Blurbing has always had discontents. In 1936, George Orwell decried the use of blurbs in his essay “In Defense of the Novel.” He feared for the novel’s “lapse in prestige,” for which he partly blamed “hack reviews” and “the disgusting tripe that is written by the blurb-reviewers." - The Millions
Reputedly the grand pedagogue Dorothy DeLay had her piano tuned to 443Hz, maintaining that it would make her pupils’ violins sound more brilliant; there is even the case of a US concertmaster insisting that his orchestra tune to precisely 440.5Hz. - The Strad
There is little hope for meritocracy as a theory of distributive justice. The “playing field” isn’t level, there is an oversupply of talent and the methods for determining merit are often winner-take-all, the social determinants of merit often don’t line up with objective criteria of merit. - 3 Quarks Daily
"From all-female sides to youth teams and an appearance at the Brit awards, photographer Rachel Adams has been chronicling England's oldest surviving rural tradition, and seeing how it has found a place in 21st-century Britain." - The Guardian
The idea of ‘truth’ as something subjective may seem odd, but nevertheless it is clear how the notion of lived experience leads in this direction. - 3 Quarks Daily
Late in her life, virtually everything Hildegard had written was copied into a 33-pound illuminated manuscript — too heavy for Soviet soldiers to loot from a Dresden bank vault after World War II. But how to get it out of East Germany and back to the nuns at Hildegard's abbey? - Literary Hub
While nobody expects Tár to be a documentary, it gets so much wrong that either it’s deliberately distorting reality for the sake of the plot or nobody bothered to do the research. - San Francisco Classical Voice
"For close observers, the story of Adams, 65, has taken a stunning turn — though in a manner that had been foreshadowed in recent years as the cartoonist rebranded himself as a provocateur, routinely making headlines for his polarizing views on politics, race and other aspects of identity." - MSN (The Washington Post)
This re-engagement with Black authors of the past is being led by a fresh cohort of literary tastemakers: younger authors in search of ancestors; publishers eager to excavate Black literature, film and television executives in search of intellectual property; social media influencers on Bookstagram... - The New York Times
"He was one of a long line of screen performers whose brilliance was shadowed by shocking offenses that employers were willing to factor into the hiring process because of his track record of superlative performances. His life was filled with reprieves and second chances." - Vulture
Now that multiplexes use automated projection, problems fall to house managers, who, in this age of austerity, may be the same overworked employees ripping tickets and selling popcorn. - The Bulwark
Brian Katz, co-chief of the acoustics team for the medieval cathedral's reconstruction, has created a computer model — of which we can hear samples here — not only of how Notre-Dame sounded before the fire, but of how any changes might affect, and perhaps improve, the acoustics. - The New York Times Magazine
"The reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral is going fast enough to allow its reopening to visitors at the end of 2024, less than six years after a fire ravaged (it), French officials said Monday. ... Yet it will be too late for the Paris Olympic Games scheduled in summer next year." - AP
"The boom isn't just ending. It's imploding, with some (shows) being snuffed out or vaporized altogether, and the old winner-take-all logic reasserting itself. Even some of the products of the boom ... are starting to go bye-bye, and in the post-physical media era, that means they've effectively been deleted from the world." - Slate
"The studio, which until now has focused on making movies, television shows and podcasts, has purchased the Cherry Lane Theater for $10 million, and plans to present plays as well as other forms of live entertainment there, in addition to the occasional film screening." - The New York Times
