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The Barnes Foundation’s current exhibition, Mark Dion, Judy Pfaff, Fred Wilson: The Order of Things, epitomizes the business buzz phrase “disruptive innovation” like few other museum shows (which I wrote about here). Disrupt or die, the thinking goes. Old orders must make way for new. Coincidentally, as the Barnes Foundation, home of Dr. Albert Barnes’ meticulously and idiosyncratically ordered collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces left just so since his death in 1951, invites outsider artists to question and challenge Dr. Barnes’ old order, it also publishes their own insider’s critical “warts and all” assessment of Dr. Barnes’ relationship to African art and African-Americans. In African Art in the Barnes Foundation: The Triumph of L’Art nègre and the Harlem Renaissance, scholar Christa Clarke reassesses Dr. Barnes intentions and results in his building of the first great African art collection in America. “More than just formal accents to modernist paintings and other Western art in the collection,” Clarke argues, “African art deserves to be seen as central to the aesthetic mission and progressive vision that was at the very heart of the Barnes Foundation.”
The final building to rise in place of the original WTC will be the work of star architect Bjark Ingels, who famously designed Google's new headquarters in California.
10mins
So let's talk about fracking. It isn't a terrible idea in theory, says Bill Nye the Science Guy, but it can't be allowed to go unregulated. This is because new technologies have promoted irresponsible fracturing practices with severe environmental and public health consequences.
Which character comes to mind first when you think of Game of Thrones?
The Seattle Department of Transportation has proposed a $3 billion project that would revamp city roads and improve gridlock. Central to the plan is an interesting twist: no new accommodations are to be made for auto traffic.
This time, the graphic novel Persepolis is to blame.
Bring on the sugar, we say. Is there any way that can change?
Where new stars and the matter they form from fight for dominance. “People get cranky when you burst their bubble. Over time, advances in astronomy have relentlessly reinforced the utter […]
3mins
"Islamic extremism is an assault on the ideas of liberalism, on the idea of innovation, on women, on gays, on tolerance, on civilization," says the author and social activist. She says if American cultural leaders like Ben Affleck can't see this, it's because they're not paying attention.
With no tape, markers or adhesives, these accurately modeled animals are a true work of art. “Laughs don’t come in barrels. They come from inside you as your body’s response […]
For songwriter and a scientist alike, the delight is in peering into the unknown, reaching in, and pulling some strange, new thing out of the darkness.
The numbers are bad, but it's not too late to take action.
The hope that humans can use wisdom and technology to prevent a bleak future for life on Earth is overly optimistic. It falsely presumes that we can use wisdom to overcome instincts.
Is it our cognition or wonder that elevates us to the ranks of humanity? According to the late fantasy author Terry Pratchett, our imagination is what sets us apart.
Why is the word such a wet blanket? Scientists investigate.
Words of wisdom from Nikola Tesla: "There is no conflict between the ideal of religion and the ideal of science, but science is opposed to theological dogmas because science is founded on fact."
"I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success. ... Such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything."
If you took all the energy out of something, you’d reach absolute zero, the coldest temperature of all. But is there a highest temperature? “Nothing is lost… Everything is transformed.” […]
3mins
"In my opinion you’re allowed to cry." Neuroscientist Dr. Wendy Suzuki reacts to the controversial comments made this week by Nobel Laureate Sir Tim Hunt.
4mins
According to retired U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal, top-notch cybersecurity isn't modeled after the Maginot Line or a giant wall attempting to block outside forces from getting in. Instead, we need to design cybersecurity that acts like an immune system, learning on the go every time a new or unique challenge emerges.