As of Sept. 1, any adult in Texas may carry a gun in public, concealed or not, without any license. Private businesses and venues may still ban guns and use metal detectors, but staffers worry that communicating this to some patrons will be, er, challenging. - KERA (Dallas)
Optimizing for engagement is at the heart of many of the criticisms of social platforms. An algorithm that’s too focused on engagement might push users toward content that might be super engaging but of low social value. - Wired
With overseas travel blocked, people from the state capitals are traveling to regional towns and boosting attendance there, and more local people are coming to venues as well. - Arts Hub (Australia)
Sounds gloriously picturesque: "There’s a tall lamp standing on the stone quayside at a lock in rural Co Carlow on a warm and clear evening. Beside it, a cream and green barge is moored, with a mixing desk on the bow and a few cables trailing on to the bank up towards the lamp." - Irish Times
Charles McNulty, in Los Angeles, says yes, but: "Anticipating the stress of the new COVID-19 protocols, I forgot the old stresses, the lunatic driving at Hollywood and Vine, the $25 parking fee ('credit card only, please'). The woman sitting behind me returned after intermission with a bag of potato chips." - Los Angeles Times
Ask Sweden. But also, ask Delta. And keep up the safe behavior: "From an infection prevention standpoint, it is still the safest to gather outside, masked and physically distanced. The other important aspect is vaccination. When vaccinated, and wearing a mask, it is safer to gather at outdoor events." - Seattle Times
In the 1930s, the poet and playwright co-founded La Barraca, a touring company that performed classical Spanish theatre in isolated hamlets. Now a project called La Barraca de Cine is bringing a screen and projector to any village that has no movie theater. - The Guardian
Winfrey is narrator for the audio and video components of a multi-million-dollar campaign across print, broadcast, and social media to convince COVID-wary audience members to go ahead and see a show. - The New York Times
Nielsen had long been the undisputed master of counting broadcast media's audience, but its traditional methods have had trouble accurately measuring the number of people streaming programming online. NBCU has had enough and is actively assembling alternatives. - Variety
In June, Gov. Abbott signed a law making it illegal for most businesses to require proof of vaccination from customers. But a growing number of performers are refusing to play venues that don't require audience members to provide such proof. - The Dallas Morning News
Yes, the show was a traitor its audience, but worse, it ignored its own values. The system that briefly elevated Mike Richards (and still hasn't ended his producer career on the show) "took the thing that makes Jeopardy, for so many people, so important and beloved—its abiding conviction that facts are sacred—and betrayed it." - The Atlantic
San Francisco Opera chief Matthew Shilvock: "The seats have historically been patrons' No. 1 concern for the building. Letters to me. Letters to the box office. Letters to the city. And with some justification. We had springs coming through some of the seats." - The New York Times
