In 1962, three years after Barbie was born, Mattel introduced Barbie’s Dreamhouse: a folding ranch house that was the first of many domiciles that evolved with the times. After beginning modestly in cardboard, the Dreamhouses became plastic, pastel, palatial and electrified, often all at once. They acquired elevators, sun decks, modern European furniture, recycling bins…
In 2007, Philip Ross, an artist based in the Bay Area, was preparing for an exhibit. It demonstrated his work with “mycotecture,” the creation of materials from the manipulation of mycelium, which is the substance comprising the root structure of mushrooms. Mr. Ross bought mushroom spores from local farmers and coaxed them to grow into…
This article is part of our Women and Leadership special report that profiles women leading the way on climate, politics and business around the globe. Six days a week, Ana Shellem rises at 5:30 a.m. and checks the tide and wind conditions for the day. Then she maps out in her mind where on the…
Sometimes the chaos of life calls for an all-day cooking project — an artfully arranged ombré gratin, a braided challah or a big pot of Sunday sauce — something to busy your hands and settle your spirit. But most days, what you need is an easy meal: a dish that is simply prepared, if not…
Judith Thurman notices everything. Meticulous observation has been a hallmark of her 50-year career as a writer whose laser-sharp gaze traverses millenniums, countries and genres. She is as interested in the faintest details of Stone Age cave paintings (which she descended to examine for herself, flashlight in hand) as she is in little-known dying languages…
When is a book tour not just a book tour? When it is a platform for the refashioning, literally, of a major public figure — when it is a way for someone whose image at one stage of her life has been memorialized for posterity to signal that it is time to move on. That…
During the holiday season a few years ago, my mother sent me a dozen Fabergé egg-inspired ornaments from one of the Joan Rivers for QVC holiday collections. Instead of trying to parse any of the cultural meeting points going on — Russian Orthodox meets Jewish woman meets Christmas decorations — I hung them up on…
Send questions about the office, money, careers and work-life balance to workfriend@nytimes.com. Include your name and location, or a request to remain anonymous. Letters may be edited. Not So Happy Hours I recently started a new job I’m excited about, doing good work. As part of the job, I am asked to host or attend…
The feeders are filled and hung; the scene is set. Are we ready to let our incessant daily to-do list take flight and settle in to watch the birds? I’m not talking about the occasional glance out the window, but a long, contemplative look. A new book, “Slow Birding: The Art and Science of Enjoying…
Si alguien te da un regalo, ¿estás obligado a darle uno a cambio? La gratitud es obligatoria, pero las compras de pánico por culpa no lo son. Sabira Bandali, fundadora de la revista en línea Haul of Fame, sugiere que si te sorprenden con las manos vacías, simplemente expreses tu sincero agradecimiento en persona o…