Rousseau And The Arts: A Vexed Relationship

He was “the one and only Enlightenment thinker who ferociously attacked the very value of art (and science as well) … [His] fundamental idea [was] that art, instead of ennobling us, and offering paths to better and more meaningful lives, mostly makes for miserable modern creatures instead of free and happy ones.” Yet artist and academic Laurie Fendrich finds that “Rousseau’s brilliant railings … offer a road back to discovering the awe lurking in art.”

Art By GPS, And On Two Wheels

“He has drawn Godzilla battling Mothra, the lunar landing, the sinking of the Titanic and a horse running at the Preakness. There’s even a rendition of a gun-toting stickup man modeled after Omar, Wallace’s favorite character from the HBO television series ‘The Wire.’ After he finishes each ride, Wallace downloads his route/drawing onto his website, wallygpx.com. It’s a process that he describes as virtual graffiti, because he can express himself freely without defacing publ

Google And Apple Want Your Books, Your Videos, Your Credit Card Numbers – Who Will Win?

“There is a version of your life, offered by Google, in which all your friends and household members have Android phones, many have Android tablets, and all of them buy their movies, music, and reading from the Play Store. Your lazy evenings, parties, and beach excursions are all very media-rich, DJ-ed by everybody at once, and every moment is instantly shared in this version. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same vision Apple has for its customers–just change the names of the devices and software. The two tech giants are now battling for your total device gadget allegiance.”

Men in Black 3 Made More Than $350 Million – And Lost Money. Why?

“Unlike other decades-old industries, Hollywood not only has a hard time forecasting, but it also has difficulty analyzing past results. Why was The Hunger Games such a big hit? Because it had a built-in audience? Because it starred Jennifer Lawrence? Because it was released around spring break? The business is filled with analysts who claim to have predictive powers, but the fact that a vast majority of films fail to break even proves that nobody knows anything for sure.”