“Writers have to write now for a world where readers are busy, on the move and have little time for contemplation and reflection. The writer has to focus on writing better, cutting to the chase and doing more of the readers’ contemplative work for them.”
Tag: 03.04.15
How The Starchitects Of The 1950s Reimagined Baghdad
“In the 1950s, King Faisal II enlisted a coterie of architectural heavyweights—Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, Josep Lluís Sert, and Alvar and Aino Aalto—to reimagine Baghdad as a bustling, cosmopolitan city.”
Sometimes Even The Danes Can’t Understand Danish
“One thing every foreigner living in Denmark knows to be true is that it’s a lot easier to comprehend written Danish than spoken Danish. … But fret not foreigners, you’re not alone.” Now even Danes need subtitles with some mumble-mouthed actors.
Technology Is Changing Our Lives. How We Control That Technology Is Getting To Be A Bigger Issue
“Just as the change from hand work to mass production dramatically changed our society over 100 years ago, the digital revolution isn’t just altering specific sectors of the economy, it is changing the way we think and live. This time, though, the transformation is different. This time, it is being driven by just a few hundred people.”
Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s Founding Music Director To Step Down
“Tracing its roots to the city’s first professional orchestra created in 1924, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic was formed in 1988 under the musical direction of Joel Levine and with the strategic vision and guidance of many civic and corporate leaders, committed to its future.”
Six Questions About The Future Of American Culture
Scott Timberg, author of the recent book Culture Crash and of the ArtsJournal blog of the same title, lays out the half-dozen issues he’s left wondering about after writing the book and traveling to country to promote it.
Neil Patrick Harris On The Difficulty Of Hosting The Oscars
“It’s so difficult for one who’s simply watching the show to realize just how much time and concession and compromise and explanation has gone into almost every single thing. Every joke. Wording of joke. Placement of joke. Canceling of joke. Embellishment for just one line.”
Theatre Folk – Performers And Audiences – Should Stop Being So Uptight About Viewers Making Noise Or Moving Around
Maddy Costa: “For an art form so dedicated to thinking about human behaviour and interactions, theatre is remarkably bad at allowing its audiences to be human beings once they take their seats.”
How Brass Bands Have Shaped The Culture Of New Orleans
“Musically, these bands helped shape and were in turn influenced by jazz’s development through the early decades of the 20th century. Brass-band tradition has evolved in the decades since to embrace other styles, such as funk, R&B and hip-hop, irritating purists while enticing new fans. Still, the form’s communal function has never waned.”
Will Virtual Reality Help Heal People?
“For years, virtual reality has made inroads in helping to treat serious phobias, post-traumatic stress, and burn victims’ pain. Now, as the price of VR tech plummets, this therapeutic tech is advancing—and could soon become available to many more people who need it.”