The application of game design principles like leaderboards, progress bars, points, badges, levels, challenges, and activity streaks to nongame ends has seeped into just about every domain of modern life, from sleeping and exercising to studying and social credit systems. - The New Republic
NBCUniversal, Paramount Global and Walt Disney together own dozens of underperforming cable networks that are quickly losing relevance in the age of streaming. - Variety
"Oleksandr Tkachenko argues that such a 'cultural boycott' would not amount to 'cancelling Tchaikovsky', but would be 'pausing the performance of his works until Russia ceases its bloody invasion'." - The Guardian
"I’m a scientist myself, but I find it a bit unsettling that a brain scientist or computer might accurately predict whom I’ll fall in love with. At the same time, I admire the spectacular progress of science in understanding human beings and where we fit in the grand scheme of things. - The Atlantic
"The brutal material horrors of the struggle, might make any cultural reading of the conflict seem fantastical or glib. But at its core, and from its origin, this Ukrainian conflict has been a war over language and identity. And Ukraine's libraries are the key." - The Observer (UK)
D. H. Lawrence's novel had been banned in Britain since it was first printed privately in 1928, but in 1960, Penguin UK published the first uncensored edition — and was promptly prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act of 1959. Perhaps no other trial in modern British history had such impact. - Esquire
Comparing their campaign to that of the suffragettes — one of whom attacked a Velázquez at London's National Gallery with a meat cleaver in 1914 — Just Stop Oil spokesperson Alex De Koning said, "If that's unfortunately what it needs to come to, then that's unfortunately what it needs to come to." - Artnet
Art’s primary task, Perl asserts, is not to “promote a particular idea of ideology, or perform some clearly defined civic or community service.” Art is meaningful, valuable, and exciting precisely because of its irrelevance to our most immediate, surface-level concerns. - Commonweal
Sir James MacMillan "had not even heard a rehearsal of the piece, which he had written in secret, and until the night before the funeral was not completely sure it would be performed." - BBC
According to Greek news sources, "British Museum chair George Osborne, the former chancellor, has been holding secret talks with the Greek prime minister." - BBC
There's also a fair amount of Taylor Swift fandom, but "these posts from fans essentially serve as a denouncement of West’s praise of Hitler in the Infowars interview and his denial of the Holocaust, further highlighting the artist’s loss of support." - Variety
Scholars are increasingly voicing concern that the shift to working from home, spurred by the Covid pandemic, will bring the three-decade renaissance of major cities to a halt, setting off an era of urban decay. - The New York Times
The once-a-decade list of the top 100 films from Sight and Sound magazine has nudged 2012's champion, Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, down to runner-up status and crowned Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. (Citizen Kane, which topped the list for decades, is now third.) - The Hollywood Reporter
The Pulitzer Prize winner, who has been at the newspaper for 25 years and was one of only two full-time dance critics in the U.S., was sacked as part of a set of layoffs and other cost-cutting measures at the newspaper. - MSN (The Washington Post)
Boundaries between “traditional” culture and online culture have been breaking down. Television audiences have shrunk. Newspaper circulations are in terminal decline. Meanwhile, people have been hooked to Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and all manner of alternative platforms on the Internet. - The Critic
"'Hey, I'm in the Dallas Museum of Art,' he told a dispatcher nearly 15 minutes after police say he entered. 'Come get me.' The calls show the museum security force appeared to have no knowledge an intruder was inside the building (that) night." - MSN (The Dallas Morning News)
“Most of the interesting things in the human experience need friction,” Honoré explained, and they benefit from a slower approach: cooking, creativity, thoughtful work, meaningful conversations, relationships. “Digital optimization just leads to a superficial way of being.” - The Walrus
When unusually high tides hit last week, the $6 billion MOSE system of barriers in the lagoon was raised and a repeat of the catastrophic 2019 floods was avoided. Yet, as sea levels continue to rise, so do fears that, within a few decades, MOSE won't be enough. - MSN (The Washington Post)
Cara was a child dancer and singer who found young fame on Electric Company (and in its band) and then became iconic for singing "Fame" in the movie of the same name, and cowriting and singing the title song for Flashdance. - The New York Times
I do know that the word “accuracy” in the context of audio means reproducing the master recording faithfully, but this always seemed like an imaginary pursuit. Who, other than the artist, would know how a master recording was supposed to sound? - Harper's
