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L.A.’s Chicanx Lowrider Culture Caught On In Japan. Is That Cultural Appropriation?

New York Times reporter Walter Thompson-Hernández, a native of Southeast L.A.: “I heard a rumor that lowrider culture — a community with an affinity for cars, outfit with intricate designs, multicolored lights and heavily tinted windows that can be traced in Southern California to as far back as the 1940s — had traveled to Japan. … I knew I had to see it for myself, so I packed my bags for Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo.” (video) – The New York Times

Using Theatre To Bring Together (If Not Reconcile) Falklands War Vets From Both Sides

“Both the play Minefield and the documentary Theater of War are part of the same project in which [director Lola] Arias, together with veterans of the Malvinas/Falklands War of 1982, reconstruct memories in a tense and emotional production, in which the former British and Argentine soldiers are themselves the stars — former enemies, side by side.” – Hyperallergic

Comedian Brody Stevens Dead Of Suicide At 48

“His stand-up style was a seemingly contradictory mix of confrontation and self-deprecation. He would often mock the fact that he was not a household name and had managed to land only small parts in television shows and movies [such as the Hangover series]. … He was widely admired by other comedians for his willingness to venture into unsafe territory.” – The New York Times

Brick Flicks: How Lego Created A Blockbuster Movie Franchise

Some of the company’s cinematic success is because, with the films as with the toys, “every new product [is] compatible with every previous one; you could just keep adding more and more to your collection.” And some of it is that the movies incorporate Lego versions of characters from everywhere – Marvel comics, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, even The Simpsons. And other studios are thrilled to let them do it. – 1843 Magazine

Digital Sign-Language-To-English Translation – Can It Work?

There have been a few previous devices developed using gloves with motion sensors, and a team at MSU has invented a new one using an internal camera and deep-learning AI software. But many in the Deaf community, including Prof. Christian Vogler of Gallaudet, are skeptical, pointing out the complex difficulties of translating ASL to English. – Smithsonian Magazine