Earthling

One of the great #art shows of the 21st C:
"Gravity & Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui"
This stunning 2013 #exhibit featured works that transform found materials (bottle caps, etc!) into majestic forms with elements of #sculpture & #painting.
Seem more: bit.ly/anatsui-exhi...
#genius #global

Tiny Gardens Everywhere From the eighteenth century to the twenty–first, the surprising history and inspiring contemporary panorama of urban gardening: nurturing health, hope, and community., Tiny Gardens Everywhere, T...

“I think [the] right to grow food, to self-provision, to step outside of markets for our most essential needs, is something that represents a unifying set of desires in our hyperpolarized political landscape." — Kate Brown
#health #hope #community
wwnorton.com/books/978132...

Seeds of something different In her book “Tiny Gardens Everywhere,” MIT historian Kate Brown examines the surprising reach of urban agriculture and farming on common ground — and the related struggles over control of land that ha...

Brown’s new #book, “Tiny #Gardens Everywhere,” examines the #history of #urbanfarming, its extensive use & the politics of growing #food. Does small-scale urban provisioning contain the #seeds of a more resilient #future for us all?
news.mit.edu/2026/seeds-s...
#Gardening #Cities #Hope #PlanetEarth

Personal tech, social media, and the “decline of humanity” Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt presented a forceful analysis of the damage cellphones and social media are doing to our cognition and civic fabric, while calling for renewed action to ward off the...

Haidt is not opposed to #tech, just wants to mitigate its effects. "'I love tech, modernity, my iPhone,” he said. Just then, a phone in the audience started ringing. Amid a huge audience laugh, Haidt said, “That was a spontaneous demonstration of what I’m talking about!" news.mit.edu/2026/persona...

In the #Garden | 7 #March
With its slate-blue back, white breast & black cap, the White-breasted #Nuthatch is an elegant bird in a feather suit that would be nice as formal evening wear. One of their habits is walking head-down on #trees! Why? Answers here: woodlandwoman.ca/nuthatches-u...
#Birds

Here's a real-world example of a harm generated by an AI agent. Story via"Undark" (undark.org), a nonprofit, editorially independent digital magazine at MIT exploring the intersection of society and society:
#AIEthics #HumanCenteredTech #LawForAI #Law #Accountability
undark.org/2026/03/05/o...?

Autonomous AI Agents Have an Ethics Problem Opinion | AI-powered digital assistants can do many complex tasks on their own. But who takes responsibility when they cause harm?

Via #Undark: When an autonomous, AI-powered digital assistant creates harm, people tend to delegate responsibility to the bot. Society now urgently needs an ethical and legal framework to keep humans accountable. undark.org/2026/03/05/o...
#AIEthics #HumanCenteredTech #Accountablity #LawForAI #Law

Pro-worker #AI "makes human skills and expertise more valuable" without replacing human workers and good jobs. How will that happen?
#ProWorkerAI #FutureOfWork #HumanCentricTechnology
#GoodJobs #EconomicWellBeing
www.brookings.edu/articles/bui...

Building pro-worker AI | Brookings Daron Acemoglu, David Autor, and Simon Johnson ask: What is pro-worker AI, and how can we build it?

Pro-worker #AI — by #MIT #economists Acemoglu, Autor, & Johnson
The #Nobel laureates define #proworker #technologies as those "that make human skills & expertise more valuable" and divide such likely technologies into 5 distinct categories.
#humancenteredtechnology
www.brookings.edu/articles/bui...

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L'heure bleue, on the evening after a snowstorm

"It's precisely in ugly times...when our troubles are greatest that we need to find beauty." Not as an escape, but to be whole. — Dana Milbank, wapo.st/4kxsKy1
#Photography #Nature #Candlelight #L'heurebleue #Snow #Domestica #JoyInTheStruggle

At the Flower Shop Today - Pale Pink Roses
"It's precisely in ugly times...when our troubles are greatest that we need to find beauty." Not as an escape, but to be whole. — Dana Milbank, wapo.st/4kxsKy1

#Bloomsky #JoyForTheStruggle #WinterFlowers #NaturePhotography #Roses #FlowerShop #Gardening

An Amaryllis "Apple Blossom" in bloom ~ again!
"In ugly times, we need to seek beauty...It's precisely when our troubles are greatest that we need to find beauty." Not as an escape, but to be whole. — Dana Milbank
#WinterBlooms #JoyisStrength #Photography #NaturePhotography #BeautifulPlanet

Meet the Owls of North America—and Learn a Fun Fact For Each Get to know all 19 owl species you can see in the United States, and how the differ.

From Audubon for #SuperbOwlDay!
www.audubon.org/magazine/mee...

