• An article by George Saunders about the repetition of the writing process. “How, then, to proceed? My method is: I imagine a meter mounted in my forehead, with ‘P’ on this side (‘Positive’) and ‘N’ on this side (‘Negative’). I try to read what I’ve written uninflectedly, the way a first-time reader might (‘without… Continue reading

• An interview with John Berger (1926-2017). “The primary thing wasn’t to say whether a work was good or bad; it was rather to look and try to discover the stories within it. There was always this connection between art and all the other things that were happening in the world at the time, many of… Continue reading

• An article about the Primitive Technology videos on YouTube. “For all the virtuosic craftsmanship on display in these YouTube videos, the real draw may be the absorbing peace of watching a man go about his work…The videos are virtually silent, for one thing—no talking, no explaining—so the only sound is ambient: the rustle of… Continue reading

• An article questioning mindfulness. “Despite many grand claims, the scientific evidence in favor of the Moment’s being the key to contentment is surprisingly weak. When the United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality conducted an enormous meta-analysis of over 18,000 separate studies on meditation and mindfulness techniques, the results were underwhelming at best.” •… Continue reading

• A brief talk by Pauline Oliveros (1932-2016) about deep listening. “We had to respect the sound that was coming to us from the cistern walls and include it in our musical sensibility.” “To listen is to pay attention to what is perceived, both acoustically and psychologically.” • An article about interpolation in pop music.… Continue reading

• A video of Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamato making music with singing bowls, crotales, and electronics.   • An article on producer Lorenzo Senni. “Senni’s handling of sound stems from his university days in Bologna. ‘My studies were theoretical’, he says. ‘I wasn’t studying notes or how to play piano, I did this myself,… Continue reading

• An article about the effect of one’s political orientation on one’s music preferences. “Where conservatives prize ‘security and conformity,’ liberals value ‘self-expression and stimulation.’ With regard to artistic tastes conservatives generally favor familiar works, predictability, and ‘simplicity and realism,’ liberals, in contrast, prefer novelty, and ‘complexity and abstractions.’ Of the two groups, conservatives ‘have stronger… Continue reading