Category: ideas

Why did the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have to issue a press release denying the existence of mermaids? Animal Planet is to blame.

“The approach captures an individual’s desire, not commitment, to attend more arts events. Arts marketers know that in order to become a subscriber, an individual must first have been a single ticket buyer, then a multi-ticket buyer. The Netflix model’s purchasing psychology is different; people decide that they can part with a small amount of their monthly earnings to have the opportunity to see art. There is less upfront financial commitment than a subscription and a lot of promise that they will become closer to the art form.”

“Philosophy today has moved a long way from that stereotype of the lonely thinker. Its practice is becoming ever more communal. As well as attending discussion circles, salons, debating clubs, literary-philosophical societies and events from the likes of TED, 5×15, the School of Life and Intelligence Squared, people are gathering in philosophy clubs, Socrates cafés, Enlightenment cafés, even ‘death cafés’ (for those who want to reflect together on mortality). Music festivals, too, such as Latitude and Bestival have their own ‘ideas tents’ – yes, philosophy is one of the new rock ‘n’ rolls. But how can the current wave of philosophical clubs ensure they are more than a fashionable trend?”

“The US archaeologists involved have determined that fragments from a large bowl found in Xianrendong Cave, Jiangxi Province, are 20,000 years old. The discovery … is the latest in recent years that have pushed back the invention of pottery by 10,000 years.”

“Imagine if there were a separate door for each shelf of your refrigerator, and each of those doors had its own combination lock. That’s the state of the modern entertainment center, and the hand-held devices we use to manipulate it. The remote control was supposed to make life easier, but instead it’s led us into a labyrinth of bad design. How did we get here, and where are we going?” (There are, in fact, answers to those questions.)

“The computer is electronic cocaine for many people. Our brains are wired for finding immediate reward. With technology, novelty is the reward. You essentially become addicted to novelty.”

“Compared with past outbreaks of fan mania, scientists now have a better understanding of why teens–girls in particular–become so passionate about some musicians, and the recording industry is far more adept at exploiting the phenomenon. Parents of star-struck “Bieliebers”–as his fans are sometimes known–can be assured, experts say, that what looks like mass hysteria is a harmless stage in adolescent development.”

A Swiss study tested responses to a violinist’s performance after listeners were told she was of “questionable” morality. Teachers had a negative reaction and graded harshly. On the other hand, those studying to be police officiers…

“Are human beings intrinsically good but corruptible by the forces of evil, or the reverse, innately sinful yet redeemable by the forces of good? … We are all genetic chimeras, at once saints and sinners – not because humanity has failed to reach some foreordained religious or ideological ideal – but because of the way our species originated across millions of years of biological evolution.”