Museum of Illusions in Austin
A little shy of a year ago, the Museum of Illusions (Austin branch) opened at The Domain. I had spoken with the Texas franchise owners before they had chosen a…
Space Probe to Europa set for October Launch
In March, Austin has been treated to two very special talks on a space mission set to launch in October. The Europa Clipper mission will visit Jupiter’s moon Europa in…
Aldo Lopez-Gavilan – Latin Rhythms
I traveled to Georgetown to hear the Cuban virtuoso pianist Aldo López-Gavilán, a remarkable talent who played at Carnegie Hall in 2012 as part of the Voces de Latino America…
Do You Want to Live Forever? Survive until 2045
Futurist Ray Kurzweil was booked into a room far too small for the enormous crowd who wanted to see him speak at SXSW. Even after the Hilton Austin room was…
Alvin Ailey Returns to Austin after 15 Years
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the first all-Black modern dance troupe in America, has made an indelible impression in the dance world for over six decades. Mr. Ailey, the consummate…
UnDark: A Radioactive Puppet Play
The Vortex is one of Austin’s not-so-best-kept secrets. For theater lovers who want the strange, irrational, weird, and controversial off-off-off-Broadway underground type of theater, this is for you. A snug,…
“FUCK THEM!!!” Jane Fonda on what we should do to big oil execs and their political prostitutes
Age has not dimmed Jane Fonda, who was fired up at SXSW in Austin. She could easily have passed for 56 instead of 86 in her stage appearance with fellow…
Amy Webb: This Is an Exhilarating Time to be Alive
Amy Webb has built a career as a futurist on identifying tech trends, but as she told an audience at SXSW in Austin, those halcyon days have ended. “Trends are…
No One Is Immune to Deepfake Imagery
A cautionary tale relating to artificial intelligence surely startled many at SXSW this week. Dr. Joy Buolamwini is founder of the Algorithmic Justice League. Fortune magazine named her the “conscience…
Everything Everywhere All At Once
A theme I discerned at several SXSW sessions this year was storytelling. The best of the lot was appreciated by a very large audience with a standing ovation. It was…