“For those who look on the arts as a kind of celestial sports competition, Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) is up there with Bertolt Brecht for the title of German Poet of the 20th Century. The standard view of the contending couple is that Brecht’s poetic art was dedicated to social revolution, whereas Rilke’s poetic art was dedicated to art.”
Tag: 03.23.07
What Happened To Memorable TV Theme Songs?
“Once upon a time, every TV show had one, many of them memorable, if not great. Viewers who never sat through an entire episode of ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ or ‘Gilligan’s Island’ can nevertheless hum the songs and recall the little stories these title sequences told. In recent years, pressure to keep viewers from flirting with the remote when familiar theme music starts up has made the cold open more popular. But the memorable title sequence is far from dead.”
A Game To Light Up The Brain
A Japanese neuroscientist has found that “if you measured the brain activity of someone who was concentrating on a single, complex task — like studying quantum theory — several parts of that person’s brain would light up. But if you asked them to answer a rapid-fire slew of tiny, simple problems — like basic math questions — her or his brain would light up everywhere. Hence the design of [the computer game] Brain Age. It offers you nine different tests, some of which seem incredibly basic — like answering flash-card math questions — and others which are fiendishly tricky.”
Afghanistan’s National Museum Still Mostly Rubble
“Two and a half years after it reopened, the museum still features more scaffolding and rubble than exhibits. What wasn’t demolished by the Taliban, looted by smugglers or damaged by shelling is mostly in storage. Yet the museum staff is determined to press on.”
Picasso, Warhol Top 2006 Art Sales
“For the 10th consecutive year, Picasso has been named the top-selling artist of the past year by Artprice, an international agency that monitors art sales and auctions around the world. The Cubist master remained on top in 2006, with sales of his work totalling $339.2 million US. The Spanish artist’s 1941 portrait Dora Maar au chat also achieved the year’s top price at auction: $85 million US.”
Aspen Dance Festival Canceled
“The Aspen Santa Fe Ballet has canceled the Aspen Dance Festival this summer, because of a facelift under way on the Aspen District Theatre and the unavailability of a suitable, alternative venue.”
Listen To Your Gut
“The idea that ‘guts’ literally serve some cognitive function isn’t as far-fetched as it may seem. Some research has found that different visceral states (e.g. indigestion, heartburn) map on to specific brain areas associated with emotion. The relationship between the gastrointestinal system and the brain is particularly complex, but little research has explored whether there is a direct link between our physical ‘guts’ and our emotional responses.”
On The Looted-Art Case
“At least 14 big U.S. museums are grappling over war-related art claims, in court or in quiet negotiations. The Metropolitan Museum in New York and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, among others, are locked in a stalemate with Ukrainian and Polish institutions claiming ownership to their Albrecht Dürer drawings. An heir to a German banker has laid claim to a 1500 landscape by Old Master Henri Met de Bles now at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which the heir says the banker was forced to sell by Nazis. These cases may be the tip of the iceberg.”
Cablevision Loses Suit Over Network Digital Recorders
“Unlike a standard set-top digital video recorder with a built-in hard drive, which allows TV viewers to store and play back shows when they like and also to skip through commercials, a network DVR would allow any customer with a digital set-top box to record and play back shows in the same way, with the programs being stored in remote computer servers maintained by Cablevision.” Hollywood studios say this violated their copyright.
Senate Puts The Chill On Smithsonian
Angered by reports of problems at the Smithsonian, the US Senate votes to freeze the institutions budget. “The budget bill amendment sponsored by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) would keep the freeze in effect until the Smithsonian reforms how business is done in the secretary’s office. The measure, which passed on a voice vote, specifically caps salaries for any executive at the Smithsonian at $400,000, the current pay for the U.S. president. Small’s compensation this year is $915,698.”