Native American Voices at Penn Museum

A few things my gym teacher never taught me

Native Americans are living in our midst, as a wonderful combination of artistry and technology at the Penn Museum makes abundantly clear.

Anne R. Fabbri

Mar 10, 2014 · Essays · 2 minute read

A short history of humanity

It's all about staying in touch.

Perry Block

Mar 10, 2014 · Essays · 3 minute read

What working at Eastern State Penitentiary taught me about child bans

It was a sobering privilege to see young minds grapple with new paradigms while working as a tour guide at Eastern State Penitentiary.

Alaina Johns

Mar 10, 2014 · Essays · 5 minute read

Philly Improv Theater

The power of 'Yes, and . . . '

Entering the parallel universe of improvisational comedy.

Judy Weightman

Mar 09, 2014 · Essays · 5 minute read

Cloud computing for the confused

Cloudy with a chance of sun

It’s such an appealing trope, the notion of a big container filled with Everything That Matters, everything that ever was. We don’t like to think of things disappearing forever, vanishing without a trace. Especially ourselves. And maybe that’s what’s comforting about the Cloud, both as metaphor and engineered reality.

Anndee Hochman

Mar 07, 2014 · Essays · 5 minute read

Living in a world of virtual reality

Whatever happened to “be here now”?

From Google Glass to theme park adventures, technology increasingly mediates and possibly attenuates our experience of social and physical realities.

Susan E. Washburn

Mar 07, 2014 · Essays · 4 minute read

A touching father-son moment

Bedtime story

There's no father-son moment quite like the bedtime story.

Perry Block

Mar 01, 2014 · Essays · 3 minute read

'Ainadamar' and 'The Monuments Men'

Is art worth dying for?

Two very different recent works, the opera Ainadamar and the film The Monuments Men, ask essentially the same questions: Is art worth dying for? Does civilization depend on the presence of the arts?

Naomi Orwin

Feb 25, 2014 · Essays · 4 minute read

What is the artist's job?

Provocation or creation?

The artist needs to attract attention to his or her work, but there needs to be something worth paying attention to.

Kile Smith

Feb 19, 2014 · Essays · 2 minute read

Ten reasons to be grumpy on Valentine’s Day

Whether you're in a relationship or not, there's plenty to be cranky about on February 14.

Alaina Johns

Feb 13, 2014 · Essays · 3 minute read