In a new book, “a cognitive scientist, a philosopher, and a psychologist set out to discover a grand unified theory of humor. In developing [their] view, the authors considered – but ultimately had to discard – some long-cherished theories. Here, they present five such hypotheses – plus the jokes that demonstrate that they don’t hold water.”
Tag: 05.13.11
Waterstone’s About To Be Waterstone’s Again
“Tim Waterstone, the founder of the book stores that take his name, is poised for a dramatic come-back after his new, rich Russian commercial partner submitted a £43m bid for the business.”
Does Philanthropy Do Any Good?
“The question is, will all that giving, by the billionaires and the thousands more Americans with far smaller amounts of money, actually do any good? There is rather a depressing history of well-intentioned donations often doing nothing to alleviate society’s problems, and sometimes even making matters worse.”
Is Chicago The Center Of American Theatre?
“These four: Hull House, the Little Theatre, Second City, and Steppenwolf–they’re idealistic guideposts of what the theater can be. Together, they create the mythic Chicago theater. And there aren’t really other towns in this country that have a mythic theater profile. With the exception of New York.”
Greece Is Having A Crisis Of Culture, But Its Art Is Being Energized
“Greece is currently deep in crisis, a crisis that is not just financial but also cultural and spiritual. With many of its most successful sons and daughters living abroad and stringent public-sector cuts, Greece is under siege. Curiously, however, for Greek contemporary art this seems to be a moment of remarkable energy.”
3D Printers Are Here – Make Whatever You Want
“With some assembly and do-it-yourself tinkering, the MakerBot makes, or ‘prints,’ three-dimensional objects from molten plastic, creating a piggy bank, say, or a Darth Vader head from a computer design at the touch of a button.”
Spider-Man Reopens On Broadway, And…
“Aside from a couple of technical glitches and one late entrance, the show unfolded fairly smoothly, without any of the obvious accidents, injuries or mechanical malfunctions that turned “Spider-Man” into an unusually vivid news story (for Broadway) and frequent punch line for late-night comics throughout the winter.”
Limits On The Current Art Market? Not Yet!
“Until this week, Contemporary art had to be big and colorful to hit the roof. Not any more.”
How Will James Cuno’s Views On Antiquities Repatriation Fit At The Getty?
“Over that same decade, Cuno, 60, forged a reputation as an outspoken critic of efforts to curb the antiquities trade. In two books and many public appearances, he has called the efforts of foreign governments to regulate the trade in ancient art “nationalistic,” and has lamented the limits put on museums’ ability to collect art that has a murky ownership history.”
Spider-Man Reopens – Has The Fever Broken?
“A show spokesman said tickets to the new show are ‘selling briskly,’ though the show’s own website indicated dozens of available seats for the next few days. Some ticket brokers were even offering up to 40 percent off orchestra and balcony seats.”