“Every time you open Facebook, one of the world’s most influential, controversial, and misunderstood algorithms springs into action. It scans and collects everything posted in the past week by each of your friends, everyone you follow, each group you belong to, and every Facebook page you’ve liked. For the average Facebook user, that’s more than 1,500 posts. If you have several hundred friends, it could be as many as 10,000. Then, according to a closely guarded and constantly shifting formula, Facebook’s news feed algorithm ranks them all, in what it believes to be the precise order of how likely you are to find each post worthwhile.”
Tag: 01.03.16
Who Stole Lincoln’s Hand From This Illinois Museum?
“Museum officials had thought that the theft might have been a prank, and that the plaster study would resurface in a few days. The police hoped someone might provide information about the theft after seeing a Facebook post by the department, which included photographs and described the hand as roughly ‘the size of a 8-10 pound ham.’ The local newspaper, The Daily Journal, published an editorial pleading for the thief to come forward.”
‘Close Encounters’ And ‘Deer Hunter’ Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond Dies At 85
“In a career that spanned over five decades in Hollywood, Zsigmond continued to work well into his later years. He shot a number of episodes of ‘The Mindy Project’ from 2012 to 2014 as well as several films that have yet to be released.”
Oscars Still So White (What’s Up With That?)
“The academy found itself on the defensive last year when white actors earned all 20 of the nominations in the lead and supporting categories. The topic came to define the Academy Awards so much that host Neil Patrick Harris opened the ceremony by quipping: ‘Tonight we honor Hollywood’s best and whitest. Sorry, brightest.'”
Top Posts From AJBlogs For 01.13.16
Happy Birthday, and What That Means
One hundred years ago, the last emperor of China abdicated; the Saturday Evening Post published its first Norman Rockwell cover; war raged in Europe and the Near East; Gregory Peck was born; and the Cleveland… … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear ArtsPublished 2016-01-03
AJBlog: Real Clear ArtsPublished 2016-01-03
Technically Definable, Therefore Existent
Having been unexpectedly drawn into writing here about grid-pulse postminimalism, I’ve decided to publish my most important article on the topic here, because the book it’s in is prohibitively expensive, and I need people to… … read more
AJBlog: PostClassicPublished 2016-01-03
Having been unexpectedly drawn into writing here about grid-pulse postminimalism, I’ve decided to publish my most important article on the topic here, because the book it’s in is prohibitively expensive, and I need people to… … read more
AJBlog: PostClassicPublished 2016-01-03
Ben Hecht on the Real Margaret Anderson
Margaret AndersonI’ve been re-reading Ben Hecht’s massive 1954 memoir, A Child of the Century, which Gary Giddins rightly calls “his masterpiece.” I think of it as Bennie’s wised-up wisdom book. It reads for delicious stretches… … read more
AJBlog: Straight|UpPublished 2016-01-03
Margaret AndersonI’ve been re-reading Ben Hecht’s massive 1954 memoir, A Child of the Century, which Gary Giddins rightly calls “his masterpiece.” I think of it as Bennie’s wised-up wisdom book. It reads for delicious stretches… … read more
AJBlog: Straight|UpPublished 2016-01-03
Weekend Extra: JATP Living History
Bill Kirchner sent a link to a photograph published by Joe Gromelski in the current issue of Stars and Stripes, the US military newspaper. Frankfurt, West Germany, March, 1956: The stars of the “Jazz at… … read more
AJBlog: RiffTidesPublished 2016-01-02
Bill Kirchner sent a link to a photograph published by Joe Gromelski in the current issue of Stars and Stripes, the US military newspaper. Frankfurt, West Germany, March, 1956: The stars of the “Jazz at… … read more
AJBlog: RiffTidesPublished 2016-01-02
Progress for Women at Vienna Philharmonic
For the first time in three years, William Osborne, an expert on the sociology of German-speaking orchestras, has posted an update about the latest developments at the VPo. “It’s the most positive I’ve ever written,”… … read more
AJBlog: Straight|UpPublished 2015-12-31
For the first time in three years, William Osborne, an expert on the sociology of German-speaking orchestras, has posted an update about the latest developments at the VPo. “It’s the most positive I’ve ever written,”… … read more
AJBlog: Straight|UpPublished 2015-12-31
The Perennial Fiction of Nature
I found something I liked yesterday in an interview with Robert Wilson: He eschews “the lie” of naturalism on stage and sees artificiality as “more honest”. Hence he was a perfect fit with Lady Gaga,… … read more
AJBlog: PostClassicPublished 2015-12-31
I found something I liked yesterday in an interview with Robert Wilson: He eschews “the lie” of naturalism on stage and sees artificiality as “more honest”. Hence he was a perfect fit with Lady Gaga,… … read more
AJBlog: PostClassicPublished 2015-12-31
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Hollywood Had A Banner Year – Except That Underneath The Big Earners, Many Movies Flopped
“A startling number of big-budget movies bombed in 2015, proving that no amount of marketing can pull audiences into theaters at a time when Netflix queues are long and social media spreads word about a stinker in a heartbeat.”
When Journalism Catches Hollywood’s Eye, Hollywood Needs To Do More Reporting
“It seems inevitable that filmmakers will continue to make movies about journalists, especially if ‘Truth’ and ‘Spotlight’ receive Oscar nominations. And dramatic license is something journalists will have to get used to, if they’re not already. The real question is whether the movies will ever truly understand the difference between good reporting and bad, as Mr. McCarthy did and Mr. Vanderbilt did not. Don’t get your hopes up. It’s the movies after all.”
Inspired By Vélasquez
“The moment you set eyes on them, you know that these beautiful people will die, that they are already dead and gone, and yet they live in the here and now of this moment, brief and bright as fireflies beneath the sepulchral gloom. And what keeps them here, what keeps them alive, or so the artist implies, is not just the painting but you.”
Movies The Oscar Nominations Will Overlook, But Shouldn’t
“It happens every year. Some actor stands next to another performer or the president of the Academy … and they take turns telling you what’s up for an Oscar. Which means they’re also telling you what’s not. And ‘what’s not’ tends to be as important as what is. And every year, I’m left wondering whether months of punditry and daily forecasts of awards-season weather pollutes what was scarcely a pure process to begin with.”