“The more technology multiplies, the more it amplifies instability. Things already don’t quite do what they claim. The fixes just make things worse. And so, ordinary devices aren’t likely to feel more workable and functional as technology marches forward. If anything, they are likely to become even less so. Technology is becoming a force that surrounds humans—but not necessarily in the service of human ends. Technology’s role has begun to shift, from serving human users to pushing them out of the way so that the technologized world can service its own ends.”
Tag: 02.23.17
The Emerging Oscar Powerhouse That Does Nothing Specific, But Also Everything
FilmNation is behind “Arrival” and a Judd Apatow movie that sold for $12 million at Sundance. “The two movies thrust FilmNation into the limelight and pose a tantalizing question: can a company unaffiliated with any conglomerate become a powerhouse in the challenging climate of the 21st-century entertainment industry?”
Classical Music At The Movies (AKA, The Oscars’ Nominated Scores)
Shocker: What should win Best Score and what is going to win Best Score aren’t remotely the same.
Philosophers Debate How To Respond To The 21st Century’s Rise In Violence
With a nod to Hannah Arendt for her phrase “dark times,” the New York Times online column “The Stone” recaps the columns of 11 contributors who have addressed the issue over the past year.
Arts Council England Will Spend £2.7 Million Implementing “Quality” Standards For Arts
Arts Council England is “pressing ahead with the system despite serious concerns raised following a pilot project last year to test such a system among 150 NPOs. An independent review of the pilot found that arts organisations wanted a more flexible system that would align with their individual artistic objectives, and ACE’s announcement that the system was going to be rolled out provoked anger and disbelief on social media. Using the system will be mandatory for around 300 of ACE’s largest NPOs, and a further 600 will be encouraged to use it.”
Here’s Why Standard Measures Of Arts Experiences Are A Bad Idea
“Setting aside the insurmountable logistical challenges that will face some of the organisations having to conduct the fieldwork for the Quality Metrics scheme, there are two fatal flaws with the research framework that will render the findings meaningless.”
Isabelle Huppert Has Become A Style Icon
In the States, until recently she’s been familiar mostly to art-cinema fans. But with this year’s Hollywood awards season, her cool, ambiguous, insouciant je-ne-sais-quoi has caught the fancy of the fashion press. Says Simon Doonan, “She has what the French used to call chien.” Ruth La Perla explores the mystique with the actress herself.
The Art Of Money: The Secret History Of The Images On Currency
Jennifer Schuessler talks to Mark Tomasko, a collector who doesn’t just study the artwork on old and new bills – he tracks the originals down.
Gathering And Streaming All The Best TV Drama That Isn’t In English
“The result of 4,000 hours of TV consumption [by the founder] is Walter Presents, an online streaming service that began in Britain in January 2016. And now, when Americans have access to more TV from around the world, [Walter] Iuzzolino is bringing Walter Presents to the United States. The service will debut in March with a catalog of 34 shows, or about 300 hours of TV, and at least two new shows will be added each month.”
Lessons From The NYT Firing Of Charles Isherwood By An Organizational Psychologist
“But first, it’s important to highlight the one thing we can’t learn: What really got him fired. … That said, there are plenty of important takeaways from the narrative about Isherwood’s firing.” Liane Davey offers four of them – and they may seem obvious, but people forget them all the time.