Commentary by Kendall Whitehouse
That Costumed Character Next to You May Be Your Favorite Celebrity In addition to panel sessions, pop culture tchotchkes, and attendees parading around in costumes, Comic Cons also provide the opportunity to see celebrities. Movie and television studios bring major stars to events like Comic-Con International San Diego for appearances at stage presentations and panel … Continue reading Comic-Con Incognito
Bush St. and Stockton St. The Maltese Falcon begins with the murder of Sam Spade's partner Miles Archer, a crime that takes place in a fog-shrouded San Francisco alley. As portrayed in John Houston's 1941 film, however, the location of the murder seems rather puzzling. After an establishing shot of a street sign -- the intersection … Continue reading The Maltese Falcon: The Scene of the Crime
Art Exhibitions by Madeline Rile Smith and Morgan Gilbreath If one of the aims of art is to allow us to see our world differently, two recent exhibitions at Impact Hub Philadelphia -- Madeline Rile Smith's Chromesthesia and Morgan Gilbreath's Consecration -- achieve that goal. Both artists are completing their Bachelor of Fine Arts at Temple … Continue reading Seeing the World Differently
Yesterday evening some of the mysteries surrounding the Toynbee tiles, the cryptic messages embedded in roadways of cities around the U.S. and elsewhere, were illuminated at the Whitman Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Toynbee tile investigators Colin Smith and Steve Weinik, along with surprise guest Justin Duerr, provided an overview of the history … Continue reading Toynbee Tiles: Recent Developments and Mysteries Anew
On Technology and Media 