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John Luther Adams won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his symphonic composition Become Ocean. Premiered in 2013 by the Seattle Symphony, who commissioned the piece, it was debuted in New York City last night in Carnegie Hall by the Seattle Symphony as part of a program which took audience from the ocean (Adams' Become Ocean) to the desert (Varèse's Déserts) and back again (Debussy's La mer). The entire concert is available to stream online via WQXR. [more inside]
posted by hippybear at 7:53 PM PST - 16 comments

Author, environmentalist, and activist Farley Mowat, OC, died Tuesday at his home in Port Hope, Ontario, six days short of his 93rd birthday. [more inside]
posted by gingerest at 6:32 PM PST - 82 comments

Anticipating the start of convention season, Dr. Nerdlove writes, "today I’m going to take a whack at one of the greatest sacred cows on the Internet: the Socially Awkward Exception."
posted by prefpara at 5:32 PM PST - 159 comments

Inside the Strange New World of DIY Brain Stimulation. "Inspired by scientific studies, ordinary people are buying and building devices to send electrical current into their brains. Some say it has improved their memory and focus. Others have found relief from depression and chronic pain. But are they getting ahead of the science?" [Via]
posted by homunculus at 5:20 PM PST - 42 comments

"In over 700 pages of handwritten Dutch, the author, who identifies himself as A. Boogert, describes how to make watercolour paints. He explains how to mix the colours and how to change their tone by adding “one, two or three portions of water”. To illustrate his point he fills each facing page with various shades of the colour in question. To top it he made an index of all the colours he described, which in itself is a feast to look at. In the 17th century, an age known as the Golden Age of Dutch Painting, this manual would have hit the right spot. It makes sense, then, that the author explains in the introduction that he wrote the book for educational purposes. Remarkably, because the manual is written by hand and therefore literally one of a kind, it did not get the “reach” among painters - or attention among modern art historians - it deserves." Erik Kwakkel, a medieval book historian in the Netherlands, spotted scans of the book in a French scholarly database and posted it to his blog a few days ago. [more inside]
posted by Room 641-A at 3:33 PM PST - 10 comments

Ofelia Cleaning. Ramiro Gomez (Facebook page) (Gallery page) is an artist whose paintings at the blog Happy Hills "document[] the predominantly Hispanic workforce who work tirelessly behind the scenes to maintain the beautiful imagery of these affluent areas." He also places painted cut-outs of workers on the lawns in pricey neighborhoods. [more inside]
posted by crush-onastick at 1:49 PM PST - 6 comments

From AVClub's TV Club 10, Advanced Introduction To Community (in 10 [representative] episodes) [more inside]
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:25 PM PST - 43 comments

N KAPITALIST AMERICA YOU RUN FROM BEAR...SOVIET BEAR RUN FOR YOU Tired of Soviet Bear making front page? Crimea River.
posted by Cookiebastard at 12:04 PM PST - 66 comments

An illustrated guide. "Enjoy life with your bride or groom. Be aware, however, that you're never guaranteed a storybook ending. Someone who is likely to walk from a wedding may be afraid of commitment, and insecure in relationships. This could pose problems for your relationship."
posted by 912 Greens at 11:35 AM PST - 89 comments

Philip Welsh’s simple life hampers search for his killer. " By 1 p.m., Philip would leave the small yellow house in Silver Spring where he lived alone. He walked a half-block, waited for the No. 5 bus, took it to his job as a taxi dispatcher, returned home, cooked a late dinner, watched Charlie Rose and went to sleep. He never locked his front door and often left it wide open. Part was defiance. This is how I live. Part was warmth. Anyone is welcome. One February night, someone came inside — someone Philip may have known — and beat him to death. The case remains Montgomery’s only unsolved killing this year."
posted by sweetkid at 10:06 AM PST - 30 comments

If I Live I'll See You Tuesday... Founded in 1766, the auction house Christie's is hip, I mean cool, no? Maybe not; Christie’s Makes Gritty, Underbelly-Esque Skateboarding Video to Preview Forthcoming Gritty, Underbelly-Esque Auction
posted by R. Mutt at 9:25 AM PST - 17 comments

Parisian tattoo artist Gue T Deep made a slow motion video of his hand at work.
posted by gman at 8:52 AM PST - 12 comments

DESPITE ANY GOOD INTENTIONS, SOMETHING IS GOING HORRIFICALLY WRONG HERE. AND AS A RESULT, WE'RE DEALING WITH A WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING. A BRAND OF VILLAINY MASQUERADING AS HEROISM. The Film Crit Hulk on the problems with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and its approach to storytelling and character.
posted by dng at 8:37 AM PST - 156 comments

Vintage Paris Paris tragics will enjoy this one. Others may enjoy it anyway!
posted by Wolof at 6:48 AM PST - 25 comments

Homophobia and competitive tickling. Journalist David Farrier explores the "quite weird" world of Competitive Reality Endurance Tickling.
posted by Catch at 3:31 AM PST - 72 comments

The Three Languages of Arts and Cultural Funding : It is a truth universally acknowledged that the public funding of arts and culture will cause political strife. Reasonable people just do not agree on this, and can be surprisingly quick to accuse others of ideological warmongering. An Australian application of The Three Languages of Politics [interview: podcast and transcript] by Arnold Kling. Via The Conversation.
posted by michswiss at 3:23 AM PST - 7 comments

Excerpts from "How to be Perfect" by Ron Padgett.
posted by paleyellowwithorange at 12:20 AM PST - 93 comments