Times
If people want to be happier, there are research-backed ways to do it - including "Search for transcendent truths beyond your narrow day-to-day life," and "Be active mentally," which both sound like great motivations to make, and experience, art. - The Atlantic
And that includes using - and celebrating - the space around the library. They're people places (even if the use of library apps has shot up during the pandemic). - The New York Times
Virtually all modern computers are modelled on Alan Turing’s idea. However, he originally conceived these machines merely because he saw that a human engaged in the process of computing could be compared to one, in a way that was useful for mathematics. - Aeon
Sound restoration engineer Nicholas Bergh spent two decades designing the revolutionary new machine, known as the Endpoint Audio Labs cylinder playback machine. - Atlas Obscura
Following the lead of activist filmmakers and stars—who ran especially hot on social media during the long months of Covid lockdown—the industry has clearly aligned itself with progressive positions on inclusion, racial equity, gender and transgender rights, gun control, border enforcement, abortion... - Deadline
Implicit in the phrase “the artist’s life” is the idea that this is a life apart. We are not so quick to rhapsodize about the insurance agent’s life or the plumber’s. - The New York Times
Not understanding makes bad things happen. When we don’t understand why lightning strikes or ships sink or babies die, sacrificing virgins might seem a viable approach. - Wired
