"Among the titles being cast into the maw of the volcano this year: Blake Bailey's oozing hagiography of Philip Roth, Mitch Albom's latest cavity-inducing parable, Andrew Sullivan's overfull toilet of essays" (fed to the merciless Dale Peck) "and Malcolm Gladwell's smug apologia for American butchery." - Book Marks
Consciousness, thought, creativity, will, imagination, and agency — once considered to be explainable only through philosophical reflection were now reformulated as precisely defined cognitive functions. And these functions could in turn be measured and compared between humans and machines. - The New Atlantis
Any of us have interacted with apparently thoughtful machines often enough—for instance, when on the telephone and trying, often fruitlessly, to get to a customer service representative, that we have gradually lowered our standards for intelligence. - Hedgehog Review
"Of course I wanted to do this. The biggest reason to say no is, why would you ever put yourself in a position to be compared to Lily Tomlin? But you hear Leigh talk about it and you start tearing up." - The New York Times
If you want to see an acrobatic display of ducking and weaving in a gallery by people trying desperately not to set off any alarms, just read the labels in the newly opened The African Origins of Civilization at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. - Hyperallergic
"Pilgrims traveling to Machu Picchu in the 15th century were greeted by Chachabamba, a ceremonial water complex that was designed to demonstrate the power of the Inca peoples. Now researchers have used 3D imaging technology to map this unique feature of the citadel." - Artnet
Didion came to prominence with a series of incisive, searching feature articles in Life magazine and The Saturday Evening Post that explored the fraying edges of postwar American life. - The New York Times
Says the artistic director of English National Ballet, "I am by no means Petipa, but what I'm trying to do with Raymonda is what I've seen done in England with ... Shakespeare, which is to try and make the original work fit into a different context." - Bachtrack
The researchers found that higher conscientiousness – the tendency to be organised, hardworking and disciplined – was related to rating loyalty, authority and purity/sanctity as important bases for morality. - Psyche
The first woman to run a TV studio (a job she never liked and only did after she and Desi Arnaz divorced), Ball was long known as hard-nosed, shrewd and no-nonsense, even humorless. Yet, says a biographer, she had a "seldom-seen soft side." - The New York Times
"The media-measurement giant informed TV networks and other clients Wednesday that it has, since September of 2020, undercounted so-called 'out-of-home' audiences — the people watching programs in offices, bars, hotels and other places — for national TV programming." - Variety
A YouGov poll of 1,000 Americans found that roughly 56% of 18-to-44-year-olds weren't deterred by the new, rapidly spreading coronavirus variant, with only between 20% and 27% actively deterred. That latter figure among those aged 45 to 64 is 39%, with another 37% neutral. - The Hollywood Reporter
The Baltimore Museum of Art has roughly 1,200 works by the artist, and it's just opened the Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies, which will have a library, resident research fellows, and the museum's first exhibition room dedicated to Matisse's art. - Smithsonian Magazine
A set of young New Yorkers seems to have decided that the Met is cool. Sure, many of them appear more interested in the dress-up-drink-Champagne-and-be-fabulous aspect than in the art, but that's been true for centuries — and others are finding they like opera. - The New York Times
The Madrid regional government has given the painting of the scourged Christ official bien de interés cultural status, which legally requires the current owners to give the government the right of first refusal to purchase the work. - The Guardian
