An Astronaut’s Life, by his son
This biography of space shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless is written by his son, of the same name. They are distinguished by Roman numeral. The astronaut is II, and his son…
James Bond, American Style
Before the CIA, there was the OSS: Office of Strategic Services. This fascinating book by Dr. John Lisle tells its story. The book has rightly earned wide praise. Pulitzer prize…
Admiral McRaven: On Education
Four-star Admiral William McRaven was back in a familiar venue. Six years ago, he was interviewed by Mark Updegrove, President of the LBJ Foundation here in Austin. The interview took…
A Demagogue and his Fools
A demagogue is nothing without a mass of fools to support him. Throughout history, the gene pool has offered a ready supply of fools, in sufficient number to undermine even…
The Epicurean Life Revealed: Politics and Security
Even though Epicurus lived more than 2,000 years ago (from 341 to 270 BCE), the philosophy he founded in still misunderstood. Much of this unfortunate state of affairs can be…
DONATELLO in London
Who was the greatest sculptor of the Renaissance? Most would vote for Michelangelo (1475-1564), but solidly in second place must surely be Donatello (1386-1466), who died just 9 years before…
Butterfly Lovers Concerto evades thought police
For the first time ever, the Austin Symphony Orchestra featured the erhu. While the word is likely known to few readers, the sound it emits is at once recognizable as…
Can Robots Create Life-Changing Songs?
In a SXSW panel moderated by Bill Hochberg, music industry experts contemplated the role of artificial intelligence in the creation of songs. Hochberg, a specialist in music and media law,…
Current State of Classical Music: The Percentage Problems
“Classical music – the level of musicianship and artistry – has never been higher.” This optimistic start to a SXSW session on the state of classical music was made by…
Webb Space Telescope at SXSW
Two panel discussions were devoted to the Webb Space Telescope at SXSW in Austin last month: one on engineering, the other on science. “What we’re seeing in this beautiful new…