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Are museums going in the right direction? Center for the Future of Museums Share     In May, the cats at the Pinky Show joined CFM to ask museum professionals what they thought about the future of museums. You've already seen a report from the cats and some comments from CFM's director. Now it's time to see some of the actual interviews! More  Donors plan to give the same or less this year, a new poll suggests Chronicle of Philanthropy Share
Donors are less sure than they were in June about their economic future and even less confident about their charitable giving, according to a new poll. The Donor Confidence Index compiled by Campbell Rinker, a marketing-research company, fell 3.2 points in August to 86.5 out of a 100, a score that is lower than at any other point since December 2008. More
Americans work less, have less valuable homes Marketing Charts Share
Americans worked less in 2009 as their home values dropped, according to new American Community Survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Overall, ACS data shows that the average amount of hours worked by Americans per week fell 36 minutes, or 1.5 percent, from 39 hours to 38.4 hours. As would be expected considering the general decrease in hourly labor in the U.S., real median household income in the U.S. fell between 2008 and 2009. Overall, it decreased 2.9 percent, from $51,726 to $50,221. And poverty was up. ♦ ACS is the best source of current demographic information for museums. More Survey: Municipalities support sustainability strategy in principle, not practice SmartPlanet Share
Thinking sustainably? Sure. Acting sustainably? Not so fast. That's the general tone of the Sustainability Survey 2010 just published by the International City/County Management Association, which is a Washington, D.C.-based organization that espouses the idea of sharing best practices in local or municipal government. More
OMG, Etc. Intelligent Life magazine Share
Acronyms have become so prevalent that they suffer what anything does when coined without end: Devaluation. "Oh, my God" still packs quite a punch in the right circumstances. "OMG," by contrast, is barely effective as a plaything any more. ("OMG he's cute." "OMG is it 10 already?") All this seems natural in a technological age, when almost anything we do depends on computers. No one knows what the future of technology holds, but we can be confident it will arrive in a swirl of capital letters. More Has equality become fashionable? The Spectrum Share
Androgyny has started to represent a social movement with much wider implications. Without actually being proclaimed, androgyny is a war for equalization of men and women, as well as homosexuals and heterosexuals. ♦ Does this trend, identified with the fashion industry, have any implications for museums? More
Class and work in cultural capitalism: Japanese trends The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus Share
A dramatic paradigm shift appears to be underway in contemporary Japanese society, with public discourse suddenly focusing upon internal divisions and variations in the population. At the beginning of the 21st century, the nation has observed a drastic shift in its characterization from a uniquely homogeneous society to one of domestic diversity, class differentiation and other multidimensional forms. ♦ Can a closer look at this transformation help North Americans better understand their heterogeneous societies? More  What does the museum of the future look like? Museums Association Share
The museum of the future could look like a multi-functional cultural center where the audience sets and delivers the agenda and the collection is scaled down through returns to the community and even sales on eBay. These were some of the ideas that came out of the Future Quest session at the Museums Association's conference in Manchester, England. Steve Connor, chief executive officer of Creative Concern, said museums need to "see the future, save the world, embrace change" to tackle the aging society and climate change in order to not only survive but thrive down the line. More
A painless way to achieve huge energy savings Innovations Report Share
Scientists have identified a way that the United States could immediately save the energy equivalent of about 350 million barrels of oil a year — without spending a penny or putting a ding in the quality of life: Just stop wasting food. More The future of the car Financial Times (free registration may be required) Share
A sector hit hard by the downturn is hoping to exploit changing urban landscapes. This special section from the Financial Times includes articles on new technologies both under the hood and inside the automobile. More
Can we teach creative and critical thinking? GOOD magazine Share
Critical thinking is, among many things, the ability to understand and apply the abstract, the ability to infer and to meaningfully investigate. It's the skills needed to see parallels, comprehend intersections, identify problems and develop sustainable solutions. Teaching critical and creative thought, however, is challenging. ♦ Author Zoe Burgess, a Teach for American alum, says class trips are one way to teach critical thinking. More  How science museums are promoting civil religion-science dialogue The Huffington Post Share
