Big Brother is always looking.
In this interview, Blake Andrews engages in a conversation with photographer Mike Brodie, offering insight into Brodie’s unique journey and his approach to photography. The analysis of this interview reveals several key themes and provides context for Brodie’s body of work.
Continue reading “Documenting the Unseen: Mike Brodie’s Intimate Portraits”
I took a typing class at my high school in 1975, which looked a lot like this — big Royal manual machines. Loved it!
LLMs have made tremendous strides in recent years, with models like ChatGPT, OpenAI, and Google’s Gemini pushing the boundaries of what AI can do. However, there are signs that the current approach to building LLMs may be reaching its limits.
Continue reading “The Evolution of AI: From Large Language Models to Better Models”
Byron’s death and his significance in Greece. Lord Byron, a famous Romantic poet and peer, died on April 19, 1824, while fighting on behalf of the Greeks in their war of independence against the Ottoman Empire. In Greece, Byron is revered as a hero and a symbol of the country’s struggle for independence.
This article in The Economist discusses the release of the film “Civil War” and how it reflects the current political climate in the United States. It mentions the increasing polarization and the loss of faith in government institutions, with some Americans even considering secession as a solution. The writer-director, Alex Garland, suggests that the film is a reflection of the “fault lines and pressures” within American politics. The article also explores the popularity of the civil war genre in literature and academia, with works such as “How Civil Wars Start” and “The Next Civil War” warning about the fragile state of the Union.
Susan Neiman begins her New York Times article by sharing her personal connection to Berlin and her initial curiosity about the lack of streets named after prominent American cultural figures. She then introduces the German tradition of setting aside years to honor cultural heroes, such as Einstein, Beethoven, Luther, and Marx. This leads to a discussion of the upcoming tercentennial of Immanuel Kant’s birth and the author’s efforts to encourage wider celebrations beyond academic conferences.
On Broadway this spring, a tapestry of sound and narrative will unfold as “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” a new musical built around the iconic hits of Huey Lewis and the News, makes its debut. Set to premiere on April 22 at the prestigious James Earl Jones Theater, the musical promises to transport audiences back to the vibrant 1980s. It tells the poignant story of a couple, portrayed by Corey Cott and McKenzie Kurtz, grappling with the dichotomy between chasing pop-star dreams and settling into corporate life.
I spotted this weathered garden statue today of a young girl positioned against a brick wall. The statue has a textured finish, giving it an aged appearance, and it portrays the girl in a standing pose, wearing a bonnet and a dress with a sash, and she is holding what appears to be a basket. The details on the statue are worn, which suggests it has been exposed to the elements for some time. There is a wire or cord of some kind looped on the ground near the statue, and to the left, there are dark patches of soil and possibly some kind of fungi or bark. The bricks behind the statue show signs of deterioration, with chipped paint and eroded mortar, emphasizing the statue’s rustic setting.
I saw the film First Reformed a few years back, and Lustmord’s music still haunts me.
"Two Years at Sea" is a captivating documentary by British filmmaker Ben Rivers that delves into the life of Jake Williams, a man who has chosen to live in solitude in the Scottish wilderness. Through stunning cinematography and a poetic narrative, Rivers explores the themes of isolation, self-sufficiency, and the human connection to nature. This article will examine how the film portrays solitude and the insights it offers into the human condition.
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Today was Saint Patrick’s Day, and there was a bit of spring in the air. So I picked up my point-and-shoot Canon and went for a stroll in the Village of Claremont.
My Comb Binding Machine
I’ve been engrossed in working on my next book, a collection of science fiction short stories, while also compiling a mixtape for Mr. Ted Munk. In preparation for the fiction manuscript, I printed it out and painstakingly used my comb binding machine to punch holes along the sides of the pages to accommodate the plastic comb binder.
Continue reading “A Science Fiction Collection and a Mixtape”
