Opinion
From 17th-Century Sketches to LA Street Art
If you've ever wondered what drives us to post and share in the first place, then the 17th-century practice of the liber amicorum, or book of friends, might have some answers.
AX Mina
AX Mina is an artist and culture writer exploring contemporary spirituality, technology and other sundry topics. She co-produces Five and Nine, a podcast about magic, work, and economic justice, and serves on the board of the Rabkin Foundation.
Art
Village Demolition and Absurdist Film: Yang Fudong's China
OAKLAND, Calif. — That China is changing rapidly is a cliché wrapped in truth. It's a cliché because it is uttered so frequently, but it is true because the details and nuances are often more staggering that the perception.
Opinion
Can Art Make Us Care More?
OAKLAND, Calif. — So much of empathy seems to be determined by the position we occupy in the world.
Opinion
Remembering the Value of an Arts Education
Ask a contemporary college student about their average day, and they'll probably tell you they spend it multitasking. Classes here, academic clubs there, maybe a fraternity/sorority event, and then of course community service. No surprises there. But what might be a surprise is that this sort of hec
Opinion
Are the Robots Taking Over?
While the internet mourns the passing of one of its many fads of the moment, more sinister robots are coming to life in its wake.
Art
Gaming the System: A More Realistic Version of Monopoly
OAKLAND, Calif. — Earlier this year, there was a kerfluffle on the internet when users voted to oust the iron token in Monopoly in favor of a cat. It was a significant change to the aesthetics of the game — the iron had been around since the 1930s — but not a significant change to its gameplay.
Art
A Ghost in the Screen Machine
OAKLAND, Calif. — Steve Jobs knew this well: there's something magical about technology. Turn on a phone or a computer, and you can access not just information but people and communities with a few clicks and taps.
Opinion
Rethinking How We Source Toys
SAN FRANCISCO — With increasing frequency, it seems, toys from China provoke controversy.
Opinion
Digging Into the Layers of the Internet's Past
OAKLAND, Calif. — Digital Archaeology's icon, a pixellated flashlight, captures, in my mind, how the site works: by shining light on different corners, never quite capturing the whole.
Opinion
Toward a Slower Internet
OAKLAND, Calif. — Hop on a train or bus in any major city these days and you'll no doubt see people staring at their phones. Where once it might have been a book or an empty gaze, phones have become the object of public transport riders' attentions through games, reading, tweets, emails, and what ha
Art
Mental Health and Healing Through the Lens of Taiwan's History
OAKLAND, Calif. — As the economy steadily improves around the world, there remains a long tail of after-effects, from homes lost to the housing bubble to increased debt burdens families may have had to assume during the worse parts of the recession. Less discussed are the mental health effects.
News
Deploying Drones for Aerial Photography
It's difficult to appreciate, given the ubiquity afforded by camera phones and low-cost digital cameras, but the ability to photograph our space can be a powerful act.