Art
New Card System Helps You Learn Art History
LOS ANGELES — Masterpiece Cards are a new art learning system from Susan Benford, who heads up the company. Benford developed the cards as a learning tool of those studying art history.
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.
Opinion
¬_¬ A New Emojicon Library! ( ˘ ³˘)♥
LOS ANGELES — I don't know about you, but sometimes :) and :( just don't cut it. Happy and sad? That's it? There are so many more human emotions, with nuances between anger and frustration, surprise and elation. Perhaps this is what's behind the hype around emoji for iPhone: finally, a better way to
Books
New Book Explores Social Media From Many Angles
We all use social media. We tweet, Facebook, tumble and pin away, and some of us even make art on these platforms. Social media have been explored in countless talks and essays, as everyone from sociologists to artists to technologists have come together to explore just why these new media are so in
Opinion
Stereotyping People's Stereotypes of the World
LOS ANGELES — Satirical maps have a powerful way of stereotyping the stereotypes people have. Which is why Bulgarian graphic designer Yank Tsvetkov's map designs have a particular bite. His Mapping Stereotypes series claims to be "The Ultimate Bigot's Calendar," with perspectives of Europe and the w
Opinion
TED Researcher Unveils Flying Robots
LOS ANGELES — This video has been making the rounds on Twitter amongst TED fans, and I have to write about it and share it with you. The TED Conference, which ran this week in Long Beach, has been the usual "nerd fest," at least from what I've been hearing from attendees.
Opinion
New App Lets You Crowdsource the DJ
LOS ANGELES — We all know what it's like. You're at a party, and the music's great, but you wish they'd play a different song. But maybe other people won't like that song. And then someone more vocal jumps in and suggests some other song that's not so great. Okay, maybe it's not that complicated. Bu
Art
The Curious Desert Memorials of Western China
LOS ANGELES — Deep in western China, in the deserts of Xinjiang Province, artist Lisa Ross photographed curious and colorful memorials, and she's showing them this month at UC Berkeley.
News
National Magazine Award Recognizes Utility of Poetry
LOS ANGELES — The POETRY App has been selected as a finalist for a National Magazine Award for Digital Media. As their press release noted, this is remarkable because the award basically recognizes that poetry — at least in the form of a cool app — has utility in our lives.
Opinion
The Popping Soundscape of Electronic Media
LOS ANGELES — There are sounds all around. Clicks and taps from keyboards, pings and pongs from phones, honks and heys from the streets. It's a treasure trove out there for sound artists.
News
Former Billionaire Works to Preserve China's Cultural Heritage
LOS ANGELES — A new report in China Daily points to "former billionaire" Wang Yongchao in Shaanxi, China, who's been snatching up priceless antiques and cultural relics. But rather than sell them for profit, he's become a one-man movement to preserve China's cultural heritage.
Art
Smashing the 80s Away
LOS ANGELES — We all want to be rid of certain things. Prized possessions that have fallen out favor. Mementos of love lost and embarrassing youths. But it's hard to part with what we own. D3: Object Divestment Services aims to assuage this need to leave the past behind us
News
The LowLine Brings a Park Underground
LOS ANGELES — A good portion of New Yorkers' lives are lived underground. Whether riding the train or waiting for the train, the subterranean world of Gotham is famous the world over for its grungy, dirty character. Few people, however, actually want to hang out underground. The Delancey Underground