Gap lesson: transition from basic to fashion; keep your target in mind

As Famous Footwear embarks on plans to offer a more fashion-forward assortment, could they be alienating a target market that helped them succeed?

The swag at Sundance

When it comes to film festivals, award shows, Fashion Week, or beauty industry PR events, what’s the buzz word on everyone’s lips? The answer: Swag.

Downloading the latest Bach

After a great deal of hemming and hawing, a handful of classical music subscription sites have belated begun to offer music for sale (or rent). But their range and quality leave something to be desired.

Pop-culture's treatment of queer/trans issues

What’s more striking than two gay/trans-themed films garnering recognition in popular culture is that Felicity Huffman’s acceptance speech was a moving tribute to those who suffer discrimination and hardship because of living trans lives. If only every actor were forced to cultivate the role of a person belonging to a subjugated minority group.

Psychic Cells

The New York Times (Cells That Read Minds) and The Wall Street Journal (How Mirror Neurons Help Us to Empathize) published a couple of articles at the beginning of this month about mirror neurons. Now, I don’t generally scour the paper for breaking news on neurons, but I started scanning the Times article and found myself completely riveted.

Here’s why you should care about mirror neurons even if your working knowledge of neuroscience is dwarfed by your grasp of, say, Project Runway trivia.

Ebony fashion show, race, and elitist labels

When fashion is elitist, can it affect the choice of clothing featured in an African American-centric and rooted fashion show?

Foot-in-mouth disease

The gaffe-prone and always entertaining Pat Robertson once again shoots his mouth off and must meekly beg forgiveness.

Eine kleine Nachtmusik

This past Wednesday night the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra embarked on a Carnegie Hall premiere of a piece of music that was composed by a 32-year-old. And everyone started coughing.

Eine kleine Nachtmusik

This past Wednesday night the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra embarked on a Carnegie Hall premiere of a piece of music that was composed by a 32-year-old. And everyone started coughing.

How to ruin a perfectly new face

After losing her nose, lips, and chin during a vicious attack by her pet labrador, 38-year-old Isabelle Dinoire became the world's first partial face transplant recipient. To celebrate? She resumed her smoking addiction.

Unlimited edition, with an unlimited supply

On January 4th, the Electronic Frontier Foundation issued an open letter requesting that EMI Music publically state that they will not prosecute researchers interested in figuring out what makes the copy protection on CDs released by EMI-owned record labels tick. Hopefully EMI will come through on that one, as the idea that someone could get hauled into court for trying to discern if a CD is capable of opening a personal computer to hacker attacks is a little terrifying.