“Astronomers are exploring ancient tombs in Portugal that they believe may have been used by prehistoric humans to enhance specific views of the night skies. Researchers are focusing on the alignment of the stars with … dolmens that feature long narrow entrances that act as apertures, essentially zooming in on stars and planets that wouldn’t always be visible from the outside.”
The Meaning Of Images In A World Where Disposable Images Are Everywhere
“We may only now be coming to terms with what happens to a work of art—indeed, to the notion of art altogether—when a fantastic number of images can be circulated, reproduced, amended, swapped, and joined together effortlessly as data sent out for processing.”
Are Emojis Killing English? (It’s A Seriously Idiotic Question)
“This statement isn’t just hyperbole, it’s got a truly spectacular number of incorrect assumptions packed into its seven words. In fact, it’s got so many levels of wrongness that it’s actually a fantastic opportunity to explore what language is, what language isn’t, and how emoji fit into this whole thing.”
Writing A Novel Is A Painful Process With Very Little Chance Of Success, So Why Do It?
“I once read another writer, I forget whom, saying that their writing was a sort of wolf call to their tribe, and I think there’s some truth in that; I write for my tribe, an imaginary group of readers who are a bit like me on the inside.”
The Golden Age Of Television Reaches Europe, And Talented Screenwriters Are Skipping The Silver Screen
“The emerging stars of European scriptwriting have been raised on a rich diet of The Sopranos, The Wire and Breaking Bad … In the past, the careers of David Chase, David Simon or Vince Gilligan seemed unattainable. But today, with more and more high quality television drama coming out of Europe, such as Engrenages (‘Spiral’) from France, Deutschland 83 from Germany and Gomorra from Italy, the demand for young, creative and talented screenwriters is greater than ever.”
A Gorgeous New Shade Of Blue That Chemists Created By Accident
“Mas Subramanian and his team at Oregon State University weren’t looking to create colors; they were just mixing chemicals together to see what they could produce. They were aiming for something with an electronics application. Instead, they got YInMn Blue – a new and vibrant blue pigment.”
‘Urgent’ Restoration Work At The Chapelle Royale At Versailles
The three-year, €11 million project – which will repair cracks in the masonry that are causing structural instability, overhaul the slate roofing, repair fractured lead ornaments and corroded soldering in the stained-glass windows, and restore degraded exterior statuary – will begin next year. Concerts and other activities inside the chapel should not be affected. (in French; Google Translate version here)
Black Chicago, The MacArthur Foundation, And the Ethics Of Cultural Philanthropy
Stating “The children of Chicago are demanding that $100 million of the $7 billion MacArthur Foundation has in assets be used to invest in Black communities and help Black children in Chicago survive violence in their communities,” the city’s Black Star Project staged a march last week on the foundation’s headquarters. Zoe Mendelson writes, “Of course foundations can have their own funding priorities, but at what point does an emergency in their hometown merit special intervention? … MacArthur’s basic stance is that it’s already doing its part. The impossible question becomes: When are you helping enough?”
Report Urges BBC To Drop License Fee And Find Better Source Of Funding
The report claimed the licence fee was “vulnerable in the face of changes in technology and consumption”. It continued: “It is in any case far from an ideal system – it has failed to guarantee real independence and is charged at a flat rate. The BBC’s independence has also been compromised by the insecurity of its establishment by a royal charter and the process behind the appointments to its governing body.”
Critic Tim Page Writes About Trying To Rebuild His Life After A Traumatic Brain Injury
“I was somehow convinced that the return to my house would envelop and embrace me and make me whole once more. In fact, the mix of comfortable familiarity and my own freshly acquired strangeness made me feel more dissociated than ever. There was too much “stuff” and I could never find anything that I wanted; trips up and down stairs were plotted like military operations, while coordination of my various remote controls — television, cable, DVD, CD – seemed a sadistic, Satanic test of memory.”
Here’s What’s Really Killing The Met Opera
“You can wrangle on and on about what the Met should do to cut costs and sell more tickets, but you may be wasting your time and breath. For if you know anything at all about economics, you’ve probably already got a pretty good idea of what’s happening there. It sounds like a raging case of cost disease—one that could be fatal.”
On College Campuses, A Movement To Get Rid Of Student Newspapers
“As student activists call for the institutions around them to confront issues of diversity and inclusion, campus newspapers have been critiqued as well. But activists are not just calling for reform—editors of campus papers are struggling to improve their papers alongside student bodies that, in some cases, would like to see student newspapers as an institution disappear.”
Do Readers Still Care Which Magazine Published The Story They Just Read?
“As the internet solidifies its role as a leading news source amid continued declines in print, news organization homepages are losing traction. Magazine stories are increasingly unmoored from the outlets that published them, and from the brands that once all but guaranteed their legitimacy. In the US, more than 60 percent of social media users now access news through platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and news organizations harvest nearly half their traffic from social media.”
Let’s Just Stop Reviving The Tarzan Franchise, It’s Embarrassing
“In the DNA of the character is the idea that a clever white man can bring order to the ‘dark continent’ through his own brand of clearly delineated, culturally specific morality. That’s not exactly the most modern idea of a hero.”
How Do You Make A Really Tiny Apartment Livable? These Hong Kong Architects Have Some Ideas
“A group of architects from one of the world’s most densely populated cities has created the kind of convertible spaces that make it possible for two humans and three cats to reside in the same 309-square-foot area.” (video)
Alvin Toffler, Author Of ‘Future Shock’ And ‘The Third Wave’, Dead At 87
“Mr. Toffler wrote more than a dozen books charting the cultural shift from manufacturing-based economies to those driven by knowledge and data in the 20th century. Working with his wife, he predicted the unfolding of what he coined ‘the Information Age’ and became a guru of sorts to world statesmen.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 06.29.16
A small suggestion
I get a lot of ineffective pitches from classical music publicists. In fact — sad to say — I think most of the pitches I get from classical music publicists aren’t very strong. … read more
AJBlog: Sandow Published 2016-06-29
Progress Report With Guitar Accompaniment
Not to bore Rifftides readers with internet trivia, but two more days of extended conversations with Apple technicians seem to have led us out of the digital black hole that captured us for a few … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-06-29
This Week in Audience: The Latest Fronts On Understanding Who’s Paying Attention
Is social media communication, marketing, art, or all three? … The perils of market research when it drives your art … The latest front on artists’ war on cell phone use … How NPR discovered a ton of information about its listeners … How the internet is changing our perceptions of the world. … read more
AJBlog: AJ Arts Audience Published 2016-06-28
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Tacoma Public Radio Station Buys Its Independence
“We received 24,000 donations,” KPLU station manager Joey Cohn said. The deal, he said, stipulated that KPLU pay “$7 million in cash and $1 million in ‘in-kind’ support,” meaning spot ads promoting PLU.