“Yoni Appelbaum, a Ph.D. candidate in history from Brandeis University, was procrastinating on his dissertation. Instead of writing, he would spend his time commenting on a blog under the pseudonym, ‘Cynic’. Eventually, it got him a job writing for that website – The Atlantic.”
Tag: 05.07.12
Once And Sons Of The Prophet Lead Off-Broadway’s Lortel Awards
“Recent Off Broadway productions of the musical “Once and the play Sons Of The Prophet won top honors on Sunday night at the presentation of the 27th annual Lucille Lortel Awards, which recognize excellence at medium-size and small New York theaters.”
Why Parrots Parrot People
“A lost parakeet in Japan was returned safely to its owner last week after it told police its home address. Why do captive birds mimic human speech, and how do they decide what to say?”
Pilobolus Joins The RadioLab Tour
For the 2012 version – titled “In the Dark” – of the popular public radio program’s road show, RadioLab co-hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich engaged the dance collective to create a visual/movement counterpoint to the science stories at the core of the program.
Australia’s Busiest Museum Faces Cuts
“Museum Victoria will cut its 550-strong workforce by 47, hold fewer touring exhibitions and run other shows for longer to reduce costs to meet a projected funding shortfall next financial year.”
“Avengers” Scores Biggest Opening Weekend Box Office Of All Time (How?)
“Distributor Disney’s estimate of $200.3 million (even taking into account potential slight revisions when official figures hit Monday) shatters the previous opening-weekend record of $169.2 million, held by “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2″ last summer.”
The Future Of Books: Seriously Depressing Reading
“The suggestion is that iTunes song tasters, or viral videos, won’t generate a buzz for novels in the same way because you can’t really taste them in snatches. Cut-price deals or Twitter raves can presumably drive them up e-book best-seller lists, but if publishers die off, their sifting role – sorting out the literary chaff – will leave readers lost for real guides to the book market.”
The Source Of The New York State Reading Exam’s Notorious Pineapple Question
Last month, the eighth-graders of the Empire State were presented with a reading comprehension question about a hare who was challenged to a race by – not a tortoise, but a pineapple. (The hare won.) The originator of the tale, children’s author Daniel Pinkwater speaks out on the controversy. (He thinks the story works better with an eggplant.)