Tag Archives: Culture & Society

American Dollars

How Currency Works

Have you ever wondered just what, exactly, money is? We earn it. We spend it. But why do we all agree that one little piece of green paper is only worth a bag of chips and a different piece of green paper is worth a full, fancy dinner? This article takes a look at currency, what it is, how it got started, and what forms it might take in the future.

9 Legends of American Folklore

Words like “myth” and “legend” often make you think of stories from thousands of years ago, but new legends are always being created. America is no exception, with a number of popular myths spreading during the 1800s as the country expanded westward. This article provides a high-level summary of nine of the most well-known American frontier legends–some entirely fictional, but some based on exaggerations around real people and events.

A Brief Introduction to Gothic Literature

You may have heard of ‘Gothic horror,’ but do you know what makes a story ‘Gothic’ or not? This resources provides a quick, high-level breakdown of key elements, themes, and techniques that can earn a story the label of ‘Gothic,’ as well as a few examples of famous Gothic horror stories you can read on your own.

Man Getting Shocked While Repairing Lamp

The Dunning-Kruger Effect, or ‘why incompetent people think they’re amazing’

How good are you at basketball? What about playing an instrument? Psychological research suggests we’re not actually very good at evaluating our own abilities accurately. In fact, we frequently overestimate our own abilities thanks to something known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

Talos the First Robot

There’s a lot of talk in the news these days about advances in robotics and artificial intelligence. But, while the technology is new, the ideas for it are not. Many scholars consider the Greek myth of Talos to be the first representation of a robot in literature and art. Watch this video to learn more about this ancient, and powerful, mechanical man.

Adventures in 21st Century Copyright — AI-generated comic artwork loses US Copyright protection

It seems artificial intelligence is everywhere these days, and the world of art is no exception. This has led to many questions, such as “can AI-generated art be copyrighted?” Courts have started to weigh-in and so far, the answer seems to be that machine generated art should not get the same protections as human-created images.