The researchers came up with a term to describe the motivation behind these all-purpose conspiracy mongers. They called it the “need for chaos,” which they defined as “a mindset to gain status” by destroying the established order. - The Atlantic (MSN)
If you think of a sound, such as a dog barking, a loved one’s voice, or a favorite tune, to what extent can you hear that sound in your mind? Not at all? As vividly as actually hearing it in real time and space? Somewhere in between? - Nautilus
Results are overturning assumptions about brain anatomy, for example, revealing that regions often have much fuzzier boundaries and job descriptions than was thought. - Nature
Antilogic was a form of contradiction that caused a person to simultaneously believe opposite things about a single event or phenomenon, without any way out or means of resolving the contradictory views in which they had become ensnared. - Psyche
The fastest growing sector of the culture economy is distraction. Or call it scrolling or swiping or wasting time or whatever you want. But it’s not art or entertainment, just ceaseless activity. - Honest Broker
In a YouGov survey released in 2023, nearly half of Americans said they didn’t consider themselves artistic. At 58 percent, even more respondents said they weren’t familiar with famous artistic movements or styles. - Vox
Art, I have preached, is for bildung, self-development, especially within the context of an undergraduate education. Art helps you to become a deeper, freer version of yourself, etc., etc., blah blah blah, you’ve heard the song a thousand times. So what’s the difference between that and “art is good for us”? - Salmagundi
Seeking information using a search engine could be almost completely replaced by this new generation of large language model-powered systems. - The Wall Street Journal
When a couple bought the Bridgeport, Illinois space for $1, they weren’t, perhaps, thinking it would take quite this much. "When asked if the project lives up to the initial idea they had back in 2017, Emily Nevius quickly responds, ‘This is so much bigger.’" - Chicago Sun-Times
Perhaps it’s not ideal to take Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as marriage advice, but movies, including that one, have a lot to teach, or so says one fan. - NPR
But why aren’t more celebrities using their money for this kind of baffling, joyous, wacky creative venture? “It is genuinely exciting to see an A-lister in the pursuit of pure, honest, sincere cringe." - Slate
”In the future, a company’s AI agent—basically the AI version of that company—will be just as important as their website,” says Taylor. “It's going to completely change the way companies exist digitally.” - Wired
In a famous essay, the economist and philosopher Amartya Sen pointed out that we are all in favour of equality. We just disagree about whether we mean equality of money, or power, or respect, or legal standing, or whatever. - Literary Review
Though invisible to most people, copyright, the authors point out, is the legal matrix underlying the wealth of nations today, with copyrights in design, software and popular culture accounting for nearly all the valuation of “six of the largest corporations in the world — Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Disney.” - Washington Post
“Biological extinction, that’s not the point. The light of humanity and our understanding, our intelligence — our consciousness, if you will — can go on without meat humans.” - Jacobin