“Men and women both write every possible kind of book—and yet, when you toss a book out into the marketplace, it will generally find more readers of one sort than the other. Publishers know this and market accordingly. And, if I’m honest, I did get some early indications of where on the spectrum my own book would fall. Over the years, I noticed who brightened up when I described what I was working on and whose eyes tended to glaze over.” – The American Scholar
Tag: 11.14.20
How War And Progress Are Linked
This skeptical, Hobbesian view of human nature, in which war is an “integral part of human experience,” may be unflattering to our species, but it at least keeps us on our toes. – Washington Post
How Linguistics And Evolution Are Joined
Linguists today aim to apply methods from other sciences to messy social phenomena. But the influence once ran the other way, with discoveries in linguistic history leaving a mark on evolutionary theory. – The Economist
How Big Is The New Find Of Ancient Egyptian Artifacts At Saqqara? This Big
“After hinting at a big announcement for days, the Egyptian antiquities ministry revealed the details this morning: more than 100 intact wooden coffins with brightly painted scenes and hieroglyphs, and well-preserved mummies inside.” – Smithsonian Magazine
Painter Wayne Thiebaud @ 100
Thiebaud is still painting, still driving, still in touch with students and disciples gathered over a career that included decades of teaching. He works most days and describes himself as “still a struggling painter.” – Washington Post
Rome’s Infamous Graffiti Artist Is No Longer Anonymous
And Geco isn’t seen with the same, let’s call it reverence, that many give Banksy. Rome’s mayor, Virginia Raggi: “‘He has soiled hundreds of walls and buildings in Rome and other European cities, which had to be cleaned using public funds.’ She posted a photo of ‘hundreds of spray paint cans, thousands of stickers,’ and other tricks of the trade that she said investigators had confiscated from the apartment of Rome’s most-wanted graffiti painter.” – The New York Times
The Horse As Witness And Metaphor
Deborah Butterfield’s various horse sculptures have the kind of power that can truly only come from years of history and metaphor. And the artist is aware of all of it. They’re represented the artist/gallery relationship, the idea of male dominion over the earth, and more. Now, she says, “they represent what is/was wonderful about our earth — what we haven’t ruined yet.” – Glasstire
Want To Know How The Pandemic Will Play Out?
Ask some science writers. Or, if you want to stay happy, maybe don’t. “The most optimistic scenario they could muster: a series of deescalating surges, mitigated by a slowly disseminated vaccine and perhaps some herd immunity.” – Los Angeles Times