If the National Science Foundation does stop funding social scientists, experts told me, our 5,000-foot-view of American life will get foggier. The NSF, through the SBE division, is the primary funder of the “big three” social-science surveys, which have enabled the work of several generations of academics, economists, and policy wonks. - The Atlantic
Computers talk to computers, producing information to train computers to sound more like humans or to better engage them. Humans type into the box, scroll, and wait. - The Atlantic
Ballet has a reputation for upholding rigid body standards. In recent years, though, the art form has been rethinking its relationship to diversity in areas like race and body type. - The New York Times
A new book makes the case that when it comes to evolving forms and styles in American architecture, a new generation of firms is drawing inspiration from not just place and local architectural heritage, but the place a building like the Girls Inc. Youth Farm will play in the community. - Fast Company
Teaching people to read and building a world where they can do so are different problems. Throwing our phones in the lake can’t bring about that world, but designing the conditions for reading will. - The New York Times
Sarah Wynn-Williams, whose bestselling memoir, Careless People, details her years working at Facebook, was due to appear in conversation with the investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr and academic Tim Wu. Instead, Wynn-Williams sat on stage for the hour-long discussion without speaking or responding. She was unable even to nod or shake her head. - The Gaurdian
AI music has gone viral before and charted before, but song generators are now good and fast enough that they can flood the zone, creating tracks that slip past the safeguards of major streaming platforms and distributors. Spam-filtering systems can do only so much to stem the flow. - The Atlantic
Why so much dance on TV lately? “Where the goal is to quickly get and then hold the viewer’s attention, energetic movement is a straightforward strategy. Dance’s graphic elements immediately catch the eye, and they can make that gaze linger.” - Dance Magazine
Peacock and Paramount+ have high hopes. “Emmy success can still bring tangible benefits. Even the commitment to campaigning can move the needle, especially for two streamers looking to recruit more talent to their ranks.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)
“The experience of watching so many movies over a twelve-day period coaxes your brain into a heightened state of pattern recognition, and you might begin to wonder if certain films have been programmed based on narrative and thematic similarities.” - The New Yorker
“The Town has seen its homegrown talent reach new levels of success on the global stage, from figure skater Alysa Liu earning Olympic gold in Milan to filmmaker Ryan Coogler winning four Oscars for his blockbuster Sinners and R&B powerhouse Kehlani receiving two Grammy Awards.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
Um, ouf? “He doubled down on his personal commitment to AI, noting that he still uses it every day. … I asked him whether he would rather stop writing than stop using AI in his writing process. ‘Yeah,’ he answered.” - Wired
