Blog

In Defense Of Romance Novels

Many romance novels actually function as more than “imaginative opposition,” providing a very real space for enjoyment and relaxation, which might be otherwise missing from readers’ lives. The best romances can do this without lulling readers into a false sense of complacency.

The Op-Ed-ization Of The Internet

Everything about the recent past, and the generalization of the op-ed form across the internet, suggests there is an inexhaustible fund of such figures, a reserve army of op-ed labor waiting in the wings. Twitter has helped turn the internet into an engine for producing op-eds, for turning writers into op-ed writers, and for turning readers into people on the hunt for an op-ed. The system will not be satisfied until it has made op-ed writers of us all.

In The Recent Indonesian Earthquakes, It’s The Traditional Bamboo Houses That Didn’t Fall Down

In the series of quakes that shook the island of Lombok earlier this month, the concrete homes that have become the modern standard “became death traps” – they fell to pieces because they had no flex to move with the earth when it shook. The few remaining old-style houses, with thatched bamboo walls and woven-reed roofs, are the ones that survived with little or no damage.

Labor Day jazz fests, starting with Chicago’s

The 40th annual Chicago Jazz Festival, four days free to all of unfettered, usually joyous music held in beautiful downtown Millennium Park, started last night, setting the tone for a weekend of exciting, civically-supported music here — and similar outpourings of jazz and blues, America’s vernacular musics, are offered throughout the U.S. this Labor Day weekend.

Louisville Courier-Journal “Recommits” To The Arts. Why?

From the paper’s editor: “Louisville’s arts scene also means big bucks. It’s estimated our A&E ‘industry’ has an economic ripple effect in the region of more than $450 million, providing jobs to thousands — from bartenders and waiters to parking garage operators, musicians and the performers themselves.” This after laying off the paper’s longtime arts writer last year.

How To Tell ‘Deepfake’ Videos From Genuine In The Blink Of An Eye

What’s a deepfake video? It uses the type of artificial intelligence system known as a “deep neural network” to study a large body of images of an individual and then synthesize new moving images based on the existing ones – in other words, to create video of that individual doing something she never actually did. Inevitably, deepfake videos of political candidates will appear, possibly as soon as this fall. How can we spot them? Prof. Siwei Lyu and two colleagues have worked out a way. (The headline above is not metaphorical.)

Who Should Next Run Washington DC’s National Gallery

With Earl Powell’s 26-year tenure coming to an end, the museum has the opportunity to revitalize its programs and modernize its operation, according to interviews with 22 current and former employees and industry experts. The selection of its next leader — expected to be made next month — could determine whether it continues to hew to the past or emerges at the forefront of a quickly evolving museum industry.

NY Times Critics Try To Make Peace With The Jukebox Musical

“Ben Brantley and Jesse Green, the Times‘s chief theater critics, joined the critic Elisabeth Vincentelli to answer the big questions: Why are the bad ones so bad? Why are the good ones better? And are there good ones? Scott Heller, the theater editor, played referee. Here are edited excerpts from the conversation, set to the music of Abba, the Go-Go’s, Donna Summer, Bob Dylan and more.”

Paul Taylor, Dead At 88

Mr. Taylor, whose highly diverse style was born in radical experimentalism in the 1950s, created poignant and exuberant works that entered the repertory of numerous dance companies. His own company, eloquent and athletic, has been one of the world’s superlative troupes.