Stories

Is The Historical Performance/Period Instrument Movement Still Controversial?

“Nearly half a century on, although performances on period instruments (let alone fortepianos) are hardly the norm, historically informed performance has increasingly moved toward mainstream acceptance, picking up new repertoires, time periods, and styles along the way. The movement’s relative success may seem surprising.” - Early Music America

Study: UK Teachers Report Decline In Student Cognitive Skills Because Of AI

Two-thirds said they had observed the decline among children who they also said no longer felt the need to spell because of voice-to-text technology. - The Guardian

Wallace Shawn On Reviving His Monologue “The Fever” In The Trump Era

“When I did it before, nobody was really explicitly saying the opposite of what I was saying. I was attacking implicit assumptions, unthought-through assumptions that people seemed to have. Now I’m attacking open declarations that people are making very publicly.” - Slate (MSN)

Why You Should Break Up With Your Kindle

The Kindle ecosystem is perhaps the apotheosis of this shift. One Guardian reporter found Amazon had recorded every title, highlight and page turn on her Kindle app (40,000 entries over two years). The company’s dominance sets the terms for everyone in the marketplace. - Washington Post

Trump’s Plans For His Presidential “Library” Pretty Much Says It All

It’s hard to imagine a more finely tuned machine than the Trump Presidential Library, a glass-walled Miami tower whose video renderings were released by the president’s son Eric on Monday night. The project has a balance sheet that would make a developer blush. - The Atlantic

NYT Fires Freelancer For Using AI In Review. But What Really Is The Issue Here?

As a literary critic and scholar, I believe the deeper question isn’t whether or not critics should do more to hide their use of AI – but the ethics of using it at all. - The Conversation

Denver’s Arts District Is Thriving. Here’s Who Keeps It Running And How.

“As of January, the RiNo Art District has split from the business and infrastructure groups it once operated alongside. Now, three separate entities share responsibility for the area. … Each has its own boss, board, budget and mission. Together, the three groups still shape the district with a shared vision.” - Denverite

Major Years-Long Renovation Of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water Complete

Despite several previous conservation campaigns, a carefully executed programme of works targeting its roofing, glazing systems, and masonry envelope was necessary. - Dezeen

Why Bach’s Music Is Indestructable

Bach never knew the modern piano or its flattened-out tuning, so any pianist who plays the Well-Tempered Clavier on a Steinway is making a version of the piece that Bach wouldn’t have even imagined. - The Guardian

Tennessee Library Director Fired Over Refusal To Move Gender-Themed Books

She was fired for her refusal to remove more than 100 books that discuss gender identity or contain violence from the children’s shelves.  - The New York Times

University Partnership Gives This Ballet Company’s Dancers 80% Off Tuition

After being in the company for a full year, any full-time member of Boston Ballet can take courses toward a degree from Northeastern University, with almost all courses available online. - CBS News

University Of Syracuse Cuts Almost 100 Programs

In all, 93 of the 460 academic programs at the school will be closed or paused, meaning that no new students will be able to enroll in those majors. Coursework in the areas will still be offered, and minors in many of the subjects will continue to be available. - The New York Times

Hollywood’s Difficulty In Grappling With What AI Will Do To It

AI isn’t just another flash-in-the-pan techno-bauble, like VR headsets, the “metaverse,” or NFTs. It’s actually revolutionary. The insistence betrays the measure of anxiety one might expect at a confab celebrating a power–hungry industry staring down an energy crisis. - Wired

Why Being A Writer Is No Longer A Profession

Today, by some estimates, the average freelance journalist is paid around $0.25 to $0.50 per word, and at the highest-paying glossies, rates have hovered around $2 per word for more than a decade, even as inflation has diminished the purchasing power of that seemingly handsome fee. - The Baffler

“The Dawn Of The Three-Minute Heist”: Considering The Fallout From The Latest Museum Robbery

“How and why is this incident different from the Louvre theft, which targeted the royal jewels? How will investigations play out? Perhaps most importantly, what are the chances of recovering these priceless paintings? We put these questions to the world’s top museum security and art theft experts. Here’s what we found out.” - Artnet

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