Les Paul, Guitar Hero
Of all the inspiring quotes about the life of the recently departed guitar inventor/virtuoso, this one is my favorite. It comes from a letter to Paul’s mother written by his piano teacher: “Your boy, Lester, will … keep reading
World’s Fastest Everything
I love this video, because it shows a hidden link between these varied (and occasionally goofy) abilities. When we see somebody who’s superhumanly fast at something, we intuitively chalk it up to “natural speed” — … keep reading
Teach Naked?
Not that way. This way: Jose Bowen, a dean at Southern Methodist University, is on the leading edge of a promising movement to remove the nemesis of PowerPoint from college classrooms. Students and teachers squawk … keep reading
Practicing Happiness
Can happiness be created through the right kind of practice? Sounds surprising, but check out this article and judge for yourself. Author Daniel Goleman spends time with “The World’s Happiest Man” — a Tibetan lama named … keep reading
Viva Mr. B
Check out this choir from PS 22 in Staten Island — proof of the equation: regular kids + master teacher + time = complete and utter brilliance. The thing I take away is how much … keep reading
Piano Magic
Meet the Next Big Thing in classical music: 20-year-old Nobuyuiki Tsujii, winner of last week’s Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Tsujii, who the first blind winner in the contest’s 13-year history, embodies some basic truths … keep reading
David Byrne: How Did He Get Here?
While in NYC last week — a slight cultural change from Alaska — I was pleased to spot David Byrne at a Chelsea restaurant. And since he’s one of my alltime favorite artists, I nobly … keep reading
Crazy Tennis Parents
Here’s a provocative idea to save American tennis, entertainingly floated by Huan Hsu in today’s Slate: junk the expensive academies, the fancy training programs, and the sophisticated scouting systems, and replace them with what really produces … keep reading
Decoding Conan O’Brien
Comic talent: what’s it made of? A new profile by Lynn Hirschberg gives us an X-ray of soon-to-be “Tonight Show” host Conan O’Brien at work, and the results are fascinating. Hirschberg on O’Brien’s comedy strategy: … keep reading
Big Muscles, Bigger Skills.
As Alex Rodriguez returns after confessing to using performance enhancers, he raises an important question: when can an athlete truly be considered “clean”? The intuitive answer is that they are clean when the stuff is … keep reading