AN ESSAY BY CORY FOSCO: “We were never an affectionate family, so when I felt my father’s cold legs in my hands, I was uncomfortable.”
SIMPLICITIES BY JANINA A. LARENAS: Perfect little fractal trees that are exactly the right size for pickling.
In 1820, Thomas Jefferson Beale buried $65 million worth of treasure, never to be found. The Thomas Beale Cipher is a beautiful animated short about the mystery. via
Schadenfreude/man’s hubris alert: Dubai’s man-made islands are sinking into the sea.
Nostalgia for the vintage Internet aesthetics of Myspace?
42 FRAMES BY R. JOHN XERXES: In True Grit, the Coen Brothers revel in the rich language of the old west
BY JEANETTE WYCHE: A spring 2011 collection of hand-dyed work
BY LEVI FULLER: Questionable design choices to hook them while they’re young
A SHORT STORY BY NARINDA HENG: “She was able to forgive herself a little for their current situation: the two of them, vaguely stoned, undressed on his bed, kissing.”
More than just grist for overwrought think pieces about Google/Twitter/whatever, information overload is apparently an evergreen topic. Alvin Toffler’s 1970 book Future Shock is an earlier look at having of too many media inputs, and was the subject of a long-lost documentary narrated by Orson Welles. At long last, the film is now available on Youtube in five parts.
Good tells the story of the invisible immigrant bicyclist.
The story of a bonobo chimp and his mixed-species family.
A Cornell psychologist claims to have found strong evidence for ESP, delighting believers and horrifying scientists. But sometimes the line between respected science and pseudoscience is more porous than we might like.
FICTION BY LELAND CHEUK: “A man named Man wakes angry, very angry, and he’s not certain why. There are many reasons these days. Just open your Twitter feed. That’s what Man does. China raises interest rates. Bon Jovi tops Billboard. Man takes hostages with sword. All of this irritates Man.”
ART CAN’T HURT YOU BY LAURA M. BROWNING: What strange hold over us do murals possess?
The fantastic space-age art of Franco Brambilla.
At Shareable, Douglas Rushkoff argues that net neutrality and Wikileaks are sideshows that distract from the need to build our own Internet.
Is the doctoral degree process little more than a pyramid scheme?
It’s been a year since Is Greater Than relaunched, which means we have an opportunity to reflect on some of the most notable essays, fiction and articles by our contributors over the past year. In the weeks and months ahead, the site is going to continue to evolve and I’m really excited about some of the changes in store. But for now, a look back. After the jump, I present a collection of our most popular posts in 2010.
BY ROSEY LAKOS: “Not a clear thought exactly but more of a simple observance that caused a brief connection between two images passing through my fingers.”
Paul M Davis