- Well this is weird and cute. Fans of the online multi-player role play game “Star Wars: the Old Republic” have been gathering on virtual Alderan to pay tribute to an avatar of Carrie Fischer’s Princess Leia. [CBR]
- Polish aristocrat Adam Karol Czartoryski just sold his family’s art collection to the Polish government for €100 million. That might sound like a lot, but the collection spanned 86,000 objects, includes da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine,” Rembrandt’s “Landscape with the Good Samaritan” and works by Renoir. The discounted sale was so undervalued the board of the family’s foundation resigned in protest. [The Telegraph]
- Ever get the sense that you’re reading a listicle that should be a tad shorter than it actually is? Enter “10 Technologies That Are Defining Art Right Now”. (OooOooh!) a listicle that includes the obvious suspects—Oculus Rift, drones, and 3D technology—as well as a host of items that aren’t technologies at all. This includes “the wooden spoon” (cooking is a trend!), the kiln (so is ceramics!), and the ballpoint pen (drawing too!). Someone needs a tech writer. [artnet News]
- And here’s one of the most specific (but oddly enthralling) year-end top 10 lists: “The Top 10 Staircases of 2016”. These are some pretty cool staircases. [Dezeen]
- A report card for the MTA has been issued once more by Strap Hangers. The lines with the best grades were the 7, 1, and the L, and those with the worst were the 5 and the A. No surprises with the 5 and the A, but as someone who is regularly made late by rush hour traffic on the 7 line in the morning, I would suggest this report card indicates there is a lot of work to be done. And in fact, the bad news listed in the report supports this. Car breakdown increased and subway regularity decreased this year. [Strap Hangers]
- The Gowanus Canal is a superfund site, but that’s not stopping some city council members from declaring that with a little rezoning the neighborhood could become New York’s Venice. People have lost their minds. [Curbed]
- Researchers have “discovered” that auctions are designed push bidders emotional buttons, that time pressure makes bidders even more emotional, and that social pressure is key to securing higher bids. Who didn’t know this already? [New York Magazine]
- An obscure painting from ukiyo-e master Hokusai turned up at auction in Denmark last month, where it was purchased by a Tokyo dealer. It’s an almost-unknown work with an interesting provenance and unusual characteristics for its era. [The Asahi Shimbun]
- A Chinese shopping mall has erected a statue of Donald Trump as a rooster, because next lunar year is the Year of the Rooster. This thing is creepy and looks like a fried chicken company mascot. [The New York Times]
