Farhad Manjoo: “Google Voice is not the only thing killing phone messages. Every new way we develop of talking to one another – e-mail, text messaging, instant messaging, Twitter, etc. – is faster and more useful than leaving an audio message on someone’s phone. … [T]he end of voice mail is nigh, and it won’t be missed.”
Tag: 05.08.09
Airport Bookstore Novels And What They Tell Us
Ron Rosenbaum: “I love airport best-sellers because I see them as our Nostradamuses, the literary canaries in the dark coal mines of our paranoia. They sniff out and serve up fictionalized but ‘realistic’ prophecies of coming doom of one sort or another.” Lately these novels have been turning to what Rosenbaum calls “nuke porn.”
Safety Regs Put Oxford Library’s Rare Volumes Out Of Reach
“Historic books in the Bodleian Library have been left out of reach after a health and safety directive banned ladders from a reading room. Students wanting to access works on the top shelf in the gallery section of the Duke Humfreys room have been unable to do so due to a low balcony and uneven floors … although ladders had been used for many years previously.”
How The Recession Is Changing The Book Business
“Changes on the horizon include the phasing out of print catalogues, a de-emphasis on in-person sales conferences in favor of video and web conferences, more focused lists, reduced travel and attendance at trade shows, more use of social networks and a reduction in print advertising. Sales reps will also extend their territory into non-bookstore accounts.”
Study: If You’re Smarter, You’re Healthier
“A new study of 3654 Vietnam War veterans finds that men with lower IQs are more likely to suffer from dozens of health problems – from hernias, to ear inflammation, to cataracts – compared with those showing greater intelligence. This offers tantalising – yet preliminary – evidence that health and intelligence are the result of common genetic factors, and that low intelligence may be an indication of harmful genetic mutations.”
Classical Music Gets An Online Retail Upgrade
“Classical music came late to the digital-music revolution, but the genre is poised to play catch-up as a crop of specialty music sellers jockey to meet the demands of core listeners.”
Surprise: Canadian Video Game Sales Down
“After years of steady sales increases, the Canadian video-game market has taken a step backward. Retail numbers released this week by the research firm NPD Group showed hardware, software and accessory sales down 8.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2009 compared to the same period last year. It was the first sales dip since NPD started tracking the industry here in 2002.”
Is Jose Carreras Retiring? (There’s Some Confusion)
“His international manager, however, has said Carreras would perform opera again if the right production came up. For the next few years, though, he will focus on concerts and touring.”
Urgent: National Gallery’s East Wing Needs Major Repairs
“Exterior panels, made of Tennessee lavender-pink marble, are tilting outward, which the gallery says indicates problems with the support system. A consultant has recommended that the gallery remove all 16,200 panels and install new supports behind them.”
TicketMaster Defends Itself
“We are often blamed for the behaviour and practices of artists and event providers who hold tickets back. People are less concerned with facts and figures than with watching Ticketmaster get slapped around.”