Tag: 04.20.06

Code Sculptor: Oops, I Made A Mistake?

For years cryptographers have been trying to solve the code in a sculpture that sits at CIA headquarters. “But now Jim Sanborn, the artist who created the Kryptos sculpture, says he made a mistake. A previously solved part of the puzzle that sleuths assumed was correct for years isn’t. The new information, including what the mistaken text really says, is creating a buzz among enthusiasts who’ve been obsessed over the sculpture for years.”

Harry Potter – Banned In Atlanta?

Some Atlanta area parents are leading a campaign to have the Harry Potter books banned from local school libraries. “People who love the books say they are happy that kids are reading the books as much as they are. They say that the books are ultimately about good versus evil. But opponents say that the books with their magic wands and spells are all about evil.”

Music Of The Street

Street musicians – buskers – in New York can make $200 a day and up. “It’s interesting to see what the street looks like from this angle. You enter a new world when you put yourself out like this. In a club there’s an invisible wall between you and the audience. Here, there’s not.”

The Great American Screen Play

There has been an explosion in the number of screenplays jockeying for attention. “Last year, some 40,000 screenplays were registered by the Writers Guild of America, and, since relatively few screenwriters go to the trouble to seek this early-stage copyright protection, the officials there reckon this figure represents only the tiniest tip of the iceberg.”

Are Movie Critics Losing Their Clout?

“Aggregation and indexing have also had the unintended consequence of flattening the hierarchy of movie critics: Inevitably, The New York Times or Chicago Tribune reviewers are taken off their perch when their sound bites appear next to Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies, Ericsnider.com, or (our favorite) Hollywood Bitchslap. Even worse, their opinions are devalued when they become just one datapoint in an average score.”

FCC Investigates Radio networks For Payola

The FCC is investigating four radio giants for payola. The FCC “requested documents from Clear Channel Communications Inc., CBS Radio Inc., Entercom Communications Corp. and Citadel Broadcasting Corp. over allegations that radio programmers had received cash, checks, clothing and other gifts in exchange for playing certain songs without revealing the deals to listeners, a violation of federal rules.”