John Maeda is distressed at the state of the design arts. As upgrades in design software keep users in a constant state of tutelage, esteem tends to fall on those who master the app, not the craft. The conceptual innovations at the core of artistic creation lose out as software presents new tools to

Mathematical, Playful, Repetitive, Smart, The digital era

Betsey Johnson was always cool. All the It-girls of the mid-1960s sported her clothes: Twiggy draped them across her bony shoulders, while Julie Christie, Brigitte Bardot, and Raquel Welch filled the flashy duds out. Johnson designed for the definitive '60s boutique Paraphernalia, recruiting as her m

Cartoonish, Ebullient, Kaleidoscopic, Perverse, Playful, Polychromatic, Sexy, Urban, Urban chic, Vibrant color, Wise assy, Witty

Reluctant rock star and style-transcending musical pioneer, Beck burst onto the scene in 1994 with his critically acclaimed album "Mellow Gold." Its oddball folk-rap hit, "Loser," struck a chord with a Dylanesque slide guitar, psychedelic samples, a hip-hop beat, and the catchy refrain, "I'm a loser

Citational, Clean, Ebullient, Playful, Pop, Smarty arty pop

Five months after "The God of Small Things" hit the stands, Arundhati Roy took the stage and accepted Britain's most prestigious literary honor, the Booker Prize. This was a day of multiple firsts: not only was Roy the first non-expatriate Indian author to take home the award, she also was the first

Lush, Playful, Polychromatic, Post-colonial literature, Sensual