The World Engine Magazine

Announcing the release of The World Engine Magazine, which will begin its much heralded launch online at http:'//www.worldenginemagazine.com next Friday.

The magazine will be a live-update online publication focusing on the integration of arts and culture and with innovations in technology, economics, and science.

It will have six active sections, including:

Features, which will outline the selected contributions from various areas of study. The first issue will include a much anticipated article on the influence of literature on economic perception by the Wall Street Journal's Senior Economics Editor Stephen Moore.

Interviews, which will include both published archives and video footage of viable contributors to the fields of art and culture. The magazine has the pleasure of interviewing Brian Froud, the acclaimed set designer and published illustrator, in its first issue.

Historical Influences, which pay homage to the masterminds of the past who were fundamental in creating new technologies and innovations in arts and culture. Morpheus, an online blogger specializing in the subject, will contribute an article on Windsor McKay, whom many consider the 'Father of Animation'.

Reviews, which will focus on traditional art, films, and literature that define the values of the magazine, will offer an introductory commentary by Yaron Brook, the President and Executive Director of the Ayn Rand Institute, on the acclaimed novel 'Atlas Shrugged', which has recently shot to the top of amazon.com's bestseller's list.

Editorials, focusing on ideas of cultural relevance on the global scale and the interplay between fields of study in the industries.

Archives, including daily snapshots and comprehensive article search.

EDITOR'S LETTER:

It was the philosopher Ayn Rand who once said that, "Art is the barometer of a culture. It reflects the sum of a society’s deepest philosophical values: not its professed notions and slogans, but its actual view of man and of existence."
There seems to be a surprising general lack of relevant knowledge present in the artistic community. Enveloped in notions of theory and conceptualization, contemporary artists produce what they perceive to be evocative and politicized work, championing causes they often have little to no personal experience with. But ask one of them to draw a basic supply and demand curve, and you will likely be met with blank expressions and defensive exclamations. Judging by the collective shudders of MFA degree holders everywhere, supporting capitalistic notions is practically blasphemy in contemporary art circles.
In the economic downturn of the “Great Recession,” as it has been dubbed by global economists, traditional art has experienced a logical revival. In difficult economic times, those investors who are profitable enough to support commodities- those same MFA-holders seem to want to forget that art and cultural production are, in fact, commodities- are spending their money on work that has staying power.
So here comes the million-dollar-question: what, in the world of contemporary cultural production, has staying power? Here at The World Engine Magazine, we like to think that the key to answering this question lies in the integration of genius across multiple disciplines and a healthy respect for historical precedent. It was the Western philosopher George Santayana, who wisely said that, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." They are indeed.
We believe that identifying historical cultural innovators is as equally important as discovering new leaders in their respective fields, which is why our ‘Historical Influences’ section features articles on masterminds throughout the ages.
We acknowledge that the most brilliant creators in history often incorporated ideas from their advanced studies in other areas of knowledge. Da Vinci, Galileo, and Buckminster Fuller all respected and embraced integration between studies and technology to further their own influence therein. So we invite some of the most influential leaders in their fields to discuss their perception of culture in relation to their area of study. We are pleased to announce that the respected senior economics writer Stephen Moore from the Wall Street Journal will be contributing an article on the literary influences on economic perception.
And lastly, we perceive that the changing distribution of media will affect the ways in which magazines and articles are consumed. Embracing the global influence of the internet, The World Engine is an online magazine with printable archives. Unlimited by press deadlines and print schedules, however, we publish information as we receive it from our contributors, identifying with the demand for constant traffic on the information highway.
Catering to the discriminating Renaissance cultural consumer, The World Engine aims to distill the latest integrated information into a combined archive of the global intellectual capital, which will aid the absorption of information across our contemporary knowledge-filled experiences.
The fact is that art and culture, despite being commoditized, are crucial to an evolving and meaningful society. But when they become integrated into the fundamental development of ideas and technologies that are part of intellectual capital, their value increases substantially enough for them to become economically self-sufficient. And this creates cultural capital whose eventual value truly reflects our society.