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Is The World Really Getting Dumber? “Yes, And We All Know It.”

Across the developed world, since the 1930s, there’s been what’s called the Flynn effect: IQ scores overall have been rising by about three points a decade — through the turn of the millennium, that is. Social scientist Elizabeth Dworak has documented the effect reversing since 2006. This surprises few people. - New York Magazine (MSN)

The Icelandic Language Is In Danger Of Dying Out

“Having this language that is spoken by so very few, I feel that we carry a huge responsibility to actually preserve that. I do not personally think we are doing enough to do that,” she said, not least because young people in Iceland “are absolutely surrounded by material in English, on social media and other media”. - The Guardian

Conceptual Frame: An Art Installation You Have To Really Commit To See

The Frattini Bivouac is not staffed, ticketed or mediated. Anyone can enter it, but only after a six-to-eight-hour ascent on foot across scree, moss and snowfields.  - The Guardian

How Software Has Changed Choreography, And How AI Could Change It Further

Julie Cruse is a pioneer of “computational choreography”: in 2007 she created a piece titled Choreobot in which she used software she coded to generate choreography. Here she looks at the earliest efforts to automatically create movement, explains how her program works, and looks at how AI could develop and change it. - Dance Magazine

English National Opera Chief Leaves To Run Roundhouse

Jenny Mollica will step down from her current role in summer 2026 to become CEO of London music and arts venue Roundhouse. Mollica will succeed Marcus Davey CBE who steps down after 27 years at the helm of the Camden venue, while the process to appoint ENO’s next CEO is now underway. - Classical Music UK

Warning: Florida’s New Education Dictates Are A Return To McCarthyism

 “History should never be rewritten to match the politics of the day, as history has valuable lessons to teach.” - APNews

We Live In An Age Of Self-Optimization. Where Did This Notion Come From?

This culture of self-quantification in the pursuit of self-improvement long predates social media, algorithms and targeted advertising. In fact, we can trace its roots back into the daily lives and preoccupations of the Victorian middle classes. - Aeon

India Could Be Poised To Develop Its Own Musical Theatre

“If authentically delivered, the potential is colossal. India’s population of 1.4 billion includes a fast-growing urban middle class … (with) a rising appetite for theatre that blends storytelling, music and spectacle. The real question is whether India can find its own mainstream musical theatre voice, and cinema may offer some clues.” - The Stage (UK)

Education Is Flapping Around Trying To Figure Out AI’s Role In Teaching, Learning

Even as a significant proportion of their students are submitting AI-generated work, they proudly reassure each other that their courses are too demanding or too humanistic for any machine to understand them. - Persuasion

Michael Andor Brodeur Analyzes The 2026 Classical Grammy Nominees

Most notably, composer Gabriela Ortiz, who won three Grammys last time, could do it again, as she’s a triple nominee this year. Overall, in fact, the list of nominees is (as has been the case for a number of years now) largely dominated by contemporary music, most of it American. - The Washington Post (MSN)

Here Are The Classical Grammy Nominations For 2026 (In Case You Missed Them)

And, unfortunately, they’re easy to miss, since they’re always stuck all the way down at the end of a very long list of categories. - Moto Perpetuo

New Emphasis On Dancers’ Mental Health

Dancers began to question their careers and who they were apart from being dancers. Some saw their bodies change. Some decided to have children. And many started paying closer attention to their mental well-being. - The New York Times

What Does News Independence Mean After BBC Mess?

The resignations come as the BBC enters a decisive period. The renewal of its royal charter in 2027 will define the corporation’s funding model and public purpose for the next decade. At the same time, the BBC faces a hostile political climate, sustained financial pressure, and a rapidly fragmenting audience. - NiemanLab

Corporation For Public Broadcasting Resolves Suit By NPR Following Trump Cuts

The arrangement resolves litigation filed by NPR accusing the corporation of illegally yielding to Trump's demands that the network be financially punished for its news coverage. - NPR

Taylor Sheridan’s TV Series Have Earned An Astonishing Amount Of Money For Paramount+

“Since the first of his Paramount+ originals premiered in 2021, Sheridan's titles have generated more than $800 million in global streaming revenue for the platform.” And that’s without domestic revenue from his cornerstone show, Yellowstone, whose US streaming rights are held by Peacock. - TheWrap (MSN)

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