Tag Archives: Previews

Book Reviews: “A History Of The World In 500 Maps”

Thames & Hudson (July 11, 2023) – Organized chronologically,  A History of the World in 500 Maps tells a clear, linear story, bringing together themes as diverse as religion, capitalism, warfare, geopolitics, popular culture and climate change.

Meticulously rendered maps chart the sequence of broad historical trends, from the dispersal of our species across the globe to the colonizing efforts of imperial European powers in the 18th century, as well as exploring moments of particular significance in rich detail.

• Visualizes 7 million years of human history.
• Analyses cities and kingdoms as well as countries and continents.
• Features major technical developments, from the invention of farming in the Fertile Crescent to the Industrial Revolution.
• Charts the spread of major global religions, including Christianity and Islam.
• Explores the increasing interconnectivity of our world through exploration and trade.
• Investigates warfare and battles from across the ages, from Alexander the Great’s conquests to the D-Day offensive.

The New York Times Book Review — July 9, 2023

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THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW – JULY 9, 2023: In Too Deep – Laura Trethewey’s “The Deepest Map” plumbs the new world of oceanic exploration, and its dangers; “Fancy Bear Goes Phishing”; Lorrie Moore’s New Novel; Read your way through L.A., and more…

In Too Deep

Laura Trethewey’s “The Deepest Map” explores the new world of oceanic exploration — and its dangers.

By Simon Winchester

In the past days, the world has been riveted by the story of the Titan submersible, which we now know imploded some 1,600 feet from the wreckage of the Titanic, killing all aboard. Beyond the human tragedy — and the macabre fact that James Cameron’s blockbuster is trending online — comes an opportunity for serious reflection.

From ‘Front-Page Girls’ to Newsroom Leaders

“Undaunted,” Brooke Kroeger’s new history of women in journalism, tracks the victories, setbacks and pathbreaking careers that have marked the decades-long fight for gender parity in the field.

This black-and-white photo shows 13 men and one woman in business attire seated around a long oval conference table in a corporate boardroom. On the table are several ashtrays, a couple of folded newspapers and, in front of each person, a sheet of paper. In addition, two men stand behind the seated group, on opposite sides of the table and in front of a wall decorated with a world map.
The New York Times editorial council, photographed in 1951.

By Jane Kamensky

Raise your hand if you’ve heard of Anne O’Hare McCormick. I hadn’t, and as the director of Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, which holds peerless collections documenting pioneers in print journalism, I could have, and definitely should have. Brooke Kroeger’s compendious and lively “Undaunted: How Women Changed American Journalism” introduced me to her.

If We Are What We Eat, We Don’t Know Who We Are

In “Ultra-Processed People,” Chris van Tulleken takes a close look at the franken-snacks that barely resemble what they’re imitating.

Finance Preview: Barron’s Magazine – July 10, 2023

Magazine - Latest Issue - Barron's

BARRON’S MAGAZINE – JULY 10, 2023 ISSUE

Walmart Is Quietly Growing Into a Retail Tech Titan

Walmart Is Quietly Growing Into a Retail Tech Titan

The world’s biggest retailer stumbled in the early innings of the e-commerce revolution. Now that Walmart has found its footing, it’s poised for big profits.

Americans Have the Travel Bug, and They’re Going Abroad. What Stocks to Play.

Americans Have the Travel Bug, and They’re Going Abroad. What Stocks to Play.

Pent-up demand is fueling a surge in international travel. Cruise lines, select air carriers, and Hyatt Hotels offer ways to play the trend.3 min

Growth Is Back. Where to Invest Now.

Growth Is Back. Where to Invest Now.

Can the AI-driven rally in growth stock funds continue? Large-cap growth funds are already up 24% this year, but so are valuations.

Preview: New York Times Magazine – July 9, 2023

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THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (July 9, 2023) – In this week’s cover story, Sarah A. Topol reports on how the U.S. military continues to build up Guam and other Pacific territories — placing the burdens of imperial power on the nation’s most ignored and underrepresented citizens. Plus, an interview with the British writer-actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, a profile of the winemaker Maggie Harrison and inside the D.N.C.’s primary problem.

The America That Americans Forget

Roy Gamboa, a member of Guam’s native CHamoru people and a Marine veteran.

As tensions with China mount, the U.S. military continues to build up Guam and other Pacific territories — placing the burdens of imperial power on the nation’s most ignored and underrepresented citizens.

Talk June 29, 2023

Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Great ‘Indiana Jones’ Adventure

Waller-Bridge, 37, is co-starring in the just-released “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” (This is after previously contributing to the screenplay for a film about another iconic character: the 2021 James Bond effort, “No Time to Die.”) Further out on the horizon, Waller-Bridge, who also created the spy-thriller series “Killing Eve,” is working on a show based on the “Tomb Raider” video game for Amazon Studios. (At the time of publication, though, that show’s progress is currently on hold because of the W.G.A. writers’ strike.) 

