(1) A Soaring Space for Artifacts and Ideas (WSJ)
(1a) Paper Machines: About Cards & Catalogs, 1548-1929
(1b) A quote from Paper Machines: An Interview with Markus Krajewski by Brian Dillon
“He [Konrad Gessner] delivers nothing less than a five-step algorithm for how to proceed with huge data processing. First, when reading, everything of importance and whatever appears useful should be copied onto a good sheet of paper. Second, a new line should be used for every idea. Third, cut out those core elements with a pair of scissors. Fourth, arrange the slips as you desire, e.g., into larger clusters that can then be subdivided again as often as necessary. Fifth, as soon as the desired order is produced, arranged, and sorted on tables or in small boxes, it should be fixed or copied directly. So the Bibliotheca Universalis not only sets a new standard in terms of content, but also in the format of the records.”
(2) Wheel Life: In flat, compact Amsterdam, bikes are the transport of choice for nuns, vendors, prostitutes and politicians. (WSJ – Registration Required)
(2a) In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist by Pete Jordan
“The Jordans’ story of ‘finding themselves’ abroad can seem like a bicycle-themed fairy tale—almost too good to be true. But it’s revealing, I think, of why so many members of Mr. Jordan’s generation (and mine) have fallen in love with the bicycle: a deep dissatisfaction with a certain lack of cohesion we feel in today’s fragmented world of the virtual. Perhaps the bicycle gives us the feelings of simplicity and connection we so crave.”
(3) Monument to a Rout: The British won the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill, but sustained so many casualties that the Americans also claimed victory. (WSJ – Registration Required)
(4) If He Builds It, You Will Come: Michael Govan is the quiet powerhouse who put the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on the map. Now, with a new proposal for an ambitious museum expansion, he hopes to radically redefine how the public engages art—and shift the center of the art world west. (WSJ Magazine)