On art, grief, and remembering David Berman. When I describe and evaluate art, particularly music, I do so on a spectrum between two poles: art that transcends the normal, and art that makes the normal feel transcendent. To get a sense for the former, seek out Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew…

In March 2019, I co-chaired a retreat through USC’s Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study centered around the theme of “Entropy & Stability”. …

Recent years have marked the emergence, evolution, and saturation of digital marketing and campaigning strategies into the political landscape. Increasing attention has been paid since the 2016 election and the Cambridge Analytica scandal to the role of these digital political marketing tactics in public life. Little regulatory action has followed…

In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons…who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. …

Author’s Note: this story was written in 2017 and updated in 2019. As such, the information within may no longer be accurate. “A societal condition becomes a social problem when it draws the attention of a significant portion of the public. …

In 2016’s Sirens, an ambient-electronic masterpiece, Chilean-American composer and recording artist Nicolas Jaar constructs a brooding sonic landscape. Jaar uses Sirens, and in particular “No,” the album’s central track, to express a kind of funereal ennui. Jaar starts “No” by describing: Un día | One day De ventana abierta |…