1. “We Interrupt This Program”
“In Hollywood movies, faces are meant to be larger than life. On TV, the face of the performer should approximate in size the face of a viewer on her couch. In online video … details of the human body, seen at closer range, are ideal. The human eye is the defining shot: think of that little YouTube screen with an eye in it, at actual size.”
2. “He’s in It for the Long Run”
“Mr. Cucciniello, co-owner of a linen supply company here, is the proud proprietor of three beautiful old Mercedes-Benz diesels: a 1979 300D, a 1983 300SD and a 1985 300D. The cars have already logged an average of 170,000 miles apiece, and Mr. Cucciniello reckons that together they have a million more to go.”
3. “Design Loves a Depression”
“The pain of layoffs notwithstanding, the design world could stand to come down a notch or two — and might actually find a new sense of relevance in the process. That was the case during the Great Depression, when an early wave of modernism flourished in the United States, partly because it efficiently addressed the middle-class need for a pared-down life without servants and other Victorian trappings.”
4. “She’s Really Shy, but That’s a Secret”
“‘You know what? She’s pretty. You don’t usually see pretty funny women; you see goofy funny women. And I think she is a goofy funny woman, but she’s very attractive.’”
5. “So Nixonian That His Nose Seems to Evolve”
“‘I didn’t want to do an impression; I wanted an evocation of him, an essence. And I also knew that whatever I did, I could never satisfy some people, especially the ones who just want to hate Nixon.’”
6. “Big, Important Picture? Sure. But Is It Best?”
“If the Oscars aren’t a reliable guide to artistic accomplishment, they provide an infallible index to how the leaders of the motion picture industry want their business to be seen in any given year.”
7. “He Put Movie Listings in an App”
“By noon, the application had been downloaded thousands of times. Positive feedback streamed in. Mr. Grossman was 18.”
8. “A Bowl That Is Fruitful and Multiplies”
“The bowl’s petals expand to yield more than a dozen flexible, fist-sized compartments. Each holds one round fruit, keeping it visible and away from the other fruits’ discharge of ethylene gas, which speeds spoilage. When folded, the collar design can cradle one or two grapefruits.”
“A growing number of people believe the world of service animals has gotten out of control: first it was guide dogs for the blind; now it’s monkeys for quadriplegia and agoraphobia, guide miniature horses, a goat for muscular dystrophy, a parrot for psychosis and any number of animals for anxiety, including cats, ferrets, pigs, at least one iguana and a duck. They’re all showing up in stores and in restaurants, which is perfectly legal because the Americans With Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) requires that service animals be allowed wherever their owners want to go.”
