Olafur Eliasson "Your Rainbow Panorama" PILGRIMAGE TO UMAN : Kitra Cahana Photography. Search results for absinthe. AND IT'S MARDI GRAS again, just like that, and it's impossible to believe that it is my second away from New Orleans, thank you Hurricane Katrina.
When I was a boy, I read a book about the Crescent City's Fat Tuesday traditions called Mardi-Gras ... As It Was by Robert Tallent, and quickly became enamored with the holiday's traditions: King cakes, crewes, throws, floats, etc. I finally moved to New Orleans in my mid-30s, and, because of a miserable bit of timing, ten months later fled rising waters in the city. But I was in town for one Mardi Gras, and it has ruined parades for me. Once you've seen both Rex and the Zulu King in one day, you're done, baby. There's no local opportunity to watch a group of black men in black face, pompously smoking oversized cigars and laconically tossing hand-painted coconuts to desperate parade goers. But what's a former resident of the French Quarter to do in Minneapolis when Mardi Gras rolls around?
All I can do is drink. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Nerdology. When Apple released iOS 6 it was very much the same OS it had previously.
The features it showed off were more refined but there was nothing groundbreaking, nothing that screamed “I have to download this right now!” By the time iOS 6 was announced we already had multitasking, Siri, copy/paste, FaceTime, Folders, and Notification Center. By this point Apple had been known for showing of “tent pole features” on stage. The things that re really going to wow everyone, and get developers and consumers excited.
The features shown off for iOS 6 were:- Apple maps- Siri enhancements- Facebook integration- Shared Photo Streams- Passbook- FaceTime over cellular- Phone enhancements- Mail enhancements- Safari enhancements- Accessibility enhancements Looking at that list, it doesn’t really seem like an update worth a point zero. Don’t get me wrong here, there is a 0% chance that Apple calls whatever ships on the next iPhone 7.5. -Creighton. Soup. But now I’m wondering if what I consider “reporting” is just a form of aggregating, of skimming, of lifting the best parts of a scientist’s work and repurposing it for my own interests.
These scientists have spent many, many years doing research, much of it at the very edge of the knowable, where finding a new piece of solid data is a laborious process that may require long nights at the computer or the laboratory bench, or mulling a bust of Galileo, and this work has to be slotted among other obligations, including grant applications, peer-reviewing papers, teaching, advising graduate students, holding office hours, serving on faculty committees and schmoozing at the faculty club. And here I am calling up and saying: “Give me the fruit of your mental labors.” Asking for the ripest fruit, as it were. Asking not just for information but for wisdom. Give it to me! (*) The Only Magic Left is Art. ¡Viva la Revolución!
There is an invisible revolution going on right now and the old ways are being uprooted by a new generation of artists through social media. 10 years ago, it was practically impossible to get exposure to a vast international audience without being sponsored by a high profile company. Now, all of that is about to change. Never before have we lived in a time where artists have an even playing field against the more privileged. Talent is finally becoming the backbone of success rather than nepotism. Money is irrelevant. We are entering an era of "artistic equality" among the creative stratosphere.
You can support and be a part of this historical movement by subscribing to us on Quarterly.co and directly contribute to the dreams and values of artists just like you and me. Pratt // Jeff Rubio. National Geographic Magazine. I can read.