Happy Superb Owl Day to all who celebrate!
#SuperbOwl #Owls #SuperbOwlSunday #OurBeautifulEarth #Birds #Wildlife (photo via iStock)

Sneak peek: Artwork at the Obama Presidential Center Discover more than 20 world-renowned artists whose work will appear at the Obama Presidential Center.

First Look! When the Obama Presidential Center opens in June, original works of art from world-renowned #artists will greet visitors across the campus—reinforcing the idea that free expression is a central part of democratic culture."
obama.org/stories/snea...
#Arts #Freedom #Democracy #America

“Essential” torch heralds the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics MIT professor of the practice Carlo Ratti designed the torch for the 2026 Winter Olympics, putting sustainability at its core — literally.

Story+Video: The design and making of "Essential" — the sleek torch for the 2026 Winter Olympics — which emphasizes the flame itself and sets a new standard for sustainability.
news.mit.edu/2026/essenti...
#OlympicGames #Design #Sustainability #Flame #Video

Travel Art! A polar bear diving into the sea. Print from "A Voyage of Discovery" (1819), made for the British Admiralty's exploration of Baffin Bay and the possibility of a Northwest passage. (British Library Collection)
#Prints #WinterBeauty #PolarBear #Arts #Travel #SpringIsComing #Brrr

#Blooms: This Amaryllis "Apple Blossom" has been in bloom for ten days, and now has a second shoot about to open! Very grateful to this worthy bulb, which has produced winter blooms for 3 years now, rebuilding its energy during summers outdoor in the sun.
#Flowers #PlanetEarth #Photography #Hope

TV 2 | All That We Share YouTube video by TV 2 Play

From Denmark TV2: "What happens when we 'unbox' each other? Maybe we have more in common than we think? Introducing "All That We Share." The English version.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD8t...
#polarization #humanity #Denmark #WeThePeople #democracy #film #freedom #community #commonground

Sunset at the Pond - late January
"I'm walking and talking with my mind stayed on freedom"
music at: bit.ly/stayed-on-fr...
#photography #naturephotography #sunset #wintersky #moon #freedom #democracy #beautifulplanet (photo ©2026myhusband)

Great book!

Sunset at the Pond, late January ~
"Woke up this morning with my mind stayed on freedom"
#Photography #NaturePhotography #Democracy #Freedom #OurBeautifulPlanet (photo ©2026, my husband)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLGX...

This exciting #film— "Questions as Tools"—examines how questions shape creativity, experimentation & research. It features terrific interviews w/ 12 MacArthur Fellows across the #arts, #sciences, and #humanities.
Watch at: questions.aarome.org
#Creativity #Discovery #Research #Questions #MacArthur

In Remembrance ~
"May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest"

Boston Harbor welcomes back shellfish harvesting, says goodbye to dirty water For the first time in decades, water quality has improved enough to reclassify certain areas to allow shellfishing for human consumption.

🐚 Boston Harbor was once so polluted shellfishing was banned for a century. Now, cleanup efforts driven by lawsuits and public pressure have reopened parts of the harbor.

www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...

Journalists Forum Explores State and Local Initiatives in the Face of Federal Retrenchment - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy As state and local governments struggle to make progress on challenges including affordable housing and climate change amid dramatic policy shifts at the federal level, reporters and editors learned m...

🏛️ With federal support shrinking, state and local governments are driving solutions on housing, climate, and land use. Journalists at the Lincoln Institute Forum examined zoning reform, nature-based climate action, and ways cities are funding essential services.

www.lincolninst.edu/publications...

#GiftArticle: “In Case of #Blizzard, Do Nothing” ❄️
As #snow begins to fall in 35 states this weekend, it's good to be reminded of proper behavior for larger snowstorms! That said, I'm wishing everyone #safety & warmth during the #snowstorm & low temps arriving. 🙏
www.nytimes.com/2016/01/23/o...

The Wonderful Color Wheel ~ A fantastic salute to the "gorgeous history of color wheels through the years." via Print Magazine
Part 2: bit.ly/colorwheel-p...
Part 3: bit.ly/colorwheel-p...
#Colors #Design #Painting #VisualArts #DesignHistory #ColorTheory #ColorHistory #ColorWheels #Design #Science

The "Literature Clock" will give you a literary quote that references the exact time at which you click the site link: literature-clock.jenevoldsen.com

#Literature #Time #Clocks #Quotes #Fun #Books

"Hours of joy" is so right ~ I'm so happy to know you have this extraordinary book! (My beloved Mum, an adventurous birder, left me her copy of the "baby elephant" folio, which we keep open on a stand. It keeps her spirit close, and we admire one or two of the exquisite paintings each week.)