A weekly collection of links to interesting things curated by Colin Wright.
Conversations with a Hit Man
Seated before us, he wears the standard-issue uniform: blue jeans and a light-blue chambray shirt. His hangdog blue eyes are framed by gaffer-taped tortoiseshell glasses that rest atop his prominent nose. His hands are missing parts of two fingers. “This one I cut off with an electric drill,” he’ll tell us later, holding up the stump of his left index finger. Then he’ll wave the remains of his right ring finger. “My dog bit me on this one.”
How Art UK Provides Online Access to More Than 500,000 Artworks in British Collections
In 2018, for example, Old Master specialist Fergus Hall posted his suspicions that a portrait in Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery depicting a member of the Spanish royal family might be by Anthony van Dyck. Numerous experts joined in the discussion that followed, including the art restorer Simon Gillespie and Britain’s Lost Masterpieces co-presenter Bendor Grosvenor.
‘It worked in a wonderfully collaborative and genial way,’ says Ellis. ‘The amount of time people put into research was quite extraordinary.’
The painting in question, The Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia (1566-1633), was eventually confirmed to be by the Flemish artist. ‘Such a discovery can have a dramatic effect on the standing of a collection,’ says Ellis.
HGTV Is Looking To Become Sexier As Property Crisis Hits Cable Television
HGTV is in need of its own refresh.
Falling linear ratings, the rising cost of materials needed for home renovations, the threat of further price hikes due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the rise of DIY TikTokers have all hit the Warner Bros Discovery cable network like a slab of Italian marble to the face.
It has emerged over the past few weeks that the network has canceled at least seven shows including Christina on the Coast, starring Christina Hall; The Flipping El Moussas, starring Hall’s ex-husband Tarek El Moussa and his new wife Heather Rae El Moussa from Selling Sunset; Battle on the Beach; Farmhouse Fixer; Married To Real Estate; Bargain Block; and Izzy Does It.
The Surprise Winner in the U.S.-China Tech War? Vietnam’s Chip Industry
U.S. President Donald Trump’s onslaught of tariffs has given Vietnam an opportunity to stake its claim in the global semiconductor chip race.
Vietnamese companies that manufacture chip components — such as circuit boards and wafers — have had a surge in demand as clients place orders before the tariffs kick in and Washington steps up pressure to reduce its reliance on Chinese products.
Striding Into the Future on Solar Sidewalks
If the university’s solar array had been installed on a roof or mounted above ground in a corner of a soccer field, that probably would have been the end of the story. Instead, TRU didn’t follow trends — it set one: It became the first place in Canada to embed solar panels into the ground. By 2017, a 12-meter walkway with 16 solar modules near the campus daycare, together with a compass (sunburst) design of 62 modules in front of the arts and education building, were producing power. By its second summer of operation, the compass produced enough electricity to power an entire classroom of computers at TRU’s arts and education building for the day.
Stellantis' Turnaround Plan: More Muscle Cars
Stellantis' strategy to get back on track after a dismal 2024 is to reconnect with customers by giving them more of what they want: muscle cars and Hemi V8 engines.
Stellantis was never wild about electric vehicles or fuel-sipping engines, and now that the regulatory pressures that had pushed the company in that direction are easing, it's bringing back the muscle.
2025 is going to be "a tough year," said new CEO Antonio Filosa, who highlighted signs of progress in the first half but acknowledged that "we still have tons of work to do in North America."