A roundup of the most engaging recent pieces on the web read by the Pittsburgh Review of Books this week.
“On the Mark by Florence Hazrat review – a fascinating history of punctuation” from The Guardian
“What Hazrat really believes about exclamation marks, alas, may be inferred from her ultra-liberal use of them.”
“The End of Reading is Here” from The Atlantic
“Americans, once members of a proudly literate society, read much less than they used to.”
“World Cupcophony” from N+1
“On the field, every World Cup is a contest of idioms: between the Spanish-influenced juego de posición and post-German Gegenpressing, between philosophies that rely on holding the ball and those that assert themselves by working without it, between the set piece–heavy structuralism now fashionable in the English Premier League and the crashing unpredictability of the South American game.”
“Why Climate Politics Can’t Wait” from the Boston Review
“Discussing how best to talk about climate change is a strategic imperative. But nuance isn’t what the hushers are after: they’re telling Democrats not to talk about climate at all.”
“Trump Accuses Smithsonian of “Anti-White Activism” in Draconian New Report” from Hyperallergic
“As the president zeroes in on Smithsonian museums and United States cultural institutions as part of his political agenda, historians have called on the public to document exhibits and labels, fearing that they may be altered or removed by the administration.”
“Hunting for a New Hallucinogen in the Lilliputian Psychedelic” from Nautilus
“The effect this particular mushroom has on people is unusual in the world of psychedelics, right?“
“Independence Day: How Ramones Changed the World” from The Quietus
“It’s a quip which could easily be adapted to fit Ramones: it takes a lot of brains to sound this dumb.”
“The End of Neoliberal Art: Populism, Pluralism, and the Lessons of ’76” from Artforum
“With the cost of living through the roof and the market for contemporary art contracting, it is increasingly impossible to make a life as an artist.”
“‘Worthless Idiot, Donkey Head’ Parodies of Pedantry on the Renaissance Stage” from The Public Domain Review
“The pretensions of the pedant made him an easy target. His use of Latin, including obscure vocabulary, grammatical and rhetorical jargon, and a display of erudition, offered a highly relatable source of irritation. More than just a matter of linguistic skills, speaking the language of the church and academe signalled that one belonged to an intellectual elite. It was not a subtle gesture.”
“The ‘Merge’ With AI Has Already Begun” from The Nation
“What might this ‘merge’ look like? Altman has suggested it might start off with people becoming ‘really close friends with a chatbot.’”
