How the Renaissance Invented the Creator Economy

How the Renaissance Invented the Creator Economy

Call them creatorpreneurs. Call it the new Renaissance. Either way, the frame has changed but the hustle hasn’t. In 1482, Leonardo da Vinci sent the Duke of Milan a letter. It was 11 bullet points long and boasted of his ability to build bridges, design weapons,...
Running to Catch the Bus

Running to Catch the Bus

Are you on the proverbial bus yet? Whether it’s the AI bus or just a good old TTC ride across Toronto, we all keep running to catch something. But the real question is: where are we headed? More than fifty years ago, I held a record for running fast in the City of...
The Jar with a Face in It

The Jar with a Face in It

On Homunculi, Algorithms, and the Small Souls We Make Jonathan Bennett follows a thread from alchemy to algorithmic avatars in a reflection on our age-old desire to imitate creation—and the uncanny reflections we’ve unleashed. 19th century engraving of Homunculus from...
Northern Lights and Low Expectations

Northern Lights and Low Expectations

A humorous reflection on life’s lowered expectations, fine dining dreams gone cold, and existential musings from an Arctic kitchen. There comes a point in every man’s life when he realizes that all the years of carefully curated knowledge, refined tastes, and grand...
Rules and Unwritten Rules

Rules and Unwritten Rules

Indifference is not a response in unsettled times Love, not indifference, protects. Here is a Downy woodpecker by Maria Corcacas. This morning, as the ‘dim temple of the Dawn1’ paled the sky, our red-headed male downy woodpecker announced his return with his staccato...
Choices

Choices

Be skeptical, and think afresh… Flying Fish Services Ltd. The Editor of The Ironist has long asked me for my views on the war in Ukraine. For me it is a long way to Europe – let alone across the Atlantic – as I haven’t left the Black Sea. But sturgeons live...