“Even in cases where robots manage to act in ways similar to us (like playing chess), the way they go about performing these actions is very different from the way we do it. Both fish and submarines can travel distances underwater, but it is questionable whether it is appropriate to say they both swim.”
Tag: 04.14.16
Why Does So Much Arts Criticism Wallow In Personal Struggle? (Who Cares?)
“Contemporary criticism is positively crowded with first-person pronouns, micro-doses of memoir, brief hits of biography. Critics don’t simply wrestle with their assigned cultural object; they wrestle with themselves, as well. “
The One Person From The “Hamilton” Team Sure To NOT Win A Tony
“If the tea leaves prove correct, the Tony Awards could wind up feeling like one big infomercial for Hamilton. Which is pretty awesome! Except for the one person from Hamilton’s creative team getting screwed out of a nomination, if not a win. Say hello to the show’s sound designer, 49-year-old Nevin Steinberg.”
Shakespeare Did Not Sound Like Lawrence Olivier (For One Thing, The Rhymes Worked)
“David and Ben Crystal, a father and son team, have recreated what they say is Shakespeare’s original pronunciation, or OP, as they call it – how Shakespeare’s plays would have been sounded around 1600. … The OP accent that emerges from the Crystals’ research sounds closer to the Northern English or even some American accents.” (audio)
Americans Say They Love Their Libraries – So Why Are They Using Them Less?
“According to a new Pew Research study, 76 percent of Americans say that libraries well serve the needs of their community. … Yet on the other hand, fewer and fewer Americans are using the institutions every year.” Why? Investment.
Mirga Doesn’t Quite Get The Fuss About Her Being A Woman Conductor
“But I accept I must still be a cheerleader. Mothers come up to me and thank me for setting an example to their daughters. And I am happy to take that responsibility. I grew up without imagining any problems.” (In the Baltics, after all, maestras aren’t all that unusual.) “I hope those who come after me will think it quite normal.”
From ‘Roseanne’ To ‘The Office’ To ‘The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ – How Did The Dark Humor In Sitcoms Get *This* Dark?
“Some years ago TV comedies found grim humour in ordinary domestic life. Now even sitcoms about murder and sex slavery are bright and bubbly. … What happened?”
U.S. Congress Passes Law Banning Import Of Antiquities From Syria
“The US Senate unanimously passed a bill intended to stem the perceived flow of illicitly removed artefacts from Syria on Wednesday, 13 April. The Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act had already passed Congress’s lower chamber, the House of Representatives, and is headed to President Obama to be signed into law.”
The Young Artists Destroying Stereotypes About Asian American Women
“They asked Asian women to finish this sentence: ‘All asian women are not ____.’ They received hundreds of submissions, but decided to present 100 statements that seemed to consistently come up. The statements succinctly touch upon the fetishization of Asian women, the model minority myth, the token sidekick and myriad other stereotypes that Asians face.”
The Murky World Of The Ancient Artifact Market
“On the one hand are the source countries, which are mostly poor and have passed laws against taking ancient objects out of the country — but they often don’t have the wherewithal to enforce the bans. On the other hand are the rich countries where the collectors live.”