Tag: 04.08.20

There’s A Whole New World Of Coronavirus Slang Out There

If you don’t want to be a covidiot, spend some of your quatorzaine at home boning up on the new words about Miss Rona, from the Chinese tagline for social distancing to the German term for sports played in empty stadiums (and the one for the weight fans at home are putting on) to the metaphor for hoarding that a Dutch sign language interpreter came up with on the fly. – 1843 Magazine

In The Movies AI Is Helpful… Until It Turns On You

“Artificial intelligence, and the desire to smooth out the rough edges of human biology through it, has frequently made its way into the movies. But while the most intriguing of films that dabble in the subject tell entertaining stories, they warn of the complications of relying too much on technology to solve problems. Will a smart machine bring salvation or destruction?” – The New York Times

How The Last Pandemic Crept Into Literature

Elizabeth Outka: “I have spent the last five years writing a book about how the sensory and affective climate of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic infuses interwar literature, often in ways we have not recognized. My new awareness of the traces of that pandemic shifts my perception of this one, as if the sights and sounds from a century ago have re-emerged, becoming timely in ways I both feared and never wanted.” – The Paris Review

John Tavener’s Final Opera Is Now Recovered And Will Be Staged — Thanks To Prince Charles

The popular composer, who died in 2013, finished writing Krishna in 2005, but it was never published or produced and few were aware of its existence. Then the Crown Prince, a longtime friend of Tavener’s, asked director David Pountney to take a look at it — and, said Pountney, “I was astonished to discover this massive complete work.” He will direct it in the summer of 2024 at the Grange Park Opera festival. – The Guardian

NPR Reporter Shows You How To Build The Perfect Home Radio Studio

“Don Gonyea, NPR’s roving national political correspondent, has a lot of experience recording high-quality audio outside of a studio. He often records his features and spots from hotel rooms across the country while he follows political hopefuls. … We thought Gonyea’s expertise building temporary studios with everyday items like couch cushions and pillows may come in handy for those of you at home who could use some guidance. Here are his top tips.” – Current

Artists Begin Working, Nervously, With Artificial Intelligence

“Not only is A.I. a tool for artists, who are employing machine intelligence in fascinating ways, it is also frequently a topic to be examined — sometimes in the same piece. And underlying many of the works is a deep unease. As Lisa Phillips, the director of New York’s New Museum, put it, the worries come down to ‘the prospect that machines are going to take over.’ She added, ‘What are we unleashing?'” – The New York Times

Home Alone: What We Know About Solitude And Its Healing Power

Steadily, slowly, research interest in solitude has been increasing. Note, solitude – time alone – is not synonymous with loneliness, which is a subjective sense of unwanted social isolation that’s known to be harmful to mental and physical health. In contrast, in recent years, many observational studies have documented a correlation between greater wellbeing and a healthy motivation for solitude – that is, seeing solitude as something enjoyable and valuable. – Aeon