Blackletter, or Fraktur (as it’s known in German), was used all over Europe during the Middle Ages and through the early years of the printing press. As the rest of the continent gave blackletter up, though, Protestant Germans held on to Fraktur (Roman type was Papist, you understand), and, by the early 20th century, the font had become a symbol of German-ness. You know where that led — and the association, even though it’s not really accurate, remains powerful to this day as the German alt-right rises. (includes text and audio) – 99% Invisible
Tag: 02.18.20
Revealed: YouTube’s Most-Watched Gaming Channels Are Infested With Bots
In January, all seven of the most-watched YouTube Gaming channels weren’t run by happy gamers livestreaming the game du jour. They were instead recorded, autoplaying videos advertising videogame cheats and hacks, sometimes attached to sketchy, credential-vacuuming websites, according to one analytics firm. – Wired
Meet The Workers Who Inspect The Sistine Chapel’s Frescoes
The BBC was given rare access to the preparations and spoke to three experts involved. – BBC
Allentown Museum Painting Discovered To Be A Rembrandt After It Was Sent Out For Cleaning
The scientific analysis “showed brushwork, and a liveliness to that brushwork, that is quite consistent with other works by Rembrandt,” said Shan Kuang, a conservator at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts who restored “Portrait of a Young Woman.” – Toronto Star (AP)
Has Netflix Reached Its Max Audience?
“Our research shows that most pay TV households already have Netflix so even if cord-cutting accelerates, Netflix won’t get a whole slew of new customers. In [other] words, people are cutting the cord because they have Netflix. They don’t cut the cord and discover Netflix for the first time.” – Fast Company
One Of Britain’s Top Dance Companies, Tired Of The Money Struggle, Gives Up And Packs It In
Marina Harss: “Imagine if one of America’s most respected modern-dance companies realized that its funding model was no longer sustainable and had to cease operations. This despite having name recognition and a highly identifiable style, and still regularly producing new work. That, in a nutshell, is what has happened to the Richard Alston Dance Company, in England.” – The New York Times
“No matter what happens tomorrow”
It struck me the other day that ever since Mrs. T went into the hospital, our life has come to resemble Groundhog Day, an endless succession of repeat performances. I am, like Bill Murray, stuck on hold, the only difference being that I know what has happened to me — and that, sooner or later, it will end. In the meantime, we’re clinging to our memories, but we’re also doing our best to get what’s to be gotten out of the slow-moving present. – Terry Teachout
Opera Performed By And For The Deaf? These Folks Are Giving It A Try
Victory Hall Opera in Charlottesville is working on a production of Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites with Deaf performers acting the roles in American Sign Language alongside singers. The first workshops are happening at the end of this month. Reporter Thomas Floyd talks with the leader of Victory Hall Opera and stage director Alek Lev. – The Washington Post
End Of The Big Glamorous Cities?
Since 2010, urban inner rings, including central business districts, accounted for barely 10 percent of population growth in the nation’s 53 largest metropolitan areas. More revealing still, the country’s three largest metropolitan areas — New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago—are now losing population. Since 2012, suburbs and exurbs, which have seven times as many people as the core, are again growing faster. Suburbs are also seeing a strong net movement among educated people, those earning over $75,000 and especially those between the ages of 30 and 44. – The Daily Beast
Tough Talk On Theatre Diversity Efforts
I am a white, male, liberal administrator working in New York’s nonprofit theatre community. I see firsthand how the word “diversity” has kicked up a lot of dust throughout the industry. Yet for as long as we’ve been having conversations, and task forces, and panel discussions, and industry-wide conferences, I’m still struggling to see how this word aligns with clear, intentional, or lasting change. – Howlround