Julia S

Esa-Pekka Salonen’s new roles in L.A. and Paris show S.F. Symphony made a costly mistake Esa-Pekka Salonen’s new positions in Los Angeles and Paris highlight the blunder made by the San Francisco Symphony in letting him walk away, former Chronicle music critic Joshua Kosman writes.

"It turns out there are arts administrators — some of them right here in California — who understand the importance of innovative creative leadership."

I'm back in the SF Chronicle this morning, with thoughts on Salonen's new posts in LA and Paris. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

From "where fun goes to die" to "where funds go to die."

Per Dr. Ando, managerial missteps hastened U of Chicago's transition from quirky but lovable intellectual giant to debt-ridden simulacrum.

As former member of the faculty (briefly), this is hard to read.

www.compactmag.com/article/the-...

every “ancient tradition” was invented between 1848-1870 and every “modern perversion” is so ancient as to predate writing

[looking at the gettysburg address]

“that sign won’t stop me because i can’t read”

💼🇪🇺⚖️ I'm hiring! Team Europe at Democracy Reporting International is looking for fresh talent to tackle key research challenges on the rule of law in the EU and beyond. 1/

Nintendo released a survey asking for feedback on physical and digital games.

This is definitely the chance to make your voice heard about Switch 2 Game Key Cards.

Source: theWellRedMage

Survey: nintendoofamerica.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

orange cat lying on floor with square lights reflected on his flank that resembles lit windows

live action catbus looking pretty sweet

Though I prefer his second album, his first is still phenomenal.

Caitlín Doherty, Everything Else — Sidecar In Dubai.

"If you want to know how it feels to have slaves, in the modern world – and not be blamed openly for this desire – visit Dubai. But know that you will not be blameless for doing so. Every Instagram post, every TikTok video, every gloating WhatsApp message sent from its luxury is an abomination."

Close up on an ancient plate featuring a light pink octopus with bright eyes and a smile. The octopus has two arms waving above its head in a friendly manner.

hi

Something about the way LLMs build in the idea that to find something out, you shouldn't read an already existing text that other people have also read (ew!); you should get fresh text generated just for you. Each time, new disposable text.

Grand Central Market, Los Angeles, California, USA: A plaque in honor of Jonathan Gold sayeth "The huge number of multiple cultures that live in this city... and the fault lines between them are where you find the most beautiful things" - graffiti on the side proclaimeth wyth trouthe "*This* is America"

Los Angeles, graffiti wisdom: "*This* is America"

Polish archbishop condemns "fear and hate" of migrants as unchristian

The archbishop of Łódź has condemned recent “hate and fear” expressed towards refugees and migrants in Poland.

"Catholic teaching clearly states that every person has the right to choose a place to live and to be respected in that place for their beliefs and culture."

Headline from The Conversation: More people are considering Al lovers, and we shouldn't judge

I actually can and will judge people who are using environmentally devastating technology built on mass theft to create a fictional partner who does nothing but tell how great they are.

The problem here is that "checking" an AI translation often takes more time by someone with just as enough skill to translate it as their own -- and they're paid even less to do it!

AI and machine translation just aren't good enough to produce "good enough" translation on their own.

At least DLsite is honest about the quality of their AI localization.

"Not the best"... so who's gonna pay money for it?
Let's see what we've got...

WeTransfer TOS says they can use all your uploaded content for genAI

Bye forever, WeTransfer.

The way a child plays is the way they live’: how therapists are using video games to help vulnerable children Minecraft and other creative games are becoming recognised as powerful means of self-expression and mental health support, including for traumatised Ukrainian refugees

I wrote about the use of video games in child therapy and spoke to experts in the field, including Ukrainian psychologist Oleksii Sukhorukov who has used Minecraft to help children displaced and traumatised by war

www.theguardian.com/games/2025/j...

As an American (from Southern California, even!), I find this abhorrent. How dare you demand that I perform some semblance of happiness without cause? ….Perhaps there’s a reason I’ve loved living in Poland for 9 years.

Logo for SAG-AFTRA's 2025 Video Game Agreement with purple and green circular swirl

SAG-AFTRA approves 2025 Video Game Agreement, officially concluding its strike

www.eurogamer.net/sag-aftra-ap...

A decayed stick is held up in a hand and covered with dozens of tiny collared parachute mushrooms. Their white caps rise up on wiry black stems in a green forest. All photo by me

Here are some nice mushrooms

Fake website servic welcome page. text reads: "Your favorite tool is now ruined by AI" "you might not like it but shareholders love it"

when you open a service you've been using for a decade only to find it out it caught the virus

Has Xbox considered laying one person off instead of thousands:

aftermath.site/xbox-layoffs-m...

new escapist can get straight in the fucking bin

Ugh and ew and all of that. Just ugh.

It's hard to avoid recalling this passage from the English historian Tony Judt:

the feminine urge to say a fact about your outfit in response to a compliment

Bearcats! My alma mater's mascot, fun fact. The Cincinnati Zoo has (had?) at least one named Lucy and sometimes she would make special campus appearances. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinn...