“According to [psychology professor Daniel] Willingham, one major reason is that what school requires students to do – think abstractly – is in fact not something our brains are designed to be good at or to enjoy.”
Tag: 04.27.09
Feroz Khan, 69, Bollywood’s Clint Eastwood
The Indian actor-director-producer, known for his tough-guy swagger, played such characters as gangsters, race car champions, and even cowboys in a genre that came to be called “curry westerns.”
Panicked About The Future Of Publishing? This Is For You.
“Luckily, in the confusion and chaos of the current publishing rEvolution, there are some people who are profiting. Like me. I’ve been offering my services to various terrified publishing companies. I’m a Post-Paper Evolution Consultant. My credentials are impeccable: I’m 29. I was practically raised by an original Nintendo….”
Study: Meditation Doesn’t Improve Visual Memory
“New research finds that meditation boosts visual memory, but only in the short term. The findings counter the claims of some monks who say that years of practicing a meditation technique that centres on creating an elaborate mental picture of deities can offer long-lasting improvements in visual memory and processing.”
Why Chinese People Take English Names
Chinese-American Huan Hsu: “At my workplace [in Shanghai], which is 90% mainland Chinese, just about everyone I interacted with had an English name, usually selected or received in school. The names ran the gamut, from the standard (Jackie, Ivy) to the unusual (Sniper, King Kong), but what really struck me was how commonly people used them when addressing one another, even when the rest of the conversation was in Chinese.”
9 To 5 Tops Drama Desk Noms; Norman, Ruined Lead Plays
“Musical ‘9 to 5’ racked up 15 noms for the 54th annual Drama Desk Awards, the most of any Broadway or Off Broadway production ever nominated by the legit org. … The Broadway revival of ‘The Norman Conquests’ and the Off Broadway preem of ‘Ruined’ led the pack of plays with five mentions each.”
Is UK’s Regional Theatre In Danger Of Obsolescence?
“The last few years have been a boom time for regional theatre buildings, but has it been a boom time for regional theatre itself? Behind the glossy new facades, there are growing concerns…. [I]f these theatres are no longer at the heart of training, and are increasingly expensive to run, do they still serve a purpose in our theatre culture?”
In The Real World, Virtual Law Is A Growth Industry
“Like so many things, virtual law started with sex. Specifically, the first known legal case originating in a virtual world” — that would be Eros vs. Volkov Catteneo — “was over a bed designed for rolls in the virtual hay. … Although the courts have seen only a few such disputes so far, a number of law firms have created practices focused on virtual worlds and video games, or set up offices within Second Life itself.”
Getty Trust Cuts Staff 14%, Chops Budget Even Further
“The J. Paul Getty Trust will slash its workforce by 14% — a loss of 205 jobs — under a newly adopted budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year that begins July 1. In a statement released Monday, Getty officials said they expect to lay off 97 current regular employees, with the rest of the reduction to come from positions either now vacant or likely to come open through normal turnover.”
Across Museum Spectrum, Money Is The Universal Concern
“When roughly 5,000 museum professionals from across the country descend on Philadelphia this week for two conventions, they will represent institutions that exhibit everything from Old Masters to old rocks. But despite the multiplicity of interests and the range of institutional sizes and locations, there will be one thing on everyone’s mind. Money.”