Category Archives: Reviews

Arts, Books, Magazines, Previews, Reviews

Books: New York Review Of Books – Jan 19, 2023

December 29, 2022 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

The New York Review of Books – January 19, 2023 issue:

Alphabet Politics

What prompted the development of systems of writing?

The Greatest Invention: A History of the World in Nine Mysterious Scripts by Silvia Ferrara, translated from the Italian by Todd Portnowitz

Inventing the Alphabet: The Origins of Letters from Antiquity to the Present by Johanna Drucker

The Instrumentalist

At the heart of Todd Field’s new film is a conductor who cannot see beyond her generation’s field of vision.

Tár a film written and directed by Todd Field

Dress Rehearsal

Trump’s attempt almost two years ago to undermine the 2020 election reads today like a blueprint drawn for a future autocrat.

Feinting Spells

The thesis of an exhibition on the inspiration a subset of Cubism took from trompe l’oeil is convincingly built with objects made across four centuries.

Cubism and the Trompe l’Oeil Tradition – an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, October 20, 2022–January 22, 2023

Ukraine’s Volunteers

Even more impressive than Ukraine’s will to fight is the vast network of citizens who are supporting the armed forces and helping those in need of food and supplies.

Magazines, Previews, Research, Reviews, Science

Previews: New Scientist Magazine – Dec 31, 2022

December 29, 2022 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

ISSUE 3419 | MAGAZINE COVER DATE: 28 December 2022 | New Scientist

New Scientist Magazine – December 31, 2022:

Largest ever animal may have been Triassic ichthyosaur super-predator

New fossil discoveries show predatory marine reptiles from 200 million years ago may have been bigger than today’s blue whales – and that they evolved astonishingly rapidly

In 2023, we have many opportunities to build a better future

The coming year will be a turning point for the Amazon rainforest, artificial intelligence and even our diets. Let’s choose a more hopeful direction for humanity

Achieving nuclear fusion would be building on the shoulders of giants

It took generations of work by engineers and scientists to reach this month’s nuclear fusion milestone, but there are big challenges ahead

Aging, Magazines, Photography, Previews, Reviews, Stories, Travel

Photography: National Geographic – January 2023

December 28, 2022 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Picture of an older man skydiving surrounded by a yellow border and the words "Living longer–and better. How science could change the way we age." — At 69, skydiving instructor Arnold Camfferman stays active, one of the keys to longevity. As the world grows older, research into the field is soaring.

National Geographic Magazine – January 2023 issue:

• Can aging be cured? Scientists are giving it a try.
• A detailed look at how we age—at the cellular level
• We rallied to save manatees once. Can we do it again?
• How manatees eat 100 pounds of food a day
• This ancient Himalayan kingdom has been isolated from the world—until now
• Inside a 15th-century kingdom’s treasure-filled temple
• Bolivian skateboarders use Indigenous attire to battle discrimination

Analysis, Magazines, Opinion, Politics, Reviews, Stories, Videos

Global Review: Five Top Stories To Watch In 2023

December 28, 2022 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

The Economist – From India becoming the world’s most populous country, to an illegal drug that might be approved as a medicine, The Economist offers its annual look at the year ahead.

Video timeline: 00:00 – The World Ahead 2023 00:35 – India’s population potential 04:30 – Psychedelic medicines 08:06 – Japan’s markets mayhem? 12:45 – Repairing the world 15:50 – The coronation’s colonial concerns

Architecture, Buildings, Historical, Reviews, Views

Architecture/Renovation: The National Library (BNF) Of France In Paris (Dec ’22)

December 27, 2022 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Interior of the renovated National Library of France — It was originally designed by architect Henri Labrouste. Photo by Marchand Meffre

Dezeen (December 26, 2022) – French practice Bruno Gaudin Architectes has completed a 15-year project to renovate and open up the historic rue de Richelieu site of the National Library of France in Paris, incorporating new public routes and spaces.

Interior of multi-level library with central reading space — It took 15 years to renovate and open up the historic building

Completed in the late 19th century by architect Henri Labrouste, the library is considered a masterpiece of the Beaux Arts style, with vast, skylit reading rooms framed by slender steel columns and highly decorative arches.

Books, Magazines, Previews, Reviews

Books: Literary Review Of Canada – January 2023

December 27, 2022 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

January–February 2023 | Literary Review of Canada

Literary Review of Canada: January–February 2023:

What the Blazes?

Dark Days at Noon: The Future of Fire

By Edward Struzik

The catastrophic runaway wildfires advancing through North America and other parts of the world are not unprecedented. Fires loomed large once human activity began to warm the climate in the 1820s, leading to an aggressive firefighting strategy that has left many of the continent’s forests too old and vulnerable to the fires that many tree species need to regenerate.

Books: The New York Times Book Review – Dec 25, 2022

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The New York Times Book Review @nytimesbooks (December 25, 2022):

Courtly Love Can Be Deadly

In the historian Sarah Gristwood’s “The Tudors in Love,” for both monarchs and courtiers the stakes are higher than romance.

Newly Published, From Worker Justice to Sound Waves

A selection of recently published books.

AUDIOBOOKS

The Power of a Good Narrative, in Your Ear or Otherwise

From Bloomsbury to the Billboard Hot 100, these audiobooks will hook you based on story alone.

Business, Financial, Investing, Magazines, Retirement, Reviews

Financial Review: Barron’s Magazine – Dec 26, 2022

December 24, 2022 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Barron’s Magazine – December 26, 2022 issue:

Robots Are Replacing Workers Lost in the Pandemic. They’re Here to Stay.

Robots are moving up in the world. Labor shortages and rising wage costs are breathing life into a new generation that can handle a growing number of tasks.

Brace for Recession Next Year. But the Outlook Isn’t All Doom and Gloom.

The Fed will keep fighting inflation, and the unemployment rate will rise. But there are positive trends on the horizon.

How to Invest in Robots and Automation

Technology investments are out of favor, and the market has been especially tough on companies in the more speculative areas like robotics.

Bill Miller Is Still Bullish on Bitcoin—and a Lot More

As the famed value investor heads for retirement, he isn’t giving up on crypto. Why he likes Amazon.com, Delta Air Lines, and small-caps, too.

News, Opinion, Politics, Reviews, Videos

Politics: Zelensky U.S. Trip, Jan. 6 Committee Report

December 24, 2022 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

PBS NewsHour – New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s trip to Washington, the Jan. 6 committee report and if Congress should consider barring Trump from holding office again.