The Venetian is quite possibly the most ridiculous of Las Vegas’ super resorts. Featuring over 7,000 suites, 120,000 square feet of gambling space and a five acre pool deck, this larger than life paean to the City of Bridges turns history into opulence like an art-loving dictator. After we had parked beneath the superstructure of [...]

PICARD: A lot has changed in three hundred years. People are no longer obsessed with the accumulation of “things”. We have eliminated hunger, want, the need for possessions. We have grown out of our infancy.
RALPH: You’ve got it wrong. It’s never been about “possessions” – it’s about power.
PICARD: Power to do what?
The fact that Star [...]

I’ve been told that carpeting patterns in casinos are meant to be disorienting. Not only do the elaborately hideous murals lining the floors of Las Vegas make it harder to notice the stains of drinks tipped past, they guide the attention of casino guests away from any kind of aesthetic ruminations and straight to the [...]

With every report and news analysis that hits the presses, it becomes clearer that the United States is cradled in recession. Yet, for all of the deep-seated flaws that our nation’s thinkers and decision makers have unearthed in purveying the state of the economy, our first instinct is to reach for the security blanket of [...]