This 1960s teenager knew the neighborhood that inspired August Wilson’s plays

“Aw, man, you know the brother um takin’ ‘bout. He always be up at Eddie’s, light skin, heavy-set, like a fly-on-the-wall, be greasin’ secondhand tweeds, that ol’ newsboy cap, slanted to one side, pencil stub behind his ear. “Wylie to Elmore…. wit’ them empty side pockets, his corduroys be singin’ the blues, cues Bessie on the…

As part of an ongoing feud over the rights to use a particular shade of ultra-black paint, artist Artist Stuart Semple legally changed his name to that of his rival, Anish Kapoor

As part of an ongoing bid to get his hands on Vantablack, the super dark, light-absorbing material to which Anish Kapoor controversially has the exclusive license, artist Stuart Semple has legally changed his name to… Anish Kapoor.   “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” Semple told me. “I like the idea of being able to try a name…

Chilling on Forbes Avenue with a small friend.

Chilling on Forbes Avenue with a small friend.   Similar:Spring 2025 Final Grades Submitted!The Missing Will, by Agatha Christie (WAOB Audio Theatre)The Big Boy GraveyardThis 1960s teenager knew the neighborhood that inspired August Wilson’s playsPater Noster Passenger ElevatorsThis morning I awoke to YouTube’s live footage of crowds circling a mosque in Mecca. For m…

The daughter is in “Very Berry Dead,” a new play which opens this Friday and runs for two weekends in Pittsburgh.

The daughter is in “Very Berry Dead,” a new play which opens this Friday and runs for two weekends in Pittsburgh. Similar:Spring 2025 Final Grades Submitted!The Missing Will, by Agatha Christie (WAOB Audio Theatre)'Most Transparent’ White House In History Keeps Majority Of Trump’s Remarks SecretThe Big Boy GraveyardStop sharing those unsourced memes about "be woke"…

The daughter is in “Very Berry Dead,” a new play which opens this Friday and runs for two weekends in Pittsburgh.

The writer, director, and one of the cast members talk about the play that my daughter Carolyn is getting ready to open Friday. Tickets: https://veryberrydead.bpt.me/ Similar:The Missing Will, by Agatha Christie (WAOB Audio Theatre)Stop sharing those unsourced memes about "be woke" and "God doesn't need soldiers" — here…This 1960s teenager knew the neighborhood that inspired…

That Much-Despised Apple Ad Could Be More Disturbing Than It Looks

Apple has apologized, but like writer Peter C. Baker, I’m not quite ready to let go of that really horrifying ad depicting a roomful of beautifully displayed musical instruments, sound gear, art supplies, and even toys being slowly squashed by a huge hydraulic press (ostensibly to highlight the creative potential of the latest iPad). Picture…

A crushing backlash to Apple’s new iPad ad

Have you seen Apple’s “Crush” ad? It features a huge huge hydraulic press crushing musical instruments, art supplies, google-eyed toys, and other beloved artifacts of imagination and creativity. I remember seeing a video years ago that showed how a smartphone replaced a desktop full of tools like a calculator, notepad, rolodex, and so forth. But…

Creating textures for background buildings in a medieval theater simulation project. I can always improve this later. #blender3d

Creating textures for background buildings in a medieval theater simulation project. I can always improve this later. #blender3d Similar:Why Even Try if You Have A.I.? Now that machines can think for us, we have to choose wheth…Spring 2025 Final Grades Submitted!The Missing Will, by Agatha Christie (WAOB Audio Theatre)'Most Transparent’ White House In History Keeps…

Geometric shapes, with several embedded figures that could be dancing or raging, occupy the upper left corner of a mostly blank canvas, with streaks that suggest the artist's own interrupted life.

A.I. ‘Completes’ Keith Haring’s Intentionally Unfinished Painting

After learning of his AIDS diagnosis, artist Keith Haring created the work, “Unfinished Painting” (1989), which is mostly a blank canvas, with streaks that evoke his own interrupted, incomplete life. Someone who thought it was “so sad” that the painting was unfinished used AI to “complete what he couldn’t finish.” Needless to say, the bot…

Just look at the light on this Mary Cassatt painting

Similar:Why Even Try if You Have A.I.? Now that machines can think for us, we have to choose wheth…'Most Transparent’ White House In History Keeps Majority Of Trump’s Remarks SecretMicrosoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"This 1960s teenager knew the neighborhood that inspired August Wilson’s playsWashington Post Cartoonist Who Quit Over…

Quantity leads to quality – Austin Kleon

Anecdote: [A] ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality. His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the “quantity” group: fifty pound of pots rated an “A”, forty pounds a “B”, and so on. Those being graded on “quality”, however, needed to produce only one pot — albeit a perfect one — to get an “A”. Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the “quantity” group was busily churning out piles of work – and learning from their mistakes — the “quality” group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.

‘There’s a certain madness to it’ … fans await new chord in John Cage gig with 616 years left to run

The organ composition is called “As Slow As Possible.” It’s currently being performed in a church in Germany. The first chord proper whooshed through the pipes in February 2003, prompting complaints from neighbours that it was too noisy. In 2011, a way was found to reduce the air pressure. “We haven’t had any complaints since…

Amazing McDonald’s “Maestro Burger” Commercial

Jaw-dropping. So creative and joyful. Similar:Why Even Try if You Have A.I.? Now that machines can think for us, we have to choose wheth…The Missing Will, by Agatha Christie (WAOB Audio Theatre)'Most Transparent’ White House In History Keeps Majority Of Trump’s Remarks SecretMicrosoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"The Big Boy…

What if I design a #steampunk fantasy cruiser and there aren’t enough chairs? How do I know when I have enough chairs?? #blender3d #unity3d

Similar:Spring 2025 Final Grades Submitted!The Missing Will, by Agatha Christie (WAOB Audio Theatre)The Big Boy GraveyardThis 1960s teenager knew the neighborhood that inspired August Wilson’s playsPater Noster Passenger ElevatorsThis morning I awoke to YouTube’s live footage of crowds circling a mosque in Mecca. For m…

Long Live the LARPers — My daughter plays the antagonist in this award-winning 48 Hour Film Project. (It’s a musical!)

Similar:Why Even Try if You Have A.I.? Now that machines can think for us, we have to choose wheth…The Missing Will, by Agatha Christie (WAOB Audio Theatre)'Most Transparent’ White House In History Keeps Majority Of Trump’s Remarks SecretMicrosoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"The Big Boy GraveyardStop sharing those unsourced memes…