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Things fall apart. Oh yes. The old fabric is torn away, or disintegrates, and all that. But, sometimes, when you least expect it, things fall into place, and new patterns and stories emerge. So, towards the end of January this year, things were looking pretty grim. It was a tough time, but one bright spot was the Pauline Boty exhibition at the Gazelli Art House in Mayfair, which was a …

Poet and former National Endowment for the Arts chairman Dana Gioia has been busy. He’s just published a spate of new books: Poetry as Enchantment and Other Essays (Paul Dry Books); Dana Gioia: Poet & Critic (Mercer University Press, edited by John Zheng and Jon Parrish Peede); and last and shortest (205 pages), Weep, Shudder, Die: On Opera and Poetry, also with Paul Dry Books. He calls the last “an …

Felicity Kendal and Matthew Kelly leads a rather flat revival of Eduardo di Filippo’s Filumena, ending its...

This is a cheap screw-fit long lens that I can’t remember sourcing. I think it came with a camera as a sort of large body cap. Hanimex was not a great make, even in its day. I think the auto bit of its name came from the stop-down pin that would close the aperture to its working value when the shutter was tripped (if your camera had the necessary pusher-plate). …

I see the term ‘AI slop’ used quite a lot, especially on social media. But what does it actually mean? I think it’s important to have some kind of definition for the words that we use, otherwise we end up with terms like “woke,” which is used by people to describe stuff they just don’t like. For what it’s worth, here’s my working definition of AI slop, based on the …

Since 2010, the chairs of most House of Commons select committees have been elected by MPs. In this post, Tom Fleming explores recent suggestions that these elections have become more competitive. Results from five rounds of elections suggest a more complicated picture.

Photo by Sebastian Sørensen Today’s post is an abridged excerpt from “In Defence of Giving Up” by Stacey May Fowles in Bad Artist edited by Nellwyn Lampert, Pamela Oakley, Christian Smith, and Gillian Turnbull. Copyright © 2024 by the contributors. Reprinted with permission of TouchWood Editions. Before my daughter was born, in early 2018, I was mostly convinced my worth lay in writing eight hundred–word pieces in very little time …

BookPoirot Investigates by Agatha Christie SynopsisA collection of short stories about Hercule Poirot’s various cases, all narrated by his friend Captain Hastings. Pros The variety of stories shows that Christie was a master at finding variation in a shared formula. The stories don’t feel particularly rushed, and still manage to capture most of the characterization and personality of the full-length mysteries. Often feels as if Christie didn’t consider the mystery …

A sample of some of the photographs from the Natick Soldier Systems Center Photographic Collection. Source: US Army / Digital Commons Natick Soldier Systems Center Photographic CollectionThis story has been updated.The US armed forces is made up of 1.3 million people — soldiers, pilots, plumbers, lawyers, logistics specialists, doctors and even dog handlers. And those active duty forces need uniforms, cold weather gear, backpacks, shelf-stable rations and all kinds of …

Near the end of December 2020, I saw Jupiter and Saturn very close in the sky just after sunset. I didn’t know this was called a great conjunction. The next one will happen in November 2040. And it will happen in a very different part of the sky: close to 120° away. This is how it always works. People have known this for millennia. They just forgot to teach me …

A hole isn’t really nothing, but rather shows you nothing. This is an important distinction. You see it by the shadow it casts. Before even their shadows were seen, black holes were imagined, were what the researcher David Burrows has called ‘a discovery of the mind’[1]. In 1783, a country parson and amateur scientist named John Michell conducted a thought experiment, a hypothetical method of determining the mass of a …

Today's links Expert agencies and elected legislatures: Legislatures are entitled to their own (political) opinions but not their own facts. Hey look at this: Delights to delectate. This day in history: 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2023 Upcoming appearances: Where to find me. Recent appearances: Where I've been. Latest books: You keep readin' em, I'll keep writin' 'em. Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em. Colophon: All the rest. …

Letterform Archive wraps up a banner year in publishing. Here’s the latest on our final releases of 2024 — plus a limited-time deal for members. At Letterform Archive Books, the team has the honor and the privilege of crafting books that tell the story of our collection. This year, we have been delighted to deliver up a dozen beautiful titles — ranging from an entertaining and visually splendid autobiography by …

APHA and Cefas staff visiting the team at the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Sierra Leone Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global issue that poses a significant threat to public and animal health, the environment, and the global economy. The UK is committed to addressing AMR through its National Action Plan and by supporting global partners. The adverse effects of AMR are expected to be most severe in Low- and …

YES! THIS!!! A ban on tracking-based personalised advertising will provide an incentive to reinforce sustainable alternative models and, in fact, will be a condition for making them viable. The advertising industry already has sustainable, proven concepts for effective online advertising that do not require targeted tracking and personalisation (e.g. contextual advertising). adactio.com/links/21569