How Spelling Became a Sport

When thinking about celebrity sportspeople, we oftentimes go to athletes like Serena Williams or Lebron James, but every spring a very different kind of sporting champ graces ESPN and various TV shows. The Scripps National Spelling Bee (which started as a promotional event in 1925) somehow made its way into the professional sports industry—thanks to its first airing on ESPN in 1994. Full of suspense, …

Inventions for Future Humans at Beirut Design Week

As part of the “Speculative Needs XOXO” exhibition at Beirut Design Week, 150+ Lebanese design and architecture students have presented artistic creations that address future human needs springing up thanks to anti-social technological developments. While the concept seems heavy, the approaches taken by many of the young creatives are playful, colorful and clever. From goggles called “Face Brace” which aid users in re-learning how to …

The World’s First VR Calligraphy Installation

Running through 3 June at the Taiwan National Palace Museum, “The Spirit of Autobiography” allows visitors to try their hand at recreating Chinese calligraphy—only, in virtual reality. Billed as the first calligraphy VR experience, the exhibition offers guests a headset and they then proceed to a Chinese pavilion and situate themselves in an empty room where a calligraphy pen awaits. Characters appear in the air …