Morning Advantage: The Art World's Digital Dilemma

Art.sy is a new, online marketplace where you (or your rich aunt) can browse and purchase art from private sellers and galleries in London and New York from the comfort of your couch. Seems like a great idea — in fact, the startup has received touts and shout outs from the likes of the New York Times and Rupert Murdoch. But Jason Farago of The New Republic is skeptical about high art’s ability to go digital like movies and music, and he points to a host of past failures to back up his claims. “So why does art remain resistant to the Web, when almost every other cultural medium has been subsumed by it?” Farago says the reason is simple. Our reactions to art — more so than movies and music — are influenced by the exhibition space. “A work of art gains meaning and importance not from intrinsic qualities, but from its position within a network of institutions…We live in a time of image explosion, but without that network images are just content.”

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS TOO THIN

Apple's New Strategy (Slate)

“The main difference between Apple under Tim Cook and Apple under Steve Jobs is the firm’s aggressive scope and scale: The company is launching more new devices every year, manufacturing more of them, and selling them in more places,” argues Farhad Manjoo at Slate. Case in point is the new lineup of products Apple announced this week. Along with a mini iPad, the company is releasing thinner versions of its notebook and desktop too. Overkill? Manjoo doesn’t think so: the new tweaks let the company flex its design muscles, which are its greatest strengths. Don’t forget: thin is in — and Apple is doing a good job giving us what we want.

I BETTER BRUSH UP ON MY SPANISH...

Reasoning Is Sharper in a Foreign Language (Scientific American)

There’s no shortage of things that influence our decisions — smells, weather, emotions. We’re easily swayed. We’re irrational. Our brains are lazy. How to seize greater control of our own minds? Learn a second language. New research has found that thinking in a foreign language can improve our decision-making abilities. “Cognitive biases are rooted in emotional reactions," reports Jessica Gross. "And thinking in a foreign language helps us disconnect from these emotions and make decisions in a more economically rational way.”

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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