“There is going to be massive disruption. The technology is developing very rapidly, possibly exponentially. But people are linear. When linear people are faced with exponential change, they’re not going to be able to adapt to that very easily. So clearly, something is coming… And clearly AI is going to win [against human intelligence]. It’s not even close. How people are going to adjust to this is a fascinating problem – but one for my children and grandchildren, not me.” – The Observer
The Hidden Treasures Of The St. Louis Central Library
“First editions of Palladio and Alberti as well as 16th century printings of Vitruvius — oh, and first editions of Piranesi etchings that once belonged to the House of Lords. All of these sit behind glass and wood cabinets in an English country house library hidden within the I-Am-America-Hear-Me-Roar Gilded Age splendor.” – The Daily Beast
Jeopardy Contestant’s Innocent Hand Gesture Sends Conspiracists Wild
Kelly Donohue’s three fingers, Snopes pointed out, symbolize the number “three.” After his first victory, he waved one finger. After his second victory, he raised two. And after his third, he showed three fingers. He awkwardly folded his index and forefingers into something that looks as if it could be some kind of sign, but doesn’t resemble the “OK” signal that white supremacists have sought to appropriate. – The New York Times
Simon Rattle Asks UK Ministers For Help With Brexit And The London Symphony Orchestra
Brexit regulations are not great for the LSO, which had 99 tour dates booked in Europe before the pandemic canceled them all. “It’s all so obviously ludicrous, even in the area of haulage regulations. Touring concerts have to be planned in a different way – the truck has to return to England after two venues – we cannot go from one country to another.” – The Observer (UK)
Katherine Barber, Founding Editor Of The Canadian English Dictionary, 61
The woman who entered “jambusters” in the (well, her) dictionary read popular novels and listened to parliamentary debates to find the most Canadian English in the country. “To hunt for Canadian entries and the distinct Canadian meanings of words, Ms. Barber partly relied on a technique long used by Oxford. She assembled a small army of freelance ‘readers,’ who pored over catalogs, newspapers, magazines and almost anything else they could find for distinctive Canadian words. Ms. Barber always traveled with a notebook to record words on posters and signs that struck her as possibly Canadian.” – The New York Times
Chicago Had The Most Radical Advice Columnist Of The Roaring ’20s
That is, the ’20s that were a century ago. Princess Mysteria’s columns in The Defender “presented a stark contrast with other advice writing of the time, and not only because white advice columnists tended to toe a racist line when it came to matters of segregation and racial hierarchy, and rarely printed letters from Black correspondents. The columnist believed in women’s capacity for independence, and she addressed topics other columns wouldn’t touch, including premarital sex, rape, and abortion.” – Slate
There’s A Brief Post-Lockdown Window For Britons To See Their Museums Devoid Of Tourist Throngs
And that seems like something to celebrate, and take advantage of, to a lot of museum directors. “We know that all museums’ audiences will be more local, which offers a great opportunity for arts and culture to sit at the heart of their communities, especially where those communities have experienced such hardship over the past year.” – The Observer (UK)
The Video Game Platform That Spawned Its Own Music Genre
You might this it’s Nintendo – the soundtracks to Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong sure can linger in one’s brain – but instead it’s Roblox, and the music (which took off in popularity with the addition of, you guessed it, TikTok), created the genre robloxcore. “Mostly made by young teenagers, it’s a strain of chaotic, profanity-laden rap that’s overloaded with frantic sound effects. Tunes like ‘Threat,’ by lieu, a 13-year-old musician, emulate being inside a digital dimension where every bass thud and synth shake is an enemy you’re blowing past, every vocal stutter and short-circuited squeak a new obstacle to avoid.” – The New York Times
What Happened To AT&T’s Big Warner Media Plans?
They evaporated in the span of three years. One of those was an extremely weird year, to be sure, but three years. “AT&T found itself stretched financially as it simultaneously tried to build a nationwide 5G telephone network while ramping up spending for its year-old streaming service, HBO Max. The proposed deal with Discovery comes just three months after AT&T spun off another troubled asset, El Segundo-based DirecTV.” (But, says the LA Times, the deal will “reshape Hollywood,” again.) – Los Angeles Times
The New Joys Of Experiencing Performance Three Different Ways
If you could see a dance performance inside the theatre (with other masked, socially distanced audience members), outside (same, but less distance), or via your Wi-Fi at home, which would you choose? And how would they stack up? (Hint: The outdoors might be the way to go, at least in the summer.) – The New York Times
In Paris, Bookstores Are Essential Landmarks – And Struggling To Survive
Paris has lost 30 percent of its independent bookshops in the last 20 years, despite a lot of government intervention: “Small shops qualify for subsidies. And rents are stabilized in pricey areas of the city. To keep book prices from dropping too low, the French parliament passed a law restricting Amazon from offering free delivery and a 5% discount across France.” – NPR