Stories

Has Blogging Ceased To Matter?

Anyway, the reason I’m writing all of this is not to brag, but to complain. Over the last two years, I’ve felt like my job has become a bit less important than it used to be, for three reasons. - Noahpinion

The Next Bookstore?

Samir Pail argues that the publishing industry is fundamentally flawed insofar as publishers and authors generate consumer demand, then hand buyers off to companies like Amazon, which takes a significant cut and then owns the customer relationship. - Publishers Weekly

Next-Generation Tech Lets Producers Of Musicals Shrink Pit Bands Even More

“Orchestral software from the German company KeyComp threatens to inflict the deepest cuts yet on what has traditionally been a steady gig for professional musicians. … Thanks to successful union campaigning, the software is banned in New York, Washington DC and in Hamburg, where the software company is based.” - The Guardian

LA’s New Metro Stations: A Tale Of Two Design Realities

The stations, too, feel more connected, with art, architecture and infrastructure blending seamlessly into a cohesive experience, a tribute to Metro’s sharpened design approach and its ever-evolving commitment to public art. But above ground, it’s a tale of two (transit) cities. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

Audiences At Independent Movie Theatres Are Growing

Independent theaters continue to be a vital asset to their communities, with a 9% increase in business in 2025, an encouraging sign for the sector, according to a recent survey. - Variety

Why Meritocracy Is A Deeply Flawed Idea

Zhuangzi insists that even in idealised situations where values can be straightforward, the idea that hierarchies and institutions can reflect that moral map is a profound misunderstanding of how power actually works. - Aeon

Laurie Anderson Awarded $600,000 Kyoto Prize For Arts And Philosophy

The multimedia artist will receive the ¥100 million prize — given annually by the Inamori Foundation in three fields: advanced technology, basic science, and arts and philosophy — at a ceremony in Japan on November 10. - Nonesuch Records

Eugene Ballet Gets $1M Anonymous Gift, Out Of The Blue

When Executive Director Josh Neckels received notification from the bank that the company had received a deposit, he nearly dismissed it as spam, but decided to call the bank to check. - Oregon Arts Watch

Art Removed From London’s National Portrait Gallery Over Churchill Reference

An artwork by a Turner prize-winning artist has been removed from the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) after a row about the role Winston Churchill played in the 1943 Bengal famine. - The Guardian

ABC Campaigns Against FCC Review Of Its Licenses

ABC argued in a filing to the FCC in May that “The View” airs under an exemption to the equal-time rule “granted to it more than twenty years ago.” - NBC News

Benjamin Franklin’s Library Given 1,500 Rare Books About Sex

The collection is the latest donation to the Library Company of Philadelphia, founded by Franklin in 1731, by Charles Rosenberg, a now-retired historian of science at Harvard University. He described this collection, including volumes dating to the late 1600s, as largely “how-to-run-your-sex-life books.” - The New York Times

With Book Reviews Disappearing From Newspapers, This Bookstore Decided To Start Doing Its Own

“The Porter Square Review of Books launched this month. The (Cambridge, Mass.) store’s booksellers and writers-in-residence have begun publishing weekly(ish) book reviews on its website, on Thursdays; at about 500 words, these are deeper looks at books than the couple of sentences you’ll find describing ‘staff picks’ in-store.” - Nieman Lab

New Chief Conductor At BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Antony Hermus, a 53-year-old Dutchman who is just finishing his tenure as chief conductor of the Belgian National Orchestra, will succeed Ryan Wigglesworth at the Glasgow-based BBC SSO as of the 2027-28 season. - The Scotsman

Google Invests $75 Million In A24 Studios To Develop AI Filmmaking Tools

“Google’s DeepMind AI unit and A24 are aiming to create new tools for movie production and distribution. … Though Alphabet unit Google is a major player in online entertainment through YouTube, the deal marks the first time it has taken a stake in a studio.” - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)

Lonnie Bunch Works To Keep Smithsonian Independent And Functional Amid Trumpist Turmoil

“Bunch has been cast by many of his admirers as something of a resistance figure — one of the only high-profile leaders standing up to Trump by single-handedly preventing the president from rewriting American history itself.” - The Atlantic

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