Maggie Harrison’s War on Wine

Maggie Harrison in a field, seen through some green plants, which partially obscure her face. The photo is in soft focus and has a yellow-green tint.

Her painstaking blends are dazzling diners and critics — and upending long-held notions about how winemaking is supposed to work.

Research Preview: Science Magazine – July 7, 2023

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Science Magazine – July 7, 2023 issue:

The star watcher

Amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki is one of the most prolific supernova hunters of all time

Rare fossil implies deep roots for vertebrates

Half-billion-year-old tunicate from western Utah “looks like it died yesterday”

AI Preview: Science Focus Magazine – July 2023 Issue

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BBC Science Focus Magazine (July 2023) – What our future with Artificial Intelligence really looks like, according to the experts; How to take control of AI before it’s too late, and more…

ChatGPT: Everything you need to know about OpenAI’s GPT-4 tool

© Carol Yepes

OpenAI is back in the headlines with news that it is updating its viral ChatGPT with a new version called GPT-4. But when will this be available, how does it work and can you use it?

AI art’s hidden echo chamber is about to implode. Here’s what that will look like

Artificial intelligence art generators train themselves on art pulled straight from the internet… but what happens when most of the art out there is now made by AI?

Arts/Books: Times Literary Supplement – July 7, 2023

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Times Literary Supplement (July 7, 2023): The national religion – NHS at seventy-five; The history of female combatants from ancient times to the present; The temptation for Romantic writers to tip into over-familiarity, and more…

You’re over-sharing, Mr Hazlitt

Portrait of William Hazlitt by William Bewick, 1825

The temptation for Romantic writers to tip into over-familiarity

By Corin Throsby

Authorship and Romantic readers by Lindsey Eckert

In times of uncertainty, hardship or illness, re-reading a favourite novel can be a source of immense comfort. Even when we read something new, elements of familiarity – in plot, character and theme – can make us feel that the words have sprung from our subconscious. Familiarity connects us to our past and gives a sense of belonging to a community of readers. It can turn fictional characters into friends, make authors feel like confidants and render imagined settings as reassuring as a childhood home.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – July 6, 2023

Volume 619 Issue 7968

nature Magazine -July 6, 2023 issue: Shape shifters – DNA origami allows useful supramolecular structures to be created from templates. But the process has its limitations, with most structures confined to two configurations: folded or unfolded.

Fungi bacon and insect burgers: a guide to the proteins of the future

Stylised illustration showing a shop display of alternative protein products with signs saying 'New' and 'Try today'.

Humanity needs to eat less meat. Here are seven alternatives.

Would you eat a burger enriched with mealworms? Fake bacon sliced from a mass of fermented fungi? Milk proteins extruded by microbes? Maybe you already have. Dozens of companies are now banking on these alternatives to animal protein becoming a regular part of your diet.

Mini-antibodies given mighty powers can stave off influenza

Influenza A virus, TEM image.

Complexes formed from ‘nanobodies’ and an antiviral drug halt infection in its tracks.

A dynamic duo comprising an antiviral drug joined to an antibody fragment provides strong protection against the two main types of influenza that infect humans, according to research in mice.

Culture: Country Life Magazine – July 5, 2023

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Country Life Magazine – July 5, 2023 issue: The seashore as artistic inspiration, from Constable’s wild skies to Gormley’s lonely figures; Puffins -the parrots of the sea; A history of mermaids, and more…

A shore thing – Michael Prodger examines the seashore as artistic inspiration, from Constable’s wild skies to Gormley’s lonely figures

Meet the parrots of the sea – The colourful puffin inspires amused adoration in everyone, but the big-beaked birds have a tough side, finds Ian Morton

Tripping the light fintastic – Sinister sirens who lure sailors to their deaths or beautiful beings who drag men from watery graves? Carla Passino combs history for mention of mermaids

Books: Literary Review Magazine – July 2023

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Literary Review – July 2023 Issue: Brushes with the Dutch Golden Age; @LauraCummingArt’s ‘Thunderclap’ – a remarkable experiment in form as well as a richly satisfying extended meditation on art, life and death’; Bismarck’s Great Gamble; Eden by Thames – The Infinite City: Utopian Dreams on the Streets of London…

Conspiracy Theory of Everything

Post-Truth: How Bullshit Conquered the World: Amazon.co.uk: James Ball:  9781785902147: Books

The Other Pandemic: How QAnon Contaminated the World By James Ball

Back in the mists of time, great idealism surrounded social media. There was a sense that global interconnection would shift us into a more egalitarian and democratic age. How time makes fools of us all. 

Blast from the Past

Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art & Life & Sudden Death By Laura Cumming

As a teenager with an interest in art, growing up on London’s Old Kent Road with a father whose mantra was ‘God gave you legs to walk’ (he didn’t believe in God but he did believe in walking), I often found myself on Sunday afternoons walking to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. I remember distinctly the day I discovered the Dutch painters. It wasn’t Rembrandt or Vermeer who caught my eye, but Hendrick Avercamp and, especially, Pieter de Hooch.