Arts

Frank Oz at the 33rd U.S. Film Festival in Deauville, France in September 2007.

Arts

Not My Job: We Quiz Frank Oz On L. Frank Baum, Author Of 'Wizard Of Oz'

11:50am September 12, 2015

Director Frank Oz is one of the most familiar voices in the world — in fact, he's dozens of them. As a founder of the Muppets, he was Bert, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Cookie Monster, Yoda, and more.

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"[Phones are] really a magic portal that allows you to go into another dimension of space and time." — Amber Case

Science
Arts

Are Our Devices Turning Us Into A New Kind Of Human?

9:13am September 12, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

Anthropologist Amber Case says our technology is changing us into cyborgs. She argues we have become a screen-staring, button-clicking new version of Homo sapiens.

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"What if our devices could sense how we felt and reacted accordingly, just the way an emotionally intelligent friend would?" — Rana el Kaliouby

Science
Arts

Will Our Screens Soon Be Able To Read Our Emotions?

9:13am September 12, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

Despite their powerful computing capability, our screens have no way of knowing how we feel. Computer scientist Rana el Kaliouby says that's about to change.

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"I don't want you in the frame. I don't want you in the window. I want you through the window. I want you on the other side, in the world, inhabiting the world." — Chris Milk

Science
Arts

What Happens When We Step Inside The Screen?

9:13am September 12, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

Filmmaker Chris Milk uses cutting-edge technology to create a film experience that immerses the viewer. He explains how virtual reality has allowed him to create the "ultimate empathy machine."

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"The one thing that a child never says or never thinks when ... they interact with typical passive media is 'I did it'." — Dimitri Christakis

When It Comes To Kids, Is All Screen Time Equal?

9:13am September 12, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

Pediatrician Dimitri Christakis explains how different forms of screen time affects kids and their ability to learn and develop.

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Undermajordomo Minor, by Patrick DeWitt.

Books
Arts

A Fable's Foibles: In Gilded Language, This Folk Tale Gets To The Point

7:03am September 12, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

Author Patrick DeWitt knows well how to mine delight from despair. But his distinctive dark humor gathers a few rays of light in Undermajordomo Minor -- a scrambled folk tale that keeps a quick pace.

It took volunteers 25 hours to move 750,000 plastic balls from the National Building Museum's "Beach" installation to Dupont Underground, a creative arts institution in Washington, D.C.

Doomsday For The Dunes Of Plastic Balls: The End Comes For 'The Beach'

11:17pm September 11, 2015

by Mallory Yu

Dozens of volunteers moved more than 750,000 plastic balls this week from the National Building Museum's Beach installation to Dupont Underground, a creative arts institution in Washington, D.C.

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President Obama presents the 2014 National Humanities Medal to Alice Waters during an East Room ceremony at the White House on Thursday. Alice Waters was honored for celebrating the bond between the ethical and the edible as a chef, author and advocate.

Arts

Alice Waters, Healthy Food Advocate, Receives Humanities Medal

6:49pm September 11, 2015

by NPR Staff

President Obama awarded chef and author Alice Waters with the National Humanities Medal on Thursday. The advocate of sustainable eating explains what it means to have her work recognized this way.

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Ravi Patel and his sister, Geeta, worked together on the documentary Meet the Patels, in which Ravi struggles to find a partner both he and his parents love.

'Meet The Patels': One Man's Quest To Find Love, The Old-School Indian Way

6:43pm September 11, 2015

by Karen Grigsby Bates

Ravi Patel had tried and failed to find "The One." So he reluctantly let his parents arrange for him to meet dozens of prospects. And his sister has filmed the whole thing — for our viewing pleasure.

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Books
Arts

An Afghan Writer Wants To Return Home, But It Could Cost Him His Life

6:43pm September 11, 2015

by Elizabeth Ross

Qais Akbar Omar's memoir has been translated into more than 20 languages. But his outspoken criticism of Afghanistan's government has created problems for him and his family back in Kabul.

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