The human origins exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History offers important lessons on promoting civil dialogue about scientific issues that impinge on worldviews. More
Innovation, education and Makers O'Reilly Radar Share
On the Monday following Maker Faire New York, the National Science Foundation sponsored a workshop titled "Innovation, Education and the Maker Movement." It was organized by Margaret Honey of the New York Hall of Science, Thomas Kalil of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Maker Faire organizer Dale Dougherty. More Technology and culture can create a future Indian Country Today Share
From revising a museum diorama focused on the past to envisioning tribal development in the later 21st century, some of today's Native high school students are preparing for a technology-filled future. Enter "Native Science @ DMNS" (the Denver Museum of Nature and Science), an internship exploring technology in a museum context. More
The art of eating: San Francisco museums are focusing time and talent on wine and food Wine Enthusiast Share
Forget about that cheeseburger and iceberg lettuce salad when plotting your next art outing; museum cafés have gone upscale in San Francisco. "The city's museums now are culinary destinations, offering visitors world-class menus along with their collections," says Tanya Houseman, media manager for the San Francisco Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Often, dishes are crafted to reflect the museums' ever-changing exhibits. More What 60 museums have taught us New York City Museum-a-thon Share
Tireless museum-goers Pauline and Paul write, "We've just finished our 60th museum, and have thus completed one third of our 180 museum goal. Seeing 60 museums in 9 months has taught us a great deal; we've learned many things about art, some things about museums and a little about ourselves. In the hopes that what we've learned can help future museum-goers, we offer this list." ♦ Nearly every museum will find something inspirational on this blog. More Grand opening: Adobe Digital Art Museum Architectural Digest Share
For its new virtual museum, Adobe wanted more than a website designer: It wanted a forward-thinking architect who could make the space feel "physical." It turned to Filippo Innocenti, co-founder of Spin+ and an associate architect at Zaha Hadid Architects. More Italy's museums stay up after hours The New York Times Share
Tuesday nights in Italy just got more interesting. Through Dec. 28, museums and cultural destinations across the country will be open after hours, 7 to 11 p.m., and free, on the last Tuesday of each month. The initiative, called "Martedi in Arte," is sponsored by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and is aimed at promoting museums and other cultural institutions, and at offering affordable alternatives during a period of economic crisis. More Illinois museum promotes first National Fossil Day Chicago Tribune Share
Illinois will join in celebrating the first National Fossil Day Oct. 13, to promote the scientific and educational importance of fossils. The Illinois State Museum is participating in the National Park Service's celebration to promote its collection of 200,000 specimens that represent the state's natural, cultural and artistic heritage. More  15 trend tips Trendwatching.com Share
A tool from the trendwatching experts: "Even though we're happy to provide you with more trends than you can shake a stick at, it's equally important to hone one's trend watching skills. So here are our 15 tips on how to best track and apply trends." More A day in the life of an intelligent building Dimensions Share
Canadian researchers are developing a wireless network of indoor environment sensors to help improve a building's environmental health, energy efficiency and maintenance, as well as the general comfort of its occupants. More Maryland "becoming the Delaware of benefit corporations" Washington Business Journal Share
Maryland became the first state in the nation to allow companies to incorporate as benefit corporations, under a new law that went into effect Oct. 1. Benefit corporations are for-profit entities. But they differ from the traditional for-profit businesses because their charter specifically requires them to benefit the public in some way, in addition to making a profit. ♦ Is this a viable organizational model for future museums? More From Picassos to Sarcophagi, guided by phone apps The New York Times Share
Critic Edward Rothstein writes, "Walk into a crowded museum, and what do you see? People with cameras or cell phones snapping pictures of people looking at objects. The artwork, document or fossil is a tourist site; the photograph is our souvenir. And the looking — for which museums were created — becomes a memory before it has even begun." More There's wisdom in those tweets: Social science data emerges from the Twitterverse Scientific American Share
Critics have derided the 140-character messages posted daily on Twitter as trivialities. Yet to researchers, the popular social media site presents a rich trove of data. Barbara Poblete and her colleagues at Yahoo Research in Santiago analyzed tweets in the wake of February's Chilean earthquake to learn how rumors propagate online. More |
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