Bbenzon
Description
Humankind got its start on the African savannas some hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years ago. At various times in our cultural history we’ve moved to distinctly new cultural ground, as it were. And so we are moving now, and have been for the past half century. This blog is how I see that move. Intellectually, I'm broadly interested in culture and the brain. Within that compass, anything could show up here. Literature and films (including animation), certainly, music as well, and graffiti. But, other things may show up as well. It's a blog, don't you know, it moves.
MY BLOGS
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New Savanna
http://new-savanna.blogspot.com/
Humankind got its start on the African savannas some hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years ago. At various times in our cultural history we’ve moved to distinctly new cultural ground, as it were. And so we are moving now, and have been for the past half century. This blog is how I see that move. I'm broadly interested in culture and the brain. Within that compass, anything could show up here. Literature and films (including animation), certainly, music as well, and graffiti. But, other things may show up as well. It's a blog, don't you know, it moves.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 7869 )
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Down by the River
Posted on 18 May 2025
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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My Intellectual Career from “Kubla Khan” to LLMs, An Esoteric Interpretation
On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, I posted, An esoteric account of ego loss during a musical performance, concluding with a simple mandala. Read more
Posted on 18 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
What Country Would You Be Listening to If You Didn’t Know What Country You’re In...
With apologies to the great Satchel Paige. Tressie McMillan Cottom, The Country’s Gone Country. What Gives? NYTimes, May 18, 2029. Love it or hate it, there is... Read more
Posted on 18 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Breakfast [Liberation Day ]
Posted on 17 May 2025
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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How Can Elites Live Better Lives?
David Marchese, The Interview: Rutger Bregman Wants to Save Elites From Their Wasted Lives, NYTimes, May 17, 2025. The world is full of highly intelligent,... Read more
Posted on 17 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
An Esoteric Interpretation of My Annus Mirabilis, 1968-1971
1968-69 was my senior year at Johns Hopkins. I went on to get a master’s degree in 1969-72. I played with The Saint Matthew Passion, a rock band, from 69 into... Read more
Posted on 16 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Friday Fotos: The Art of the Minimal Photo
Posted on 16 May 2025
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Return to the Source? Trump Makes AI Deals with the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia
Tripp Mickle and Ana Swanson, Outsourcer in Chief: Is Trump Trading Away America’s Tech Future?, NYTimes, May 16, 2025. Over the course of a three-day trip to... Read more
Posted on 16 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Dear Mr. Fantasy – Colt Clark and the Quarantine Kids
YouTube: Hey guys! Happy Friday! Tonight’s song is coming out a little later than when we usually post but it's been a crazy week here. Colt just got back... Read more
Posted on 16 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
A New Dance Turn: “The Cat and the Moon”
I have decided to reissue my paper, A New Dance Turn: “The Cat and the Moon” All up in One Another, so that I can give it a new title page, one with the... Read more
Posted on 15 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
On the Street in Hoboken on a Foggy Morning
Posted on 15 May 2025
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Trump is Going After the Big Law Firms So He Can Derail Their Efforts on Behalf...
Scott Cummings, There’s a Darker Reason Trump Is Going After Those Law Firms, NYTimes, May 15, 2025. Every year, The American Lawyer publishes a scorecard... Read more
Posted on 15 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Two Boats on the Hudson River
Posted on 15 May 2025
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Are Radiologists Here to Stay? Yes.
Steve Lohr, Your A.I. Radiologist Will Not Be With You Soon, NYTimes, May 14, 2025. Nine years ago, one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence scientist... Read more
Posted on 15 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
An Esoteric Account of Ego Loss During a Musical Performance
For about a decade now I’ve been publishing a document entitled, EMOTION and MAGIC in MUSICAL PERFORMANCE. That document was created on October 16, 2015. Read more
Posted on 14 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Ima Put a Computational Hex on You
YouTube: Drawing on literary histories of the doppelgänger and emphasizing the ambivalent dis/enchantments of the algorithmic ordinary, Shaka McGlotten consider... Read more
Posted on 14 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Flowers Are Creatures of Light
Posted on 14 May 2025
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Toward an Esoteric History of “Kubla Khan” and “Xanadu”
As you may know, I’ve spent a great deal of time over the years working on Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan.”[1] Given the remarks that ChatGPT made about Shakespeare’s... Read more
Posted on 13 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Perhaps Trump is Reshaping the Military in a Necessary Way
Ryan McCarthy, New Threats Require a New Army, NYTimes, May 13, 2025: On the last day of April, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memo that has the... Read more
Posted on 13 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Is It Love Or Infatuation?
When I was young I read a letter to “Dear Abby” that said, in so many words, “I really like this guy; how do I tell whether or not it’s love or infatuation.” He... Read more
Posted on 13 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY
