“It’s all there—screentime addiction, the replacement of friends with devices, the phony sycophancy of bots … “The mood of the current moment. Many of us feel just like those abandoned toys.” Ted Gioia ___________________________________ I’ve been following the blogs of Ted Gioia on his Honest Broker substack. (Thanks to Bill from Texas for putting me […]
BEHIND THE SCENES MAKING A HISTORIC FILM One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a 1975 American psychological comedy-drama film directed by Milos Forman and produed by Saul Zaentz. It is based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey. The film stars Jack Nicholson as a new patient at a mental institution and Louise […]
Rescue of Polar Bear Cub An unlikely rescue and pretty obviously AI. But great AI used for an emotional story. From the Mystic Animals site where more of these types of videos can be found. Welcome to our channel — where compassion meets incredible wildlife stories. As noted on Mystic Animals, “Here, we share powerful […]
Elie Wiesel as a Young Man Miles Davis / In A Silent Way _______________________ He was fifteen when the soldiers came. What he saw in the camps was so horrific that he stayed silent for ten years. When he finally spoke, his words changed history. In Sighet, Romania, in 1944, Elie Wiesel was a teenager […]
The Thin Thread In A Silent Way / Miles Davis _______________________ John Fraim That’s the thing about life. You never know when you’re about to feel the end of it seems close somehow. Much closer than before. Quicker than a roulette spin in Vegas. The day had gone as well as it could after a […]
Journey back to 1967 at “Hitsville U.S.A.” nickname for Motown’s first headquarters and recording studio. The house (formerly a photographers’ studio) is located in Detroit near the New Center area of the city. Motown founder Berry Gordy bought the house in 1959. Gordy converted the house to use it as the record label’s administrative building and recording studio. After […]
(Note: Read the famous Tolkein manifesto on fantasy below first. Then, read the Q&As after it between me and my AI assistant.) On Fairy Stories By J. R. R. Tolkien (1947) “But in God’s kingdom the presence of the greatest does not depress the small. Redeemed Man is still man. Story, fantasy, still go on, […]
The Bitter Withy __________________________ The Ecology of Fantasy John Fraim I’ve been working almost exclusively with an AI platform since January 2025. Have used it much in creating the project Specters: AI Assisted Retrospection of 1770 – 1883. After completing it, I come up with this treasure of an essay today about art and creativity […]
A Still in Mt. Airy / Richard Yost & John Fraim (All other photos by RY) Mayberry is the beloved, idyllic fictional town from The Andy Griffith Show. The Andy Griffith Show, representing a simpler time in small-town America, largely inspired by Andy Griffith’s real hometown, Mount Airy, North Carolina. Visitors can experience this nostalgia […]
