Category Archives: culture

Beyoncé: Homecoming

Posted on 25 April 2019 by

  I recently watched Beyoncé’s “Homecoming” and wow, what a cultural experience. I don’t listen to her music (only recognized two of the songs) because most of it is not my style, but I still enjoyed the heck out of … Continue reading →

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Long live the humanities

Posted on 23 December 2017 by

In an essay for the Chronicle of Higher Education, English professor Nina Handler laments the extinction of her species: Charles Smithson, a character in John Fowles’s 1969 novel, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, is a wealthy, idle gentleman who faces the … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, life | 12 Comments

A must read: “My Family’s Slave”

Posted on 17 May 2017 by

The ashes filled a black plastic box about the size of a toaster. It weighed three and a half pounds. I put it in a canvas tote bag and packed it in my suitcase this past July for the transpacific … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, history, life | 2 Comments

Raise your hand if you remember the modem dial-up tone

Posted on 3 January 2017 by

In this video from Wired, two sonic branding experts take us on a tour of the world’s most recognizable tones, chimes, and sound blends, and explain why they impact us the way they do. Sonic branding is designed to grab … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | 2 Comments

Walking at the UBC

Posted on 7 October 2015 by

On our second day in Vancouver, my wife wanted to visit the anthropology museum at the University of British Columbia. So we drove there, and I became increasingly enthralled as we passed along the outer edge of the campus. The … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, travel | 1 Comment

The one we didn’t see and the one we did: Jurassic World and Sense8

Posted on 12 June 2015 by

My wife and I recently saw the Jurassic World trailer in the cinema, and at its end we turned to each other and said, “Nope.” It was wall-to-wall character clichés. There was the stiff-necked, over-groomed, cold career woman; the brilliant … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, video | 2 Comments

Dotty

Posted on 11 June 2015 by

Winner of the Best Short Film at the Nantucket Film Festival, “Dotty” will make you laugh — and then it will break your heart. Vimeo link. Hat tip to Inge.

Posted in culture, life, video | 3 Comments

Vertical dancing

Posted on 29 May 2015 by

Until now, I did not know of the existence of a sport called “vertical dancing” or “Bandaloop dancing.” But watching this video made me into a fan. Filmed during the Art + Soul Festival in Oakland, California, it shows two … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, life, video | 4 Comments

It’s Eurovision: time to learn your geography!

Posted on 24 May 2015 by

Last night was a big night in Europe: the annual festival of mediocre pop music, staged brilliantly and then judged almost entirely on a geopolitical basis, that we call Eurovision. Before I moved to Europe, my knowledge of Eurovision was … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, Europe, event, video | 5 Comments

Boa Páscoa

Posted on 5 April 2015 by

I love Easter in Portugal. Our tradition of many years now is to attend the Festa das Tochas in São Brás, followed by the Mãe Soberana Pequena here in Loulé. Wall-to-wall pageantry, music, beauty…what’s not to like? I’ve written about … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, Portugal | 4 Comments